| The Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party votes today for a candidate to run for the May 18 special election in the 12th Congressional District. This person will compete with the Republican selected to fill the remaining term of the late John P. Murtha. The 12th CD is a heavily gerrymandered area which stretches from Indiana County down to Fayette and Greene Counties in the far southwestern part of the state. Of the four candidates we have concentrated upon vetting Mark Critz who served for over twelve years (according to a legal deposition given by Critz) on Congressman Murtha's staff. Barbara Hafer, former Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Auditor General is also running with Cambria County Controller Ed Cernik Jr. and Ryan Bucchianeri.
I haven't had a horse in this race. What I have done is focus on the critical and serious shortcomings of Mark Critz as a successor. With an amazing number of Pennsylvania Congressional seats in play this year adding the 12th to that mix provides reactionary Republicans the opportunity to give us more Joe Pitts', Melissa Harts and Phil Englishes. As corrupt as Murtha was he brought jobs to an area in desperate need of them and he wasn't a war profiteer like Irey. We exposed his 2006 opponent for her reasons for supporting the War in Iraq and we also exposed Critz' failings.
Cernik is largely an unknown outside Johnstown but PA2010 reports (great reporting over there!) he is anti-choice and pro gun. I was in Philadelphia two evenings last week and gun safety is costing people, including cops and kids, their lives. It's tough enough battling Republican gun nuts who don't believe in safety, law and order or law enforcement without electing Democrats who believe the same nonsense.
Dan Hirschhorn has a series of articles at PA2010 on today's vote. My feeling is that Critz' candidacy is dead and Bucchianeri isn't a viable threat. That leaves it between Hafer and Cernik. Many Democrats, according to Dan, are miffed at Hafer for reacting to reports we published last week. Barbara Hafer had nothing to do with our reporting (thanks to the many sources who did) and merely reacted to the news Mark Critz was heavily involved with a company which cheated taxpayers. She also had issues with the rigging of the local selection process. I have trouble arguing with what she did. These are serious issues and Ed Cernik remained silent about them all week. That concerns me because it didn't seem to concern him.
Today's vote is important because this seat is in play. Democrats must choose the best candidate period. |
