The LuLac Edition #4,269, April 23rd, 2020

LAPDOG BARR: WE MAY JOIN LAWSUITS AGAINST GOVERNORS OVER THEIR LOCK-DOWN ORDERS

Attorney General for Diaper Don, not the United States, Robert Barr (Photo: AP)

In keeping with Trump’s strategy of playing to his base and only his base, always. Governors are the MAGA villains of the month and the point of Trump-style politics is to attack the villain, so that’s what he’s going to do whether or not it’s good for him long-term.
This time Attorney General Robert Barr has threatened the Governors who are looking to protect their citizens.
B.B.B. (Butt Boy Barr) doesn’t make any bones about the fact that he’s a political appointee, not a quasi-independent law enforcement officer. A few weeks ago he was on Fox grumbling about how hydroxychloroquine, the president’s favorite wonder drug, had gotten a bad rap from the lamestream media. That’s not normal AG behavior. If Trump’s going to wage political war against governors, Barr’s obviously going to look for reasons to join in.
Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home orders and directives shutting down businesses, are justified up to a point, Barr said in an interview Tuesday on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” Eventually, though, states should move to more targeted measures, Barr said. He cited the approach laid out by President Donald Trump.
“We have to give businesses more freedom to operate in a way that’s reasonably safe,” Barr said. “To the extent that governors don’t and impinge on either civil rights or on the national commerce — our common market that we have here — then we’ll have to address that.”…
“We’re looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place,” Barr said. “And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they’re not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs.”
In Tuesday’s radio interview, Barr said “these are very, very burdensome impingements on liberty. And we adopted them, we have to remember, for the limited purpose of slowing down the spread, that is bending the curve. We didn’t adopt them as the comprehensive way of dealing with this disease.”
Once again, I think about the building Barr’s fat ass sits in . It is named after Robert Kennedy who must be rolling over in his grave over the freak that had the same job he did. (LuLac, Hugh Hewitt)

BIDEN BEHIND IN FUNDRAISING

Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the Democratic Party could raise almost $1 million every single day between now and November, and he would still barely catch up to what President Trump and the Republican Party had in the bank at the start of April — let alone what Mr. Trump will have by Election Day.
New fund-raising figures released late Monday show the depth of the financial hole in which Mr. Biden finds himself at the start of the general election campaign: The presumptive Democratic nominee and his party are nearly $187 million behind the Republican National Committee and Mr. Trump, who has spent the last three years stockpiling his huge war chest.
The sheer size of Mr. Trump’s early advantage creates a unique set of financial and political pressures for Mr. Biden. He must find ways to both expand his appeal to small online contributors and attract huge seven- and eight-figure checks to the outside super PACs supporting him — all while sheltered in his Delaware home because of the coronavirus.
To lure the money that he will need to compete effectively in battleground states, Mr. Biden will have to navigate a series of consequential political decisions, refining his message, honing his policy agenda and selecting his running mate. But Democratic strategists say he has at least one point in his favor: He has wrapped up the nomination and started uniting the party relatively early in 2020, giving focus to the party activists and leading financial patrons who are singularly obsessed with defeating Mr. Trump.
“Trump’s clear lane is one of the huge benefits of incumbency, and he has used that advantage to turn the screws on every possible donor and execute a massive digital fund-raising effort,” said Jim Margolis, a Democratic strategist and veteran of past presidential campaigns. “So, yes, there will be a fund-raising imbalance, but I think Biden will have enough money to run a good campaign.”
The current cash gap at the presidential level is especially striking because down-ballot Democrats in key House and Senate races have been out-raising their Republican rivals. From competitive Senate races in Maine and Arizona to longer-shot contests in Kentucky and South Carolina, Democratic candidates out-raised their rivals in numerous Republican-held seats across the country in the first quarter of 2020.
Adding to the sense of fiscal strain at the top of the ticket, Mr. Biden has not yet struck an agreement to collect big checks in tandem with the Democratic National Committee (though one is expected soon); the Milwaukee host committee of the Democratic convention announced layoffs last week; and his campaign has been relatively slow to expand hiring since he seized control of the nominating contest a month ago.
Top party operatives and donors have been further distracted by a fractious turf war between leading Democratic super PACs jockeying for supremacy in the crucial and lucrative business of supporting Mr. Biden and ousting Mr. Trump on the airwaves. Even as the Biden campaign has sought to resolve the matter in recent days, some donors and advisers said they were still unsure where exactly they should be sending their checks.
Money is not always determinative in politics, especially at the presidential level. Mr. Biden won the 2020 primary despite being badly outspent. And Mr. Trump won the White House in 2016 despite spending far less than Hillary Clinton. But cash provides campaigns precious flexibility: allowing them to expand the electoral map, hire more staff members, buy more ads or even run political experiments at a moment when a pandemic has caused unprecedented societal upheaval. (MSN News)

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN ASKS FOR BAILOUT

When Donald Trump ran for President, his defenders talked about his business acumen. “Oh he was a successful businessman, we need him!” No matter how many times you brought up the four bankruptcies and his never revealing his taxes, his followers defended him. They still do. Even after the successful businessman:
1. Couldn’t mobilize his business talemts to get manufacturing going for supplies in this Covid crisis.
2. Asking for government help for his hotel in D.C. because it was guess what, failing because of the health situation in the United States and the world.
Successful businessmen were the late Lee Ioocca who turned around Chrysler. Mitt Romney who twice saved the Olympics.
Successful businessmen are not DONALD TRUMP!

CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $80,000 FOR DELAWARE & LEHIGH NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

Representative Matt Cartwright today announced the release of $80,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission to the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc. (D&L) for their Delaware and Lehigh Trail Town Program.
“With these funds, D&L will be able to continue supporting the recreation industry and tourism communities in Luzerne County,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I’m grateful for their efforts to promote outdoor life and support the towns near their trails, especially as residents look to our natural areas for peace during this trying time.”
“Now more than ever the value of the outdoor industry and specifically the D&L Trail is clearly evident as a vital part of the regional economy. Trails increase the value of nearby homes, help revitalize towns and build local business,” said Elissa Garofalo, Executive Director of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc. “This award from ARC would not be possible without the assistance of Congressman Cartwright and his District staff.”
The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L) is a diverse, multi-faceted organization, with a multi-use trail spanning 165 miles from the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania through the Lehigh Valley and Bucks County. They work to preserve and revitalize historic places and landmark towns, conserve green space for public use, document and interpret our heritage, celebrate our community and region and create partnerships and programs for long-term sustainability.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts.

CASEY, PA MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: STATE GETTING SHORTCHANGED ON CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDING

PENNSYLVANIA RECEIVING LESS FUNDING FOR SAFETY-NET HOSPITALS AND OTHER PROVIDE

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senator Bob Casey announced that he has led a delegation of Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Representatives in a letter calling out the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for unfairly allocating funds created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help hospitals and other providers. The delegation expressed concern that this distribution unfairly disadvantages safety-net hospitals, nursing homes, home care providers and health centers that serve Pennsylvania’s most at-risk communities, among others.
U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08), Mike Doyle (D-PA-18), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Susan Wild (D-PA-07), Conor Lamb (D-PA-17) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) signed on to the letter.
“We understand that you plan to address these discrepancies through future allocations of the $100 billion provided under the CARES Act and will seek to achieve rough parity – fairness in this case cannot be simply be a goal, it is imperative that you achieve it. Through this funding, Pennsylvania has received approximately $50,000 per COVID patient, while other states have received over $300,000 per COVID patient. To promote one group of providers over another or groups of states over others is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the Members of Congress wrote in the letter.
On April 10, HHS released $30 billion in the first round of funding from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) under the CARES Act. The distribution of funds was based on a provider’s reimbursement through the Medicare Part A and B fee-for-service program in 2019. This method of distribution, allocated based on Medicare Part A and B fee-for-service claims, unfairly disadvantages states like Pennsylvania, which has a high penetration of Medicare Advantage providers.

MESSAGE FROM KATHY BOOCKVAR

SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH

JUNE 2 IS THE NEW DATE FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S PRIMARY

Here’s IMPORTANT news. To protect the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians while ensuring access to voting, the PA primary election has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 2. Also, a new mail-in ballot option is available to ALL Pennsylvania voters.
Vote from the comfort and safety of your home:
Visit VotesPA.com
ALL Pennsylvania voters now have the option to vote by mail for any reason or no reason at all. You can apply for a mail-in ballot or a traditional absentee ballot online, by mail, or in person, until one week before the election. For help or to receive a paper application by mail, please call 1-877-VOTESPA.
You can also sign up to become a permanent mail-in or absentee ballot voter and automatically receive ballots by mail for the rest of the year.
For the 2020 primary, your application must be received online or by your county election office by 5 pm Tuesday, May 26. Applying online is easy, quick and secure. If you provide your email address, you will receive notifications about your application and ballot status.
Once you receive your ballot in the mail, you have until 8 pm on election day, June 2, to deliver your completed ballot to your county election office. If you are mailing it, do so as early as you can to ensure it arrives on time.
Voters who have already requested a mail-in or absentee ballot will receive a ballot for the rescheduled primary. There is no need to apply again if your address remains the same. If your address has changed since you applied, please contact your county election office to provide your updated address.
Other deadlines
Other important election-related deadlines have also changed. The new deadline to update your voter registration is Monday, May 18. Please visit www.register.votespa.com to update your registration today.
Important Dates:
•June 2 – PA Primary Election
•May 18 – Deadline to update your voter registration information
•May 26 – Deadline to request a mail ballot
To stay up-to-date with the latest and most accurate election information in Pennsylvania, visit votesPA.com. Please share this email with your friends and neighbors to help spread the word! Thank you and stay safe.

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.

PREVIEW

ECTV's 'PREVIEW" host David DeCosmo welcomes Lackawanna County United Way CEO Gary Drapek back to the show during the week of April 27th to discuss the social distancing policy's effect on isolated elderly individuals in the area.
PREVIEW is seen 3 times daily on Comcast channel 19 and on the electric city television YouTube page.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:20 and 8:20 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1980

Our 1980 logo.

The Dominican embassy siege ends with all hostages released and the guerrillas flying to Cuba…..Iranian Embassy siege: Six Iranian-born terrorists take over the Iranian embassy in London, England. SAS retakes the Embassy on May 5; one terrorist survives….Queen Juliana of the Netherlands abdicates and her daughter Beatrix accedes to the throne…....

Al Kaline 

 and Duke Snider 

are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Kaline is the 10th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, while Snider made his 11th appearance on the ballot…Rookie Joe Charboneau of the Cleveland Indians after being attacked outside a Mexico City hotel in March has is cleared to play after recovering. A fan seeking his autograph stabbed him in the chest with a pen. 

Charboneau who missed the start of the year, goes on to bat .289, hitting 23 home runs, while driving in 87 RBI in 131 games. He will be elected American League Rookie of the Year……. Meanwhile the Veteran’s Committee elects Slugger Chuck Klein and former Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey to the Hall of Fame. Yawkey is the first club owner selected who never served as a player, manager or general manager….and forty years ago the number song in LuLac land and America was “Sexy Eyes” by Dr. Hook.