Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s state Senate voted Thursday to select the chamber’s first female majority leader and promote their majority leader of the past six years.
Third-term Sen. Kim Ward of Westmoreland County will replace Sen. Jake Corman as majority leader. Ward, who has chaired committees that handle transportation and gambling issues, was first elected in 2008.
Corman, the chamber’s Republican majority leader since 2015, will fill the empty post of president pro tempore when the Legislature’s new session starts in January. Republicans will return with at least the same size majority, 29-21, and possibly larger, depending on the outcome of one undecided contest.Corman, who has represented the State College area in the Senate since 1999, will replace the outgoing Joe Scarnati, who did not run for reelection.Senate Democrats plan to select a new leadership team next week.The outcome of one Senate race remains in doubt in western Pennsylvania, where second-term incumbent Democrat Jim Brewster is neck-and-neck with Republican Nicole Ziccarelli in a district that straddles Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.In the House of Representatives, minority Democrats were voting Thursday to replace their floor leader, Frank Dermody, of Allegheny County, who conceded his reelection bid earlier this week.House Republicans on Tuesday reelected their leadership team of House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre.Republicans there were expected to pad their 110 to 93 majority with a couple pickups in close contests.
It’s important to remember that conventional wisdom is not always wise. It emerges, after all, from a cloistered echo chamber in New York City and Washington, D.C., and is constantly reinforced, not corrected, by the chattering class that promotes it. This insularity was perfectly captured by Pauline Kael’s puckish comment after Richard Nixon’s landslide reelection. The New Yorker’s famed film critic was an early observer of America’s growing culture gap. “I only know one person who voted for Nixon,” she said. “Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken. But sometimes when I’m in a theater I can feel them.”
Today, elites smell them. That is what disgraced FBI man Peter Strzok actually said after a trip to Walmart, and he and his ilk recoil, naturally, from the plebian aroma. But theirs is the nose of a sommelier, not a hunting dog. It failed to sniff out the social movement that elected Donald Trump in 2016, and today it is missing the rage sweeping about half the country. The fury comes from folks who don’t subscribe to the New York Times, let alone the New Yorker, and who don’t habituate yoga studios while carrying NPR tote bags, either. These “deplorables,” to use one memorable description, watch pro football, know when deer season begins, and think they are being badly governed by an unelected caste whose education, expertise, and ideology have not improved the lives of ordinary Americans. They are convinced that corporate suits who are currently lecturing them about race relations have outsourced their jobs and used the profits to buy political influence, as well as grandiose mansions. They know in their gut that this elite class has only contempt for them.
They knew it when they looked at Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg, and Beto O’Rourke (but not Bernie Sanders). They like Joe Biden a lot better, perhaps even enough to lift him over the finish line. Joe himself recognizes this appeal and trades on it, emphasizing his working-class roots in Scranton, Pa. When voters think of the tragedies he has suffered, they do more than sympathize. They recognize that pain like his is the great leveler of the human condition. It makes him one with all of us who suffer and still try to live on.
They knew it when they looked at Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg, and Beto O’Rourke (but not Bernie Sanders). They like Joe Biden a lot better, perhaps even enough to lift him over the finish line. Joe himself recognizes this appeal and trades on it, emphasizing his working-class roots in Scranton, Pa. When voters think of the tragedies he has suffered, they do more than sympathize. They recognize that pain like his is the great leveler of the human condition. It makes him one with all of us who suffer and still try to live on.
But their doubts about Biden are rising as they learn more about corruption scandals surrounding Joe’s son Hunter and brother, Jim. The conventional wisdom — on both right and left, among political strategists in both parties — is that voters care much more about the economy and COVID-19. That’s correct. They do, and the polls show it. But that doesn’t mean the scandals are irrelevant. They matter politically for several reasons, all of them bad for Joe Biden. They imply the following:
Biden is just another grifting politician who got rich in office;
Uncle Joe’s persona as average, lower-middle class guy is just a cover story;
His self-enrichment makes him the “Washington Swamp” incarnate, no different from all the other politicians turned lobbyists; and
The media is so crooked it won’t honestly tell the public about these problems, lest they vote the wrong way.
State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs ripped into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wednesday over disappointing results in key New York battleground congressional and legislative races last week.
Jacobs, who also serves as the Nassau County Democratic leader, said he’s had it with AOC and other left-wingers lecturing Democrats who have to fight to compete and win races in purple districts in Long Island and upstate.
“AOC has no standing on how to run a general election in the suburbs and upstate. AOC is in a district that’s 6-1 Democrat and she couldn’t find a Republican in her district with binoculars,” Jacobs told The Post.
“I invite AOC to come to Long Island and stand for election in one of our districts. You’ll see different results,” Jacobs said.
Voter fraud was allegedly committed in Nevada during the early voting period, according to a Clark County poll worker who told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” what she witnessed in an exclusive interview Tuesday night.
The whistleblower, whose identity was hidden and whose voice was modified at her request, told host Laura Ingraham that she noticed white envelopes being passed around and ripped open near a Biden-Harris van while on a walk during her lunch break. The envelope handlers then leaned against the side of the van in order to mark the papers, which she recognized as ballots.
“As I got closer, I thought, ‘Those are ballots,’” she said. “I walked by four or five times. On the next time I walked by, they were putting them in the envelopes. They were putting them in a white and pink envelope.”
Newsmax TV and One America News, have yet to call the election for President-Elect Joe Biden following both CNN and Fox News calling the election for Biden.
SCRANTON, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that would have required county coroners to investigate COVID-19 deaths. Though it would make for quite a bit of work for the coroners, many of them supported the bill which passed with bipartisan support.
Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland is one of many county coroners across the state who have called for a change in state law, which would require doctors to report COVID-19 deaths to the coroners and then require the county coroners to investigate and keep track of data regarding those deaths.
In the governor’s veto announcement, he wrote that the current reporting system works faster without including county coroners. That’s something he and the coroners completely disagree on.
We reached out to the governor’s office for comment, but we have not heard back.
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Pennsylvania’s county coroners have been at odds with Gov. Wolf and the Department of Health on how COVID-19 deaths should be reported.
The coroners gathered support from Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg to change state law and require coroners to document and investigate each COVID-19 death.
The governor vetoed the bill last week. In a statement, Gov. Wolf wrote that doctors should report those deaths electronically and directly to the Department of Health.
But Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling says that system puts the public health at risk.
“Those systems lag, as we’ve seen early on in this pandemic,” Kiessling said. “It can be days to weeks before those deaths are reported and show up in the electronic systems. And that’s a problem when someone’s had a contact, and we’ve not been notified and made sure that testing is done.”
Some coroners have been maintaining death data anyway, even though they weren’t required to.
Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland says his data is often more accurate than the state’s.
“I’m not sure if the governor and the Department of Health are trying to control the data, manipulate the data. God only knows,” Rowland said. “I think the governor did a great job in protecting Pennsylvania, you know, as far as the mask-wearing, social distancing, and regulating bars, restaurants. I think they did a good job, and I think the results show it. But I think the governor, unfortunately, and the Department of Health, in this matter, are out of touch with reality.”
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reassert the United States’ leadership role on the global stage through a series of day-one executive actions that would mark a drastic turn from outgoing President Donald Trump’s policies.
LANSING, Mich– (WLNS) An entire Michigan county has flipped back to it’s historically republican roots after a manual recount of votes.
Officials with Antrim County posted updated results showing President Trump won the county with 9,783 votes making up 56.46% of ballots cast. Joe Biden earned 7,289 votes or 42.07%. The county initially “went blue” and showed a win for Biden before the error was discovered.
Antrim County officials have blamed the county’s election software saying totals counted did not match tabulator tapes. 6 News has learned the “Dominion Voting System” is used Antrim County.
That system is also used in 64 other counties across the state including, Ingham, Jackson, and Shiawassee, locally.
A spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, tells 6 News the skewed results were the result of a “county user error” not a software issue and there is no reason to believe similar errors with ballot counts happened anywhere else.
According to Tracy Wimmer, the issue would also have been identified during the certification of results by county canvassers if it had not already come to light.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum tells 6 News she also believes human error is likely to blame for the error in Antrim County and while Ingham County uses the Dominion system, she doesn’t have any concerns about accuracy. Byrum says multiple tests are done at the Ingham County level with in-house programmers well before election day. Byrum adds that local clerks also are required to do testing before the polls open.
Dominion Voting Systems Corporation is a company that sells electronic voting hardware and software, including voting machines and tabulators, in the U.S. and Canada.[1] The company’s international headquarters are in Toronto, Canada, and its U.S. headquarters are in Denver, Colorado. As of September 2019, Dominion voting machines are used in 2,000 jurisdictions in 33 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The company also has over 100 municipal customers in Canada and clients in other countries. The company carries out in-house software development for its customers in the U.S., Canada and Serbia.[2]John Paulos, the CEO and co-founder is a democrat from California.
ATLANTA — Georgia’s secretary of state said on Friday that the presidential race in his state was so close that a recount is inevitable.
As of late Friday morning, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., led President Trump in the state by a mere 1,579 votes.
Gabriel Sterling, an official with the secretary of state’s office, said that 4,169 ballots — most of them absentee ballots — remained to be counted in four counties: Gwinnett, Cobb, Cherokee and Floyd. The largest tranche to be counted is in Gwinnett County, which contains Atlanta suburban communities and has gone from Republican-leaning to Democratic leaning in recent years.
The state must also deal with an unknown number of ballots from military and overseas voters. Their ballots will be counted if they were postmarked by Tuesday and arrive in the mail before the end of business Friday.
After Democrats fell short in several Senate races on November 3, the development gives them a new opportunity to win a majority in the Senate if they can win both races and Kamala Harris is elected vice president.
Republican Sen. David Perdue leads Democrat Jon Ossoff, but since Perdue dropped below 50% of the vote, a January runoff election was triggered, in accordance with state law.
On November 3, Democrat Raphael Warnock and appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler advanced to a separate Senate special-election runoff, which will also be held in January.
Wisconsin does not have automatic recounts, but a losing candidate can file a sworn petition requesting one if the margin of victory is less than 1%. Democrat Joe Biden leads by roughly 21,000 votes.
Not long after The Associated Press and other news outlets declared Wednesday that Democrat Joe Biden had won Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes, the Trump campaign announced it would ask for a recount in the state.
The margin separating Biden and Trump in what is one of the nation’s most contested swing states is roughly 20,000 votes, or less than 1%. It was absentee ballots in the cities of Milwaukee, Green Bay and Kenosha, added to county totals Wednesday morning, that appear to have put Biden on top.
Wisconsin was part of the so-called “blue wall” that Trump shattered last election cycle, when he narrowly won the state by less than 23,000 votes in 2016.
The state does not have automatic recounts, however under Wisconsin law, a losing candidate can file a sworn petition, along with a filing fee.
Should the Trump campaign follow through on its promise to call for a recount, it will be on the hook to pay for it. Under rules enacted by a Republican legislature and governor a few years ago, the state will only pay for a recount if the margin of victory is .25% or less.
The Trump campaign said Wednesday there had been “reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties,” which it said cast doubt about the validity of the ballots cast.
There is something obscene and repulsive about American businesses having to board up store windows on the eve of an election because they know their government cannot protect them from anti-American barbarians and thugs.
In Lincoln’s Lyceum Address of January 1838, titled “On the Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions,” he described mobs as the enemy of law-abiding citizens. He also captured the exasperation of citizens when government does nothing to suppress the mobs.
Lincoln, who was only 28 at the time, said this about mobs:
“Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation.
The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign announced more information Sunday about its planned Monday “barnstorm” of Pittsburgh and the state.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will mainly visit western Pennsylvania, with a canvas kickoff in nearby Beaver County, a Pittsburgh drive-in event with Black community members, as well as a final Pittsburgh drive-in event with his wife Jill and pop star Lady Gaga.
Jill Biden will go to a canvas kickoff in Erie, a rural get-out-the-vote event in Lawrence County, a get-out-the-vote event in Allegheny County with suburban women and the Pittsburgh drive-in event.
Exact times and locations are to be announced.
The Bidens’ visit to Pittsburgh follows several Saturday events from Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary. He visited Oakland’s Schenley Plaza and held events in nearby Washington and Hampton Township.
With the race drawing to a close, the president plans to hit an array of battleground states while the Democratic challenger hunkers down in a key one, with a side trip to Ohio also on the schedule.
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., suggested on Sunday that vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, D-Calif., was advancing communist ideas with a video about equity and equality.
“The problem with that — not everybody’s starting out from the same place … It’s about giving people the resources and support they need so that everyone can be on equal footing, and then compete on equal footing. Equitable treatment means we all end up at the same place,” she added.
In response to Harris’ tweet, Cheney said: “Sounds just like Karl Marx.” She was referring to the 19th Century philosopher who wrote the “Communist Manifesto.”
“A century of history has shown where that path leads,” she added. “We all embrace equal opportunity, but government-enforced equality of outcomes is Marxism.”
Joe Biden ended up getting tongue-tied during a rally in Michigan on Saturday. Just as he was about to lay a blow against Trump’s healthcare plans, he ended up tripping over his words.
Joe Biden ended up getting tongue-tied during a rally in Michigan on Saturday
Just as he was about to lay a blow against Trump about healthcare he ended up tripping over his words as described it as ‘badakathcare’
Biden has made a number of gaffs during the campaign, but so has Donald Trump who has regularly mispronounced words throughout his presidency
GAFFE-machine Joe Biden has struck again – confusing the Philadelphia Eagles logo for a Delaware college emblem on his OWN jacket.
Speaking to a socially distanced crowd in Philadelphia, Biden said: “I was very happy to have the moniker of being known as Pennsylvania’s third senator.
“I know Philadelphia well. I married a Philly girl by the way.”
Biden’s supporters immediately started honking horns in their vehicles to show their approval.
Then, looking down at his jacket, Biden adds, “by the way I got my Eagles jacket on.”
This public blunder prompted a swift rebuke on Twitter.
Zach Parkinson, the deputy director of communications for President Donald Trump’s campaign, tweeted: “This ‘Eagles’ jacket Biden claims he’s wearing to try and show how much he’s in touch with Pennsylvania?
“It’s a Delaware Blue Hens jacket.”
Biden attended the University of Delaware, graduating from the institution in 1965 with a double major in history and political science.
He wrote about playing in the uni’s freshman football team in his memoir Promises to Keep.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed President Trump in an editorial piece published late on Saturday, writing that he “has put America first, just as he said he would.”
Why it matters: The Post-Gazette, which endorsed former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, has not supported a Republican presidential nominee since 1972. The paper is also based in a swing state that is crucial to Trump’s victory.
What they’re saying: “We share the embarrassment of millions of Americans who are disturbed by the president’s unpresidential manners and character — his rudeness and put-downs and bragging and bending of the truth.”
“None of this can be justified. The president’s behavior often has diminished his presidency, and the presidency. Most Americans want a president who makes them proud.”
“We too prefer the first-class temperament and demeanor of a Winston Churchill, a Dwight Eisenhower, a Franklin Roosevelt, a Ronald Reagan, or a Barack Obama (whom this newspaper enthusiastically supported in 2008 and 2012). None of them are on the ballot this year.”
Everything voters need to know. Democracy Works has all the information you need to register and vote.
Election Day
Election Day is almost here! If you have any difficulties voting, you should first ask a poll worker or your local election official for help. We have provided additional resources below to help you vote, no matter what.
Get to the polls can help you find your polling place if you aren’t sure where to vote in person.
The Election Protection Hotline is a great resource if you experience any issues while voting. Remember: It is a federal crime to pressure, threaten, or otherwise intimidate voters at the polls!
English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE / 1-866-687-8683
Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA / 1-888-839-8682
The ACLU’s Voting Rights Guide explains accommodations your polling place needs to make if English is not your primary language.
You have to register to vote before Election Day in Pennsylvania. You can find the deadline to register to vote in the “Dates and deadlines” section.
To register in Pennsylvania you must:
be a citizen of the United States at least one month before the next election
be a resident of Pennsylvania and your election district at least 30 days before the election
be at least 18 years of age on the day of the next election
You may also register if you:
are a pretrial detainee, confined in a penal institution awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor
got released or will get released by the date of the next election from a correctional facility or halfway house (this must be upon completion of the term of incarceration for conviction of a misdemeanor or a felony)
are on probation or released on parole
are under house arrest (home confinement)
*find more information on voting rights restoration here
Vote in person
Due to COVID-19, in-person services may have limited availability. Contact yourlocal election officeto confirm. See CDC guidance on safe in-person voting.
Vote on Election Day
Voters registered in Pennsylvania can look up where to vote on Pennsylvania’s site.
Vote early
Pennsylvania voters can also vote before Election Day through a process called absentee in-person voting. The period for absentee in-person voting runs from Monday, September 14, 2020 to Tuesday, October 27, 2020, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live.
What to bring
If you’ve voted at your polling place before, you don’t need to show ID to vote.
If you’re a first-time voter, or if you moved within Pennsylvania and are voting for the first time at a new polling place, you must show ID to vote. Acceptable forms include: Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card; ID issued by Pennsylvania or the US government; US passport; US military ID; student ID; employee ID; a confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office; non-photo ID issued by Pennsylvania or the US government; firearm permit; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or a government check that includes your name and address.
Voters without ID: If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot.
Vote by mail
Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application. You can also request a ballot online. We encourage you to request and return ballots as early as possible.
Fill out the application completely.
Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Tuesday, October 27, 2020.
When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.
Your ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 3, 2020 and received no later than Friday, November 6, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. You may also return your ballot in person by Tuesday, November 3, 2020 by 8:00 p.m. You can find ballot tracking information here.
Acting as the county’s salary board, Republican commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, along with Republican Controller Jeff Balzer, approved the financial package for the auditors. It’s a move Balzer said was needed to retain a quality staff and was recommended by the county’s human resources department.
Gina Cerilli, a second-term Democrat, claimed Balzer threatened to shutter his auditing department and hire outside staff to complete those mandated functions should the proposed raises be rejected.
Balzer denied that a threat was made but conceded that during a private meeting last week he suggested that the hiring of an outside firm to perform the county’s routine auditing would be costly.
“It was a talking point and I don’t have the authority to do that,” Balzer said. “Once again, she’s exposed her inexperience in government and claims she knows everything.”
Kertes and Chew, first-term Republicans, supported the raises and said they were cheaper than hiring private auditors.
Former President Barack Obama is set to join Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the campaign trail during the final weekend of the election season, two people familiar with the plans told CNN.
(CNN)Former President Barack Obama is set to join Democratic nominee Joe Biden on the campaign trail during the final weekend of the election season, two people familiar with the plans told CNN.
The two will appear together in a key battleground state, the people said. Biden is already scheduled to appear in Michigan on Saturday. That is a likely spot for their joint appearance, but two officials said the location of their rally would be finalized in the coming days.
Obama has held three solo appearances over the past week campaigning for his former vice president, relishing his return to the campaign trail to help deliver a closing argument against his successor President Donald Trump.
President Trump on Monday said Sen. Kamala Harris’ frequent bursts of laughter at serious questions suggests “there’s something wrong” with the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
President Trump on Monday said Sen. Kamala Harris’ frequent bursts of laughter at serious questions suggests “there’s something wrong” with the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
Trump mocked Harris’ “60 Minutes” interview, broadcast Sunday, during a campaign rally in Allentown, Pa.
“Did you see [Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s] performance on that show? The only thing almost as bad was Kamala, with the laugh. ‘Haha, that’s so funny. Hahaha.’ She kept laughing. I said, ‘Is there something wrong with her, too?’” Trump quipped.
“She will not be the first woman president, you can’t let that happen. I said, ‘Is there something wrong with her?’ She kept laughing at very, you know, serious questions.”
Harris (D-Calif.) laughed off journalist Norah O’Donnell’s question during the “60 Minutes” interview about being rated the “most liberal” senator by GovTrack. She laughed again when she called herself someone who likes hip-hop.
O’Donnell pressed Harris on whether she brings a “socialist or progressive perspective” to the Democratic ticket.
In late May and into early June, protests over the death of George Floyd escalated across the country, including in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto said he is meeting with public safety and other officials to ensure nothing gets out of hand after the election.
“Public safety has been working across all of our boroughs’ police, fire and EMS to ensure that we have enough personnel in case of any type of necessity,” he said.
Police officers will be working 12-hour shifts beginning Election Day. Right now, city officials are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) —
