The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is very serious about defeating Governor Tom Corbett (R. PA) next year and are stepping up their efforts some more:
http://www.politicspa.com/...
Well Labor Day is behind us, which means we’re now in election season. The only difference is that the gubernatorial election isn’t until next year. In the meantime, though, the PA Democratic Party has set out to hammer Governor Corbett as evidenced by their creation of the website kickoutcorbett.com.
The site, which calls Corbett “America’s Least Effective and Most Out-of-Touch Governor”, is a litany of every controversial and contentious moment of the Governor’s tenure in office. For instance, the homepage mentions the uproar over the legal brief filed by the Governor’s staff that compared same-sex marriage to marriage between 12-year olds.
Perhaps the most damaging attack, though, and the one most likely to be heard throughout the next fourteen months, is the party’s disputed claim that the state now ranks 49th in the nation in job growth.
“The new website, Kick Out Corbett, integrates a number of organizing tools including social organizing, which allows volunteers to use their existing social networks to spread the word about Tom Corbett’s failed record, and a virtual phonebank, which provides a way for supporters to call voters and talk about Tom Corbett’s policies that have hurt Pennsylvania,” said Mark Nicastre, a communications official with the state Democratic Party. “The website will allow Pennsylvania who are fed up with Tom Corbett’s failed policies to reach out to their friends and neighbors to tell them about Tom Corbett’s failed policies.” - Politics PA, 9/9/13
You can check out the website here:
http://kickoutcorbett.com/
Very happy to see PA Dems keep stepping up their efforts and increasing their campaign to defeat Corbett. You can't blame them, especially with Corbett being the most unpopular Governor in Pennsylvania history:
http://canon-mcmillan.patch.com/...
Governor Tom Corbett’s approval rating is at its lowest point ever, according to the results of a new Franklin & Marshall poll.
Politics PA reports that the F&M poll found that 17 percent of respondents think Corbett is doing a good/excellent job, while 69 percent think it’s time for a new governor.
“No demographic or geographic category gave Corbett positive marks,” the Politics PA report said. “His worst region was Allegheny County, his home turf, which gave him just 11 percent job approval while 85 percent gave him fair or poor marks.” - Canon-McMillian Patch, 9/8/13
And even though she hasn't won her party's nominee yet, Corbett is already attacking Democratic frontrunner Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D. PA-13):
http://articles.mcall.com/...
A press release from the Tom Corbett for Governor Campaign attacked what it said was a tax increase being proposed by Schwartz. "If this is a preview of Allyson Schwartz's tax and spend agenda, Pennsylvanians better hide their wallets," the release said.
The problem with that claim is that it focuses on a tax favored by Schwartz that would not hit regular Pennsylvanians, but would force wealthy gas industry robber barons from places like Texas to pay a gas extraction tax they already must pay in every major gas-producing state — except Pennsylvania.
"Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz's proposal to drastically increase taxes on the shale gas industry will cost Pennsylvanians good-paying, middle class jobs by forcing the industry to relocate to more business and energy friendly states," the Corbett campaign bellowed.
"Gov. Corbett has consistently stood with the middle class in his efforts to create jobs, grow our economy and responsibly use our natural resources while protecting the environment," the press release said. "Pennsylvania is fortunate enough to have a booming natural gas industry to help lead the charge in lowering energy costs … and creating over 130,000 new opportunities for Pennsylvanians to return to work."
The Schwartz proposal for a 5 percent gas severance tax indeed would have a significant impact.
The Corbett campaign was responding to a report, released Wednesday by Schwartz, that said such a tax would have raised $612 million in the state's 2013-14 budget year alone, and that would increase to more than $2 billion a year a decade from now.
Would that, as Corbett claims, chase gas-drilling jobs out of Pennsylvania? Where would they go? To West Virginia, which also has a 5 percent severance tax? To Oklahoma, where it's 7 percent, or maybe to Texas, where it's 7.5 percent?
That $2 billion in revenue may seem like a lot to Pennsylvanians, especially to those now trying to find ways to finance public schools, but it's peanuts when compared to the untold billions the gas industry robber barons stand to rake in.
It is understandable why the Corbett campaign might resort to desperate claims against a potential gubernatorial challenger.
A Quinnipiac University poll recently asked Pennsylvanians if Corbett deserves to be re-elected. Fifty percent said "no" and only 32 percent said "yes." Asked how they'd vote if the election were held now with Corbett running against Schwartz, the poll revealed he'd get clobbered by a 47 to 34 percent margin. Against Rob McCord, the state treasurer, it would be 44 to 35 percent; against former Congressman Joe Sestak, it would be 48 to 34 percent. - The Morning Call, 9/7/13
If you would like to donate or get involved with Schwartz's campaign, you can do so here:
http://allysonschwartz.com/