There's More To Pennsylvania Than Just Harry The Right-Wing Mortician From Pittsburgh

Friday I spoke with Kathy Boockvar, a progressive activist running against Republican Mike Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick won his old Bucks County-based seat back from Patrick Murphy, another Democrat swept away in the 2010 Great Blue Dog Annihilation, and now Kathy means to turn it blue. We spent a lot of time talking about women's Choice. She's a determined supporter and she's still figuring out how to talk with anti-Choice voters-- and Pennsylvania has a fair share of them. In fact, as Kathy and I were saying goodbye, someone sent me some information about a Democratic state legislator who's extremely anti-Choice... and anti-quite-a-few-things that one normally associates with the long list of things right-wing Republicans are against... like immigrants, for example.

Harry Readshaw III is a 70 year old undertaker from Pittsburgh. I can't imagine that there's a Democrat in the state legislature more reactionary than he is. He introduced House Bill 2479-- based on the notorious "Paper Please" anti-immigrant bill in Arizona (SB 1070)-- and now he's a sponsor of HB1077, something like the Virginia proposal to force unwanted endovaginal ultrasounds on women seeking an abortion.

Do you ever wonder why people like Readshaw call themselves Democrats? Wouldn't it be much easier to just switch parties? Pennsylvania is strange. Right now there are 19 congressional seats, 7 held by Democrats and 12 by Republicans. Of the Democrats there's one progressive, Chaka Fattah, two moderates (Allyson Schwartz and Mike Doyle), 3 arch-conservatives just like Readshaw (Mark Critz, Jason Atmire and Tim Holden) and one, Bob Brady, who's just a corrupt old line boss with no ideology beyond the accumulation of power. 2010 was catastrophic for Pennsylvania Democrats. Far right Republican Pat Toomey won an open blue Senate seat. Tom Corbett, also a right-wing Republican, won the governor's race. Both Houses of the state legislature went GOP. And Democrats lost 5 congressional seats, one of the worst outcomes of any state in the Union, although 3 of the defeated Democrats were Blue Dogs and one (Kanjorski) was a corrupt old crook very much like Brady.

The most important primary coming up on April 24th is between progressive attorney Matt Cartwright and Blue Dog Tim Holden, who combines all the worst aspects of a die-hard conservative and a corrupt corporate shill. Blue America is backing Cartwright, the most likely progressive to oust a Blue Dog anywhere in the U.S.

Matt truly is offering Pennsylvania Democrats a unique opportunity to toss out a fake Democrat who has voted, on the crucial rollcalls, nearly 70% of the time with the radical right Republicans who control Congress and who takes legalistic bribes from corporate special interests in return for his support for their pet projects, and to replace him with a real Democrat who believes in mainstream Democratic values and who has demonstrated a sterling and impeccable character as an attorney in the district. As he said himself, when announcing his candidacy:

This is a new beginning, a new chance for the working families of this district to elect someone who truly represents them and their interests… not the interests of the banking industry, the credit card companies, the insurance industry, the oil and gas industry, or Wall Street investment firms.

This is a new beginning, a new chance for working families to have a representative in Washington who will vote to put the economic well-being of the middle class first. This is your chance to elect a representative who will vote for legislation that benefits the middle class… and not the corporate special interests that fund his congressional campaign.

...Working families in the new 17th Congressional District do not need a representative who votes against legislation making Wall Street and the big banks accountable for how they spend taxpayer money meant to prevent the collapse of our economy.

Working families in the new 17th Congressional District do not need a representative who, while the economy is still struggling, votes against legislation that helps distressed families keep their homes.

Working families in the new 17th Congressional District do not need a representative who votes for legislation that makes it harder for struggling families to get out from under crushing credit card debt.

Working families in the new 17th Congressional District do not need a representative who votes against legislation that makes medicine and health care more accessible to seniors and young adults, that allows coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and that also includes coverage for women’s preventative health care services.

To vote against legislation ensuring that taxpayer money in the TARP funds is used to benefit the economy and the middle class instead of stuffing the pockets of Wall Street executives-- that doesn’t represent middle class values or interests of working families.

To vote for legislation that makes it harder for folks to get a second chance in life… just so the credit card companies can squeeze their last nickel from them doesn’t represent the values of the middle class or interests of working families.

To side with the big banks… who helped create the economic crisis to begin with… and vote against legislation that helps avoid more home foreclosures doesn’t represent middle class values or interests of our working families.

To vote with big health care insurance companies and HMOs, doesn’t the interest of our seniors, young adults, people with pre-existing conditions and women.

I will stand up and fight for the middle class values and the interests of our working families... Let’s elect a Democratic congressman who votes like a Democrat. Let’s elect a Democratic Congressman from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

I’m Matt Cartwright and I will be the new Democratic champion of the middle class in Congress.

Hopefully the Harry Readshaws and Tim Holdens are the past and Pennsylvania will have a newer, brighter future with men and women like Kathy Boockvar and Matt Cartwright, If you can, please consider helping Matt's campaign here.