The LuLac Edition #3264, July 31st, 2016

LUZERNE COUNTY GOP NAMES NEW CHAIR

New GOP party chair Ron Ferrance.  (Photo: Times Leader). 

Ron Ferrance, Attorney General nominee John Rafferty and Alex Milanes. (Photo: LuLac)

Ron Ferrance has become the new Chairman of the Luzerne County Republicans. Ferrance succeeds Bill Urbanski. Ron has been active in GOP politics and presents a very good skill set to help progress the party. Plus Ferrance has his eye on the future of the GOP working with his son to help present the case of the party to millennials.
Ferrance told the Times Leader that he wants to build the party and make it more competitive and stronger. As I’ve been saying for years, that only comes with increased registration. The party, despite a registration disadvantage has had success in electing members to the County Council as well as electing a Judge and a two term District Attorney. Granted these wins came in part because of well funded or well known personalities but in times past, even money or a winning personality couldn’t put qualified Republicans past the finish line in this County.
Unlike past Chairs, Ferrance’s path is a tad easier because of the time and effort put in by Terry Casey and Bill Urbanski. Success comes one step at a time and now it’s Ron’s turn to stride ahead.
My family and Ron’s also share a personal connection. Mrs. LuLac and I bought Ron’s grandmother’s house. At a local GOP event last year we had a chat about the North end and were both blown away that I lived in the same home he hung around in as one of Pauline Shea’s grandchildren. It was a realization that despite any differences in philosophy, any thinking American really wants the same thing for their country, state and town. The journey to get there sometimes requires different road maps for people and parties.
As Ron takes the road, we wish him well as he settles into the driver’s seat.

THE CHALLENGE AFTER BERNIE & TRUMP

This year there has been a large increase in Voter Registrations in the County due to the energy and enthusiasm created by the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump candidacies. But what happens after Election Day? That’s a question that should be looked at long and hard by party leaders on a local level.
2017 is an election year too with offices up on the County and municipal level. It is important that these ramped up voters, even the remedial Bernie supporters who screamed “No More War” at the Democratic convention or the legally uniformed Trump voters who chanted “Lock Her Up” come back and channel some of that passion into local politics.
The difference between 2016 and 2017 is this. Hillary and Donald have no idea who you are personally. And they never will. Your local office holder can.
Come back in ’17.

VOTER ID LAWS OVERTURNED

Yesterday a federal appeals court decisively struck down North Carolina’s voter identification law. The decision held that the law’s provisions deliberately “target African-Americans with almost surgical precision” in an effort to depress black turnout at the polls. How about that! The Governor of course said that it was all political. Gov. Pat McCrory is in the race of his life pretty much because of controversial stands that are in effect viewed as discriminatory. When businesses threaten to pull out because of them, that’s tough.
Also on Friday a similar law was struck down in Wisconsin and in Texas. The common thread in all three, (and if you want to add Pennsylvania’s attempt under House Speaker Mike Turzai) was that it was instigated by Republican administrations. That is no accident.

BOB McGRATH LEAVES "THE STREET"

 Bob McGrath. (Photo: PBS)

Just in case you didn’t realize it, Sesame Street, the long running PBS Children’s Show has been slated to go to HBO with a retooled, scaled down half hour version. At the time the announcement was made it was stated that staff decisions would be made later. This week news on the changes came.
Bob McGrath, aka Bob Johnson said that he, along with longtime costars Emilio Delgado (Luis) and Roscoe Orman (Gordon) were let go. Bob had been one of the two longest-lasting human characters on the series and was in charge of pretty much corralling the non human candidates. The show announced that Bob would represent the show at Public Events.
Sesame Street was a land mark Children’ program. It provided a way for young children to learn the basics back in the day on what was then called “Educational TV”. When I first started working at WVIA in 1973 I saw the significance of the show in terms of its popularity and funding. Whenever I went in that time of my life, when people asked about my job, after I told them where I worked, the response was “Sesame Street! My kids love that!” 

 Time goes on and so does the cast. But the contributions will never be forgotten.
The legacy though has changed. With “Sesame Street” being on Public TV, most every child in America had access to it. With HBO…………………not so much.