StopLouBarletta.com

I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the people who write Lou Barletta’s press statements are heavily addicted to hard drugs.  This week, Mayor Barletta’s campaign has released what is perhaps its most bizarre statement yet.  In a press release dated August 31st, Barletta blasts Rep. Paul Kanjorski for representing the district with the highest unemployment level in the state. This is odd because the city that Lou Barletta runs, Hazleton, is part of that district and is a big reason for why the district is ranked where it is in terms of jobs.  As mayor of Hazleton, Lou Barletta has done everything possible to chase away jobs and scare away employers.

Lou Barletta has been the mayor of Hazleton since 2000.  Since being elected as mayor, Barletta, who is the text-book definition of a moron, has systematically drove Hazleton into the dirt.  This past year alone, Barletta raised property taxes by 70%.  That isn’t a typo.  Despite his city struggling with one of the highest unemployment rate of any city in Pennsylvania, Lou Barletta thought it would be a good time to slam the residents of the city with a brutal tax hike.  Multiply this type of “leadership” by ten and you’ll begin to understand why Hazleton is the mess that it is.  Barletta has a long history of spinning his screw-ups into being someone else’s fault.  Since becoming mayor, he hasn’t taken responsibility for anything.  And with this latest press release, the trend continues.

What Barletta is trying to do here is disgusting.  If you want to attack your political opponent on his record, that’s all well and good.  However, don’t try to play games where the object is to find a way to make your failures someone else’s fault.  The people of Hazleton aren’t struggling to pay off their city taxes because of Paul Kanjorski.  Paul Kanjorski didn’t raid the Hazleton City Pension fund, taking money that was supposed to be used to help support city retirees.  Lou Barletta did that.  And it wasn’t Paul Kanjorski who’s been relentless in trying to bankrupt Halzeton with failed political scheme after failed political scheme.  Again, you can thank Mayor Lou Barletta for that.

Lou Barletta has done everything in his power to ruin Hazleton.  At every opportunity, he has been perfect in his attempts to make things worse for the people who he supposedly works for.  This is a man who can raise city property taxes by 70% then turn around and blast his opponent for chasing jobs away.  If elected to the US Congress, we should expect nothing but more of the same from him.  The only difference will be that his ineptitude will be affecting a whole lot more people than just the residents of Hazleton.  Instead of wrecking just one city, Barletta will have an opportunity to inflict his stupidity on an entire Congressional District.

Without question, electing Lou Barletta to higher office would be a disaster for everyone involved.  As mayor of Hazleton, Lou Barletta hasn’t done one thing that anyone can point to and say, “Hey!  That was a good idea.  We should do more of that!”  Drive down the streets of Hazleton.  You will see one shuttered business after another.  Buy a home in Hazleton and then try not to keel over and die when your property tax bill arrives.  What Lou Barletta has done to the city of Hazleton is horrible.  Let’s not give him the opportunity to ruin the lives and livelihoods of the rest of us.  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com
Twitter.com/StopLouBarletta

Mayor Lou Barletta, who’s currently running for Congress, is trying very hard to not talk about his record as mayor of Hazleton.  This is puzzling at first, considering that Barletta has been the mayor of Hazleton since 2000.  However, when you look at the things that Barletta has “accomplished” in Hazleton, you quickly understand why this mayor would like you to forget all about the fact that he’s the mayor.  Instead, Barletta has spent the past several weeks talking about anything other than what he’s been doing for the past ten years.

On July 21st, Barletta released a press statement blasting his opponent, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, for trying to make the race, “all about Hazleton.” Barletta was some how stunned and angered that his opponent would dare to try and talk about Barletta’s record of public service.  On July 30th, the Barletta campaign issued another scathing statement demanding to know if Paul Kanjorski “agrees with his party leaders about raising the retirement age.” Everyone found this puzzling because the Republican leader, John Boehner, is also in favor of raising the retirement age.  It began to appear that Barletta’s PR people were drinking heavily while they wrote his press releases.

And then, to erase any doubt, on August 10th, a statement was released blasting Paul Kanjorski for not signing the Presidential Medal of Freedom that was issued to Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.  Yes, with the economy, job creation, home foreclosures, and a war in Afghanistan raging….Lou Barletta was throwing a temper tantrum over a college football coach.  On August 16th, Barletta issued a statement condemning the decision of New York City to allow a mosque to be built near the Ground Zero site.  Everyone found this odd because Barletta has always championed the right of a city to enforce its own policies without outside interference (see his entire argument in support of his Illegal Immigration Relief Act).  It appeared that Barletta would go the entire month of August without talking about anything related to the Congressional District he was seeking to represent.  Then, right at the last second, Barletta issued a statement blasting Kanjorski for supporting the construction of an anti-terrorism training facility in Conyngham Township (something that would create 400 new jobs).

All of this should be very worrying to Lou Barletta supporters.  The fact that Barletta is trying to ignore his ten failed years as mayor of Hazleton is an insult to the people of Hazleton and to the people of the 11th Congressional District.  Instead of talking about college football coaches and events in New York City, Mayor Lou should be explaining why Hazleton has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, the highest property tax rate in the state (he raised it 70% this year alone), and the most under-funded pension fund in Luzerne County.  These are the things Barletta should be talking about because they are all a direct result of his “leadership” as mayor of Hazleton.

As Mayor Barletta seems to have a soft spot for football coaches, perhaps he should consider a quote from former NFL coach Bill Parcells who famously declared, “You are what your record says you are.”  And if Lou Barletta is what his record says he is, Lou Barletta is a mayor who supports massive tax hikes, destroying jobs, and playing games with retirees’ money.  This is not the type of leadership we need to be sending to Washington.  It is not the type of leadership that the 11th Congressional District should support.  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com
Twitter.com/StopLouBarletta

Seth Godin is not a political person.  He is, however, one of the most important voices in the world of advertising and marketing.  He has written several best selling books on the subject and is widely considered one of the leading voices in the marketing industry.  He is not running for office and he has not (to my knowledge) endorsed any political candidate.  That said, Mr. Godin posted something very interesting on his blog this past weekend.

On Sunday, Seth Godin wrote a post, titled “Intollerance and xenophobia as a (short-term) marketing strategy“.  And while Mr. Godin doesn’t mention any specific candidate, his post could easily speak to Mayor Barletta and his campaign marketing tactics.  Barletta is running around, ranting and raving about how he is fighting an “illegal immigration crime wave” (a claim that has already been proven to be a lie in Federal Court) and how he is “America’s Mayor.”  The result of all this has been that Barletta has gotten lots of face time on cable news talk shows and has also been endorsed for Congress by David Duke, a self-proclaimed white supremesist and a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan.  Anyway, here’s what Mr. Godin had to say about the type of campaign marketing tactics that Lou Barletta is using on a daily basis…

“Possibly the oldest human worldview is fear of strangers. And right next to that is anger as a byproduct of fear.

If a candidate wants to gain attention and possibly votes, then, it makes short-term sense to stir up fear of strangers and turn it into anger. It might even work (once). But it makes it virtually impossible to govern. It’s a short-term strategy that eats itself, because sooner or later, everyone is a stranger, and fear is no foundation for work that matters.

It seems as though we’re entering a season in which it’s easy to ostracize or become righteously indignant over someone’s national origin, skin color, religion or sexual orientation.

If this is the best a politician can do to organize and lead, then we all lose.”

I’ve been saying for a long time that if you take a position, and the Ku Klux Klan openly applauds you for taking that position, you should probably re-consider your position.  Mayor Barletta claims that he is not a racist, despite being called one by many people on a regular basis.  And while I don’t know Lou Barletta well enough to know for sure if he is or is not a racist, I do know that his campaign stump speeches are very popular with people who are racists.  Barletta’s campaign tactics and comments on the issue of immigration have been so divisive that Temple University introduced a college course, titled “The War in Hazleton“, which studied the negative impact that Barletta has had on community and race relations in Hazleton.  Without question, Lou Barletta has built his name and his reputation on the fear and anger strategy that Mr. Godin warns against.

As I’ve said, Seth Godin is not a political person.  However, on the subject of marketing, he is arguably the leading expert.  And while Mr. Godin’s blog post on campaign marketing tactics aren’t directed at any specific candidate or political party, Mayor Barletta’s political marketing strategy is definitely the type of marketing that Godin is warning against.  As mayor of Hazleton, Lou Barletta has driven the city into the dirt.  The cost of living in Hazleton continues to rise while the quality of living continues to sink.  It is for this reason that Lou Barletta can not run on his record and why he is relying so heavily on fear and hate mongering.  Our political leaders should be standing up against organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, not being endorsed by them.  Clearly, Mayor Barletta has no business serving in the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

If you’re Mayor Lou Barletta, the last thing you want people talking about is Hazleton. Yes, Hazleton is the city that Mayor Barletta has run since 1999. However, with the city’s finances in tatters, tax rates sky rocketing, and the highest unemployment rate in the state, Lou Barletta would much prefer if you just turned a blind eye to his city and how he’s been running it. Lou Barletta is embarrassed by Hazleton and he’s doing everything he can to not talk about the city.

Instead, Mayor Lou would much rather talk about other things. Like the current immigration debate raging in Arizona. Bareltta is sending out messages across Facebook and Twitter bragging about, “Before Arizona, there was Lou Barletta & Hazleton.” He’s also produced a new video, in which he claims to be the first local official, ever, in the history of mankind, to stand up against illegal immigration. Barletta loves talking about illegal immigration because it keeps people’s minds off of Hazleton, and how horribly he’s managed the city.

But I think it’s critical to look at how Barletta has run the city of Hazleton. The man is running for Congress. I think it’s important to look at the decisions he’s made as the elected leader of the city that he’s been running for over a decade, now. If you owned a business and someone came to you looking for a job, wouldn’t you find it odd if they said they had eleven years experience, but didn’t want to talk about it? Shouldn’t that be a red flag that, hey, maybe this guy is a bumbling idiot? If you’ve been an elected official for over ten years, and your performance during that time is so embarrassing that you’d rather talk about something happening in another state, across the country, I find it difficult to put very much trust in you.

Here are some of the things that Mayor Lou Barletta has done (or not done) as mayor of Hazleton…

• This year, he’s raised property taxes in Hazleton by 70%
• One of his first actions as mayor was to slash the police force in half
• He’s illegally taken money from the Hazleton City Pension Fund for purposes other than for what it was intended
• He’s run businesses out of town, Hazleton now has the highest unemployment rate in the state of Pennsylvania
• He’s allowed the city streets to rot and fall apart.  I get emails every day from people blasting the mayor over the condition of Hazleton roads and his refusal to fix them.
• He’s accepted political donations from convicted drug dealers, and then defended these scumbags as “hard working citizens.”

So considering all of this, why in the hell would you want to vote for him?  As far as I can tell, he’s done about as bad of a job as humanly possible while working as Mayor of Hazleton.  If running a single city is too daunting of a task for this man, how can he be trusted to represent an entire Congressional District?  These are the things that Mayor Lou needs to be talking about.  He needs to explain why we should trust him not to screw the entire 11th Congressional District in the same way that he’s screwed the city of Hazleton.  He needs to explain why we should trust him to help rebuild our economy when the economy of Hazleton has imploded during his time as mayor.  And he needs to explain how he can keep jobs for residents of the District, even though his policies of mayor have sent businesses fleeing the city he governs.  He needs to explain why we should trust him to not do us what he’s already done to Hazleton.

The immigration debate is a debate worth having.  It’s an important issue that needs to be addressed.  However, when you’re unemployed and struggling with property taxes that you couldn’t afford even if you did have a job, the immigration debate is not the most important issue at hand.  As mayor of Hazleton, Lou Barletta has systematically lowered the quality of living for the residents of the city.  Taxes are high, jobs are scarce, and the city’s budget is on life support.  Mayor Barletta needs to spend less time talking about Arizona and more time fixing the mess that he’s made in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  For the sake of everyone, Lou Barletta should not be elected to Congress.

-Dan Cheek
StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com
Twitter.com/StopLouBarletta

One of the reasons I love writing a blog about Mayor Lou Barletta, or “America’s Mayor” as his PR people like to say, is that I never run out of stuff to write about.  I can always count on Mayor Barletta to come along and say and/or do something stupid and provide me with enough material to fill several blog posts.  This past week was no exception.  Once again, “America’s Mayor” has figured out how to continue to embarrass both himself and the Republican Party that he represents.  On June 17th, Barletta posted an article on his website that basically demanded that the US Government leave poor old BP alone and just trust them to fix the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.  Seriously, people, I can’t make this stuff up.  Lou Barletta is now sticking up for BP.

I understand that Lou Barletta is having trouble raising cash for his faltering Congressional campaign.  He has amassed a mountain of debt and his fund raising efforts are on life support, at best.  So I guess it should be no surprise that, apparently, Lou Barletta is now trying to make nice with the oil industry.  Because, hey, who has more money that Big Oil, right?  Barletta’s little rant, which blasts the Federal Government and calls for them to end their criminal investigation probe of BP, sounds as if it were really a BP press release.  But don’t take my word for it, allow me to quote directly from Mayor Barletta’s op-ed…

“This oil spill has exposed serious flaws in our government, just as Hurricane Katrina did in August 2006.

In this case, private industries clearly made serious mistakes. But our government has failed us – and continues to fail us in this area on a daily basis.

It pains me to say that the president failed to lead during this crisis. His response and that of his administration has been too slow, too disorganized, and too scattered. The Obama administration is so concerned about playing the Washington Blame Game that plugging the leaking well seems to be a secondary concern.

BP and other private firms should be held accountable for whatever damages they caused.

But the federal government’s first priority should be stopping the leak and cleaning up the damage. Next, it should determine what went wrong and make sure a similar tragedy never happens again.

There will be time for criminal investigations and federal probes. For now, the Obama administration should keep political scheming at the water’s edge.”

Get that?  Essentially, Lou Barletta is saying that yeah, maybe BP made a little mistake, but it’s really the Federal Government’s response that we should be pissed about.  And, really, why should we even be conducting criminal investigations into the oil leak?  These mean people from the government should just get the hell out of BP’s way and let them do what they’re good at.  Fixing massive oil leaks.  God bless America, and God bless BP!

Or something like that.  Honestly, I’m not even sure what the point of Barletta’s article really is.  At one point he says that there’s too much government involvement in the Gulf, a few lines later he says that the Federal Government’s first priority should be plugging the leak, then he ends by adding that the government should halt it’s criminal investigation into BP.  He also, at the very beginning, quotes Ronald Reagan because that’s what all good Republicans do.  At no point in this article, however, does Lou Barletta express outrage at BP or the role that they’ve played in this entire disaster.  In fact, reading this article, you’d think that the Federal Government caused the oil leak and that BP was just an innocent victim.

Lou Barletta just recently released a YouTube video proclaiming that he “Stands with You!”  Supposedly, Lou Barletta wants to go to Congress to look out for all of us.  However, it would seem, from content posted to Barletta’s own website, that he really wants to go to Congress to stand up for BP.  If he had his way, Barletta would halt all government intervention, keeping oversight at “water’s edge”, and allow BP to do whatever the hell it wants to do in the Gulf.  Because, as we all know, BP does amazing things when left to their own devices.  Oh.  Wait…

So, in closing, let’s take a moment to reflect on who Lou Barletta is really standing up for.  He just wrote this little article defending BP and decrying the government’s involvement in the crisis.  He has accepted thousands of dollars and multiple donations from The Eagle Forum, a group of political crazies who wants to keep women shackled in their homes and make it okay for men to rape their wives.  He has, in the past, accepted money from convicted drug dealers and publicly defended these gentlemen as decent and hard working people.  And, he has also been endorsed for Congress by David Duke, a self-proclaimed white supremacist and former member of the Ku Klux Klan’s senior leadership.  So, yeah, how do we get this guy elected to Congress?  He’s a regular Captain America.

The truth of the matter is that, as I’ve pointed out on this blog for over two years now, Lou Barletta is political scum.  If you look at who Lou Barletta supports, and who supports him, it becomes clear that Mayor Barletta is not on our side.  Because, if he was, he wouldn’t be spending his time writing articles that defend BP.  He wouldn’t be accepting money from The Eagle Forum.  And he wouldn’t accept endorsements from members of the KKK.  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

See also: “False Statements” About Lou Barletta Really Aren’t False and Barletta Disrespects US Military

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

According to the FEC’s Campaign Finance website, Lou Barletta has accepted multiple donations and thousands of dollars from the Eagle Forum PAC.  For those that don’t know, the Eagle Forum is one of the most extremist political action groups in the nation.  The belief system that they champion is widely considered to be one of the most dangerous in US politics.  It’s interesting, then, that Mayor Lou Barletta is so cozy with this group of crazies.

The Eagle Forum is a political action committee that was established in 1967 by Phyllis Schlafly, a life-long opponent to the equal rights movement.  I mentioned that the Eagle Forum is one of the most extremist groups in American politics, and I wasn’t exaggerating.  Among other things, the group believes that it should not be illegal for a man to rape his wife, opposes sex education in public schools, believe women should be relegated to “full time homemakers,” as opposed to pursuing careers, and is strongly opposed to vaccinations for infants.  The Eagle Forum has been a long time supporter of Mayor Barletta, donating thousands of dollars to his various political campaigns.

Since December 17th, the Eagle Forum has donated $2,000 to Lou Barletta’s campaign for Congress.  Considering what this group of scary people believe in, I find it troubling that Lou Barletta has not only accepted money from them, but has also accepted multiple donations from the group.  Groups like the Eagle Forum don’t donate money to candidates at random.  They donate money to individuals who they believe will further their cause in the halls of government.  And by continuing to accept their money, Lou Barletta is sending the message that, “Yes, I will support your beliefs in Congress.  You can count on me, guys!”

On his website, Lou Barletta has just released a video claiming that he “stand with you.”  Unless you oppose equal rights for women and feel that infants have no right receiving life-saving vaccinations, I would cast serious doubt on that statement.  The Eagle Forum, one of Barletta’s strongest backers, is working very hard to get Lou Barletta elected to Congress.  Considering the horrific, Taliban-like beliefs that the Eagle Forum endorses, I would be strongly opposed to any candidate that this group thinks is a good idea.  The fact that the Eagle Forum supports Lou Barletta is reason enough for sane people everywhere not to.  Clearly, Lou Barletta does not belong in the United States Congress.

See also: Barletta Palling Around with White Supremacists and Racists

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

Lou Barletta and Rep. Paul Kanjorski are preparing to put up their dukes and go at it, again.  For a third time, Mayor Lou Barletta of Hazleton, PA will attempt to unseat Rep. Paul Kanjorski in the November general election.  Barletta won the Republican primary unopposed.  Kanjorski beat, by a huge margin, two other candidates to win the Democratic primary.  This November, voters will decide who will represent them for the next two years in the United States Congress.

For the sake of all that is good and great, I really hope they don’t choose Lou Barletta.  Barletta has spent the last several years, while serving as mayor of Hazleton, bankrupting the city, raising tax rates to astronomical levels, and making an embarrassment of himself, his city, and the Republican Party.  Barletta’s political campaign is running on fumes.  Barletta only has about $2,000 in cash available for his fight.  Compare this with Paul Kanjorski’s war chest, which is stocked with close to $1 million.  In short, if Lou Barletta were a lollipop flavor, it would be Steamed Pig Crap.

Now, back to the point of this post.  Can Lou Barletta beat Paul Kanjorski in November?  The Standard Speaker featured an interesting article on this very topic, and while they didn’t answer this question directly, they did imply that if Barletta ever had a chance at beating Kanjorski, this would be it.  And not because of anything that Lou Barletta has done right.  Rather, the article explains that there is an “anti-incumbent” wave that may work against Paul Kanjorski.  Allow me to explain why I think that Barletta will, despite this very real “anti-incumbent” sentiment, still come up short against Kanjorski.

1. Lou Barletta is a poor candidate.  And I mean that both literally and figuratively.  Even with the political winds working in his favor, Barletta isn’t a skilled enough politician to actually take advantage of this.  The biggest evidence of this is Barletta’s historic inability to raise campaign cash.  If Barletta were worth his weight as a political candidate, he wouldn’t struggle, election after election after election, to raise cash.  And he certainly isn’t a good enough candidate to take on a political powerhouse like Paul Kanjorksi, who is backed by a mighty, battle tested campaign machine and a small fortune in cash.
2. Lou Barletta isn’t as popular as he, or his supporters, thinks he is.  Yes, he is extremely popular in his home city of Hazleton.  If this Congressional election were held only in Hazleton, Barletta would probably win.  However, this is not the case.  In two previous elections, Barletta tried to convince the voters of the 11th Congressional District that he was a better choice than Paul Kanjorski.  Both times, voters didn’t buy what Barletta was selling.  For further proof of Barletta’s lackluster popularity, I again point to his campaign finances.  If Lou Barletta were as popular as he’d like to believe that he is, he would have a lot more cash on hand.  People donate money to candidates that they like.  The fact that Barletta has struggled to raise money from people speaks volumes.
3. Paul Kanjorski is going to bulldoze Barletta.  You can bet that Kanjorski is going to spend early, and spend heavily.  He will run television ads all Summer long.  He will put up dozens of billboards.  There will be radio ads.  With his tiny bit of money, Barletta won’t be able to compete against this media onslaught.  All Summer long, voters will hear all about how great of a candidate Paul Kanjorski is, how rotten of a person Lou Barletta is, and why voters would be better off voting for Paul Kanjorski in November.  They won’t hear a peep from Barletta, because Lou needs to save all his money for the Fall.
4. Barletta’s failures as mayor of Hazleton will catch up with him.  As I’ve pointed out multiple times on this blog, Lou Barletta has driven the city of Hazleton into the dirt.  He’s slashed the Hazleton Police Department in half, he’s brought the city to it’s knees and to the brink of bankruptcy, and he’s raised taxes to some of the highest in the State.  Those type of things, when brought to the attention of voters, don’t tend to go over very well.  Kanjorski could very easily, and very quickly, throw Barletta on the defensive.  It’s entirely possible that while there may be an anti-incumbent sentiment, by Summer’s end, there could also be an anti-Barletta sentiment, as well.

Now, despite all of this, can Lou Barletta still manage to eek out a victory against Paul Kanjorski?  Possibly.  Hey, stranger things have happened.  However, I really do think that Barletta is clearly the underdog in this race.  I think the combination of Barletta’s record, his weaknesses as a candidate, and Kanjorski’s position of power will prove too much for him to overcome.  The important question, however, isn’t whether or not Barletta could beat Kanjorski.  The real question that people need to focus on is, does Barletta deserve to beat Kanjorski.  And the answer to that question, in my mind, is a resounding “NO!”  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

Gort, the legendary local political blogger, is putting a “blogger meetup” together.  The event, which is open to everyone interested, will be held on Friday, March 26th at 5pm.  It will be hosted at Rooney’s Irish Pub in Pittston, PA.  In addition to local bloggers, the event will also feature politicians from the area, providing an opportunity for everyone to ask some questions or express some opinions.

I will be attending the event, representing StopLouBarletta.com.  I’ve been told that all of the 11th Congressional District candidates have been invited, including Mayor Lou Barletta.  I’m actually kind of hoping that Barletta does show up.  I’m not looking to yell or throw things at him, but I’d like the opportunity to maybe sit down with the man for a few minutes and have some back-and-forth on some of the things that I’ve been posting on this blog for the past couple of years.  Obviously, I’m not expecting Barletta to be a fan of the site, but I’m actually interested in hearing his response to some of the issues that I’ve been talking (or ranting, depending on your view) about for a while, now.

I’m also really looking forward to meeting some other bloggers who cover local politics, even the ones that have been ripping me since this blog’s inception.  Many of these bloggers have been covering the world of NEPA politics for far longer than I have and are bound to have a wealth of insight into many hot-topic issues.  And, in addition to all of that, it’s also a great opportunity for me to meet some of my readers, and vice-versa.  So, consider yourselves all formally invited to the event.  I hope all of you can make it.

Anyway, here are the details….

NEPA Blogger Meetup
When: Friday, March 26th 2010
Where: Rooney’s Irish Pub (67 S. Main Street, Pittston, PA 18704)
Time: 5pm

So, if you can make it, stop on by for a few drinks and some (hopefully) intelligent conversation.  Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, and if you know of any local bloggers, pass along an invite to them, as well.  It should be a great time.  See you then!

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

If you read the “Issues” section on Lou Barletta’s web page, you would notice that Mayor Barletta talks about Spending as his first “issue.”  Barletta budgets more space to the issue of spending than on any other issue on the page.  This is ironic, because as Mayor of Hazleton, Barletta has treated the issue of spending and budgeting as an afterthought.  A reasonable person must ask, if fiscal responsibility is so important to Lou Barletta, why is Hazleton in such financial disrepair?

The obvious answer is that despite what is claimed on Barletta’s website, responsible spending isn’t really all that important to Mayor Barletta.  On his website, Barletta makes the following statements…

“I’m tired of this blank-check attitude of Washington politicians.  We need to send people to Washington who will add real checks to our nation’s bank balance.”

This is an interesting choice of words coming from the mayor who illegally used the Hazleton Pension Fund for purposes other than what it was intended for.  That costly decision nearly bankrupt the city and required the State of Pennsylvania to intervene and fix Barletta’s screw-up.  Also, consider the fact that the city of Hazleton is now so strapped for cash that Mayor Barletta is looking to sell off the Hazleton Water Authority to the highest bidder.  Do these sound like the actions of a man who is really serious about fiscal responsibility?

Want further proof of Lou Barletta’s financial ineptitude?  Okay.  Just take a peek at his campaign finances.  Barletta has wracked up more debt than all other candidates, both Democrat and Republican, combined.  Things are so bad for Barletta’s campaign, in fact, that before he even announced his decision to run for Congress again, he sent out a letter begging people to donate money to him so he could pay off some of his existing campaign debt from his previous two failed Congressional campaigns.  Yes, Lou Barletta is the candidate who was asking for money for his campaign before he was a candidate.  Financial integrity at its finest, eh?

When allowed to play with money, Lou Barletta has a history of doing horribly stupid things.  He can write whatever he wants on his website about how serious he is about responsible spending.  However, despite his best efforts, Mayor Barletta can not re-write the facts.  As Mayor of Hazleton, Barletta has left the city in shambles.  As a political candidate, Barletta has burned through money like it was some sort of fossile fuel.  If Lou Barletta is serious about keeping people out of Washington who are going to waste and mismanage money, he should not be running for Congress.  Because Lou Barletta has a long history of wasting and mismanaging money.  Clearly, Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

See also: Lou Barletta is a Bad Investment and Barletta Struggling to Raise Funds

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

While Mayor Lou Barletta’s Congressional Campaign continues to do a whole lot of nothing, Chris Paige is continuing to try and take the fight to Barletta.  From today until Sunday, Chris Paige and volunteers from his campaign will be staffing booths at the Columbia and Steamtown Malls.  They’ll be there, collecting signatures to get Paige on the ballot, answering voter questions, and (hopefully) talking poorly about Mayor Barletta.

As a Republican, I can’t think of a worse candidate to represent the Party than Lou Barletta.  He has proven, in multiple campaigns, unable to raise campaign money or to run a competitive operation.  As a mayor, he has ruined the city of Hazleton, bringing it to the point of financial collapse.  The thought of this man representing anyone in any higher office is a frightening thought, indeed.  This is why I feel that having Chris Paige as a challenger to Lou Barletta in the Republican Primary is such a good thing.

The Republican voters deserve to have a choice.  Barletta has walked into the Republican nomination twice before, and watching his campaign was like watching a toddler beat his toys on the floor.  His fund raising operation was a joke.  He failed to articulate any clear positions on important issues.  His campaign manager, Vince Galko, has screwed up every election he’s ever been a part of.  And now on his third attempt at running for Congress, Lou Barletta shows no signs of learning from his past mistakes.

So at some point this week, stop by either the Columbia or Steamtown Malls and learn more about Chris Paige and his campaign.  If you’re so inclined, sign his petition to get him on the ballot.  Both the Republican Party and the voters of the 11th Congressional District deserve to have competitive political candidates.  Lou Barletta is not one of those candidates.  He never was and it appears he never will be.  It’s time to move on.  Lou Barletta does not deserve to be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com