Senate Candidate Logos

Just for fun, let's take a look at the logos used by the various 2016 candidates for Senate.

Incumbent Republican Pat Toomey and one of the Democratic challengers, John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock, both use a simple block letter spelling of their name.  Fetterman plays up his experience as mayor of Braddock.  It is a very workmanlike image.  On white backgrounds the lettering is black, sometimes on a colored background the lettering is white.

Pat Toomey uses something similar.  Sometimes the letters are in a dark navy blue, sometimes they are white.  The use of dark yellow to spell out U S SENATE is an unusual color in political marketing.

The other two Democrats use more traditional images, with red white and blue, and stars.  Joe Sestak is currently using a header with three images on it:  a photo of himself, his name with three stars, and a shoe print with his currently motto (Joe Sestak is walking in your shoes).

Katie McGinty uses the most artist logo, combining red, white, and blue, with Pennsylvania's keystone symbol.

Note the difference is shades of blue, from the bright, light blue used by McGinty, to the Sestak's bold blue, and Toomey's use of navy.  Fetterman sticks with black or white. 

More Neepery on Sestak's Book

Let’s have a little more fun with Joe Sestak’s book, Walking in Your Shoes to Restore the American Dream.  Since I read it on my Kindle I wasn’t able to take the kind of detailed notes that a printed book and a bunch of post-its allows.  However, with the search function it is easy to see how many times the author(s) use(s) any given word.  So, let’s root around a bit and see what comes up. The search function looks for the group of letters so Iran includes Iranian.  Senate would include senatorial but not senator (so I truncated that concept to senat).  

Here are a few randomly chosen words that appeared at least a few times in the book.

Rugged:  appears 50 times,  most often in the phrase rugged individual or rugged individualism.  You would probably have to look quite a while to find another book that uses this word as often.

China:  54 times, Chinese 4 times for a total of 58

Sailor 23 times, Navy 35 times, naval 4 times, for a total of 64 times

Woman 2 times, 14 times, she 18 times – it was more than that but I counted only the word she not words with those letters in them, (her came up with 500 hits but a lot of those were parts of other words and it was too much to count out the uses of just the word her).  When I reviewed Pat Toomey's book I gave him a hard time because there were so few mentions of women.

Shoes 8 times

Economy 82 times, economic 112 times, business 251 times

School  44 times, education 63 times, student 104 times

America 308 times

Iran (includes Iranian) 6 times

Pennsylvania 51 times

Senat (senator, Senate, senatorial, etc) 30 times

Dream 37

Security 115 times

Book Review: Walking in Your Shoes by Joe Sestak

Book Review:  Walking in Your Shoes to Restore the American Dream by Joe Sestak with Jake Sternberger.  West  Conshohocken, PA:  Infinity Publishing, 2015

 I read this on a Kindle, so page numbers aren’t noted.  The book’s table of contents is extremely detailed.  Just including it doubles, or more than doubles, the length of this post.  Some of the chapters have introductory material before starting subheadings and others don’t.  Where there is text I have included a synopsis.  In some cases this is very difficult as the text would be extremely short. 

After the book synopsis I make some personal comments on the book.

Prologue

Greatest deficit in US is trust deficit in government.  Wanted to walk in people’s shoes so walked 422 miles across Pennsylvania from NJ border to Ohio border.  Two core tenets of American character:  rugged individualism and the common enterprise [balance ability to “be all you can be but never measuring their achievement apart from our shared enterprise as a nation”]

Acknowledgments:  family, sailors served with, repeats To Kill a Mockingbird quote about walking in someone else’s shoes, from prologue, students at Carnegie Mellon, Dickinson College, Cheyney University, US Army War College, and PSU Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs; Anka Lee for help, Jake Sternberger, wife and daughter

Section I:  Restoring the Dream

Chapter 1:  Rugged Individualism, the Common Enterprise and Accountable Leadership

A Sailor in Politics – divisive rhetoric in politics, years in the navy saw leadership most effective when embracing dual tenets (rugged individualism in pursuit of shared mission).  Accountable leadership.  Lack of leadership in congress, complaining about oversight agencies but not acknowledging congress wrote legislation creating agencies.  Shocked in Congress when D’s didn’t want to fix financial crisis in recession because R’s caused it.  People want effective government

A Sailor with a Sextant – again mentions rugged individualism and common purpose.  More on rugged individuals and shared enterprise.  Early Americans established schools and valued education, established mandatory health care system for merchant sailors.  Economy based on healthy sailors.  America’s rugged individualism – pioneers, short history of US, American Exceptionalism

Sailor in the Ivory Tower – teachings courses on “Ethical Leadership” and “Restoring the American Dream.”  Book is culmination of what he learned in those classes.

Section II:  Restoring our Economy – Be All You Can Be

Chapter 2:  Thinking Big for Small Business

Most politicians not interested in small business because don’t make large enough campaign donations.  “About half of Pennsylvania’s private sector workforce is employed by or owns a small business.”  In recent years, especially since recession, fewer small businesses being started.

Freeing Up Funding

“The biggest barrier to an innovator with an idea is a lack of access to capital.”  Suggestion – give tax credit to angel investors.  Discusses role of banks (they lend they don’t invest), and SBA and other loans.  Also mentions minority loans as it can be harder for minorities to get funding.

Responsibly Reducing Regulation

Important to protect environment but regulations should take small businesses into account – story of man in PA who had a small business and had to fill out forms for lab pack but a larger business could fill out a form for each load.  Create a system of tiers in regulation.  Mentions some small agencies in government that help with this – bipartisan efforts

Exports Abroad Means Job at Home

Reduce trade deficit.  Supports Export-Import Bank.

Chapter 3:  The Rebirth of American Manufacturing

Some manufacturing coming back.  Due to rising cost of labor abroad and increasing transportation costs, and energy costs here going down and poor quality control issues with foreign made goods.  And need for a speedier supply chain.  And intellectual property rights issues.  And people like goods made in America.

Growing Jobs through Green Energy

American innovations being manufactured abroad to get ahead of us.  We should fix that as it would create jobs here, it will cost less to manufacture with renewables so we will be at a financial disadvantage if we don’t, less carbon emissions.   One example, which some won’t like – fracking.  But shouldn’t let companies be on corporate welfare forever, and must take care of environment

Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights

Critically important to manufacturers and small business owners.  Big backlog in patent office.  Currently satellite patent offices opening.  Need to hire more patent examiners – pay for by offering to expedite patent application for a fee.  Must hold foreign companies responsible for intellectual property theft

Chapter  4:  Investing in Our Infrastructure

Infrastructure once a great American achievement, now crumbling and congested.  Need to increase rail infrastructure.  Crucial if we want to maintain dominant global economic position.  “more than connecting communities for commerce; this is about rebuilding the middle class

Government Needs a Better Way to Fund Infrastructure

Currently use gas tax, which hasn’t changed since 1993, plus fuel efficient vehicle use less gas.  Need more than gimmicks and short term solutions

Road to Resolution

Efforts to raise gas tax fail because of “no tax pledge.”  Individual states can experiment with mileage based user fee and eventually use it on a federal level to replace gas tax.  Need to create a national infrastructure bank

Public – Private Partnerships (PPPs) Can Work Better Than Government Alone

Government working in conjunction with private business great as long as accountability measures in place.  Gives examples of successful PPPs.

Job Growth Depends on Our Wired Infrastructure Too

High speed internet crucial.  Another example of something we invented that international competitors are able to provide at lower costs.  Hindered “by national duopoloy”  Mentions proposed Time Warner / Comcast merger.  “The bottom line is that Washington’s public servants are rewarding internet providers’ inadequate performance with tax breaks, sweetheart deals, and lax regulation that does not benefit the consumer.”  Rural areas hit hardest.  Mentions programs trying to help rural areas with this.

Chapter 5:  Raising Wages, Not Just the Minimum Wage

Median wage stagnant for decades.  Need to look at more than minimum wage.  About more than just soaking the rich.  Less than 3% of Americans paid minimum wage so raising just that won’t help most people.  Many big employers paying more than minimum wage.  Often it is small businesses paying minimum wage and we want to help small businesses.  Wage gap widening in recent years.  Productivity has grown but wages haven’t.

Raising the Minimum Wage as a First Step

Supports raising minimum wage to $10.12.  “Conclusive studies show that if a minimum wage does not exceed 50 percent of the average hourly wage, people will not lose their jobs.”  Should not be government’s job to subsidize low wages with welfare, food stamps, so they can pay higher executive salaries and dividends.

Reducing the Part-Time / Full-Time Worker Gap

Many new jobs created are only part-time.  Need to get rid of employer mandate in Affordable Care Act.  The version he support based employer mandate on percentage of payroll spend on health care not how many full-time workers employed.  Thinks that eventually employer based health care will be replaced by lower cost private plans on the market.

A Corporate Tax Code That Keeps Companies Here

Provides detailed descriptions of popular corporate tax evasion strategies, for example “Dutch sandwich.”  Elected officials unhappy but they wrote the tax codes that provide incentives for companies to do this.  Our corporate tax rate too high.  Tax code full of deductions, credits, and loopholes.  If companies can afford specialized accountants can avoid paying taxes.   Percentage of US tax income from corporate tax gone down.  Lower tax rates and close loopholes.  Offer companies incentive to bring money home.

Section III:  Restoring Our Workforce – All Hands on Deck

[no introductory text]

Chapter 6:  A Workforce that Keeps Pace with the New Economy

We need a trained workforce.    Describes Navy’s “training rungs.”

Human Capital is Just as Important as Financial Capital

21^st century workers need life-long learning.  Widening skills gap as baby boomers retire.  American spending on labor training decreasing, including private sector.  Need to make sure training programs are effective.

Rethinking Retraining

Increase accountability.  Mentions ITWorks program in Philadelphia, trains young adults in IT, working with local companies who help curriculum and provide equipment.  Mentions interesting program where Cascade Engineering partners with Burger King.  BK hires low-skills applicants and employs for 6-12 months and provides skills development training.  Then if they do well they can apply for better paying jobs at Cascade.  Mentions other programs.  Also programs like human capital performance bonds.  Local governments provide training and retraining programs

Chapter 7:  A Health Security Strategy

Story of his daughter getting  good health care due to Navy coverage, and hearing family with similar issue finding out they had limited treatment options because they didn’t have good health insurance.  In the military everyone has health care because we need healthy soldiers who are not distracted by family health issues.

An Unhealthy Debate

Affordable Care Act flawed.  Too many special interests, not enough bipartisanship.  Disinformation campaigns (death panels).  Media neglected its role as provider of information.

Restoring Trust and Keeping Promises

However, Affordable Care Act has helped lower prices and provide access to care.  Good points – can’t deny based on pre-existing conditions, keep kids on parents coverage until 26, free preventive exams .  Gives statistics on how it has helped.  Affordable Care Act strengthened Medicare

Expect What You Inspect

Lack of accountable leadership in implementing Affordable Care Act.  Led to lack of trust.  Provides details on how he thinks things went wrong.  One example:  the website.  Still, it’s better than what we had.

Brokering a Better Bargain

Allow bulk purchasing of medications or importing them from Canada where they cost less.  Companies say they have to charge more to pay for R&D but they spend large amounts on marketing, for example Super Bowl ads.  Should allow Medicare to bargain with drug companies as VA does.  We can provide tax incentives for R&D.

Industry Incentives – What Works, What to Watch, and When to Make Changes

Affordable Care Act changes incentives, from fee-for-service to quality of care not quantity.  Accountable Care Organizations for Medicare patients are one example.  Provides a detailed description of ACOs.  Need to stop allowing pharmaceutical firms from paying generic firms to delay introducing generics.

All Healthy Hands on Deck

Health care reforms help business by making system more efficient, gives Americans peace of mind to know they won’t be bankrupted by health issues.

Chapter 8:  Untapped Assets in the American Workforce

Looking specifically at immigrants and inmates.

Smarter Immigration for More Innovation

America has always benefited from immigrants, 40% of Fortune 500 companies founded by immigrants or children of immigrants.  Congress has failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform – border security, turning away skills workers and inventors, parting family members.  Need to deal with illegal immigrants who are here.  Not practical to deport all of them but should have fines, pay back taxes, criminal background checks, etc.  Secure southern border, matter of national security.  Terrorists involved in South American drug trade.  Not just build a wall, but also use things like drones.  Make sure American attracts and keeps innovators.  Expedite citizenship for foreign students who have earned advanced degrees in STEM fields.  

Reducing Recidivism to Increase Productivity

Always spend Veteran’s Day and / or Armed Forces day at a Pennsylvania prison.   Many of the veterans in prison are there because of untreated PTSD and related issues like drug or alcohol addiction.   We don’t prepare them for live after prison.  US has highest incarceration rate in the world.  In past years kids in trouble were given a choice between the military and prison.  Military gave them training, structure, physical and mental health care, and also help with successful re-entry to civilian life.  A 2001 review of 1,000 re-entry programs over 25 years found that only 19 were evaluated.  We need to evaluate programs to see what works best and then replicate it.  The few good evaluations find that these things help:  getting a GED and for inmates who take psychiatric medication, giving them an extra month’s medication to give them time to set up care.  We are a land of second chances.

Section IV:  Restoring Our Promises – I’ve Got Your Six

“I’ve got your six” is a military term meaning “I’ve got your back.”

Chapter 9:  Serving Those Who Served

[personal note – this chapter is a tear jerker] Writes about people who serve in the military, their sacrifice, ingenuity and bravery.  Cites a historian who said that on D-Day the German military tried to kill all of the officers immediately, thinking that the American enlisted men would not fight in their absence.  They were wrong.

Bridging the Gap from Boots to Business

“To begin, it is nothing short of a moral outrage that so many of our lawmakers were willing to spend trillions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but unwilling to spend a few billion on jobs programs for returning veterans.”  Veterans are 45% more likely to be self-employed and also more likely to start a small business, so helping small businesses and the self-employed will help veterans.  Provides examples of programs.

A Helping Hand for Our Homeless Heroes

 When in Congress helped pass programs for homeless veterans.  Also impressed by efforts made by individual cities.  Cites examples, such as Phoenix’s “housing first” efforts to get housing for veterans before working on addictions, etc.

Revamping the VA

VA has improved but still problems.  Frustrated by officials who complain about state of VA but voted against budget increases for them.  Veterans get better care at VA than at community hospitals.  Veterans in rural areas particularly have trouble getting care because so far from facilities.  Could use internet but rural areas often have poor internet service.  Public-private partnerships could help veterans health care.

Chapter 10:  Standing With Our Seniors

When in Congress made it a priority to meet with senior citizens almost every weekend.  “Our nation needs their wisdom and experience.”  Senior population is growing.

Preventing Elder Abuse

Gives examples of elder abuse.  Congress unwilling to invest money in elder abuse prevention.

Dignity and Self-Determination in Long-Term Care

Home health aides cost about $20 / hour, nursing home care about $212 / day.  For someone needing less than ten hours of care a day it would be less expensive to let them stay in their own home.  Of that $20 an hour usually half or less goes to aide.  Low paying, low skill jobs   Allow immigrants in who will take these jobs.  Provide tax credits and deductions for family members who provide care.  Gives examples.   Do more to cure Alzheimer’s disease

Ferreting Out Fraud in Medicare

Starting to use technology to find fraud.  Some efforts to do this halted by sequestration.  Changing from fee-for-service to “quality of care” will help stop fraud

Reversing the Regressive Nature of the Social Security Tax

Only $117,000 of a person’s income is taxed for Social Security.  As wage gap has widened the wealthy are earning more but not paying more for Social Security.  This should be changed.  Must take care of our own.  “Fairness and kindness, after all, know no bounds or generations.” 

Section V:  Restoring Our Future – Full Steam Ahead

No introduction

Chapter 11:  Investing in Education Pays the Best Interest for our National Interest

views education as our “homeland defense.”  Today education system is failing

Improving Performance and Maintaining Competitiveness, Through Accountability

Lack of meaningful policy on education because of lack of assessable data, no comparable data across states about student performance.  Common Core sets national standards but needs improvement to have better test questions.  Concerns about rural areas with poor Internet service.

Student Loans for Higher Education Should Not Be a Debt Sentence

Higher education not affordable, average debt for bachelor’s degree is $29,400.  Higher debt levels means delayed home buying, less likely to start a business

The College Accountability Side of the Equation

Concerned about high tuition levels of Penn State and U Pitt, public institutions (see footnote 305), comment on location 2176.  Also mentions Temple.  Higher ed notoriously bad at managing costs.  Faculty teaching load declines.  Shared governance “where power and authority is vested in people (faculty without business credentials) who are not accountable to economics in times when finances are tight and changes must be made”

A Loan Interest Rate That Works

Need predictable interest rates.  Government shouldn’t make money from student loans.  Tie student loan interest rates to cpi

A Need for National Service

Require national service, shared common experience, not primarily through military but things like Americorps.  Will give country a sense of fellowship.  There is a cost but a greater return.  Polls show most voters oppose this but still supports it.

Chapter 12:  Continued Global Leadership for Security and Prosperity

Can’t tackle problems at home in a vacuum, must also look at what is happening in the world. Not just military but also economic security.  Let’s avoid isolationism

Our World Today and Meaning of America’s Engagement

All countries should be able to pursue prosperity in a stable and free world, promote freedom and democracy around the world.  No longer a black / white Cold War era, now few clear divisions.  Non-state actors, terrorism, must coordinate and cooperate with allies.  Mentions ISIS.  Military not final solution. Bring stakeholders together.  Mentions middle east issues, Israel / Palestinians .  spread of infectious diseases show interconnectedness of the world

A Smart National Security Strategy for Today

Sestak lays out his priorities for national security; there are nine of them.  Standards like fighting al Qaeda are among them but so is a public health issue (“arresting the spread of deadly diseases”).  He also lists five challenges, which are among the other headings below.

Enhance Diplomatic Engagement

One of his five challenges, perhaps the most important one.  Need to work collectively and collaboratively.  Goes into detail on Putin and how he thinks the US should respond.

Advance Economic Partnerships

This is a prerequisite for security.  Provides detail on Africa and America’s relationship with countries on that continent.  One item he mentions is that African countries will be heavily impacted by climate change.  Also discusses America’s relationships with countries in Latin America. 

Maintain a Flexible and Credible Military

We shouldn’t measure our military by its size.  Technology makes size less important.  Instead we should measure by knowledge, the speed and agility with which we can respond.

Be Able to Explain the Cost and Benefit of When and Why We Need to Use Force

Three kinds of interests:  vital, important, and humanitarian.  Before engaging we need a mission, risk and cost assessment, timeline and milestones, and contingency plans. 

Prioritize our Resources and Efforts

We need to make smart choices and prioritize.

Challenge and Opportunity of Our Time:  The Asia Pacific

Lists reasons why we should prioritize this area.

A Stable Asia Pacific that Benefits America

Many leaders in this area want us to be involved because we have a good track record for maintaining peace.

A China that Must Play by the Rules

Other countries want us to help make sure China acts responsibly, provides examples of areas that need attention (example – labor laws, intellectual property, mining rare earths)

Fight for American in a Competitive World

Mentions Export Import Bank

Preparing for the Consequences of Climate Change

This is a national security issue, sea level affects military preparedness

History’s Calling

History is what we make it, what we work for and maintain

Notes – 348 notes

About the Author

(teaches at Carnegie Mellon University, Cheyney University, Dickinson College, Penn State Law, and Army War College.)

Personal Remarks

I've been around publishing in various roles for over 20 years.  It's not my primary job but I have some experience with writing and editing.  One thing about this book that is very clear is that it was quickly put together.  

Books are usually balanced, chapters are of a similar length and construction.  This one was all over the place.  Some chapters had introductory text, others didn't.  The lengths varied.  It was not constructed well.

There are copy editing mistakes.  The book didn't appear to go through a more traditional publishing route and I doubt professional proofreaders were involved.  For one thing some words were overused.  Reading on a Kindle I could search for words and see how often they appeared.  The word rugged was used 50 times in this book.  He writes a lot about rugged individuals.  That is not a phrase that trips off the tongue in speaking and it feels awkward when reading it.  Fifty times is a lot.  All the naval metaphors and jargon get a little old too.  It could just be me.  I'm from an Army family and Navy talk is a foreign language.   

There are mistakes that a proofreader would have caught.  In chapter 8, in the section on immigration, STEM is defined as science, technology, education, and mathematics.  That E should be engineering not education.  There are some oddly constructed sentences.

There's nothing wrong with a hastily constructed book.  It does speak to a process with a limited circle of involvement.  If a few more people had read over early drafts some of this might have been caught and remedied.

The subject matter sort of feels like the stereotypical kitchen sink -- they're trying to include everything at once.  China!  Immigration!  Education!  Small business!  Defense!  It was all a bit much.

In addition to the proofreading errors there were a few other things that bothered me.  These are small things but I think someone should have caught them.  In chapter 11, the section on college accountability he writes about the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State being public institutions and cites a newspaper article that refers to them this way, too.  The thing is, they aren't part of the Pennsylvania higher education system.  They are state-related schools.  They get some money from the state but they aren't part of the state's formal college system.  The tuition prices for the state schools, say West Chester or Kutztown, are less than at Pitt or Penn State.  This might just be quibbling but Sestak's congressional district contained one, possibly two, Penn State campuses, and I think Cheney (a state school) as well.  If West Chester wasn't in his district it was close.  I've tried looking at the map for Pennsylvania's congressional district 7 for the years Sestak represented it and then looking at where those schools were located but it isn't always easy to tell if something was in the district.  Even though college funding is mostly on a state level he should have known the distinction.  My household has been tracking college tuition at various schools in the state for the past few years and it's not difficult to find those distinctions.  In that same section he takes a potshot at college faculty, saying they shouldn't be making financial decisions for the school because they don't have business credentials.  Here's the thing -- he doesn't have a business background, he's taught at colleges, and he wants to make decisions on education funding.  

This is the stuff that jumped out at me when I read the book.

Conclusion

If you want to know where Sestak stands on the issues this book will tell you, in detail.  It is a little dry, though, with few of the stories that are usually used to illustrate points in books like this.

House Passes DADT Repeal

Today the House passed a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Congressman Patrick Murphy is one of the leading voices in this effort. Here is his statement:

“With today’s vote, we are a step closer to dismantling a policy that is not only discriminatory but is harmful to our national security. We’ve lost thousands of patriotic, highly-trained troops – infantry officers, fighter pilots, and even Arabic translators - who were kicked out of the military just because they happened to be gay.

Enough is enough. We’ve studied the issue, we’ve heard from our troops, we’ve debated repeal. Now it’s time to act. Democrats and Republicans came together in the House to pass repeal, and I urge Senators of both parties to follow suit and put an end to this policy once and for all.”

Congressman Joe Sestak also released a statement:

It is long past time that we repeal this discriminatory policy that has asked patriotic men and women to live a lie as they put their lives on the line for our freedoms,” said Congressman Sestak. “As a former three star Navy admiral, I have always advocated for an immediate end to this policy, not only because it was a compromise of our American principles that is counter to our civil rights but also because it weakens our national security. Too often, talented and dedicated men and women have been forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, I saw it happen.

“In a time of war, we cannot lose any more troops that we depend on to keep our country safe. I implore the Senate to move quickly toward final passage of repeal this year so that we can protect our nation while ensuring that those who keep it safe have the same rights they defend."

Congressman Sestak has cosponsored the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," in both the 110th and 111th Congresses. On March 4, 2010, with a Department of Defense review in progress, the Congressman sent a letter to President Obama urging him to issue an executive order to halt all dismissals under this policy. The DOD report, released on November 30, read: "We are convinced the U.S. military can make this change, even during this time of war." You can watch Congressman Sestak advocating for repeal after the release of the Department of Defense study: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TicFcsATQ_M.

The bill, passed today by a 250-175 margin, repeals “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” after: 1) receipt of the DOD study, which has concluded; and 2) a certification by the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the President that repeal is first, consistent with military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting; and second, that the DOD has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to implement repeal. All three leaders support repeal.

The Senate will take up the bill either late this week or some time next week.

China, Toomey, and Wall Street

Something interesting showed up in a New Yorker article this week (11/01). The article itself, "The Online Threat," by Seymour Hersch, is on cyber warfare. This passage caught my eye:

James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who worked for the Departments of State and Commerce in the Clinton Administration, has written extensively on the huge economic costs due to cyber espionage from China and other countries, like Russia, whose hackers are closely linked to organized crime. Lewis, too, made a distinction between this and cyber war: “Current Chinese officials have told me that we’re not going to attack Wall Street, because we basically own it”—a reference to China’s holdings of nearly a trillion dollars in American securities—“and a cyber-war attack would do as much economic harm to us as to you.”

What does this have to do with Pennsylvania politics? One of the candidates for Senate, Republican Pat Toomey agrees with the Chinese. From his book, The Road to Prosperity (p. 105):

Trade skeptics worry about the risks Americans take when we borrow heavily from the Chinese. They argue that the Chinese government might quickly sell off our bonds some day, driving down bond prices and raising the corresponding interest rate the United States would have to pay on new debt. But the Chinese have no incentive to do such a thing -- at least not for now.

Neither of these passages makes me very comfortable. I'd rather we weren't so heavily indebted to another county. I also plan to vote for Joe Sestak.

Obama Remarks at Temple Today

from the inbox:

Hello! Hello, Philly! Hello, Philadelphia! (Applause.) Oh, this is a good-looking crowd here. (Applause.) Are you fired up? (Applause.) Are you ready to go? (Applause.)

First of all, thank you, Elliot, for the unbelievable introduction. We appreciate you. We’ve got a couple other special guests here. I want to make sure that I acknowledge them. Governor Ed Rendell is in the house. (Applause.) U.S. Senator Arlen Specter is here. (Applause.) U.S. Senator Bob Casey. (Applause.) Congressman Chaka Fattah. (Applause.) Congressman soon-to-be-senator Joe Sestak. (Applause.) Mayor Michael Nutter. (Applause.) Allegheny County Executive and soon-to-be-governor Dan Onorato. (Applause.)

I want to thank the first-time voters and Temple University Young Democrats -- (applause) -- for all the great work you guys have done. And give it up for Quincy Lyons for the great job he’s doing organizing. (Applause.)

Now, I am not here to give a long speech, because I want everybody out there, not in here. I’m here to deliver two messages.

The first message is thank you, because not only did all of you mobilize, organize and energize in 2008 to help send me to the White House -- (applause) -- but over the last two years, so many of you have continued to be involved each and every day to make sure that we could keep moving this country forward. It’s because of you that young people are getting college scholarships that weren’t getting it before. (Applause.)

It’s because of you that young people can now stay on their parents’ health insurance till they’re 26 -- (applause) -- and folks who have health insurance aren’t dropped by insurance companies when they get sick.

And the fact that -- and it’s because of you that we’re also going to be able to fund AIDS. It’s because of you that we are going to be in a position to make sure that each and every person out there is able to find work after a devastating economic crisis that made such a difference to so many families all across this country.

Now, here’s the thing, though, guys. You cannot stop now, because the fact of the matter is we are in a difficult election. It’s difficult here in Pennsylvania. It is difficult all across the country.

And unless each and every one of you turn out, and get your friends to turn out, and get your families to turn out, then we could fall short, and all the progress that we’ve made over the last couple of years can be rolled back.

So the key right now is not just to show up here, it’s not just to listen to speeches. It’s to go out there and do the hard work that's going to be required to bring this home over the last few days. That's going to be the key. (Applause.)

And so I know that some of you may have been at the rally we had with 20,000 folks of Germantown. (Applause.) But you know what, coming to a rally, that's not the hard part. What I need this weekend is 20,000 doors knocked on by all the volunteers who are here today. (Applause.) Is that something that you think you can do, 20,000? (Applause.)

In order for Joe Sestak to be successful and Dan Onorato to be successful and the entire Democratic ticket to be successful, you're going to need to talk to folks everywhere you can and make sure that you describe to them the future that you see for this country.

You want a country where every young person can get a decent education. You want a country where nobody is bankrupt because they get sick. You want a country where our seniors can retire with dignity and respect, and Social Security is there not just for this generation but for future generations.

You want a country that has the best infrastructure in the world. We used to be number one. We can’t have the best rail lines and the best airports built in China or Singapore. They need to be right here in the United States of America. (Applause.)

We don't want to be falling behind in math and science and technology. We’ve got to be first in research and development and technology to make sure that the new products and new services are developed right here in the United States.

We want clean energy here. We don't want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars built in China or Europe. We want them built here in the United States with American workers. (Applause.)

And so it is absolutely critical that you go out there and you describe your hopes for the future, especially the young people here, because this election is not just going to set the stage for the next two years. It’s going to set the stage for the next 10, for the next 20.

And for those of you who were so excited two years ago, I just want to remind you this. Two years ago was not about me. It was about you and it was about this country. And I said then that change was going to be hard. Now, we’ve been involved in some tough fights over the last two years. We can’t move backwards now. We’ve got to keep moving forward now. And that's all going to be up to you.

So I want everybody to get out there, knock on doors, make phone calls, volunteer, talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors, go into the beauty shops, go into the barber shops, when you’re in church or -- you know, this weekend, I want everybody to be talking about -- have folks voted.

If you do that, then I am confident we’re not just going to win this election but we’re going to keep on moving this country forward so that the American Dream is accessible for everybody, not just some.

Thank you very much, Philadelphia. I love you. (Applause.) God bless you. Let’s get busy. Let’s go to work. Thank you. (Applause.)

A Few Endorsements

The Philadelphia Inquirer has endorsed Joe Sestak for Senate, Dan Onorato for Governor, and Patrick Murphy for the 8th congressional district. Both Sestak and Onorato have picked up several other endorsements statewide. Murphy was endorsed by the Bucks County Courier Times and the Bucks County FOP.

A few quotes:

The Inky on Onorato:

Upon becoming the Allegheny County executive in 2004, Onorato eliminated more than 600 jobs, saving taxpayers more than $30 million a year. He abolished six elected row offices, and worked with the city of Pittsburgh to consolidate services. Onorato has not raised property taxes during his tenure as county executive.

That's a record of reform and fiscal restraint that is needed in Harrisburg, where the next governor will face a budget deficit of up to $5 billion next year.

Daily News on Onorato:

His track record as executive of Allegheny County has given him firsthand experience grappling with government change; his reforms involved consolidating city and county services, and eliminating positions and row offices; and he talks convincingly and concretely of how he'd streamline Harrisburg.

He's smart, energetic and well-versed on the issues. Like us, he supports a gas-extraction tax, an end to the Florida loophole, and a reform agenda that includes term limits, a smaller Legislature, and a prohibition on lawmakers' giving themselves raises.

Bucks County Courier Times on Murphy:

In the past two years, Murphy also has paved the way for millions of dollars in economic development pouring into Bucks to expand businesses, especially those that generate wind power, solar energy and polysilicon products. He also secured funding for a green jobs academy that Bucks County Community College administers to train workers in these new initiatives.

We also believe Murphy deserves praise for voting for federal health insurance reform. Murphy and other Democrats had a mandate from the electorate in 2008 to pass such a program and they accomplished it, despite stiff resistance from Republicans, who did nothing to stall the crushing burden of galloping health insurance premiums and dropped coverage during the first six years of the George Bush administration when they had total control of Congress.

the Inky on Murphy:

Murphy was one of the first Democratic officials to support Barack Obama's candidacy for president, yet he has not been a rubber-stamp. His voting record generally has been centrist, rather than liberal.

In 2006, the Iraq war veteran rode to victory with the help of antiwar sentiment and voter fatigue with the presidency of George W. Bush. This year, the campaign is all about jobs, and Murphy can point to solid efforts he's made to bring employers to his district.

The incumbent voted for the TARP fund to bail out banks, and later for the economic stimulus bill. He rightly argues that both votes were worth it to spare the nation from a deeper recession.

Murphy also has shown political courage, leading the effort to repeal the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which discriminates against gays in the military.

Statements on Passage of Small Business Bill

The inbox received a number of statements on final passage of the small business bill.

Pres. Obama:

The small business jobs bill passed today will help provide loans and cut taxes for millions of small business owners without adding a dime to our nation’s deficit. After months of partisan obstruction and needless delay, I’m grateful that Democrats and a few Republicans came together to support this common-sense plan to put Americans back to work. I look forward to signing the bill on Monday.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13)

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz voted for legislation today that will boost lending for small businesses and provide targeted tax relief so businesses can expand, hire and fuel our economy. The Small Business Lending Fund Act passed by the House today offers eight new tax incentives to small businesses, closes tax loopholes that reward corporations that ship jobs overseas, and is expected to create 500,000 jobs by encouraging the development of small businesses.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and with the right tools they can create a stronger business climate that encourages growth, innovation and job creation,” Schwartz said. “With increased access to capital and new tax cuts, our nation’s small businesses will be able to put more Americans back to work and help build long-term economic growth.”

The Small Business Lending Fund Act will help America’s 27 million small businesses create new jobs with $12 billion in tax cuts. It will make local businesses more competitive with big corporations by leveraging up to $300 billion in private sector lending for small businesses, along with state grants for small business lending.

The legislation takes another step to end job outsourcing by ending tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas.

Joe Sestak, current congressman from 7th district, candidate for Senate

U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak today hailed final passage of the Small Business Jobs Act, a bill that will provide $12 billion in tax credits for small businesses, increase access to capital, and create half a million jobs. The small business legislation had been stalled in the Senate for months, having initially passed the House with Admiral Sestak's support on October 29 and again on June 17. Following today's final vote by the House, the measure goes to the White House to await President Obama's signature.

"We need to put people back to work and get our economy moving by investing in small businesses and the middle class," said Joe. "This bill is an important first step. Working families are looking for leadership, not obstruction. Pennsylvania deserves a senator who will place the middle class ahead of Wall Street, not one who's only interested in standing up for big business and the super-rich."

As Vice Chairman of the House Small Business, Admiral Sestak has long been a leading advocate for small business owners and employees. He understands that small businesses create 80 percent of all new jobs and employ 99 percent of the private sector workforce.

That's why he has been a strong supporter of this legislation, which will reward those who invest in small businesses and help entrepreneurs compete with large businesses. It's also why he has proposed an additional small business tax credit that could create 5 million jobs in just 2 years, along with a significant package of investment incentives and loan guarantees that will help jumpstart growth.

Yet, despite the clear benefits of this legislation for small businesses and those who want to work, Congressman Toomey remains silent about the bill, even in the face of bipartisan support.

"It's clear that Congressman Toomey is more committed to his extreme ideology than to working families in Pennsylvania," said Sestak campaign spokesman Jonathon Dworkin. "He's shown that he can always be counted on to support Wall Street at the expense of the middle class. But he refuses to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats and even moderate Republicans in support of tax breaks for small businesses. He just doesn't seem to understand ordinary Pennsylvanians."

In the past, Congressman Toomey has opposed tax credits for small businesses and voted to provide $43 billion in incentives for companies that ship American jobs overseas. He voted to slash the Small Business Administration budget in half, all the while defending $1.6 billion in unmerited bonuses for bailed-out executives and supporting at least $650 billion in deficit spending to extend tax breaks for the super-rich.

"Toomey's Republican colleagues held up the important provisions of this bill twice - in October and again in June. Without these actions, the fee elimination and expanded loan guarantees would expire and the vital tax cuts would be obstructed, and the job creation benefits will not materialize," said Dworkin. "If he was in the Senate, Toomey's voting record indicates he'd be its second-most conservative member - so we can only guess how much longer he'd delay this essential bill. He's so eager to join in the obstructionism that he's falsely claimed to have filibustered a different bill on the House floor - despite the fact that such a procedure doesn't even exist in the House. We don't need more obstructionism and blind ideology. We need real, practical solutions."

Congressman Paul Kanjorski:

Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) voted for H.R. 5297, the Small Business Jobs Act, which passed in the House by a vote of 237-187. The legislation is expected to create 500,000 new jobs throughout the country by helping to encourage growth and hiring at small businesses that are struggling during these difficult economic times. The legislation will specifically impact almost one million small businesses in Pennsylvania, according the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by enabling community banks to lend to financially stressed small businesses, which will help them expand and hire more employees. It will also provide needed tax cuts for small businesses to help them use that capital to further their operations and grow. This legislation is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit.

“Too many small businesses throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania and the country are struggling,” said Congressman Kanjorski. “Many local business owners have told me that they are unable to get the loans they need to continue and expand their operations. As a result, their businesses remain stagnant and they are unable to grow and hire. My priority is to boost our economy, create jobs, and encourage small business growth. Our nation’s community banks are the primary source of funds used by the small businesses which are an essential component to a thriving economy. By lending an additional $30 billion to community banks, the federal government is working to ensure those banks are able to lend to small businesses, so that those businesses can then grow and hire more employees.”

H.R. 5297 works to create jobs and encourage growth and investment in small businesses by:

* Expanding the availability of credit to small businesses through a lending fund
The bill creates a $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund to provide small, community banks with needed capital to help increase lending to small business. During these difficult economic times, many banks have curtailed lending and small businesses are unable to access the capital they need to maintain their operations, grow, and hire more employees. The lending fund will help rectify this problem.

* Increasing investments in small businesses through grants and SBA loans
The bill invests $1.5 billion in grants to support $15 billion in new small business lending through already successful state programs. It also expands access to SBA loans by eliminating fees on many loans and raises the cap on loan limits for many loans from $2 million to $5 million. It increases government guarantees on many loans from 75 percent to 90 percent through the end of the year, reducing the risk for banks to lend to small businesses because those loans are backed by the government. Additionally, the bill increases microloan limits from $35,000 to $50,000.

* Encouraging small business investments, growth, and hiring through tax cuts
The legislation provides tax cuts to help give small business more cash so that they grow and hire more employees by doubling and enhancing small business expensing for write offs such as equipment and machinery in 2010 and 2011, and allowing small businesses to write off 50 percent of the cost for new equipment investments in 2010.

* Promoting entrepreneurship and the creation of more small businesses through tax cuts
The bill doubles the tax deduction for start-up expenditures for new small businesses to $10,000 and creates tools to help small businesses gain access to the international market.

* Advancing fair competition for small businesses
The bill improves tax fairness by preventing small business from incurring significant costs from taxes aimed at large corporations, allows self-employed taxpayers to deduct health costs for payroll tax purposes, and closes loopholes that too often send government contracts to multinational corporations rather than small businesses.

Radnor Township Democrats Picnic

The Radnor Democrats held a Rally for Change last Saturday, September 11. About 40 people attended. Several candidates stopped by to talk with people. These are my notes from their public comments. As always, I apologize in advance for any errors or misconceptions.

Chairman George Badey served as mc and did a find job. He pointed out some local elected officials, including township commissioners John Fisher and John Nagle.

Joe Sestak could not attend but asked Joe Hoeffel to speak on his behalf. Hoeffel pointed out Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman David Landau. Hoeffel said people are angry because of the economy. Republicans spout simple theories: cut taxes, “starve the beast.” We have to energize our base. We believe in individual freedom and the magic of the market. We want to life all boats.

Bryan Lentz, currently a state representative and candidate for the 7th congressional district. He said don’t believe the headlines about trouble for the Democrats. The Democratic party gave us civil rights and protect the environment. The Republicans used to talk about balancing the budget and avoiding foreign entanglements. Now it’s run up deficits, given tax cuts to the rich, and they get into every entanglement. The Republicans are talking about their friends – corporations, drug companies and insurance companies are spending money to keep me out of office. They are paying for ads against me. That is a badge of honor. I got into politics to protect people. Between now and election day how many people can you call, how many doors can you knock on. We wont’ outspend corporations. The only counter to corporate spending is us, talking to people. I want to invest in education, protect the environment, and stick up for people who can’t stick up for themselves. As your self, who do you want sticking up for you.

State Rep. Greg Vitali said we hold the state house now and don’t want that to change. Republican candidate for governor Tom Corbett will lease out state forest land and not tax Marcellus Shale extraction. for a change let’s work to keep things the same.

Walt Waite, candidate for Bryan Lentz’s state house seat said he had knocked on about 6,000 doors. It is important that we hang on to these seats. We want to help people. If you have a problem you should fix it today. If you wait until tomorrow it will take longer and cost more.

David Landau, chair of the Delaware County Democrats said Radnor is showing up how to win elections on the local level. We need that infrastructure. The key is to get the Democrats out.

My thanks to the gentleman who sent me directions.

Stu Bykofsky Candidates Comedy Night

20th Annual Stu Bykofsky Candidates Comedy Night.

This annual event is a fundraiser for Variety, the children’s charity. Bob Kelly of CBS 3 started things off. Stu Bykofsky acted as master of ceremonies with some assistance from his fellow Philadelphia Daily News colleague Jenice Armstrong. Mike Driscoll of Finnegan’s Wake donated the venue. The servers were working without pay to keep event costs down. The room was packed; there were considerably more people here this year than in 2008. (I wasn’t there in 2009 and so can’t comment on that.) More regular folks are attending – there were three “general admission” tables, compared to about 3 chairs in 2008.

Since this is a political blog I’m going to gloss over everything non-political. Since it is a family blog I won’t repeat any of the off-color humor, though I think there was less of it this year than in 2008. Remember that these candidates are not (intentionally) comedians, though most made a valiant effort. This is not an effort to provide a complete transcription, just a flavor of what was said. Check your local newspaper for coverage and statewide political blogs for video (www.pa2010.com is planning some video, others might as well).

Personal comments are in italics.

Tom Corbett, Attorney General and Republican candidate for governor, started things off. He reminded Stu that the Attorney General’s office has oversight over charities. John Baer of the Daily News said that Corbett is boring but Onorato is annoying. Corbett was born in Philadelphia, then moved to Pittsburgh. Noting that Dan Onorato has done research on him, Corbett said they had done research on Onorato and uncovered his secret [shows photos of Onorato in a Cowboys jersey, #81]. Corbett recently read a police blotter and learned that two people had pushed over the statue of the Philly Phanatic and that’s why he believes in the death penalty. He would have bought another table but bonuses are out in Harrisburg. Onorato put a tax on alcohol. If elected, Corbett will be the first governor born in Philadelphia for many years. He thinks Ed Rendell was born in Taxomia. Shows photo of the cover to an old book, Tom Corbett Goes to the Moon. Shows another photo of actor Leslie Nielsen and says they were separated at birth. [There is a strong resemblance.] He also took a fake phone call from Vince Fumo.

Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-08) was next. He said he was nervous and would rather be having a tickle fight with Eric Massa. Murphy said he asked Joey Vento for advice and Vento told him to say [Murphy said “Hello, my name is Patrick Murphy” in Spanish.] Mike Fitzpatrick [the Republican challenger] couldn’t be here. He’s in Kenya with tea party activists looking for Obama’s birth certificate. They’ve almost found it – it’s right next to Sadam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Bush’s military records and Charlie Rangel’s tax returns. The Republicans are after him this year and might give him the kiss of death – Sarah Palin’s endorsement.

Bykofsky notes that Congressman Jim Gerlach is in Washington as the House is in session, and that Gerlach did not send a surrogate.

Congressman Bob Brady (D-01) was up next. [I think he is doing something different with his hair.]. Brady would rather be lucky than good. Most elected officials are jokes in their day job and now they have to be jokes in their night job, too. Someone put a gun in his face recently and asked for his money. He told the robber he was a congressman and the robber said “Then give me all my money.” Brady said he won’t cut people down in his comments. He tells one joke about the lack of a Mexican Olympic team – everyone who can run or jump is already in America. [He told two very off color jokes that I won’t repeat here.]

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-02) took the stage next. His remarks were mean-spirited, generic Republican jokes. They weren’t funny and he left a poor impression. This is a charity event, Congressman, tone it down.

Joe Scott Conklin, a professional comedian, came out and told a number of jokes and did voice impersonations of several elected officials, including Mayor Mike Nutter, Gov.Ed Rendell and Sen. Arlen Specter. He was funny and the impressions were good.

Mike Fitzpatrick, former Republican congressman from the 8th congressional district, running for that office again, could not appear. He sent Andre Watson (not sure of the spelling here) as a surrogate. He says he told Obama he was worried about being in over his head and Obama said “Tell me about it.” Fattah alleviated his fears of being the least funniest man in the room [thunderous applause from audience] Fitzpatrick can’t be here for family reasons. He promised his kids or maybe they promised him to go camping. They were canoeing down a river hoping to see Charlie Rangel going up without a paddle. [two Irish jokes about Murphy and Fitzpatrick and one off color joke about the stiumulus]

Dee Carson Adcock, Republican candidate for the 13th district. Most of the time he’s been campaigning he’s been trying to keep people from laughing at him. Someone told him to break a leg and he asked if that was covered by the new health plan. [He told several sports jokes but I don’t know sports and so can’t record them well.]

Pat Meehan, Republican candidate for the 7th congressional district. [Starts with long joke about Republicans, very funny but a little off color and hard to write down all of it.] He got interested in politics when Thatcher Longstreth came to his school. This is a tough economy. Some of the Philadelphia city agencies are taking their bribes on the installment plan. He hoped if he got elected to take the train to Washington with Joe Biden and Arlen Specter but Biden doesn’t take the train anymore and Specter keeps switching seats.

Rick Hellberg, Republican candidate for the 2nd congressional district. He told several jokes about Stu Bykofsky, including saying that Bykofsky is the only journalist that can call Larry King a kid. It is hard to find out who your ward leader is in Philadelphia. He thought only that kid in The Sixth Sense could see dead people. As a Republican he’s supposed to think the Democrats are in bed with the media. At least Chaka Fattah married the media. Fattah is easing those Philadelphians who miss John Street.

Dr. Manan Trivedi, Democratic candidate for the 6th congressional district. He grew up in a rural area of Berks County. He’s the only kid who tipped a cow and then had to worship it. He and his brother were the only Indian-Americans at their school. They had the weight of the entire spelling bee team on their shoulders. He was voted most likely to own a convenience store and his yearbook quote was “thank you, come again.” He served as a battalion surgeon with the Navy in Iraq. The only phone call he got in the 6 months he was there was a fundraising call from Allyson Schwartz. He has a young daughter now, 3 months old. He practices his speeches in front of her. She burps, spits and poops in her pants. He said it was just like the last time he went out drinking with Patrick Murphy.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) couldn’t be here and sent a surrogate but the surrogate was tied up in Washington also so the surrogate sent a surrogate, Neil Deegan. His remarks were short and he praised Variety and the event.

Pat Toomey, Republican candidate for Senate started off by saying “Does Bob Brady have a safe seat or what?” Joe Biden and Dan Quayle are both coming out with books this fall. Watch out for a shortage of crayons. Obama celebrated his birthday with Oprah and Gayle King. Gayle said it was great that they could celebrate with the most important person in the world and it was nice that Obama could be there, too. Al Gore is involved in an embarrassing scandal and it is all over Google – do you think he regrets inventing the Internet now? Al and Tipper have separated; even the trees reject his hugs now. Who would have thought that Bill and Hillary would be the happy couple. This year the Democrats have tackled some big topics – immigration, don’t ask don’t tell, legalizing marijuana, and so on. So if you’re a gay pot-smoking Mexican wanting a job in the Navy it’s a good year for you. He also had a list of the top ten reasons why he is running (among them, he needs the money, get the bonus due his father [this is a dig at Specter who said he ran for office to get the military bonus promised his father], fish stick Friday in the Senate dining room, etc.

Dan Onorato, Democratic candidate for governor, was late because he was at an event with Bill Clinton. [Onorato said the mirror event in Pittsburgh is off the record so he was surprised to see press here. I’ll give him a pass since he wasn’t expecting to be recorded, etc. The jokes I noted involved borrowing an EZ Pass from DRPA and the Philadelphia city council taking the Drop program.]

Joe Sestak, Democratic candidate for Senate. He runs his staff like the Navy, low pay, bad food and lots of flogging. Then he learned that Vince Fumo had his staff mow his lawn. He asked various pols for ideas on how to run. Brady said the last time he ran was when he heard Geno’s was closing. Nutter said to tell people you’re going to close the Library of Congress. Sestak is Slovak for job offer. He then showed slides of the top 10 job offers he received, including etiquette coach for Rahm Emmanuel. [The last one was nanny to Rick Santorum’s children with the photo of his sad children from election night when Santorum lost – picking on someone’s kids is, in my opinion, a cheap shot.

Bryan Lentz, Democratic candidate for the 7th congressional district closed the show. He said sitting through all the comedy routines he could see why some politicians chose prison over running for re-election. He really liked the guy do did the imitation of an angry Chaka Fattah. [much laughter and applause from the audience]. He had nothing to do with Jim Schneller getting on the ballot but Schneller is coming on after him and if their jokes sound the same it is because Lentz’s campaign volunteers wrote his jokes too. His opponent is giving him a hard time about Nancy Pelosi. It is true that she did host a fundraiser for him and he did have her name tattooed on his [pause] leg, and he did give her a pedicure. But if Meehan wins he’ll have to paint the tan on John Boehner.

And with that, at close to 10:30, the show closed and those remaining in the audience left.

My vote for best line: Lentz commenting on the guy who did an imitation of the angry Chaka Fattah. Best newcomer’s routine: Dr. Manan Trivedi. Worst of the show: Chaka Fattah.