Vote for Jessica Wolfe...And a few others

It's no surprise to anyone reading this blog that I will be voting for Hillary Clinton for President today in PA's Democratic primary. I find her to be a brilliant and accomplished woman who will build upon President Obama's progressive successes, as well as staying true to her own passion for helping women and children.

I will also be voting for Joe Sestak for U.S. Senator for his promised ban on fracking, as well as "his ceaseless drive to connect with voters" (Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh).

I'll vote for Josh Shapiro for PA Attorney General, because, as the Stein Club puts it, "we believe he’s the most progressive candidate on social issues, by any yardstick. We hope to see ever-increasing fairness and human rights, as far as prosecution, if Mr. Shapiro is elected."

I'm voting for Eugene DePasquale for PA Auditor General, who's an honest, progressive good-guy.

In PA State House District 24, I endorse Ed Gainey. A responsive, reliable progressive.

In PA State House District 19, I endorse Jessica Wolfe. As I have stated before, I know Jessica and knowing the kind of person she is, I know she'd be a real asset to the House and a tireless and caring worker for her constituents.

As for my own PA State House District 36, I will most certainly not be voting for incumbent and DINO Harry Readshaw. As usual, I will write in "A. Prochoice Democrat."

Your mileage may vary.

Finally, some much needed oversight!

Finally, we have some much needed oversight from some newly minted elected officials here in Pennsyltucky:

New PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane to launch an investigation into the Attorney General’s office’s (Tom Corbett's) handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse case.

New PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale to order a performance audit of the Department of Environmental Protection’s policing of the natural gas industry “to make sure our constitutional right to pure water is not being compromised.”

New PA State Rep. Erin Molchany speaks out against Governor Corbett's deal to hand over control of the billion-dollar-a-year Pennsylvania Lottery to a foreign firm with no say by anyone other than Corbett:

Congratulations!

Photo by Chuck Pascal
Congratulations to PA State Representative Erin Molchany, PA State Representative Ed Gainey and PA Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on being sworn in to your new offices yesterday -- looking forward to great things from all of you!

Progressive Endorsements!

Keystone Progress here

Planned Parenthood here

NARAL here

Marcellus at the Polls (anti fracking) here


And, file this under "It must run in the family" from my nephew, Will:

Alternative Candidates for Congress: Senate here

Alternative Candidates for Congress: House here and here

Reminder: G.O.T.V. Kick-off Rally Today!

Watch the Steelers, have a bite and a brew, and pick up election day materials -- what could be better?

WHAT: EUGENE DEPASQUALE FOR PA AUDITOR GENERAL - STEELERS PARTY & RALLY
WHEN: Sunday, November 4th, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WHERE: James Street Gastropub (former James Street Tavern), 422 Foreland Street, Northside

http://www.eugene4pa.com

Happy Halloween! Now help get out the damn vote!

 You know what's at stake! There's lots of ways to help in this last week. If you don't, something very scary could happen! To volunteer, you can go to http://www.barackobama.com and One Pittsburgh will also set you up to help. Here are some great events that you can attend leading up to the election:

 

WHAT: UNITED STEELWORKERS' STEEL BLITZ FOR BARACK
WHEN: Friday, November 2nd, 11:00 AM
WHERE: USW Headquarters, 60 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

 

WHAT: ED GAINEY FOR OBAMA PRE-ELECTION RALLY WITH FRIENDS
WHEN: Friday, November 2nd, 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
WHERE: Kingsley Center, 6435 Frankstown Avenue (at the corner of East Liberty Boulevard and Frankstown Avenue)
For questions or directions, contact Leeretta or Lori at 412-945-0024. Facebook event page here.

WHAT: PEDUTO FOR OBAMA GET OUT THE VOTE CANVASS
WHEN: Saturday, November 3rd, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
WHERE: Meet at the home of Natalie Greene, 4425 McCaslin Street, Greenfield
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact: info@billpeduto.com 

WHAT: JOHN MCINTIRE DANGEROUSLY LIVE COMEDY SHOW
WHEN: Saturday, November 3rd, 10:30 PM
WHERE: Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA (Downtown)
RSVP on Facebook (or just show up)
 

WHAT: EUGENE DEPASQUALE FOR PA AUDITOR GENERAL - STEELERS PARTY& RALLY
WHEN: Sunday, November 4th, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WHERE: James Street Gastropub (former James Street Tavern), 422 Foreland Street, Northside
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact: info@billpeduto.com 

 

Let's all get out there and vote!

It occurs to me that I should have run a contest as to what name I should write in instead of voting for Harry Readshaw. I'm thinking something like "A. Real Democrat."

Endorsements

There are a lot of progressive people running tomorrow in the PA Democratic primary. Here are some of the best:

STATEWIDE:
Attorney General
Patrick Murphy
Murphy played a leadership role in the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" when he was in Congress. He's also been extremely up front about his pro choice views and against the Republican War on Women.
http://www.murphyforpa.com

Auditor General
Eugene DePasquale
Great on Marcellus Shale and all the other issues you care about! A candidate with strong progressive tendencies, but also "something more essential: a deep-seated commitment towards doing right by all citizens of PA, in a way that transcends ideology."
http://eugene4pa.com

LOCAL:
District 22
Erin Molchany
She's so good, she's endorsed nationally! I'll be hoofing it out to Brookline to phone bank for her this afternoon.
http://erinmolchany.com

District 23
Dan Frankel
An always reliable progressive!

District 24
Edward Gainey
I agree with the P-G -- it's time for a change!
http://edgainey.com

District 56
Marybeth Kuznik
Not exactly from around here, but she's great! She's also the founder of VotePA
http://vote4marybeth.com

The Fracktivist Vote

While it certainly feels like the all the election talk is about 2012, you do have the opportunity to elect some folks next month. And while the focus for November in these parts has been squarely centered on Fitzgerald vs. Raja (ugh and triple ugh), there are other races. If you want a reason to go to the polls -- and to feel good about your vote -- how about showing some love to the candidates who have taken a stand against fracking?

Who are these pols? There's a Facebook group for that: Marcellus at the Polls 2011

You'll want to click on the "Docs" link to find the list for PA.

Those of particular interest to Burghers include:

EUGENE DEPASQUALE (D) for Auditor General - running in 2012
Statewide Race
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DePasqualePA
Campaign website: http://eugene4pa.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RepDePasquale
Platform (specific to mentioning his stance on drilling): http://eugene4pa.com/issues/pure-water/

DAVID WECHT (D) for Superior Court
Statewide Race
Campaign Ad (31 seconds): www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=291932100833883
Campaign website: http://www.wecht2011.com/
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Judge-David-N-Wecht/149288135132481?sk=wall
About the Superior Court: www.superior.court.state.pa.us/about.htm

KATHRYN BOOCKVAR for Commonwealth Court
Statewide Race
**SIERRA CLUB ENDORSED** (rare!)
Campaign website: www.boockvar.com/about-kathryn.html
One page resume: here
Platform on Marcellus within body: www.boockvar.com/index.html

COREY O'CONNOR (D) for Pittsburgh City Council District 5
(formerly held by fracktivist Doug Shields)
Campaign website: http://coreyoconnorforcouncil.com/
(Statement about fracking at the Facebook link above)

You can meet DePasquale this Sunday:

Join Eugene at a Steelers/Patriots Watch Party in Pittsburgh
Young Brother's Bar (1441 Woods Run Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA)
Between 3:00 and 8:00 this Sunday, October 30th
Complimentary admission for all.
Please RSVP or send questions to Liz Wagenseller at liz@eugene4pa.com

Also, while I'm not thrilled about Wecht's cutesy, Fitzgerald-syle, family TV ad currently running (really, I don't care what your kids think of any of you pols unless you're, say, beating them), he actually has an ad about fracking which you can view here.

Pittsburgh Meet & Greet for Rep. Eugene DePasquale, candidate for Auditor General of PA -- Tomorrow

Meet & Greet with State Rep. Eugene DePasquale

WHAT: Pittsburgh Meet & Greet for Rep. Eugene DePasquale, candidate for Auditor General of PA
WHEN: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
WHERE: AVA Restaurant, 126 S. Highland Avenue & Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Suggested Contribution: $25

RSVP: Via email to liz@eugene4pa.com or on Facebook here

Checks may be made out to “DePasquale for PA” and brought to the event or mailed to: DePasquale for PA, PO Box 1822 York, PA 17405

Donations may also be made online via ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/24166

http://eugene4pa.com

Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-95, York) is serving his third term in the state House of Representatives, and has established himself as a strong progressive voice and a leading reformer in Harrisburg. Among his many accomplishments, Eugene was the first legislator in Pennsylvania’s history to post his legislative expenses online, and he was a leader in the fight to strengthen our state’s open records law.

Eugene is running for Auditor General because he believes we need a strong check on Governor Corbett and his administration. As Auditor General, Eugene will fight to protect working families by eliminating wasteful spending and increasing accountability.

Prior to serving in the legislature, DePasquale served as a Deputy Secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) where he fought to protect the environment and expand Pennsylvania’s alternative energy production capabilities. While at DEP, Eugene also played a key role in attracting the world’s largest wind energy company, Gamesa, to relocate a significant portion of their operations to Pennsylvania.

A native Pittsburgher and lifelong Pennsylvanian, DePasquale has a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Wooster (OH) where he played football and baseball. Eugene has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law. He also is a graduate of Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and played for the first Quad-A state football champions in state history.

We hope you can join us in supporting a candidate for Auditor General with the experience, proven track record and core progressive values to protect Pennsylvania's taxpayers and keep state government honest, open and transparent.

On Marcellus Shale:

DePasquale Fundraiser

We've blogged about Eugene DePasquale before because even though he ran -- and won -- for State Representative in the 95th Legislative District (York County, PA), he's essentially a local and he's a good progressive.

He's having a fundraiser here in Pittsburgh next week (the last one was packed and a real good time). Here's the info:

Please join us for a reception honoring State Representative Eugene DePasquale

When: November 18th. 12:00-4:00 PM
Where: Sassy Marie’s (The old James St. Tavern)
422 Foreland St. In Pittsburgh’s historic North Side

Cash bar and plenty of food!

Contribution: $100, but lesser contributions are welcome! So, if you have a couple of hours to spare on Sunday and ($50, $20, or even $15 bucks) drop on by for some eats and drinks and good conversation.

Please make all checks payable to:
DePasquale for the 95th
PO Box 1822
York, PA 17405

Please RSVP by November 10th ASAP! to: Kevin at 717-979-9864 or ksidella@thewsgroup.com