The LuLac Edition #3702, January 25th, 2018

HOW BARLETTA'S PATH TO THE SENATE WAS CLEARED

Barletta Up

Meehan Down

(Photos: LuLac archives, Philly.com)

Late last year there was a significant amount of talk about a challenge to Senator Bob Casey in the 2018 election. Sources tell me that a lot of money was being gathered by Congressman Pat Meehan. As a matter of fact, Meehan was going to be the guy to take down Casey.
Meehan is from the Philadelphia suburbs and was widely regarded as a Congressman that could move up statewide. Meehan, a former federal prosecutor serving his fourth term in Congress and was frequently mentioned by the likes of Chris Matthews and Michael Smerconish as the type of Republican acceptable to women. The 7th District also includes most of Delaware County and parts of Chester, Berks and Montgomery counties.
But no less an authority than The New York Times reported that Meehan used thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to settle a misconduct complaint against him.
Meehan was removed from the House Ethics Committee and asked to repay whatever taxpayer funds were used. Speaker Paul Ryan ordered that edict after the report was published Saturday.
According to the Times, Meehan had long expressed interest in the personal life of the aide. The aide, whom the Times did not name, regarded Meehan as a father figure.
Last year Meehan professed romantic desires for her in person and in a handwritten letter and became hostile when she did not reciprocate, according to the Times.
Meehan has come forward and used the term "soulmate" saying that his intention was not to harass. 
The woman filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment with the congressional Office of Compliance over the summer. She ended up leaving her role, and later reached the confidential agreement with Meehan's office, the report said.
Meehan of course denied the allegations and has played the “I’m running for re-election and this is a smear card”. However even members of his own GOP aren’t buying it. The Lancaster County Party Chair wanted Meehan to step down.
But look at he time line. At the end of last year, the Fair Haired Boy was Pat Meehan. Then when the rumblings began, Meehan became, well not so attractive.
Enter Barletta. Now Lou has ambitions and maybe he wanted this all along. But a primary challenge against Meehan in a state party that is tightly controlled by GOP leadership would never be in the cards had this not been bubbling under the radar with Meehan.
Barletta is running in earnest and even though I like him and don’t think he’ll win, he is, given the recent allegation about Meehan has a  much better chance. One can only speculate if the field was going to cleared for Meehan, then Barletta would be given that same opportunity. For the most part, he has in the primary.
The allegations against Meehan and Barletta are in no way shape or form connected by the Philly area's Congressman. But a path was pretty much cleared by the cooling Meehan's ardor for the Senate seat when this stuff was hitting the fan.  
Lou Barletta is charismatic, perseveres when he wants to reach a goal and will be a formidable candidate. There are those who still underestimate him. But if you ever wonder how Lou came up in prominence so quickly, look to two things.
1. His relationship with the President.
2. Significantly, the shenanigans revealed from the 7th.
Politics is all about providing a reasonable alternative and Barletta is certainly one to what was very likely to be a flawed Meehan Senate candidacy. 

PAUL RYAN COLLECTED $500,000 IN KOCH CONTRIBUTIONS DAYS AFTER HOUSE PASSED TAX LAW

Speaker Paul Ryan. Is he channeling Trump with those pout like lips? (Photo: Time)

Just days after the House passed its version of the federal tax law slashing corporate tax rates, House Speaker Paul Ryan collected nearly $500,000 in campaign contributions from billionaire energy mogul Charles Koch and his wife, according to a recent campaign donor report.
Koch and his brother David spent millions of dollars to get the tax law passed and are spending millions more in a public relations campaign in an attempt to boost support for the law, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Koch Industries, one of the largest private corporations in the nation, operates refineries and manufactures a variety of products. The new tax law — which slices corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 21 percent, slashes estate taxes and includes a special deduction for oil and gas investors — is expected to save the Koch brothers and their businesses billions of dollars in taxes.
Well, after all, you do have to pay whores. Ryan, the guy who wants to jettison Social Security and Medicare is the biggest one of all. (AOL. News, LuLac)

THE LATEST FROM BARLETTA

So we get this missive from Congressman Lou Barletta using Immigration, as he always has as a political football. We all knew this government shutdown was about Democrats, including Senator Bob Casey, putting illegal immigrants over Americans.
Well, Senator Bob Casey just confirmed it. On Friday, Senator Casey voted to shut down the government and deny funding for our veterans, military, seniors, and health insurance for our children.
Only when Senator Casey got assurances that the Senate would vote on a bill to protect illegal immigrants did he vote to re-open the government.
Illegal immigrants who came to this country with their parents. Dreamers who are serving in Barletta’s military, going to school and paying taxes. I’m printing all of these missives to demonstrate to people where Lou’s priorities lie. Not in doing anything for his district BUT preaching the Trump doctrine of hate against innocent kids who are contributing to society.

NOW WE HEAR FROM A REAL CONGRESSMAN.........

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $8 MILLION IN HUD FUNDS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $8,174,363 in Continuum of Care (CoC) funds to local agencies and organizations working to address homelessness.
The CoC program is part of a strategic plan to solve homelessness for veterans, adults, families, youth, and children. The program provides federal funding to nonprofit organizations and local government agencies in an effort to rehouse homeless individuals, increase access to mainstream programs for the homeless, and promote self-sufficiency.
“I am a strong advocate for federal funds that prevent people from experiencing homelessness and provide tools to achieve financial independence,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “Every American deserves a safe, stable place to live. I am glad that the recipients of these funds will continue to provide invaluable housing services to vulnerable Pennsylvanians in our local communities.”
The program funds will be disbursed to member agencies of Eastern PA CoC, Wilkes-Barre/Luzerne CoC, and Scranton/Lackawanna CoC. CoC grants will provide critically needed support to these local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness in their communities.

WAGNER CAMPAIGN STATEMENT ON SOUTHEAST CAUCUS STRAW POLL VICTORY

GOP contender for Governor Scott Wagner (Photo: Wagner campaign)

2018 Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner recently won the Republican State Committee Southeast Caucus straw poll. Wagner’s win is his fourth out of the four straw polls that have been conducted during the party’s endorsement process so far. With more total votes than any candidate, Wagner is just 45 votes shy of the threshold to clinch the State Committee’s nomination.
“Today, Scott continued his steady march toward earning the party’s endorsement on February 10,” said Campaign Manager Jason High. “By adding the Southeast to his ongoing sweep of State Committee caucuses, Scott is demonstrating that his outsider candidacy has strong support in multiple corners of the Commonwealth. A vast majority of party leaders realize that Scott is the only candidate who possesses the toughness and the bold ideas required to defeat Tom Wolf in the general election and Scott is looking forward to growing that group two weeks from now.”
During the first three straw polls, Wagner received 91 out of a potential 140 votes. (Central – 62 , Northeast – 18, NECRA – 11). The Southwest and Northwest Caucuses will conclude the State Committee straw polls and will take place on the weekend of February 3.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

ECTV LIVE

ECTV Live hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo, and Director Mark Migilori welcome Nancy Post to the program during the week of January 29th. Nancy is Director of the Voluntary Action Center in Lackawanna County which provides services to hundreds of citizens throughout the area. She'll review the agencies programs and use of and need for volunteers.
ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired during the Noon, 6pm and Midnight hours each day of the week. Following Monday's Live program the show will become available on Electric City Television's YouTube channel which can be viewed on your computer.

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!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1960

Our 1960 logo

The National Football League announces expansion teams for Dallas to start in the 1960 NFL season, and Minneapolis–St. Paul for the 1961 NFL season.– The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties……Governor David Lawrence says that the state Education system must be more centralized due to the changing landscape of the state as well as the nation…in Luzerne County, an investigation into the Knox Mine Disaster continues and 58 years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” by Freddie Boom Boom Cannon.