Filling Gaps

According to WESA (90.5 FM), Pittsburgh's public / news radio station. the GOP in Allegheny County plans to use a MAGA tactic in an attempt to work ar0und existing rules and practices.

Justices of the Commonwealth Supreme Court will be asked to rule on the date set for interim elections, such as those to fill seats held by legislators who have passed away.  As you might imagine, the Republican Party in western PA wants the date moved forward or even postponed, because:

• Over the weekend, Democrats chose attorney Abigail Salisbury to run for the 34th House district vacated by Summer Lee, while Republicans picked retired police officer Robert Pagane
• In the 35th District seat vacated by Austin Davis (as candidate for Lieutenant Governor), Democrat Matt Gergley will run against Republican Don Nevills
• The GOP chose Clayton Walker, pastor of the fundamentalist Grace Tabernacle Church of God in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, to seek the 32nd House district seat formerly held by the late Anthony DeLuca. Democrats nominated Joe McAndrew for that seat last weekend.

Looks like the Democrats' ticket is complete and ready to go ...

Inside Out

According to Spotlight PA, Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state House could hold a functional majority until at least mid-February.  Because of Democratic vacancies, these paragons of patriotism are considering using that advantage to pass a handful of far-reaching constitutional amendments. The strategy dovetails with GOP leaders attempting to delay special elections in two heavily Democratic Allegheny County districts, one being vacated by Summer Lee as she moves to the (Federal) House of Representatives.

Kiss the First Amendment Goodbye

This past Thursday, Donald Trump threatened, in effect if not in fact, to burn the Bill of Rights.

Trump promised that, if elected president again, he would:

• ban federal money from being used to label speech as misinformation or disinformation
• fire federal officials who have engaged in what he characterized as domestic censorship
• punish universities engaging in censorship activities with cuts to federal funding

Don't dismiss the meshugah.  His plans include:

• unilateral executive orders
• legislation that would need some degree of congressional approval

Be afraid - be very afraid.  Or better yet, get involved in local politics.  To paraphrase the late Rep. John Lewis, grass-roots activism is one of the best weapons we have for progressive political change.

Not While We're Eating

Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer discussed the 2024 election, and the possibility of a rematch between President Biden and 45.

The tete-a-tete took place over lunch, with both Democratic leaders favoring a Biden- Trump second-go-round.  What GOTV found even more interesting, and agreed even more with, was Speaker Pelosi's comment on The Donald.

I don't think we should talk about him while we're eating she said.

Nce Work If You Can Get It

Doug Mastriano ended his failed campaign for Governor with more than $1 million in his campaign's coffers.  It's unlikely that this money would have put him any closer to the Governor's Mansion, but what's certain is that it left Mastriano quite a piece of change short of the campaign funds available to Josh Shapiro - $7 million for Mastriano, and $66 million for Shapiro.

What GOTV finds delightful is the fact that some Republicans now grouse that the $59 million difference in such funds could have helped the party’s candidates down ballot, and perhaps even preclude Pennsylvania Democrats' winning the state House for the first time in more than a decade.

It’s one of the most irresponsible and selfish actions I’ve seen a candidate for office at any level take said Mark Harris, a Pittsburgh-based Republican strategist. The potential loss of the House rests heavily on Doug Mastriano’s decision.

GOTV has only one rejoinder.  Where were Mr. Harris and his (probably MAGA) colleagues when Mastriano's candidacy took a turn toward fascism?

GOTV urges you all to read the piece just cited ...

No Shame

GOTV is planning an online seminar on the relationship of the Federalist Papers to our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other significant amendments.  A statement yesterday from Marjorie Taylor Greene, and another, similar one from that paragon of respect for accepted standards Elon Musk, causes us to feel that they each would benefit from our teaching materials, especially those involving James Madison's work on the Constitution in general, and on the First Amendment in particular.

Re: the online seminar, if you're interested in a preview, just email Bodhi; you'll get a cursory syllabus by return email.

 

 

Flipping the (State) House

Even here in the Keystone State, the 2020 election exposed gaps in election rules.  Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg have gone mano-a-mano with outgoing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf over changes to make in election management.  But this competition could change in the coming months.

Since Democrats have tenuously flipped the state House and retained control of the governorship, that gives us good guys more leverage to advance a policy agenda.

Reading Material

It may sound either pompous or trite.  But GOTV, in our effort to help our neighbors understand and participate more effectively in our politics, has come up with a brief reading list.

It consists of only two titles, neither recent, but each seminal to our politics and government.  It's our feeling that plowing through these (and it will require effort) will give you a better understanding of how we became the United States.

• Democracy in America , in which Alexis de Tocqueville inspected the democratic revolution, manifesting in America, that he believed had been developing over the previous several hundred years
• The Federalist Papers , in which Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison prescribed a functional foundation for a government de Tocqueville would have appreciated

Pop quiz - chicken or egg.  I.e., which of these studies influenced which?

A Shining Example

It's been reported that over $40,000,000.00 ($40 million) went into yesterday's victory for Raphael Warnock.  That number, mostly covered by the Democratic National Committee, paid, not for ads, but rather for boots on the ground.  Whether those boots accomplished knocking on thousands of doors (they did), translating campaign literature into several languages (e.g., Vietnamese and Cambodian), or simply helping folks get to the polls, is almost immaterial.

Rev. Warnock won by the largest margin of victory for a Democrat in decades.

Just Like a Clock

Even a broken (AKA conservative-laden) court can be right twice a day ...

The Supreme Court declined today to take up a case brought against Dominion Voting Systems and Facebook by voters who claimed the companies illegally influenced the 2020 election.

Lower courts had previously rejected the case, ruling that the eight plaintiffs lacked the procedural threshold - in legal-speak, standing – needed to bring the suit.

It should come as no surprise that SCOTUS ruled in this way, since lower courts decided:

• the plaintiffs didn’t have standing, and
• their claims were felt to be frivolous

Cancel Culture

The petulant child known as Donald J. Trump came up with a fine satire on the far-right idea of cancel culture.

Merriam-Webster defines that trope as a figure of speech first used in (why does this not surprise us?) 2016.   GOTV doubts, however, that M-W imagined such cliches as indicating that our government is itself an illusion, a chimera.

But don't think that stopped 45 ...

Stacking the Deck

Today, the Democratic National Committee approved a proposal to reshape the 2024 presidential nominating calendar .  The DNC voted to make South Carolina the first state to hold a primary, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on the same day a few days later, and then Georgia and Michigan before Super Tuesday. 

Makes lots of sense, from more than one point of view:

• encouraging heavier turnout in states that have been trending liberal
• encouraging turnout in states like Michigan that traditionally vote Democratic
• garnering beaucoup press coverage well before Super Tuesday, in turn driving turnout on that day

Yet another tactic for GOTV ...

Dream On, Herschel

Yesterday, Herschel Walker said that the record turnout so far in early voting in Georgia's Dec. 6 Senate runoff election looks good for him.

Don't hold your breath, Mr. Walker:

• more than 1 million Georgians have already cast ballots
• Democrats have aggressively pushed their supporters to give Senator Raphael Warnock a head start

Unless this race turns out to be another unfathomable which came first / chicken / egg riddle, GOTV hereby goes out on a limb and declares Rev. Warnock the winner.

Keepin' the Faith

Reports on early voting in the runoff election in Georgia are encouraging. Over 300,000 Georgians have cast a ballot for the state's open Senate seat.

Many of that 300K+ were in what are usually Democratic / "blue" counties. Bodes well for Senator Warnock ...

Fanatic About Felines

 As GOTV goes, so goes southeast PA - sort of.

GOTV is currently devoid of cats, despite viewing them as an absolutely necessary component of pragmatic thought.  We hope to remedy the situation shortly.  But in the meantime, this piece from Axios caught our eye.

The Philadelphia Metro area leads the United States in the percentage of households which have cats.

518,000

According to TrainDemocrats.org, there are 518,000 elected positions in the United States. As the web site puts it, imagine if Democrats fought for every one of these, no matter how small.  Imagine a world where our values are upheld on every school board, and in every city council and state legislature.

Well worth imagining, and taking steps to bring about ,,,😇

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

To quote today's Inquirer, Doug Mastriano lost by a lot.  But some of his supporters believe the results are inaccurate, and they think they’ve found a way to do something about it.  Election denial groups are flooding Pennsylvania courts with petitions to force hand recounts.  

It’s not clear counties will be required to retally their votes; some courts have already thrown out the requests.  And even if they were carried out, Mastriano could not recoup the 781,000 votes by which he lost to Josh Shapiro. Recounts seldom change election results.

But such efforts threaten to:

• engender confusion about the validity of this month’s election
• tie up state courts
• disrupt officials’ ongoing work to audit and certify results by Monday’s deadline

Like most of Mastriano's campaign and positions, such moves seek to:

• keep Mastriano in the public eye
• try to find and exploit vulnerabilities in the state’s election system

That last is the scary part ...😦

Never Say Never

Spotlight PA reports today that Governor-elect Josh Shapiro did what some thought impossible for a Democrat in "purple" PA.

Shapiro received a record number of votes - more than three million - on his way to winning the 2022  race.  And it gets better.   Mr. Shapiro won by a margin not often seen, burying GOP candidate Doug Mastriano  (couldn't happen to a more deserving boor) by nearly 15 points, while at the same time driving down margins in counties some Democrats had written off years ago.

A Sort-of Majority

Even after taking control of the PA House, Democrats will need GOP support to get a speaker elected.  That's because a majority is needed to confirm a Speaker, and at least one Democratic vote won't be available to support (state) Rep. Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia), the party's nominee.

Democrats won a 102-101 state House majority in this month's midterms, but the posthumous reelection of longtime state Rep. Tony DeLuca (D., Allegheny) means his seat will be open, effectively creating a 101-101 split.   As a result, Democrats will, at a minimum, need one Republican to secure a majority. It might even require more, if U.S. Rep.-elect Summer Lee, currently a state House representative, is unable to cast her vote before taking office in D.C.

Oh Please Oh Please Oh Please

Chris Cilliza of CNN Online reported today that there appears to be an attempt by Donald Trump to sink Herschel Walker's candidacy.  If only that were true ...

The attempt is actually that of Raphael Warnock's campaign.  In an effort to mobilize Georgia voters against Walker (shouldn't be too hard), Rev. Warnock’s strategy has been to make the race a referendum on Trump.  Warnock directs that strategy at two entities:

1. The Democratic base in the state: Much of the work of a runoff election wedged in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is to get the people who are already for you out to the polls. As was demonstrated in the past several election cycles, Trump is the mother of all motivators for Democratic voters.
2. The Atlanta suburbs: According  to exit polls taken after the midterm election, Walker took 49% of the suburban vote compared to 48% for Warnock, who appears to be betting that linking Walker so directly to Trump will be a turnoff for swing suburban voters.

What can we conclude from Warnock’s decision to nationalize this race around Trump?  It suggests that Senator Warnock believes the former president is a net negative in Georgia.  That in turn will help deep-six Walker in the upcoming run-off vote.

After the Fact, But Still Interesting

Nate Silver and 538 introduce another way of evaluating candidates ... their experience or lack thereof at some level of elective office.

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

Spotlight  PA reports today that while Democrats have won control of the Pennsylvania House, they're still not in the driver's seat.

Because of upcoming seat vacancies, us good guys will need to rely on Republican support in the early months of 2023.  The vacancies in question will be filled in special elections that may be held between February and May.

Taking Control

GOTV, for more than three decades, has viewed Delaware County as the easternmost suburb of Braddock.  Given that point of view, we find it interesting that Allegheny County, in the midterms just completed, foreshadowed a trend that may come to dominate U. S. politics.

As reported by WESA in Pittsburgh, the midterms last week may have already changed the balance of power in both Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. But perhaps the most impactful expression of 2022 was that of an ongoing generational change.

On the way out: In PA, U.S. Reps. Mike Doyle and Conor Lamb, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey

Introducing:

• Reps.-elect Summer Lee (the first female black member of the House of Representatives from PA) and Chris Deluzio 
• Sen.-elect John Fetterman
• Lt. Gov.-elect Austin Davis
• seven new state House reps. for Allegheny County

Such Gen-Z-isation of our legislatures is on the horizon, at every level.

Flipping the (PA) House

SpotlightPA reports today that Democrats' pickup of a dozen seats, giving them control of the PA (State) House, was largely due to a decade of population shifts.  Those shifts in turn are reflected in this year's redrawing of political lines.

The practical effects for us lefties are significant.  With Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro controlling the executive branch, Democrats will have a much larger say in Harrisburg’s day-to-day agenda.  It's been reported that Democrats in the House will put forward policy priorities like:

• raising the minimum wage
• instituting LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections
• blocking controversial constitutional amendments such as those advocated, during the campaign, by Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano
  

In Case You're Wondering

... what life will be like under the 118th Congress, here are some likely outcomes.

• Nancy Pelosi announced that, while she will remain a member of Congress, she will not seek any further leadership role within then Democratic caucus.
• Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, (D - New York) has always been seen as the favorite to serve as Democratic leader after Pelosi.  Though Democrats in the House won't vote until November 30, it's nearly certain that Jeffries will lead the caucus, since at least at this writing he runs unopposed.
• Top Republicans on Thursday outlined a broad range of investigative targets focused on President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings.  In the 118th Congress, this committee will evaluate the status of Joe Biden’s relationship with his family’s foreign partners and whether he is a President who is compromised or swayed by foreign dollars and influence, said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee.  I want to be clear: This is an investigation of Joe Biden, and that’s where the committee will focus in this next Congress.
• In a news conference flanked by (another paragon of impartiality) Rep. Jim Jordan (R - OH), who is expected (shudder!) to become chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Comer said Republicans have made connections between the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the president that they believe requires further investigation.

Perhaps, once they're done with what promises to be another Benghazi fiasco, Messrs Comer and Jordan can look into charges made some time ago against Jordan and Comer themselves ...

Fact-Checking 45

Former President Donald Trump began his 2024 campaign in the same way he ended his presidency - with a cornucopia of inaccuracy.

Daniel Dale, formerly of the Toronto Star but now affiliated with CNN, ticked off 20 such bonehead statements last night.  If any of you are surprised, you shouldn't be ...

Flipping the House

As we write this, 19 seats in the U. S. House of Representatives are up for grabs.  Those seats will determine which party, and even which flank of which party, controls the House and therefore the management of it.

Here's hoping (praying?) that Democrats in Alaska, Arizona, and California can deliver the 14 seats needed to keep the Speaker's gavel in Rep. Pelosi's hands ...

Why Doesn't This Surprise GOTV?

 Or 'why don't these' ...

Our attempt a few minutes ago to create a user account on 45's Truth Social 'platform' failed execrably.  We were trying to enter this inner sanctum because of a paradigm learned while working for former U S Congressman Joe Sestak: know your adversary.

GOTV can't imagine a political figure more at odds than 45 with progressive politics like those of Rep. Sestak.  Nor can we envision a less professional web design and implementation than Truth Social.  For instance, in its zeal to validate our email address, it insisted on sending us an SMS message, without inquiring if that was our preferred means of communicating.  Had we made an error of that nature in any of our projects in grad school, we'd have been roasted, and rightfully so.  Design Principle #1: design for your user, not for your convenience.

But ironically, Truth Social isn't without technical competence.  Not because of any decision on 45's part, but rather because of one of the tools his techies used in putting the site together.  That tool is of a category of software called open source.

GOTV has always been a devotee of open source, and has installed and configured some of the best, including Linux, MySQL, and Apache.  Maybe we should volunteer to maintain and upgrade TS's underlying operating system, Nginx.  It would be shame if it were to become subject to hackers, despite its having been developed by and until very recently used almost exclusively in Russia ...

Authentic and Unaffected

GOTV has always been fond of John Fetterman, even when bemoaning his hoodies and tattoos.  Far more weighty than those, for us at least, was the fact that Mr Fetterman embodies every praiseworthy quality GOTV grew up with in (North) Braddock.

Multi-culturalism became something of a cliche for us while we were still active in the classroom.  We'd tell  students repeatedly about:

• the number of languages other than English (five: German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, and Ruthenian) we heard daily on the 1300 block of Bell Avenue (where we spent our first 13 years)
• politically active, and in many cases highly educated (one MSW in social work, another an ABD in physics), family members who were also, demographically, working class
  
• growing up in an environment largely free of racial prejudice (viz  Porky Chedwick and his playlist)

These and more were the foundation for what we most enjoyed about our efforts in higher education:

• working with students from all over the world
• helping people gain confidence in their ability to engender positive social change
  

Taken together, these points embody what we find most admirable about John Fetterman.  He's authentic, straightforward, unaffected, and unpretentious.  That will serve Pennsylvania, and the country as a whole, well.

Fine Print

GOTV continues to be dismayed by the recent practice of otherwise respectable media (talkin' bout you, CNN) of drawing misleading conclusions.

Today's online coverage of the midterms has four races listed as toss-ups:

Fetterman - Oz                      (Senate)

Wild - Scheller                       (PA 07 House of Rep.)

Cartwright - Bognet             (PA 08 House of Rep.)

Deluzio - Shaffer                   (PA 17   House of Rep.)

Here's GOTV's take on these predictions, based upon averaging the results of several reputable polls.

In the Senate race, Lt. Gov. Fetterman accrues an average chance of victory of 46.5%, while Mr. Oz garners 45.8.

PA 07 is the only one of the House races in which the Republican is favored, by a margin of 54 to 46%.

In both PA 08 and PA 17, the Democratic candidates are favored, by as much as 12%.

The reputable polls just referred to are among the raw materials for Nate Silver's working  his magic.

However late in the day it may seem, the numbers above are still more reason to follow former President Obama's advice, and get off the couch, put down the phone, get out of the house, and vote.

BTW, there have been reports of individuals watching and even recording activity at ballot drop-off boxes in Philly.

Cliches

It's become something of a cliche. That's because it's true - the only poll that counts is the one that takes place on Election Day.

In Pennsylvania, voting opens at 7 AM and closes at 8 PM.  If you're not sure where to go to cast your vote, use this link (from the Department of State in the Commonwealth) to find your polling place.

A Favorite Fantasy

Here at GOTV, we've had a bravura  ignis fatuus for some time.  In it, John Fetterman  walks to the floor of the U. S. Senate, fixes Lindsay Graham, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul with a withering gaze that speaks volumes about their respective positions, and describes to them in some detail (albeit not in the native language) how loaded with hagu some of their proposals are.

Help make our dream a reality.  Do as we did yesterday - vote by drop-off ballot.

If Wishes Were Horses

In the past week or so, Rep. Liz Cheney (R - WY) has given a boost to bipartisanship, and to Democratic hopes of holding the majority in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Cheney today endorsed Abigail Spanberger (D - VA) as someone who is dedicated to our country.  About a week ago, Rep. Cheney did the same for Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

It's too bad that some of Rep. Cheney's (soon-to-be-former) Republican colleagues in the House (are you listening, Kevin?)  don't take a similar, country-before-party, approach ...

Come One Come All

PA Democrats are hosting a grassroots event this Saturday at the  Licouras Center of Temple University.

Doors open at 1:30 PM; discussions by former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, in support of John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, will run till 6.

Don't pass up this opportunity to help preserve our democracy.

Latrobe

On Saturday, Nov. 5, stay away from this lovely Westmoreland County borough (home of Saint Vincent College).  45 will be in Latrobe , at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, campaigning for Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz.  Trump's Save America PAC provided venue and timeline information as follows:

2 p.m. – Doors Open
4 p.m. – Special Guest Speakers Deliver Remarks
7 p.m. – 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump Delivers Remarks

We don't know who the guest speakers are,  let alone what 45 will offer.  But it's a fair bet that he will invoke some semblance of the Big Lie.

Read the Numbers

In early voting this year, almost 28 million votes have been cast, across 46 states. This early voting has surpassed 2018 levels in 36 of those 46.  Keep in mind, 2018 was the year in which Democrats took control of both House and Senate.

Remember that the next time you read or hear of an incipient red wave.  Then vote on November 8.

Down to the Wire

Next week, the tone and  nature of our society will be defined, at least for the near future.  In recognition of that watershed moment, both President Biden and former President Obama will visit Philadelphia this weekend, speaking on behalf of Senate candidate John Fetterman and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro.

To paraphrase Mr. Obama, don't grouse - vote.

Read Between the Lines

A number of televised prognosticators have claimed recently that the race for the open PA Senate seat is a dead heat.  Don't buy it.

Most of those speculations have been based, incorrectly, on Nate Silver's work.  GOTV believes the interpretations to be incorrect because they ignore 538's stated policy of offering a range of scenarios.  Adhering to that more exact method has John Fetterman winning 57 out of 100 times over Mehmet Oz.

Stay Away

 ... from Westmoreland County PA on November 5.  Former President Donald Trump will appear there just three days before the November 8 election, to campaign for Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

Redrawing the Map

Pennsylvania prepares for its first general election - the midterms coming in two weeks - under new legislative maps.  The revamped state House and Senate districts' lines have already spawned a wave of retirements.  See spotlightpa.org for more detail on the shape and proximity of new districts, and their effect on the makeup and control of the PA legislature.

And the Winner Was ...

Tuesday's debate between Democrat John Fetterman and MAGA Republican Mehmet Oz was rather unsatisfying.  As noted by a number of reviewers, each participant relied heavily on memes and name-calling.  But in the end, GOTV agrees with Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bunch noted that Feterman's occasional stumbling was indicative, not of cognitive problems but rather simply of auditory ones.  Bunch then gave what GOTV considers a reasonable, and apt, summation of the debate, when he said that Fetterman's clear and sincere concern for the average citizen far outweighed his problems with vocalizing.  As Bunch said of the Democratic candidate, He has a heart.

Bi-partisanship in Harrisburg

Spotlight PA reports today that Gov. Tom Wolf and (Republican) legislative leaders are negotiating a $3.6 billion tax credit package that includes a program to encourage natural gas-fueled hydrogen production in the Commonwealth.

The package, if passed, would be even bigger than the record-setting $1.65 billion incentive given to Shell for its Beaver County plastics plant.

One Shot

The Fetterman - Oz debate will take place at 8 PM tonight.

GOTV wonders if any questions about Mr. Oz's experimenting on animals while at Columbia University will arise.

Who's Zooming Who

 Today, Ballotpedia reports on the five most expensive campaigns for seats in the PA House of Representatives.

It's worth noting that in three of the five, Democrats out-raised their Republican (and other) opponents.

Certifying Results

Ballotpedia reports today that the dates upon which the results of the upcoming midterms are certified vary.  That's because every state has its own election certification deadline, assigned by state law. 

Here's the skinny:

• Five states have certification deadlines within one week of the election. Delaware is the earliest: Nov. 10.
• 14 states' certification deadlines arrive between two and three weeks after the election, that is, from  Nov. 23 to the 29th.
• More than half of us live in states with certification deadlines more than three weeks after the election.
• Five states - Hawaii, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee - have no fixed certification deadlines.

So be prepared for another instance of who knows how long it will be till we know who won ...

CNN

Frequently, GOTV gets annoyed at CNN's practice of interpreting news and events, rather than simply reporting them. For instance. today the online news network centered on former President Barack Obama.

In a recent podcast, Mr. Obama warned Democrats to try to avoid coming off as a buzzkill. By that, the former President was advising his party to focus on topics voters really care about. But CNN's Chris Cillizza morphed that very sensible premise into Democrats losing bigtime in the upcoming midterms.

Such extrapolation ahead of the facts can be dangerous, especially if it leads folks to believe that there's no point in their going to the polls. Republicans control that meme; we don't need CNN supporting it.

Pot and Kettle

Today's edition of Spotlight features two intriguing articles on the upcoming gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania. GOTV particularly appreciates this one - an instance of pots calling kettles black.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano will be expected to testify on Rudy Giuliani's behalf in an ethics case involving Giuliani's false claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 in Pennsylvania. The Guardian reports Mastriano and his campaign's senior legal adviser, former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis, were named on a witness list filed by lawyers for Giuliani last week.

The ethics prosecution hearing is scheduled for December. The D.C. Bar brought the ethics charges in June over Giuliani's role in backing a Trump campaign lawsuit that sought to invalidate as many as 1.5 million Pennsylvania mail ballots.

Biparisanship

Spotlight PA reports today that the Wolf administration will count undated mail ballots in the upcoming November midterm. The administration intends to give guidance to counties, directing them to tally such ballots, whatever the differing legal interpretations of ballot status. The administration says two Commonwealth Court rulings in favor of counting undated mail ballots are still its guidepost, especially after a decision last week by the U.S. Supreme Court in a similar case.

Adam Bonin, an attorney who frequently argues election cases on behalf of Democrats, agrees that the Commonwealth Court decisions, which were delivered by a Republican judge, are reliable.

Bipartisanship … Of which GOTV is particularly glad, since we will be voting by mail.

Revisionist History

Doug Mastriano didn't impress former colleagues and instructors. Nor does he impress GOTV as anything but a fear-monger and opportunist.  Based on our experience in academia in general, and in classrooms at a number of levels, nothing he claims passes muster.

As reported in today's Inquirer, Tami Davis Biddle, the former chair of the faculty council at the U.S. Army War College, wrote in a Harrisburg newspaper last week that Doug Mastriano doesn’t deserve our trust or support. Rick Coplen, another retired professor at the College, where Mastriano studied and taught, says the Republican gubernatorial candidate poses a threat to American democracy. The guy is not fit for office, Coplen said.

Other academics have sounded similar alarms. James Gregory, a graduate history student at the University of Oklahoma, has been calling attention for nearly two years to what he describes as questionable conclusions and outright fabrications in Mastriano’s published work on World War I. He’s literally changing history, Gregory said last week, reiterating concerns of other researchers over Mastriano’s work on Sgt. Alvin York. Jeffrey Brown, the University of New Brunswick professor who for a time advised Mastriano on his doctoral dissertation, called the retired colonel a dangerous religious zealot with a post-fact worldview. UNB recently announced that, as a result of questions surrounding Mastriano’s Ph.D., it's reviewing its standards and methods for awarding doctorates.

All four of the scholars mentioned above told The Inquirer they are speaking publicly about Mastriano due to:

• what they see as an emerging pattern of academic falsehoods

• fears that he will interfere with future elections if he becomes governor

The fact that there are colleagues and associates of Mastriano’s that are speaking up now, under ordinary circumstances would be highly unusual, said Jeffrey Brown. But these circumstances, I think, are far from ordinary.

One more question stands out. Would you want anyone with the following positions holding any office, let alone Governor of Pennsylvania?

• Mastriano supports outlawing abortion with no exceptions, including the life of the mother, and supports criminal penalties for those providing abortions. In 2019, Mastriano said women who violated his proposed 10-week abortion ban should be charged with murder. He's called the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade worse than the Holocaust.

• The Associated Press stated that Mastriano leads an increase in Christian nationalism among GOP candidates. Republican strategist Mike Madrid told Politico Mastriano's Christian nationalism is … a movement [with] ...separation between evangelical Christianity, white identity and American nationalism is basically gone. They're merging into the same thing.

• No evidence of compromised voting machines, whomever the vendor might be, has been found. Nonetheless, Mastriano has said that if elected, he would, within his first 100 days in office, immediately end all contracts with compromised voting machine companies. He's offered no indication of to determine which companies those might be.

• Mastriano would repeal Pennsylvania's no-excuse mail voting law, which he previously voted for.

• As Governor, Mastriano would have the power to appoint Pennsylvania's Secretary of State, who oversees elections in the state. In April 2022, Mastriano said that his Secretary of State would reconfigure voter rolls so that Pennsylvanians would have to re-register to vote. Someone should tell him that, according to legal scholars consulted by the Associated Press, such an action would be a clear violation of federal law and constitutional protections.

• At a campaign event this year, Mastriano suggested that he might only certify Pennsylvania's election results if the Republican candidate for president wins.

• Mastriano supports pulling Pennsylvania out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. He justifies his opposition by claiming climate change is just a theory based on pop science.

• Mastriano, has called for cuts to funding of public education and proposed reducing per-student school funding from $19,000 to about $9,000. The Pennsylvania State Education Association analyzed Mastriano's education plan and determined it would amount to a school funding cut of $12.75 billion, and could lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in public schools in Pennsylvania.

• During a rally this month, Mastriano said, if elected Governor, that he would eliminate the sexualization of our kids, pole dancing, and all this other crap that's going on ... in our schools.

• Mastriano supports removing undocumented immigrants living in Pennsylvania, suggesting that they be bussed to Wilmington, Delaware, hometown of President Joe Biden.

• Mastriano opposes efforts to ban or discourage conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, calling efforts to discourage the practice disgusting, and claiming the practice can be used to cure children who are confused.

Non Sequiturs R Us

GOTV's nominee for the most distasteful campaign ad to date showed up yesterday.  Created and paid for by an organization called Citizens For Sanity, it outdid any other far-right, hate-filled, fear-mongering message.  Those like C for S who call themselves conservatives are no more than robots, directed by egomaniacs like 45 and his devotee, Tucker Carlson.

Carlson, who lionizes autocrats like Viktor Orban of Hungary, founded C for S.  Carlson 's mordancy lags only a micron or so behind Trump's and Orban's.   The ad in question uses the far right's go-to tactics:

• demonizing Latino immigrants
• portraying hordes of such folks massing at our southern border
• accusing them of flooding our country with drugs and crime
• falling back on the idea of replacement theory

But the hate isn't limited to one TV ad.  Far-right web sites (they don't deserve to be called conservative) engage in duplicity that's as severe.  Know who and what they are, and inform anyone who'll listen to reason.

More Important Than Ever

At GOTV, we fancy ourselves wordsmiths. But no words of ours, or of anyone's, can render harmless the complete contempt the far right holds for our democracy.

For the sake of it and of us all, inform yourselves, and vote.

203 and Counting

The PA General Assembly, the state analog to the Federal House of Representatives, consists of 203 members, elected for two-year terms. On the average, a State Representative district has a population of about 62,000 residents. PA's General Assembly is the largest full-time state legislature in the U.S.

All of which makes it imperative that as much attention be paid to these contests as to those that send folks to DC.  Due diligence in the GOTV sense begins with the info  here. It will get you started on candidates, their locations, and their positions.

Holding the House

According to The Hill, and with only a month remaining before the midterms, Democrats are somewhat unexpectedly competitive in the contest for the House.

Top political handicappers still feel Republicans will win control of the lower chamber in November. But they also feel expected margins for such a victory have shrunk considerably. This gives Democrats hope they can minimize their losses and better their odds of retaking the chamber two years from now. Like GOTV, House Dems also look forward to making life tougher for potential Speaker (ugh!) Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who’s already struggling to control his most conservative wing – a task analogous to herding cats.

We’re increasingly optimistic about our ability to hold the House Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters Friday. But yearning-to-be-Speaker Kevin doesn't agree. McCarthy, encouraged by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) victory in Virginia a year ago, predicted the GOP would pick up 60 seats.

But his envisioned red wave appears increasingly remote. Over the summer, prominent campaign forecasters made numerous shifts in their predictions, increasingly in favor of Democratic candidates. Amy Walter of Cook’s, noted a difference between this year and 2010, the last time Democrats lost control of the House. Then, polls showed Republicans had a 13-point advantage among persuadable voters. The figure this year is 3 points. Walters continued In order to make significant gains, Republicans would need to win in districts that Biden carried by 6 points or more.

Republicans need to net only four seats to win back control of the House. But margins could prove crucial for McCarthy and other GOP leaders. The hard-right flank in the GOP House already looks to impeach Biden, slash federal spending, and take on the Washington establishment — even its own leadership. Just ask John Bo.ehner and Paul Ryan ...

Paranoia Strikes Deep

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) addressed crime and reparations at a rally in Nevada for Republican office-seekers.

In his Saturday speech for Senate candidate Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo, Tuberville towed the MAGA line, accused Democrats of being pro-crime, and thereby affirmed Buffalo Springfield.

According to Tuberville, Democrats want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that.

Sounds like racism, paranoia, and a reminder of why voting is so important, to us here at GOTV.

Conservatives Without Conscience

GOTV believes that today's Republican Party has become, even welcomed, what John Dean called conservatives without conscience . The Senatorial race in PA exemplifies that. In an attempt to spotlight speech and hearing impairments John Fetterman experiences due to the stroke he suffered in May, Mehmet Oz released his medical records, and challenged Lt. Gov. Fetterman to do the same. Voters should have full transparency … Oz declaimed.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, whose seat is the one up for grabs and the one which will change the balance of power in the Senate, chimed in with more put-downs. If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate, and he’s not able to communicate effectively, if he’s not able to engage with the press, if he’s not able to engage with colleagues, he will not be able to do the job.

Discriminatory digs at people with disabilities are, sadly, nothing new for the GOP. Remember 45's mocking a disabled reporter on live television?

Because of occasional auditory and hearing issues, Fetterman has opted out of media gaggles. Instead, he meets with reporters via video conferencing. Nor has he taken part in multiple debates. But he responds to criticism by:

• saying In June, I released a letter from my doctor where he clearly stated that I am fit to serve

• saying I trust my actual doctors over the opinion of a charlatan who played one on TV

• agreeing to debate Oz on Oct. 25 for a televised debate two weeks before the election

It’s common practice to release health records in presidential elections, but not Senate races. Even if that weren't the case, GOTV feels it important to point out that the narrow concept of being fit to serve in the way it’s being used in the Fetterman-Oz race relies on a definition of health that labels disability as invalidating.

If having a stammer or a hearing impairment disqualifies someone from running or holding office, are we really living up to the promise of government by the people? Joe Biden’s stutter has been used by the congenitally ruthless to try to discredit him. Similarly, GOTV is reminded of an episode of the TV series The Untouchables. In it, Eliot Ness confronts a wheelchair-bound criminal. That man pleads his handicap as a defense. In response to his question What can a cripple do? Ness says He could be elected President of the United States.

Disabled Americans have the right to be represented, and most importantly, to work, and that includes working for the U.S. in any capacity.

Counting Chickens

Neither Pennsylvania's gubernatorial nor its senatorial races are hatched, but they're close.  According to today's forecasts at 538, Dems are about ready to count chickens, hatched or not.

Josh Shapiro has a 96% chance of defeating Doug "No Exceptions" Mastriano.  John Fetterman has a 73% chance of defeating Mehmet "Crudite" Oz.

Still a bit too early to break out the champagne, but looking good ...

Boilermakers

GOTV continues to consult sources in western PA for political insights that affect the Commonwealth as a whole. WESA reports that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro was endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 154, which has opposed other Democrats in the past.

The Pittsburgh-based union and local are active in the natural gas industry. 154 has, in the past, backed Republicans like former President Donald Trump, and former state senator / current gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

This endorsement comes on the heels of Shapiro's previously-expressed doubts about current Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to enter into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Shapiro has stated he feels the initiative could harm the state’s energy sector, but have little impact on climate change.

State House Races

In spite of having lived in Delaware County for more than three decades, GOTV still sees western PA as home; we regularly check info sources there. 

Today, WESA, the PBS / NPR station in Allegheny County, featured a piece on the effect on local political contests of SCOTUS deep-sixing Roe v Wade.  As WESA sees it, the right to an abortion has become a key topic in state legislative races.  In turn, those contests could determine control of Pennsylvania’s state House.  For instance, State House District 30, a swing seat situated in the North Hills, is the site of a hotly contested race between Democrat Dr. Arvind Venkat, who supports abortion rights, and Republican Cindy Kirk, who opposes them.

What's germane to this discussion is that Representatives elected this fall may vote next year on a bill that includes removing from the PA Constitution any support for the right to an abortion.

The PA 5th

Today's Republican Party appears to be stuck, not in neutral, but in some strange form of reverse. GOTV feels most GOP candidates believe they can succeed, in today's Trumpian ethos, by relying on golden oldies of political misrepresentation.

Take the indictments of Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D PA 5). Her Republican opponent on Nov. 8, Dave Galluch:

• has no campaign website

• chooses to communicate entirely through Twitter (which hardly lends itself to thoughtful explanations)

• relies on classics of MAGA beliefs such as national debt, porous borders, and drug trafficing. To quote Mr. Galluch:

2021 saw the most illegal border crossings & fentanyl traffic in our nation’s history. In 2022 we will set a new record for both. We must invest in border security, a strategy to counter cartels & drug traffickers, & bring order to a chaotic immigration system.

Next thing GOTV expects: Mr. Galluch will fund-raise on Rep. Scanlon's policy positions ...