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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Pennsylvania on my mind

Pennsylvania on my mind

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From longtime reader geg6:

I called all of mine Friday. Lamb, to thank him for his wonderful speech on the House floor during the certification vote. Casey I thanked for being the mensch that he is. And I got a staffer at Toomey’s office who said the senator did NOT approve of the president’s actions and, while not sure about impeachment, was pretty open to it as a last resort.

Now that’s interesting. Do you live in the keystone state? Senator Toomey wants to hear from you. If anyone lives in Alaska or Maine, I would also be very interested to hear what staffers for Collins and Murkowski are telling people who call. Keep it up!

Also, here’s a pic of some dog in my neighborhood.

Music to my ears

Reader Interactions

76Comments

  3. 3.

    Kent

    I have a BUNCH of Pennsylvania relatives. My mom’s family is from there. I used to spend every summer there growing up.  All of them are die-hard Trumpers from the Pennsyltucky portion in the very geographic center of the state. But they all seem to have gone radio silent in the past 6 months since Covid. Which has struck their rural county harder than just about any other county in the state. In 2016 they were all MAGA all over Facebook. They are pacifist Mennonites who are growing more mainstream evangelical (the church itself not my family specifically). Maybe violent insurrection was finally a step too far. I think the best that we can hope for is that they and their kind retreat from partisan politics because I don’t see them ever coming over to the other side.

  4. 4.

    john b

    (Maybe off-topic?) Why wasn’t Trump’s interference in the certification of the GA presidential results part of impeachment article, I wonder? Is it just a focus thing?

    Edit: Nevermind. . . Just found the full text of the article of impeachment and it is mentioned in the single article:
    “These prior efforts included a phone call on January 2, 2021 during which President Trump urged the secretary of state of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to overturn. . . .”

  5. 5.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @WaterGirl: I’m in PA, opposite end of the state (Philly) from geg6.

    My congressional rep is the wonderful Mary Gay Scanlon. I emailed Toomey’s office before the November election saying that I hoped he would stand up for democracy, whatever happened with the vote. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that he has in fact fallen on the side of democracy over the last couple months and not aligned with Cruz and Hawley.

    Still eager to see him gone in 2022.

  6. 6.

    Puddinhead

    I am currently residing in the Pennsylbama region of the state with Smucker as my representative. Perhaps this is purgatory.

  7. 7.

    Calouste

    @john b:  Probably a focus thing, and insurrection is big enough a charge. Keep in mind that non-impeachment doesn’t mean that those charges can’t be pursued through the courts.

  9. 9.

    Mary G

    This is….interesting.

    This is…interesting. The @StateDept website says Donald Trump’s term ended today. pic.twitter.com/0VHmbpddTS— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) January 11, 2021

    ???The White House did not deny, just referred my query about this to the @StateDept pic.twitter.com/JH9KbfSFik— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) January 11, 2021

    ETA: Just went to check and it is gone. Some frustrated employee upset about Yemen or Cuba? Some idiot spilling the beans early? Inquiring minds want to know

    ETA2: So happy to see Max; like all of us older, but still going strong.

     ETA3: My first guess was right: disgruntled staffer. Good for them. I’m disgruntled myself.

  10. 10.

    DropDminus

    Lamb is my rep. I’ve been impressed with him this week with his speech and statements in support of impeachment.  He campaigns like someone who’s afraid to admit he’s an actual democrat so coming out this strong was actually a surprise.  I might even contact his office to say attaboy.

  11. 11.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Darryl Issa says Trump made a “misstep” and that it is unfair to kick him when he’s down by making a big deal out of this.

  14. 14.

    OGLiberal

    We have a second home in NE PA.  In between Scranton and Binghamton.  We homeschool (nothing to do with religion, etc) so we’re in a relationship of convenience with a home school crowd.  They are batshit crazy.  Epoch Times reading folks.  Most aren’t even from there originally – Long Island refugees, etc.  They’ve got their young teen kids on board – like, full on…not just wingnut curious.  Scranton is pretty darned blue (and very white) but you leave the city limits – heck, even go to Wilkes Barre – and it starts to get crazy Trumpy.  Huge swings in the area between Obama and Clinton and while it kind of swung back to Biden a bit last year, not by much.  These people have Trumps flags and Confederate flags because, you know, PA was such an important member of the Confederacy.  There is no getting through to these people.  The saving grace in PA is that most people don’t live in these places so it allows the state to elect Wolf, Casey and, hopefully, a Dem to replace Toomey. (who looks sane, relatively speaking, and he’s Pat Fucking Toomey)

  16. 16.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Baud:

    Irony is defined by a relentless Benghazi obsessive making a claim that steering an enraged mob to a location in order to achieve a malicious, secretive purpose isn’t a big deal.

  17. 17.

    Mary G

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I so hate that guy.

     

    Susan Collins has chosen to furrow her brow in writing today:

    Read Susan Collins’ first-hand account of the insurrection and what she thinks about Trump here: https://t.co/iQMA8EvnvD— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) January 11, 2021

     The worst part:

    The rest of the night I spent at Murkowski’s home because I was worried about finding a parking space that late and about the violent extremists knowing where I live, given the threats and security problems I have encountered during the past two years. The police drove us to Murkowski’s home, where her husband had built us a nice fire and had glasses of wine awaiting us.

    I’m sure the widows of the dead Capitol Police officers are glad you and Lisa were able to drink that night.

  20. 20.

    Jeffery

    Wrote Toomey. I will get some bullshit reply at some point as I have in the past. His email form wants a topic selected from a list. Nothing I write to him about is ever covered by the selection on the list. I suggested he add “other” to the topic list.

  21. 21.

    Kent

    @OGLiberal: We have a large contingent of batshit crazy homeschoolers here in SW Washington too.  On the fringes of the Vancouver area.  They mostly live outside Vancouver proper in more outer suburbs  like Battle Ground.  My wife gets them all the time in her clinic.  Weird fundamentalist “quiverful” homeschooling families that now stand out for anti-vax craziness (the same folks started the measles outbreak around here last year) and now they try to pull stunts like drag their 8 kids through Costco sans masks.  The biggest group around here are Old Apostolic Lutherans, which is a weird fundamentalist sect from northern Finland of all places.

    They are why we have Jaime Herrera-Beutler as our GOP Congresswoman, the only GOPer on the entire Pacific coast.  She was from the same homeschooling community and relies heavily on huge turnout from the fundie vote to stay in office in this purple district.   But we also have plenty of secular libertarian anti-tax types as well.

  24. 24.

    Cacti

    Have any of our front pagers said anything about Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman?

    He was one of the heroes of January 6, and the reason he was able to be a hero might be the most rage inducing story of them all.

    Officer Goodman is a black man, and as the mob was approaching the Senate chamber, he gambled that he could use himself as human bait to lure them away.  Because when has a white mob ever been able to resist the chance to harm a black man?

    He was absolutely right, and lured them to a place where backup was waiting.

    He deserves a Medal of Freedom from President Biden.

  25. 25.

    CaseyL

    I, too, called my Rep and Senators last week.

    I copied most of your post (with additions and edits as appropriate) and sent it to my friends who live in other states, not all of them PA, and asked them to contact their elected officials to demand the insurrectionists be expelled and prosecuted.

    It’s harder for them, the ones who live in PA and FL.  They have Trumper friends, partners, business interests, etc.  I hope they find the intestinal fortitude to toss those folks out of their personal and professional lives.

  26. 26.

    Jay C

    @Mary G:

    Yes, apparently DoS has finally taken down the “term ended” page(s) – and chalked the jape up to “disgruntled staffer”.

    I knew we wouldn’t be so lucky….

  28. 28.

    frosty

    From South Central PA. Got voicemail for Toomey and Casey and a staffer for Smucker. The message was short and sweet: “I was horrified to see the insurrection at the capitol this week. I am horrified that Trump incited it. I am in favor of impeachment, conviction and removal from office as soon as possible.”

    I also thanked Casey for having our backs and told him I’d have his too.

  29. 29.

    Lyrebird

    @Cacti:

    He deserves a Medal of Freedom from President Biden.

    Seconded!

    And I think we will learn of some others, like whoever pulled off getting the Reps out of the gallery, whose genuine valor prevented the attack from getting much worse.

  31. 31.

    Another Scott

    It’s very good to see old Max again.  Here’s hoping he enjoys his senior years as much as he did his youth!

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  33. 33.

    frosty

    @Puddinhead: Could be worse, Scott Perry could be your rep. I got ungerrymandered into Smucker’s district.

    Never thought I’d say this, but both of them have me nostalgic for Todd Platts, who could clearly see what was coming and retired before he got primaried.

    We have run some wonderful Democrats in this area – Phil Avillo, George Scott, Jess King, Gene DePasquale, all of whom didn’t even make it to 40%. But kudos on them for running.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: The whole article makes me want to smack her, and I am not a violent person.

    edit: can i just say that if you’re wearing high heels when an angry, violent mob is after you, it’s best to take your fucking shoes off and run.  And maybe hang on to your high heels as weapons.

  36. 36.

    Elizabelle

    You know what else IS up on the State Department website?

    My Faith, My Work, My Country.

    Speech by Mike Pompeo to the Family Leader Summit in Iowa (!) in July 2020.  Compete with introduction by Mrs. Mike Pompeo.

    The order of priorities there strikes me as refreshing honesty from West Point’s finest.  (Last is snark.)

  37. 37.

    mali muso

    @Cacti: I have been following this story develop via Twitter and am glad to see this hero starting to get recognition for saving the day.  Amazing courage.

  40. 40.

    Ken

    @Elizabelle: How fortunate that the Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have already said “damaging a former Secretary of State’s election chances” is a valid reason for interminable hearings.

    And by “said”, I mean “bragged”, more-or-less exactly that.

  41. 41.

    trollhattan

    @Kent:

    Interesting list. Issa’s worth will dwarf those–mid decade it was estimated as about a half-billion–but Trump’s cabinet is/was stocked with billionaires so they still “win.”

  42. 42.

    sixthdoctor

    I just called my rep Kweisi Mfume’s (MD-7) office and said that while I thanked him for coming out for Trump’s impeachment I hoped he would also hold his Republican colleagues in the house accountable as well, particularly the minority leader. The person who took the call said that Rep. Mfume’s opinion aligned with mine and there are discussions in place. So I didn’t press for details beyond that, but it certainly sounds like there’s movement in the right direction.

  43. 43.

    dkinPa

    Glad to see that you’re highlighting geg6’s comment!  I live in western PA, next to Conor Lamb’s district and I am SO jealous of people who have him as their representative in Congress.  I did call his office earlier today to thank him.  Unfortunately, I’m represented by the odious Mike Kelly, one of the idiots who objected to Pennsylvania’s count.  I spent most of yesterday writing a letter, trying to keep my rage somewhat civil and on one page.  I did remind him that one more person died than Benghazi and included a police officer who died protecting him and his staff, and urged him to put political cowardice aside and hold Trump accountable for attempting a coup.

    Just called Senator Toomey’s office and left a voicemail, urging him gather his Republican colleagues and go to the White House to urge Trump to resign.  Yes, I know, pretty funny. . . .  In lieu of that, I urged him to vote for impeachment when it comes up in the Senate.  I also called Senator Casey’s office just to thank him.  Will call Congressman Kelly later in the week and urge him to vote to impeach.

  44. 44.

    OGLiberal

    @Kent: Yeah, most of them here have small families- 1-2 kids.  Not super religious although one single kid family has a mom who is of the Catholic persuasion that my New Orleans raised, Catholic school wife does not recognize. (Husband is not Catholic or religious but is definitely I’m not wearing a mask wingnutty.) It’s a weird crew.  They do like their guns.  Secular homeschooling is tough because so many of the parents are just crazy.  There’s a whole group of Catholic homeschoolers both in PA and NJ who are just way out there.  Pope Francis is a gay loving socialist Satanist in their eyes.

  45. 45.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    I live in PA. I called Toomey’s Allentown Office today and got no answer. Then I called his Philly office and got a his voicemail. I left a message thanking him for his condemnation of  the orange one.

  47. 47.

    OGLiberal

    @Kent: Oh, and while most don’t have a quiverful they are almost all anti-vaxxers.  And they apparently are all gluten intolerant.  Is there a such thing as celiac clusters?  We haven’t seen them in almost a year because, well, no masks.

  48. 48.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: Weird thing is that most of them have only been in NE PA for 20 years or less.  It’s a very NY/NJ crew with a smattering of folks from other states but urban/suburb.  That said, they are where they are because they wanted to “escape”.

  49. 49.

    cmorenc

    In order to get the required 2/3 vote in the Senate to convict Trump in an impeachment trial, we need at least 17 Republican Senators willing to vote to convict him.  What are the chances 17 can be so persuaded?  Otherwise, Trump will perversely gain, not lose empowerment to pressure GOP Senators and congressmen

  51. 51.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: In other words, while these folks are bat shit nuts they are not country folk, mine folk, valley folk…not at all.  Not even close.

  53. 53.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: Long Island but close enough.  The general migration is Brooklyn/Queens/Long Island, then Staten Island, then Monmouth or Ocean County, NJ.  Some end up in NE PA.  There is also a decent chunk of non-lunatic refugee NYCers in NE PA – cheaper real estate, better schools and you can still commute to a job in NYC.

  54. 54.

    citizen dave (aka mad citizen)

    @OGLiberal: God reading this I have to wonder what kind of adult citizens these kids will become. It seems like we need to educate kids with common facts and truths. Related, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Scholastic Books is going very strong, selling low-cost books to children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYHDKNaHEn8 (CBS Sunday Morning story)

    I had not thought of them in years, not having kids of my own.

  56. 56.

    OGLiberal

    @citizen dave (aka mad citizen): My kid is in a chat room with some of their kids – mostly for gaming – and one of the kids, 14-years old, was saying that the assault on the Capitol was patriots finally taking back our country from the Democrats.  14.  My son was horrified.

  59. 59.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: BTW, are Long and Pond the only Eddys or are there more?  Had a family friend who lived in North Branch, outside Calicoon.

  60. 60.

    Yutsano

    *inhales*
    …
    MAXPUPPEH!!!!
    *ahem*
    I unfortunately live in the district of the ignominious Dan Newhouse. He will do whatever McCarthy says to do. But I have 2 great Senators so that helps. I’ll have to contact all three anyway.

  61. 61.

    citizen dave (aka mad citizen)

    @OGLiberal: Truly OMG!  I was thinking about how the Republicans made patriotism, the flag, the military even, their “brand” over the years.  It’s time for the Dems to not only take over patriotism, but they need to adopt hardcore democracy as a brand issue.  (You wouldn’t think one of the parties has to do this–or has the opportunity to–but here we are.)

  62. 62.

    NotMax

    @OGLiberal

    Dunno about Eddys.

    Where I was situated was a few miles from Hawley, a place name I shall never view or hear again without wincing.

    Rare was the excursion to the Scranton area, mostly to peruse the aisles at Sugerman’s Eynon Drug Store. One of those sprawling “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it” local stores of which there used to be many scattered about the country.

  64. 64.

    OGLiberal

    1. @NotMax: Familiar with Hawley.  Spent a lot more time in Honesdale.  Enyon currently has P & R, which may be the best store ever…surplus stuff from other stores….the organic selection is huge and it’s crazy cheap.
  67. 67.

    Zelma

    I used to live in Conor Lamb’s district, before he was elected.  It was represented by Tim Murphy of the abortion scandal.  Watching Murphy’s devolving as a Congressman was an object lesson in what was happening to the Republican Party.  When he was elected, he was a moderate Republican whom I might even have considered voting for.  (I’m pretty sure I never did).  He was better than Santorum and very good on mental health.  But I watched him become more and more radical as the years went on.

    It’s my opinion, such as it is, that Lamb is about as liberal as we can elect in that district but that he will move leftward a bit because the district is moving that way.  Suburbia, you know.

    I now live in the district of the egregious Jeff Van Drew whom I worked to elect.  I haven’t gotten in touch with him yet because every time I start a letter, my blood pressure soars.

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    @OGLiberal

    The original is gone; besides the flea market it’s now a shopping plaza with a variety of retailers.

    Original was freaking huge. Aspirin and sundries as one would expect in a place billed as a drug store. Then scoot over a few aisles and one could buy guns. Or a canoe. Or a SCUBA tank. Head the other way to purchase a piano. Or blue jeans, a winter coat or dress suit. And a complete grocery market inside, also too.

  70. 70.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: Crikey, Route 6.  Spent most of my time on that road on the freeway Casey portion between Scranton and Waymart.  Or the business portion between Dickson City and Carbondale.  But definitely spent plenty of time on the Honesdale stretch…lots of retail there.

  71. 71.

    OGLiberal

    @NotMax: P&R is somewhat similar.  Up until recently they had a huge baby inventory- playpen, car seats, etc.  Also, bikes.  For some reason they got rid of that.  Can still get a bunch of organic stuff, produce, pet toys, lamps, vacuums and toys.

  74. 74.

    Emma

    Hi, Tim and Max! Holy crap I feel old, looking at that picture. I feel like the last time the jackaltariat saw him was when he was a puppeh. Welp, time to reinforce my inner-elder with a nice mug of tea.

  75. 75.

    Suzanne

    Now a PA-er. Living in Allegheny County, which  the election news seemed to always call it “the Democratic stronghold of Allegheny County”. I like living in a stronghold.
    Rep is Doyle. If I was about three blocks to the south, it would be Lamb.

    I might run for City Council at some point.

  76. 76.

    WayneL140

    When asked about whether he would change his vote, Toomey said he voted against the “radicalization of the Democratic Party.” Yes, he really said this, in a reflexive reply and with heat. I guess he hasn’t noticed his party was radicalized enough to attack the building where he works.

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