The LuLac Edition #1860, December 14th, 2011

Why are these boys smiling? Look at their new districts. Santa was very, very good to the GOP Joy Boys! Pictured Tom Marino and Lou Barletta.


The new Sheriff in town, Tim Holden. To Pittston, Wilkes Barre and Scranton, welcome to the 17th.

LOU’S LOTTERY

Lou Barletta just won the biggest political lottery of his life. The gods of gerrymandering and redistricting have smiled brightly on the fair haired (okay dark haired boy) from the Mountain City. Lou Barletta now loses the Democratic bastions of Pittston, Wilkes Barre and Scranton. (Scranton sometimes has a penchant for voting in Republicans as their Mayor but that’s only after disaffected Democrats changed their affiliations and the Dems candidate was so bad a GOP win was a foregone conclusion). Wilkes Barre and Pittston speak for themselves in terms of Democratic supremacy. No Republican has served in Wilkes Barre since the Council-Manager form of government in the 60s and no one in Pittston has served as a member of the GOP since the late 1950s. Taking these Democratic strongholds out of the district will do a few things:
1. Diminish the fight of any re-election effort Barletta may have saving resources and money. This helps when you’re still trying to recover from a failed expensive effort in 2008.
2. Give Barletta more breathing room to vote more often with the House GOP majority. That will help Barletta politically but not necessarily help the people in the district who are part of the 99% getting their middle class lifestyle taken away day after day.
3. Give Barletta time to get seniority to help his new district constituents. It will also give the Congressman political cover for any mistakes that might come his way in his early Congressional career.
As predicted, Barletta told the Times Leader’s Bill O’Boyle, “Personally, I’m sad to lose parts of my district where I made so many friends and fought for so many people that I will no longer represent.” That’s a nice statement to make and knowing Mr. Barletta as a nice man, I’m sure it’s very true. But as a tried and true political animal, I’m sure there was a big sigh of relief as Barletta might have been contemplating the political ghost of one James Nelligan who scored an upset win in 1980 for the 11th Congressional seat and was summarily dismissed in 1982 by a Democrat who won a Democratic district.
Barletta’s new 11th District will stretch from Wyoming County to Dauphin and Cumberland counties at the southern end. Half of Carbon County has been taken from the district, while all of Columbia County is retained and all of Montour County is added. Again these are all Republican strongholds.
Barletta’s presumed 2012 opponent Bill Vinsko, the Wilkes Barre City Attorney told the Leader that issues don’t stop at district lines and even though he won’ be in the district, he can run for the seat. Bill Vinsko is a good guy. Maybe too good a guy. He should reassess his position and candidacy right now for the following reasons:
1. The GOP attack machine will eat him alive for not living in the district. Vinsko will be swift boated like John Kerry was in 2004 for a reason beyond his control. Any good works he has done in the past or the future will be compromised by his decision to run.
2. Vinsko might think it will be admirable to continue the race and the fight. He made a commitment, he gave his word. I applaud that but in the cold light of day only his family and close friends will remember his heroics. Why go on a fool’s errand when you have such a promising political career?
3. If Vinsko thinks the local Democratic parties in those areas are going to help, he better look hard at past election totals in those districts. He will not have the luxury (such as it is) of a weakened, wizened Democratic machine in Luzerne County to get him block votes.
I like Bill, known his family for years on his dad’s side. I urge him to stay out of this race and do something more productive. The late Governor Casey said “history judges you when they say what you did when you had the power”. Vinsko won’t get any power by going after Barletta in this district.
Meanwhile, in the 10th Congressional District, barring any unforeseen activities like choking a girlfriend or having the opposition misrepresent your vote on an important issue like the GOP did with Chris Carney, Tom Marino or a Republican derivative of him seems set for life.
Marino's district is expanded to all or part of 15 counties, including Pike, Wayne, Susquehanna, Bradford, Sullivan, Monroe, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Lycoming, Tioga, Perry, Mifflin and Juniata. Most of those are traditionally Republican counties. So with Barletta getting his early Christmas present, and Marino getting the gift that seems to keep on giving, you can be sure there will be a Republican, conservative configuration that may last another generation.
As for the cities of Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes Barre, welcome to the 17th Congressional District. Your representative is Tim Holden who used to be a County Sheriff. Holden has been in Congress for twenty years and is the dean of the House delegation. Holden has been through reapportionment before when his district was merged with then GOP Congressman George Gekas 10 years ago. Holden bested Gekas and has been the representative for the southern region ever since. But by beating Gekas he acquired districts in the Harrisburg area. Now those are gone. (Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks and Perry counties.)
Holden added Easton and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County. With the addition of Scranton, Wilkes Barre and Pittston, as a Democrat Holden will be unbeatable and has an opportunity to be this generation’s new John Murtha.
When I mentioned to Mrs. LuLac that we will now be the 17th Congressional district, she said, “I’ve been in the 11th all my life”. Her reaction brought to mind this thought, your vote has consequences. To those who shunned Paul Kanjorski and Chris Carney in the last election in favor of Lou Barletta, and Tom Marino, this is the end result. You gave us Barletta and Marino for a long time with
unprecedented political power and aquired yourself a new representative that will ultimately serve you well, but needs time to get to know you. So if there are any complaints or reaction to less than better constituent service you enjoyed, do not blame your new representatives. Blame yourself. Believe me the ramifications of this new change are more than losing a lifelong district identification. Welcome to the brave new world my friends. Your vote in 2010 brought us here. Hope you’re prepared for the ride.