Monday, August 31, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3019, August 31st, 2015



COULD A BIDEN DECISION CHANNEL HHH?

Joe Biden has been trying to make a decision about being President. Biden has had a stellar career that has been virtually uninterrupted since his election in 1972 to the Senate at the age of 29. He has a lot to consider like
1. He will be entering a race very late and has to get staff together to mount a true challenge.
2. Biden must make this a personal decision, does he run the risk of
ruining a place in history that he earned?
This kind of reminds me of the 1976 presidential race when the Democratic party wanted to stop Jimmy Carter from getting the nomination. There was an element in the Democratic Party that was trying to get former Vice President Hubert Humphrey to enter the race as an alternative. Like Biden Humphrey had the taste for the office. He had run three times 60, 68 and 72, once getting the nomination and coming very close to beating Richard Nixon. The folks who were championing the ABC movement (Anybody but Carter) wanted Humphrey to jump in because this was a perceived void. Carter unlike Secretary Clinton was not weakened by questions about technical issues in running an office but Democrats were uneasy about the smiling Southern Baptist’s nationwide appeal. Humphrey though about it long and hard when the ’76 primaries seemed likely to result in a deadlock, but ultimately decided against it. At the conclusion of the Democratic primary process that year, even with Jimmy Carter having the requisite number of delegates needed to secure his nomination, many still wanted Humphrey to announce his availability for a draft. But Humphrey knew he was suffering from the bladder cancer that would claim his life. Still Humphrey gave a parting shot when he said, “I’m not an old race horse that answers to the bell just because they want me to”. (paraphrasing here but I saw the news conference which was broadcast live on national TV)
Biden, though not ill like Humphrey has to decide if he is going to known as the guy who will run the race because now he’s needed but wasn’t necessarily wanted at the start. When Clinton was high in the polls there was nary a mention of Biden.
Will Biden be able to come in and attack Hillary Clinton? If I were Biden I’d decline to run but make myself available to serve. That’s the smart play. It is not a definite yes but leaves the door open just in case he is needed. Biden would do well to remember the old political adage from political pros pushing a candidate very hard, “The best day of your candidacy will be the day before you announce”. Sometimes no is better than yes.

"PIGS IN A BLANKET.... FRY'EM LIKE BACON" 

So we all know that a Deputy Sheriff in Texas was gunned down while pumping gas. He was essentially assassinated and taken by surprise. By now you know the deputy officer was white and the assailant was black.
As always the media weighed in and tried to understand why the killer would do such a thing. A few bleeding hearts on CNN said that the punk had run ins with the law and maybe that's why he killed the sheriff. The officer was wearing his uniform and one commentator said maybe that's what triggered him. Really?
We are wondering what triggered a guy to get out of his car and just go up and shoot someone in the head? Maybe we should wonder why a police officer can't do a common thing like pumping gas without getting killed.
Today on WILK Rob Neyhard called out the President because he sent emissaries to Ferguson and not a peep came out from him about this death. One of the text messengers called him a racist. C'mon God forbid you express an opinion that is supportive of the police. Imagine if the deputy returned fire and hit the punk.
Oh my God there would be marches and riots because the assailant was shot!
Look I understand that a young black man living in America is under more scrutiny than others. It is not fair. I will never understand that pain and humiliation. I know there have been black lives unfairly targeted by bad apples. But in this country there is a process to the protest. And the process is that you protest with a goal.
The black lives matter movement needs to define what it wants from America. When Hilary Clinton asked that question she was told her heart wasn't in the right place. Clinton and America are still waiting for an answer.
If I were an adviser to that movement I'd put out three things that can be done to increase understanding between police and young blacks. But with the caveat that police should not be killed with an eye for an eye mentality.
On the afternoon of the day of the killing Black Lives Matter protesters in Minnesota chanted this: PIGS IN A BLANKET, FRY THEM LIKE BACON.
What I can't understand is why there has not been an outright condemnation of this phrase. This is a threat to all police. This is a threat to public safety. How dare this group put their own stupid hate filled rhetoric against an albeit imperfect but vital part of this country's infrastructure.
Any reasonable person is appalled by those actions. And if blacks who want a better break and fair treatment think this is going to help, they are enabling the bad apples to justify their actions. It's a lose lose for all.
It is also quite telling that the suspect is not talking. Locally we've had people shot who would rather drive to Jersey wounded than go to a hospital. We have unsolved murders of African Americans here because no one is saying nuthin' to nobody. That's being a citizen?
Finally the Black Lives Matter Movement has to decide what exactly it is they want to overcome and how they can work with the people in various communities to get there. Ferguson has started eliminating fines for people who can't afford them. You can argue right or wrong but at least it's a start. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s spawned many a political career and the benefits that all of us have today came from their earned input. That came from putting themselves out there on a ballot and not on a street seeming to cheer the death of a murdered police official with horrible language.



SESTAK IN TOWN FOR FUNDRAISER
 Senatorial candidate Joe Sestak (Photo: LuLac archives).
Former Congressman and Admiral Joe Sestak will be in town this Thursday night at a fundraiser hosted by Congressman Matt Cartwright. The event again is Thursday, September 3, 2015 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. At the Scranton Club 404 North Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
If interested You can contribute at the event, online by this link (http://JoeSestak.com/contribute), or by a check made out to "Friends of Joe Sestak," and mailed to P.O. Box 1936, Media, PA 19063. Thank you.


BARLETTA PRESENTS MEDALS TO LOCAL VETERANS

Congressman Lou Barletta, today presented long overdue medals to four veterans during a ceremony at his Hazleton district office. Recipients of the medals were: Anthony Petti (deceased) of Drums, John Shemanski of Factoryville, John Trusavage (deceased) of Forty Fort, and John Zedolick of Mountain Top.
“Since before the founding of this nation, brave men and women have risked their lives to secure and defend the freedoms we continue to enjoy as Americans today,” Barletta said. “I am proud to present these medals, which are long overdue, to veterans who sacrificed so much in service to their country.”
The Congressman presented medals to the daughter of John S. Trusavage (Deceased) of Forty Fort, U.S. Army, 1942 to 1946: Medals awarded included Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII. The medals were requested by his daughter Sharon Austin. 

Here Barletta Rep. Barletta presents medals for John S. Trusavage (deceased) to daughter Sharon Austin. (Photo: Lou Barletta's office).

Sunday, August 30, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3018, August 30th, 2015

TESTING TRUMP!!!


 Pa. State Capitol. (Photo: LuLac archives).
Want to see what type of President Donald Trump would be? Let him come to Harrisburg and try to mediate the stalemate between Governor Tom Wolf and the GOP majority in both houses. If he can get them to agree on a budget without calling them names, he's got my vote. No one has ever been as hard headed or hard hearted as the majority GOP in the state Capitol. We are still without a budget. Where is The Donald's phone number?


THIRD PARTY THREATS
WHAT COUNTS?
 Third Party art work. (Dailypolitical.com)
There has been talk of a third party threat by Donald Trump and the fear of that factor by the GOP. It is true that a third party can decide an election but never win one. The main example people point to is the candidacy of rich guy Ross Perot in the '90s. It is a fact that Perot did take away votes. One year he had 19% of the vote. But he never won any electoral votes and that is how our Presidential elections are decided.
The last third party candidate to win any electoral votes was George Wallace the former Governor of Alabama in 1968. Wallace got 45 votes carrying the Deep South states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Wallace almost carried the Carolinas finishing a close second to Richard Nixon. Wallace had a movement going but in the North during October of 68 his campaign began to falter due to a barrage of advertising from labor unions exposing the labor practices in the South, Wallace's selection of General Curtis LeMay as Vice President, and the late insurgency of the Humphrey campaign diminished the enthusiasm of the previous months.
Wallace's strategy was to try and get the election into the House of Representatives where he thought he might have some leverage. It came close too but in the end Nixon beat out HHH and Wallace with over 300 electoral votes. The reason why I'm bringing this up is because even though third parties generate a lot of talk, there had to be a party support system set up in states to carry the votes that count. Granted a Perot could influence an election but winning some states puts the candidacy at a different level. You go from being a spoiler to a factor.
My guess is that Trump will try to not repeat the performance of Perot and will need to get cracking on ballot initiatives if he is to get on 50 states to truly make an impact.
The Wallace candidacy was part of The American Independent Party that gave the candidate the infrastructure he needed. The Nixon strategists played into the Wallace effort with their own Southern Strategy picking Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as Vice President and using the Civil Rights Acts of the Johnson administration to make inroads into what was formerly the Solid South. When LBJ signed the Civil Rights legislation he correctly said that the Democrats had lost the South for a few generations. He was correct. When government actually does something noble, needed and provides change, politically you pay the price.


KATRINA 10 YEARS ON

Speaking of paying the political price, the Republican party certainly did when the Katrina Storm hit New Orleans and surrounding areas 10 years ago this year. As a matter of fact government in general took a hit when that happened.
First off you had the slow response from the Bush administration. Then the infamous words of the President saying “Brownie you’re doing a great job” when things were going to crap all around him. Let’s not forget the Mayor of New Orleans, a Democrat who didn’t have the common sense to order the school buses out of the flood zone and later wound up in jail for stuffing his pockets with cash.
FEMA was out of its league because it was absorbed by Homeland Security. Now if a terrorist was around that would be great but if not for the Coast Guard performing so well, there would have been more of a mess.
Then there was the tone deafness of the White House Advance team. Now this happened under a Republican administration but I’m not sure the staffers of a Democratic administration would do any better. These are after all government employees.
When Bush and Administration officials had their news conferences, they used generators for the TV lighting. They also passed out copious amounts of bottled water to the media. Then when it was over, they took the generators back with them as well as the water. Classic.
Every time a weather related tragedy like this happens, I think of Agnes and 1972. As history fades and the people alive diminish so too will the legend and stories about Dan Flood. But why Flood is so revered here is because he used the power he had quickly and efficiently. For his people. 



The late Dan Flood.  (Citizen'sVoice.com)
Agnes was an example of what a Republican President and a local Democratic Congressman could do working in tandem. Katrina was a hard lesson how a Republican administration and New Orleans Democratic leadership (I grant you they were southern leadership so the IQ was a tad more challenging) could screw up a 2 car funeral.


DELUCA AT TOMATO FESTIVAL PARADE 


Democrat Vito DeLuca at Tomato Festival. (Photo: Fox, LuLac)
Luzerne County candidate for District Attorney Vito DeLuca was riding in the Pittston Tomato Festival last Saturday. DeLuca seemed to be having a great time as he gears up for a race against the incumbent Stefanie Salavantis.


SPEAKING OF THE DA
DA Salavantis riding in red at the Tomato Festival. (Photo: Facebook).
District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis wowed the people at the annual GOP Summer event. Sorry I missed it this year because there is nothing like an O’Meara burger! Anyway the DA was very good from what I hear in making the case for her re-election bid. 
And not to be outdone, the DA also rode in the Tomato Festival Parade. 
Will this be the election of the dueling ragtops? 

Friday, August 28, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3017, August 28th, 2015

WE’RE BACK!!!
Dr. David DeRose and your blog editor. (Photo: Mrs. LuLac).
After a little bit of a scary eye issue we are back on track better than ever presenting our views on LuLac. To all who sent wishes, prayers, cards, (well only two but greatly appreciated) numerous e mails and FB messages as well as some good karma, thank you.
The cataract surgery turned out very well but there was Corneal Swelling. It was determined though by Dr. David DeRose that a transplant was not needed. I was very lucky to dodge that issue. But just so you know if he had said “go”, I would have. That’s how much faith I have in the guy. Dr Reiser from Eye Care Specialists recommended Dr. DeRose and I appreciate his help in this matter too.
I’m waiting to get clearance to go back to work after I get a new prescription that will give me close up vision. My Doctor at Engle Eyewear, Dr. Helen who found the issue in the first place last fall and the staff are busy crafting some lenses that will enable me to do some close up work.
So we’re good to go. Before we get started thanks to the guy above we can
1. Stop telling those Stevie Wonder jokes forever.(Guys who are half blind should never do that!)
2. Break out the Johnny Nash.



THE TALLY OF DEATH WILL NEVER END

Presidents: Killed and shot at.
Congressman: Shot at.
School children: High School, shot and killed.
Grade School Children: Shot and killed.
Kindergarten Children: Shot and Killed.
Homeless: Shot and Killed.
News reporters: Shot and killed.
It is very clear that nothing will ever change in this country regarding guns. The cowardly House and Senate in Washington won’t even pass a Universal Background Check.
I am not a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to guns. If you want to have an arsenal in your house, go for it.
All I want to do is protect the people who don’t have guns. Like the kid taking a ticket at a Movie Theatre. Like the Congressperson holding a town meeting. Like the 10 year old child at that meeting seeing her representative for the first time. Like the stand up reporter doing their job. Like the convenience store clerk working because the chumps at the local Chambers of Commerce have not done a thing to get higher paying jobs other than the 9 buck an hour variety. I could go on.
All I want to do by Universal background checks is that a defenseless person not nuts or not carrying has a chance.
The one common denominator in all of this is that the cowards will attack the defenseless. There is a name for them but the women reading LuLac will get upset so I won’t use it. But you know what I mean.
If you’re a loser and screw up, and you want to take it out on someone….bring it on. But make sure you have an armed opponent.
A few more thoughts. The media is calling the assailant an “alleged” killer. Uh no. He filmed it. It’s him. HE DID IT. Nothing alleged about that.
Plus he was planning to do more arm. Crazy my ass. The guy had three license plates, wigs and ammunition. That is NOT CRAZY, that is EVIL.
The young woman’s father is making a case that since his daughter was one of the media’s own, things should be different. THEY WON’T.
One final observation……..if this dickhead hadn’t killed himself and was in a fire fight with the police and got killed by one of them………..well then I’m sure we’d hear how much his sorry life mattered.
And the beat goes on………….until the next time.


THE TRUTH ABOUT CARLY
Second tier Presidential candidate Carly Fiorini. (Photo: USA Today).
Carly Fiorina has been going around the country telling us how Hillary Clinton has lied about her record. But hey, let’s take a look at Fiorina’s career as a titan of industry. Truth of the matter is Fiorina drove Hewlett Packard into the ground and more significantly has never been offered another job by another major corporation.
The media and her supporters have over promioted her but let’s take a closer look:
Is she the first woman to lead a major corporation? To be the first CEO? Nope. That title actually belongs to The Washington Post Company’s Katharine Graham. Graham also navigated the choppy political waters surrounding Watergate. Plus let us not forget Beechcraft’s Olive Ann Beech, Mattel’s Ruth Handler, Beatrice Food’s Loida Nicolas-Lewis, the Body Shop’s Anita Roddick, Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey.
But with a scant percentage of Fortune 500 firms employing women CEOs, her leadership of a huge global company is impressive. So, how did she do?
The answer in short is: Okay. But not great.
She was hired in 1999 with no CEO experience, nor interviews with the full board. Fired in 2005, after six years in office, several leading publications titled her one of the worst technology CEOs of all time. In fact, the stock popped 10% on the news of her firing and closed the day up 7%.
Arianna Packard, the granddaughter of HP’s founder, commented when discouraging voters from supporting Fiorina in her 2010 senatorial run, “I know a little bit about Carly Fiorina, having watched her almost destroy the company my grandfather founded.”
She’ll tell you she doubled revenues but Fiorina did nothing to increase profits over her five-year term, with the S&P 500 showing net income across enterprises concomitantly up 70%. Furthermore, shareholder wealth at HP was sliced 52% under her reign
Fiorina rammed the Compaq deal through despite intense opposition by analysts, employees, and shareholders. When it appeared that she would lose the proxy vote, the balance was tipped back the other way using hardball tactics that would make Donald Trump wince. That led to her ouster as the CEO.
So before this one starts yammering about Hillary’s e mails, her servers, and Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi (4 lives lost in a huge mistake vs. 4500 lives lost for the noble cause of looking for weapons of mass destruction) let’s take a good look at what she did and why no other Fortune 500 company has ever offered her a sniff of a job. (Business Week-LuLac).


BARLETTA BARBEQUE

MEDIA MATTERS

ECTV

ECTV Live will have all the details of plans for this year's La Festa Italiana when the program begins its week long airings on August 31st. 
Hosts David DeCosmo and Rusty Fender will welcome Chris Dimattio, President of La Festa's Board, to the show which can be see three times daily on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some locations.)

SUNDAY MAGAZINE


BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. Special Edition is heard Saturdays and Sunday on these Entercom stations, WILK FM Saturday at 2pm Sunday at 6 am on Froggy 101 Sunday at 7 am on The Sports Hub 102.3 Sunday at 7 am on K R Z 98.5 Sunday at noon on WILK FM 103.1.


BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

KAREL ON THE STREET

Tune in Wednesdays on WILK Radio for Karel on the Street. Hear some of the funniest and heartwarming comments on the issues of the day on Webster and Nancy with Karel Zubris.


CORBETT’S SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME

Every Wednesday at 5PM, Steve Corbett shines the light on a Public official with his “Somebody’s Watching Me” segment. Corbett picks an alleged public servant to eye ball and observe. Batten down the lawn furniture in the driveway and that e mail machine. There is nowhere to hide when “Somebody’s Watching”. Wednesdays at 5 on WILK’s Corbett program.

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP!!!!!!
The Duke of Doo Wop Bobby V. (Photo: Bobby V Facebook).
The Doo-Wop Sock Hop can be heard every Sunday night from 6P to 9P on “105 The River (104.9 FM) Host is the incomparable Bobby V. www.105theriver.net
www.doowopsockhop.net


1965

Our 1965 logo.

The Watts Riots begin in Los Angeles…..The rock group Jefferson Airplane debuts at the Matrix in San Francisco and begins to appear there regularly……The Beatles perform the first stadium concert in the history of music, playing before 55,600 persons at Shea Stadium in New York City..In Vietnam’s Operation Starlite: 5,500 United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in Quảng Ngãi Province, in the first major American ground battle of the war. The Marines were tipped-off by a Viet Cong deserter who said that there was an attack planned against the U.S. base at Chu Lai…..Jonathan Myrick Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian from Keene, New Hampshire, is murdered in Hayneville, Alabama while working in the African-American civil rights movement. His sacrifice though seems to be lost on new generations who preach about what lives matter and what ones don't that much. He saw injustice and died for it. Black lives and all lives deprived of freedom mattered to him....
(Photo: (liturgyandmusicwordpress.com)
Gemini 5 (Gordon Cooper, Pete Conrad) is launched on the first 1-week flight, as well as the first test of fuel cells for electrical power……
 Casey Stengel announces his retirement after 55 years in baseball….
Rock musician Bob Dylan releases his influential album Highway 61 Revisited, featuring the song "Like a Rolling Stone"………in Pennsylvania tensions remain high as sporadic racial violence breaks out in the Chester area.......in Plains Township thousands of fans check out the new Pocono Downs Race track. Local TV stations actually show some of the action on their nightly sportscasts…and fifty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and
America was Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone".

Previous number ones were Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" (below)


and The Beach Boys "California Girls" (above) for the month of August.

The LuLac Edition #3015, August 28th, 2015


MESSAGE FROM BERNIE THE INTERN

**it!!!! I'm done. It was a blast but I need a rest. Well at least he wasn't mean to me like that Mr. Weis in Plains! Or was it Dallas, no I think it was Nanticoke. No, no Mountaintop. Anyways......
Gotta warn ya though, he's loaded for bear. Trump, Biden (he loves Biden, what a bro crush) and has been going on about 1965. Then there's the guns............oh and wait there's a thing coming up on Israel. Oy vay!!! (With all do respect to the Jewish chick I dated back in Jersey!)
I'd also like to thank Mrs. LuLac for making sure I got the gig. But hey man, I was more qualified than the other applicants. 

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3014, August 26th, 2015

MESSAGE FROM BERNIE THE INTERN

Man, I was told there was a pool at the LuLac household. So I brought my suit. But the pool was something in a frame Yonk won at WVIA TV during the 1977 World Series. Seems like he hit 5 out of 6 games. That was "the pool". I'm starting to not dig this anymore, the guy is starting to be a slave driver or to be politically correct, an "annexed African native taken by force" driver.

HOW BIDEN GETS IN
Vice President Joe Biden. (Photo: artivclespvto)
Okay I think we all know Joe Biden is running for President. We all know he has wanted to. As long ago as December 2014 in a conversation Yonk had with former Mayor Jim McNulty, McNulty was convinced Biden would run. We all did but when the Clinton inevitability started to set in we did not see a path.
But now with the e mail controversy still surrounding Mrs. Clinton, the meeting Biden had with the President and Mr. Obama's Press Secretary singing the praises of The Veep, it is now a question of when and how Biden will do it.
Yonk's advice. Accept an invitation to the first Democratic debate. File the day before the first Democratic debate. Introduce your running mate Elizabeth Warren either at the start or the end of the debate.
Then step back and watch the fireworks.

TOOMEY UP IN POLLS
Senator Pat Toomey. (LuLac archives).
Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey has a commanding lead against Admiral Joe Sestak and former candidate and Wolf Chief of Staff Katie McGinty. The GOP was only too pleased to share that news with us in an e mail about the Quinnipiac Poll. Here are the results:
Toomey leads Democratic challenger Joe Sestak 48 - 33 percent.
The Senator also leads Katie McGinty, former chief of staff to Gov. Wolf, 48 - 32 percent, with men for Toomey 56 - 26 percent. Plus Toomey gets a 49 - 26 percent job approval rating and a 46 - 23 percent favorability rating.”
As for Governor Wolf he weighs in with an approval rating of about 45%.


SHOP NOW

Getting e mails from the Clinton for President website. If you want to have a collector’s item or load up for Ebay sales in the year 2030, check out the link. https://shop.hillaryclinton.com/


MEDIA MATTERS

HUFF POST AND MORNING JOE

If you are a viewer of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC TV you know that The Huffington Post has been a had regular contributors from the website. But that has changed the past few days.
Th controversy came to boil when Joe Scarborough and others on the panel were contemptuous of a Huff Post staffer who appeared. It seems the Huff Post has been following the Trump campaign under their website entertainment tab and not politics. Sam Stein in particular has been very unkind to Trump. But this exchange essentially might have ended the relationship with the Post and Morning Joe.


DETAILS PLEASE!!!!

And how about this on a recent news crawl on a local TV station. Here’s what the factoid read: The little league World  Series was founded in 1947. Since then a news radio station in Lycomig county has been broadcasting every game since the first pitch as thrown.
Okay nice to know but what station was it? Is it? What is the frequency on the dial? Play by play guy or robot?
C'mon guys!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3013, August 25th, 2015

MESSAGE FROM BERNIE THE INTERN

The Yonk is enjoying the fact that Joe Biden might enter the race. In the meantime we're working on some things. Thursday is big day when it will be determined if he'll need the cornea transplant. We'll keep ya posted.

WHY TRUMP IS RESONATING

(Photo: Ebay).
We thought we’d do a David Letterman Top Ten list and give you the reasons why I think Donald Trump is resonating with the American public. I could go on a long diatribe but thought I’d put his rise in a short perspective that would capsulize what is happening here.
10. Trump is a familiar commodity to Americans. He has been on the scene since the mid 80s when he helped form his own football league the USFL. He famously sued for damages against the NFL. The number one sport in America is Football. Donald Trump and Football.
Just an example.
9. The Reality Show. Trump has been on TV for the last decade with “The Apprentice”. The show has had its ups and downs but you’d never know that if you listened to Trump. We are a TV nation.
8. There are some who say Trump, being a billionaire can’t possibly know what it is like to raise a middle class family. Very true on the surface. But Trump does give to charitable causes and can speak the language of the everyday guy. Part of his success is that he can relate. In a way, Trump has that Reagan like quality where even if you disagree with him, you can’t challenge him on what seems to be his belief in what he is saying.
7. Belief in what he is saying. A long time ago at a traffic hearing for a friend I was a witness. I told the truth but I did a terrible job. After the hearing I had breakfast at Neddoff’s. One of the local pimps (since deceased) who was in the Courtroom (he was also a witness for my friend) chastised me for the way I presented what I saw. I defended myself saying I told the truth. But he said that I did not tell it with enough conviction. He said “When that Attorney asked if you if you saw Jesus driving that car, as absurd as it sounds, you declare yes I did. Loud. You not only have to tell the truth, you have to proclaim the truth!” When I responded that there are always nuances to every statement, he looked at me scornfully and said “Nuances don’t mean anything when you’re trying to convince one guy, the Judge”.
He was right and I see what he was saying with Trump. Trump hasn’t backed down on anything. Most people have no idea how he’s going to get the oil out of the Mideast…..but they believe he’ll get it.
6. Force of personality. Ed Rendell was being interviewed on PCN for his tenure in office. Rendell spoke of how the force of one’s personality is just as important for a politician as is his agenda. Rendell seemed to be saying that a politician that can move the agenda does so by the force of their personality. Prime examples are FDR and LBJ in getting legislation passed that literally changed the face of America.
5. Americans love glamour. From the early days of movies, the public has always tried to aspire to what they see on the screen. If you look at Depression era films, and see how average people dressed in those days, that upward mobility portrayed in cinema became part of the everyday norm. (I won’t go into how current day films have put us on the opposite track, that’s another story for another day). But Americans at the start love the glamour. At some point Trump will be knocked from the pedestal but right now people are digging the plane, the copter and the young wife.
4. The Republicans are sick and tired of being lied to by their party. Reagan proclaimed he was Pro Life but in all the time he had a majority on the supreme Court, Roe V. Wade as never overturned.
The GOP Revolution of 1994 was seized by the wily Bill Clinton who co-opted a few of the GOP goals and used it for his own political gain. The GOP was promised a tight, conservative compassionate government in 2000 but instead wound up with huge deficits and two wars.
3. Trump as FDR? In a way yes. Trump is in effect running against himself and the very wealthy who have the means to heard their voices heard with the players. By not having to bow to the interests of the “donor” class, Trump in effect is saying he will truly be his own person. That will last long enough until Trump makes a decision that will be a nod to his big business roots.
2. Who is the real Republican? Who is the real conservative? By his argument and the portrayal by the media you have to say Trump. Trump says he will create jobs so that people will build themselves up. Notice he is not for the minimum wage but is for business. For private initiative. He vaguely says he will take care of the disabled and disadvantaged but I get the sneaking suspicion he’ll want the country to be a series of mini Trump subsidiaries. That said in the purest form there is, Donald Trump, it can be argued is the true Republican.
The challenge for him is to win over the other 50% in his party and then deal with a Democratic opposition that better be ready for him by issues.
1. The number one reason Trump is leading in the polls and has captured the imagination of the American people is because Trump, like Bill Clinton is blessed with enemies around him. No one else is making cogent arguments of any kind. The platitudes are great GOP boilerplate but no one has come up with an issues oriented solution on anything. If you disagree with Trump on Immigration at least there is something to disagree with. You know where he stands but because he has been flexible in the past, Americans right now prefer a candidate who will not talk about a deal or compromise but someone who will do the deal. Let’s never forget that both parties have failed this country.
The GOP was supposed to stop the President on what they perceived was his journey on the road to socialism. They had the majorities to do so. They failed.
The President was supposed to put America on a path to a new era. Indeed he has done some transformative things but not enough for some. Perhaps too much for some.
Enter Trump. What better candidate to bridge the gap between these two chasms than the person who relishes in “The Art of the Deal”.

THE MORE YOU KNOW THOUGH.............

(Photo: Onecitizenspeaking.blogsite).
It is with great trepedation that we say this but the one thing that might derail Trump is his lack of specfics. People love his fire and candor but once the political nerds start deconstructing how much a wall with a pretty door will cost, you might see some movement away from him.
However if Trump prevails and wins the nomination, you will see a Republican party debacle like 1964. How can any Hispanic voter embrace a party that decreased its totals when Mitt Romney suggested "self deportation?"
Can Trump and the GOP fair any better when he actually wants to throw them out, send them back like a conga line?


LULAC REWIND

Here’s what we wrote earlier this year regarding Iowa. Grab a corn dog will ya?
http://lulacpoliticaletter.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-lulac-edition-2825-january-26th-2015.html

AL GORE IN 2016?
 
(Photo: CNBC)
So with the slow water torture that is Hillary Clinton’s e mail saga comes the story that former Vice President Al Gore just might throw his hat in the ring. This story indicates a few things.
1. The lack of strong Democratic candidates on the bench. Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chaffee do not seem to be the beneficiary of Bernie Sander’s so called Socialism and Clinton’s issues. The fact that there has been talk about Joe Biden, Al Gore and John Kerry, tells you the Democrats are a few inches from total disarray.
2. Gore, if he chooses to get in has the same issue as Jeb Bush. He has been out of the game for a long time. If Gore runs, and that’s a big if,  I hope he just lets loose and runs without handlers. He should avoid rehiring that gas bag Donna Brazile from ABC News and just be Al. Hell grow the beard again. But for heaven’s sake be yourself. And run as if you aren’t afraid to lose. All that said, will voters buy a recycled Al Gore?
3. With the specter of Donald Trump hovering, how can the Democratic party portray itself as the part of change and the future when they are reaching back in the oldies bin for the classic hits.

Anyway, here’s what I wrote about Gore a year ago in regards to stopping Hillary Clinton.

LULAC REWIND # 2

http://lulacpoliticaletter.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-lulac-edition-2690-july-7-2014.html


Saturday, August 22, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3012, August 22nd, 2015


REPORT FROM BERNIE THE INTERN

Hi gang. The Yonk’s peepers are still adjusting to his recent surgery and he’s still waiting for a decision later this week on the transplant. But thanks to technology and me, we’re going up to report on a few events. Here’s what we have:

PROGRESS VS. CONVENIENCE IN PITTSTON

We here at LuLac are all for progress. The Yonk’s old hometown of Pittston has made some great strides in redeveloping the city when of course it is not tearing down churches founded by European immigrants 120 years ago. (Sorry he made me put that in….damn that voice recognition thingee).
Anyway it appears that there is a mini controversy brewing over an easy access alley that will in the opinion of some deter progress and make traffic more complex.
On August 6th this was put up on a Facebook page but then was mysteriously taken down.
Pittston City residents, especially those who live on the East side of South Main Street.......... the city plans to abandon Spring Alley from Spring Street to Market Street. If this is done, you can no longer avoid Main St and Kennedy Blvd as you go south. If you use Spring Alley to avoid the traffic, you can no longer go up the alley and turn left onto Market St, :Pine St or Cherry Alley. You also will not be able to take Spring Alley to Columbus Ave and continue south on S Main St. If the city abandons Spring Alley at Spring Street, you will have to go down Spring St, cross two lanes of traffic to make a quick left onto Dock Street and then fight the narrow area in front of the :Post Office to get onto Kennedy Blvd.
The newspaper article said this will eliminate the dangerous traffic problems on Spring Alley....... they have got to be kidding. hey will ;push all this traffic onto South Main St and Kennedy Blvd because of a made up dangerous traffic problem on Spring Alley.
It would appear that the only advantage of this would be for a little more parking for the Newrose building and the Tomato Bar but interesting enough, the mayor works for the owner of the Newrose building so it would seem that it would be a conflict of interest if the mayor votes on this project.
The time for residents to sit around complaining and dong nothing has come to an end. Get off your butts and attend the August meeting schedule for city hall on Wednesday August 19th but that is the first day of the Tomato Festival so the regular scheduled meeting may very well be rescheduled so don't let it get past you. Pay attention and protect Spring Alley be attending the meeting, call the members of Council and make it known that this is a bad idea. It time for the residents to stand up and be heard.
If you want to weigh in there is a meeting this Monday night at 7PM at the City Council Chambers in Pittston City Hall. Leave your tomatoes at the door.



2015 LUZERNE GOP PICNIC

Once more the Luzerne County GOP put together a good event. This time in Pittston Township at Tony Attardo Park. The ghosts of Democrats past did not stop the GOP from having a great time.

Here’s part of the gang attending the event. Chairman Bill Urbanski and Vice-Chairman Lynette Villano with PA Supreme Court Candidates, Michael George, Anne Covey, and Judy Olson. (L to R: Villano, George, Urbanski, Covey, Olson)
Plus this year’s event got some great coverage on the local TV stations as well as in this article from The Times Leader.
http://timesleader.com/news/local/377793/gop-statewide-judicial-candidates-mingle-with-constituents-at-gop-picnic

TONY BROOKS MEET AND GREET

Wilkes Barre GOP candidate Tony Brooks had a very nice fundraiser the other evening in Wilkes Barre. Brooks is running an aggressive campaign in District B against Lou “Gimme gimme gimme that ‘job” Elmy.

Brooks is running on a platform to make the city a tad better place and not using it as a holding place to get more from Wilkes Barre taxpayers for his family. Tony had a very good event which Dave would have attended. But our friend Gort 42 was there and here’s his report. 
 http://gort42.blogspot.com/2015/08/tony-brooks-for-wilkes-barre-city.html
Also the Brooks campaign sent along these photos.
Tony Brooks and a few of his attendees at the event.
Brooks with Wilkes Barre Mayoral candidate Frank Sorick.


MEDIA MATTERS

ECTV

ECTV Live hosts David DeCosmo and Rusty Fender will welcome Marion Sweet to the program during the week of August 24th. She'll outline plans for the 100th birthday celebration of the Tunkhannock, or Nicholson Viaduct. The engineering marvel was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad to carry trains some 240 feet above Tunkhannock creek! It's still used by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The town of Nicholson is planning a 3-day celebration. ECTV Live
can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas including Nicholson) and is broadcast three times daily throughout the week.
 


BOLD GOLD FORUM

This week's guest is Sister Anne Munley, President of Marywood University, celebrating its 100th anniversary. Tune in Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on NEPA's Sports Radio-The Game 1340/1400/1440 am and 100.7 and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River

REMINDS ME OF MY GRANDPA!!!

Yonk has been following with great interest the cause and effects of the Trump campaign. As a matter of fact we have been crafting an article on that that hopefully we’ll put up next week. But even with the eye drops and the recovery process Yonki was going crazy over what he perceived to be The Donald’s Fashion Faux Pas at the Iowa State Fair. Trump wore a blue blazer, khakis and a white shirt which I’m sure Yonk would sleep in if Mrs. LuLac allowed it. But he was bat shit out of his mind because Trump’s white shirt did not either have a button down collar or wasn’t using those little tiny buttons to make it so. I know the eye is healing because my boss even pointed out where Trump was not buttoning it. If I hear one more word about this goddamn shirt……
You guys take a look and see if this is a big deal or not. Personally I’m just glad to see that Trump didn’t show up in jeans or coveralls.

COMING UP

Keep on sending in those 13 Question questions, if all goes well we’ll have a 13 Questions plus edition in September.
The Impact of Donald Trump.
LuLac Poll on line.
Al Gore????

Monday, August 10, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3011, August 10th, 2015

UNCHARTED WATERS

 


I’d like to take this opportunity to make an announcement regarding LuLac. As you all know ever since we started in 2006, LuLac has been here every week with three exceptions. My hospitalization for Colon Cancer in 2008, Hip Replacement in 2011 and my surgery to combat Myastehenia Gravis in 2013. The stays in sick bay lost us less than a month in real publication time for LuLac. As a matter of fact, doing this site in my opinion has had a positive effect on my various recoveries.
The last eight years have been problematic health wise for me and if I were a superstitious conspiracy theorist, I’d think some people who disagree with me politically might have a big ass voodoo doll with my name on it.
All of the above brings us to today. We are going to be taking a health break from LuLac and unlike the prior instances, we are heading into uncharted waters.
After the 2014 election Mrs. LuLac had an invitation from our friends at Engle Eye Wear to go to a trunk show event. The plan was for only one of us to get new glasses but when I saw a Ralph Lauren CC model pair of specs, I had to have them. I had a visit right there on site with the optometrist and she said that there appeared to be a cataract on my left eye. (I do not have any vision whatsoever in my right eye since a bout with Uveitis in 1969 decimated my vision in that eye. It happened when I was 15 and the only big deal to me then was changing from batting left handed to right handed in softball and getting a driver’s license.)
After the exam at Engle, I was referred to Dr. Harvey Reiser at Eye Care Associates and dutifully went to the appointment.
Now I had taken my mother in law there numerous times before she passed away and knew it was going to be a long session. However, when you are in an examining room and a lot of people come to look at your condition you know something is up. Dr. Reiser described the situation.
I had a cataract but I also had an underlying disease called Fuch’s Dystrophy. Fuchs' corneal dystrophy is a disorder of the front surface of the eye (cornea) that is hereditary and decreases your vision over time. The innermost layer of cells in the cornea undergoes degenerative changes. This cell layer, called the endothelium, is responsible for maintaining the proper amount of fluid in the cornea.
The one thing that is a problem for a person with Fuch’s is that cataract surgery will accelerate the decline of the corneal cells.
So there are two issues here, the cataract and the Fuch’s are fighting with each other pretty much like Chris Christie and Rand Paul the other night at the debate.
If a Fuchs patient undergoes cataract surgery, the fragile endothelial cells of the cornea may be damaged. (The endothelial cells are those cells at the very back of the cornea. The endothelial cells deteriorate in patients with Fuch’s.) The loss of too many of these cells can lead to edema (swelling) of the cornea. This edema can then sometimes lead to painful corneal blisters, deterioration of vision, and eventually, the need for a corneal transplant.
So in my situation, I need the cataract surgery but I know that surgery may hasten the need for a corneal transplant.
I was referred to a surgeon in the Lehigh Valley by Dr. Reiser and saw him last December. The surgery was set for February but I chickened out. But as time went on, I could see the decrease in vision at work, at public events and doing LuLac. And trying to read TV cue cards..uh no way! So earlier last month I bit the bullet and saw the surgeon again. This time I was ready. He seemed surprised but welcomed me back.
So the surgeon’s game plan is this: to do a first cataract surgery this week and then wait 30 days and perform the Cornea Transplant. There is a 10% chance I will not need the Cornea transplant which means there is a 90% chance I will.
The bottom line here is that without the use of my right eye, I’m not sure what the recovery time will be for the left.
Thus the uncharted waters. I can pretty much deal with anything if I know what is required of me. I’m a pretty judgmental co-worker when someone thirty years younger than me tells me they are too tired to come to work. Or that they are “sad!” Really?
I’m sure my haters are going to love this but here goes. I look at this site as a commitment to the people who have been with us right from the start. Stopping or taking a break is not in my DNA. There will come a day when LuLac will end for me but not just yet.
But until I have that first operation, I will not know how I can handle this. Health wise for the last 8 years, my entire life has been a “workaround” By extension that extends to LuLac. So until I know how to “workaround” this obstacle, we’ll won’t be publishing anything new.
I’m writing this as a type of heads up in case we will be gone for a longer time than I hope. However, when LuLac doesn’t publish, many of our loyal readers and friends worry that there might be a problem. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. So that’s why I’m informing you today.
In the meantime you might want to check out these links out to get your fix.
http://nepablogs.org/ Harold Jenkins)
http://nepablogcon.com/about/the-team-behind-blogcon/ (The Team)
http://pittstonpolitics.com/ (Joe Valenti)
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/borys/ (Scranton Times )
http://gort42.blogspot.com/ (Gort 42)
http://no-news-is.blogspot.com/ David DeCosmo.
http://www.wilknewsradio.com/ (WILK)
http://postsfromthefringe.blogspot.com/ (Jim O’Meara, Senior)
In addition before our leave, we did a few more 590 MIGHTY MEMORIES on the 590 Forever blogsite. That address is http://david-yonki.blogspot.com/
Hopefully, we’ll be back to keep doing what we do.
With the help of the Higher Power, we hope to see you soon.(No pun intended).
In the meantime, as Jackie Gleason used to say to Sammy Spear “...a little traveling music.”


Sunday, August 09, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3010, August 9th, 2015

TRUMP, MEGYN KELLY AND THE LATEST

Donald Trump won’t offer an apology for his remarks of Megyn Kelly having blood in her eyes and elsewhere. GOP candidates who have been doing everything they can to decimate the gains made by women in terms of Maternal Health are now all of a sudden worried about losing 53% of the vote. Keep in mind this is the part that in the last cycle had a Presidential candidate who had a “binder” of women and a Senatorial candidate that said at one point during a rape a woman actually might enjoy it.
This new outrage over a remark they thought that Trump made just shows how desperate they are to latch onto any bit that will get them out of the Trump morass.
Megyn Kelly asked Trump some tough questions and he responded toughly. His latest comment left something to the imagination and when I heard it I was not thinking hormones. However others seemed to be doing that. When he added “wherever” my first thought was he meant she was asking the questions out of her butt.
However this pans out, Megyn Kelly and Fox both got what they wanted. Kelly is now going down in the annals of debater moderators who became part of the story, Fox got huge ratings and Trump will just keep going on.
But before this party puts on the outrage robe, let’s look at how many times they tried to repeal health care laws that are important to women.
There are some who say Kelly is the last person to lecture Trump on political correctness while she has been seen in national magazines looking like this. 


Kelly defended the provocative nature of her role as an anchor by saying, “Well, it’s a visual business. People want to see the anchor”. I agree that times have changed and I have no problem with the photo that was published. (Female anchors Barbara Walters, Carol Simpson, Connie Chung and Diane Sawyer were a bit more circumspect I guess but that was their choice). But in his biography Roger Alles of Fox said, “This is Fox News, so anytime there’s a chance to show off Megyn Kelly’s legs they’ll go for it.”
That comment is why this  is a larger problem for Kelly because she has become part of the news/entertainment” sector in this country. Kelly is now on the Brian Williams path who as well all know lost all credibility.He not only wanted to be on the news but everywhere and that ended badly.
In the meantime, Trump is not budging and only the poll numbers will see how this plays out. However expect his latest comment and dis-invitation from RedStates.com to be an opening for the national party to tell The Donald, “You are not only dis invited, you’re fired”.


GOP EVENT NEXT SUNDAY!!!!

The Republican Party of Luzerne County will be hosting its 4th Annual Summer Picnic on Sunday, August 16, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Tony Attardo Memorial Park, 79 Bryden Street in Pittston. The Park is conveniently located about one mile off of Interstate 81, Pittston Exit, number 175.
Traditional summer picnic food will be provided at this family friendly event. Guests are encouraged to bring a covered dish or dessert. Admission to the picnic is free and it is open to all candidates, committee persons, elected officials, friends and supporters of the Republican Party.
RSVP (not required but appreciated) to tlvgop@gmail.com or by calling 570-654-6567.


SLOBS ARE US
Litter strewn on both sides of North Main Street heading toward Plains this morning.
So on the way to Church this morning we came across this on the outskirts of Wilkes Barre going into Plains. Yep the litter bugs and the slobs just can’t seem to keep a roadway cleared of junk. I've  had occasions to have been in Allentown and Bethlehem the last few weeks and have seen nothing like this.
It doesn’t look like a newspaper truck dumped these because it was littered on both sides of the road and seems to have been dumped there.
Once more we live up to our name of being slobs. Whether this was a newspaper truck out of control or a prank, the hard workers at Wilkes Barre City Public Works should not be asked to clean this up. Nor should a well meaning volunteer group who walk away wit bags of litter on a Saturday only to see more crap like this two days later.
It’s a disgrace and maybe if it was a newspaper truck that had an issue, maybe they can spare a few of their people to clean it up.

FRANK GIFFORD
Gifford in his playing days with the New York Giants. (Sports  Magazine, LuLac archives).
Frank Gifford passed away today at the age of 84. Gifford was a part of my life. I remember him as a player with the New York Giants, a broadcaster for Monday Night Football as well as his celebrity status being married to Kathie Lee Epstein. He went young the next time around marrying 24 years his junior.
Born in Santa Monica in 1930, Gifford attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship and went pro after being selected 11th overall in the first round of the 1952 draft.
Gifford played with the New York Giants his entire NFL career, from 1952 to 1964, with several visits to the Pro-Bowl. In 1956 he was league MVP and led the team to a championship (before it was called "The Super Bowl").
Gifford tried to put his movie-star good looks to use in Hollywood, appearing in about a dozen films, most notably the 1959 submarine movie "Up Periscope."
On Twitter Sunday afternoon, Kathie Lee posted: "Deeply grateful to all 4 ur outpouring of grace. We r steadfast in our faith & finding comfort in knowing where Frank is. Phillippians 4:13."
That verse states, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."
Gifford started out as a New York icon who transformed his abilities as a sportscaster into a full time career. He paved the way for various athletes who went into the broadcast booth.(NBC, LuLac)

Saturday, August 08, 2015

The LuLac Edition #3009, August 8th, 2015

KANE’S ARRAIGNMENT
Kane surrounded by the media. (Photo: Philly.com)
During Kathleen Kane’s first year in office when national politicos like Chris Matthews were calling her a Presidential contender, it was a given that Kane would always be surrounded by reporters. But to even imagine that Kane would be mobbed by a group of media at her own arraignment was inconceivable.
That happen today as Kane was arraigned via video when the reality of her demise was documented. Visually it is a disturbing picture of a once rising star in the Democratic party.
Kane was an Assistant District Attorney in Lackawanna County. When interim appointee Linda Kelly was finishing out Tom Corbett’s term, Kane threw her hat in the ring along with former Congressman Patrick Murphy. Kane, with the help of the Clintons beat Murphy and then in 2010, achieved two firsts.
She became the first woman who was elected to the office of Attorney General and she was also the first Democratic elected since the office became an elective one in 1980. That was huge and gave the Scranton Attorney a great foundation to build on.
Her first year in office was relatively quiet but then she got involved in a series of conflicts that with better self management she could have avoided. I have always maintained that the most dangerous office holder is one who got there by a combination of circumstance, luck and surprise. When a candidate wins like that, they think they are invincible. I will never understand why Kane did not try and take the advice of the seasoned veterans around her. Or seek out an older Attorney who could have mentored her in the pitfalls of becoming THE BIG FISH in a pond of thousands of layers.
Essentially this indictment like many Pennsylvania corruption cases did not involve money. Kane did not enrich herself. Her crimes are  for allegedly leaking secret grand jury material to embarrass enemies, and lying to a Grand Jury. Plus Kane’s office was a train wreck to work in. It has been suspected Kane wanted aides to spy on just about everybody to try and undermine this investigation. It didn’t work
Kane has been asked to resign by the Governor and just about every elected official in the state. She claims she will fight on and her Attorneys have said she will get her side of the story out. Jesus, does she want to make it worse?
Kelly Choate from WBRE TV interviewed former Attorney General Ernie Preate who had an experience of being arrested and sentenced to jail. Preate said the current AG should think about the future in relation to her family and whatever future might exist for her in the next few decades.
Let’s hope that Kane who seemed to never take advice from any senior advisers in her office thinks long and hard about what Preate said. Or maybe the AG who is fighting to stay in her job should read a biography of former President Richard Nixon. (It was 41 years ago today that Nixon resigned from his office). Her alleged crimes are similar to Nixon's. Their downfalls are also alike.
In the meantime as she fights on, if anyone in her office was charged with a felony that would result in a suspension without pay. However that would not apply to the elected official, Ms. Kane. I think she should just cut her losses and see what happens But if she won’t listen to Ernie Preate, there’s no chance she’ll heed my advice.


THE CLASS OF FRANK SORICK
Wilkes Barre Mayoral candidate Frank Sorick. (Photo: Citizen's Voice).
Frank Sorick is running for Mayor of Wilkes Barre on the Republican side. He is an underdog running against upstart Democrat Tony George in the race for Wilkes Barre Mayor. Currently Mr. George is under scrutiny for filing incorrect and sloppy financial statements for the primary.
The Luzerne County Elections Board in still another attempt to appear relevant have said there might be an investigation from the District Attorney’s office. Conspiracy theorists are saying that this is plot by Wilkes Barre City Democrats to get George discredited and out of the race. There are some saying this is an attempt to get Tom Leighton a fourth term. That's just plain silly. 
People have started to pile on too. But GOP candidate Frank Sorick has said that the candidacy of Tony George and himself would give voters a clear cut choice. When I was on the air with L.A. Tarone last night on WILK Sorick called the show and said so.He said he believed George was an honest man and the election had to be about the future of Wilkes Barre.
Frank Sorick’s actions have people talking. Remember, this information came to light from an anonymous source and that has pissed people off. Plus there are a few Dems I spoke to that said if George goes down, (which is unlikely) they’d go for Sorick. If the Election Board thinks it is discovering some great problem, they are wrong.
Kudos to Frank Sorick for putting this all in perspective.