StopLouBarletta.com

It’s been over a month since Lou Barletta posted a blog on his website, demanding that the US Government drop its criminal probe of BP.  He also called for the end of government oversight of BP as it works to stop the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.  To date, Barletta has yet to speak further on the matter, either to apologize for his outlandish remarks or to clarify them.  The only reasonable explanation for this is that Mayor Barletta still believes that standing with BP, and against the United States of America, is the right thing to do.  This begs the question, “Why?”

There are those that would say that Barletta’s statement doesn’t really support BP.  Really?  The title of the blog post is, “Gulf Needs Relief, Not Government”.  In the post, Barletta wonders aloud how the US Government could be so “woefully inept” at dealing with this crisis (right before he states that the US Government’s first priority should be dealing with this crisis).  And then Barletta ends the post by calling for an end to the criminal investigation of BP and calls for the US Government to leave it’s “political scheming” at “water’s edge.”  If I’m a BP executive, I’m sitting there going, “YOU TELL THEM, LOU!”

Also, if Barletta wasn’t supporting BP with this post, then what is the point of it, exactly?  Why, if you aren’t siding with BP, would you post something that blasts the US Government for its response to the oil disaster, calls for an end to any criminal investigation of BP, and calls for the government to stay at waters edge, forty miles away from the gushing oil leak?  If someone were NOT defending BP, they would NOT have posted something like that.  Barletta and his cronies can try and spin this post all they want, but I can read what Barletta wrote and I think it’s pretty clear that Barletta is, with this blog post, standing up for BP.

So I go back to my original question, “Why?”  Why would any intelligent politician want to stand up in support of BP, a company that has caused so much harm, ruined so many lives, and wreaked so much havoc?  The simple answer is that Lou Barletta is not intelligent.  And while I will be the last person to stand up in defense of Lou Barletta’s intelligence, I think that Lou Barletta wrote that blog post as a calculated gamble.  Barletta decided to write that post, hope that not too many people saw it (it wasn’t referred to in any press release or linked to on either his Facebook or Twitter accounts), and that he could then use it to get some cash from the oil industry.  He could quietly reach out to them, point them to his blog, and imply that if elected, he would be their guy.  And, if some moron with a StopLouBarletta website stumbled upon it and called him out on it, Barletta ensured that the post was still vague enough that he could try and say it wasn’t what it appeared to be.

So is that why Mayor Barletta wrote that post?  Obviously, I haven’t discussed it with him but it makes enough sense to me that I can’t help but think that the answer is, “Yes.”  I do believe that Lou Barletta is trying to make nice with the oil industry in the hopes that they throw him some support as he seeks to get elected to Congress.  I believe that Lou Barletta is willing to stoop that low.  He’s already accepted money from convicted drug dealers and from an organization that believes women have no place in the work force, so it’s really not a stretch to think that he’d also pander to BP and the oil industry.  Lou Barletta is desperate for cash and he has made it clear that he will take it from anyone, from any organization, no questions asked.  Is that the kind of politician that we should be sending to Congress?

I don’t think so.  And, in two previous elections, the majority of voters have agreed.  When Lou Barletta starts speaking up against the US Government, and in support of BP, it’s clear that he doesn’t want to go to Congress to stand up for any of us.  He wants to go to Congress to stand up for whomever gives him money.  Lou Barletta, in my opinion, is a slimeball and a spineless political hack.  Clearly, Lou Barletta should not be elected to Congress.

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

What could be better that StopLouBarletta.com, you ask?  “NOTHING!”, I respond.  But do you know what is just as good?  The StopLouBarletta.com Facebook and Twitter pages!  If you use any of these social platforms, please take a few moments to become followers.  I guarantee that it will be worth you time.

StopLouBarletta.com on Facebook (click HERE to go to the page)
The StopLouBarletta Facebook page allows users of Facebook to come together for some intelligent discussion and debate about Lou Barletta and all that he does, and does not, represent.  Current members include popular local bloggers, residents of Hazleton, constituents of the 11th Congressional District (which Barletta is seeking to represent in Congress) and people who are just concerned/interested in the issues surrounding Lou Barletta and his campaign for Congress.  The group is open to everyone and it provides a good opportunity for people to express their opinions, ask questions of myself and others, and post links to other interesting content (websites, blogs, videos, news articles, etc.).

In addition to all of that, I also use the Facebook group to post links to updates to this site.  This allows users the benefit of being able to keep up to date with StopLouBarletta right from their Facebook page.  It’s also allows all of you an easy way to share all of this information with your friends on Facebook.  Once you’re a member of the group, it’s really easy to invite your Facebook friends to join the group and to post links right to your own Facebook profile.

If you would like to join the StopLouBarletta Facebook Group, click HERE.

StopLouBarletta.com on Twitter (click HERE to go to the page)
The StopLouBarletta Twitter account is where I can send quick thoughts about Barletta, the campaign, and anything else that I want to get out to the masses.  Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networks in the world and the features that the service provides are really great.  From the Twitter account, I post links to new posts on this site, provide additional thoughts on Barletta and his campaign, and interact with other Twitter users.

But what’s the best reason to follow StopLouBarletta on Twitter?  Because even Mayor Lou Barletta is a follower of the site!  Yup, my biggest fan, Lou Barletta, has his very own Twitter account (which can be found HERE) and he uses it to, among other things, keep up to date on all the exciting stuff that’s going on with this site.  So, hey, if Lou Barletta follows StopLouBarletta on Twitter, you should, too.

If you would like to follow StopLouBarletta on Twitter, click HERE.

So there you have it, friends.  That’s my little plug for the Twitter and Facebook profiles, both of which I hope you will consider following.  For over two years, now, StopLouBarletta.com has stood up in opposition to Mayor Barletta and his efforts to obtain higher office.  Facebook and Twitter allow me to reach new audiences and provide a way for me to interact with people that this site simply doesn’t allow.  Please take the time to consider following us on Facebook and Twitter, and encourage all your friends to do the same.

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

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

Hey, everybody!  All of you hate cancer, right?  Well, guess what?  I’ve developed a cure for cancer!  Yup.  It’s a special combination of battery acid, bleach, dog poop, and mercury.  So far, it’s been proven to be 100% effective in killing all cancer growths.  Sadly, however, the FDA won’t let me market this new wonder drug.  They say it “kills people” and that it causes more problems that it cures, but whatever.  Anyway, please vote me into Congress.  I’m Dan Cheek and I cured cancer.

As crazy as the above blurb sounds, that’s essentially what Lou Barletta is doing.  He’s stumbled upon a hot-button issue (illegal immigration), goes around talking about how bad it is, tries to pass laws that he knows won’t hold up in court, and then claims that he’s standing up against illegal immigration.  Really?  To date, despite what many people think, Lou Barletta has done exactly NOTHING to help stop or curb illegal immigration.  NOTHING.  NADDA.

See, when you judge Barletta on his accomplishments, it becomes fairly obvious that he’s a huge failure.  As mayor of Hazleton, he’s ruined the city.  Right now, Hazleton is teeteing on the edge of bankruptcy.  Everyone who can get out of the city is getting out.  Businesses and families are moving out.  The tax rates in Hazleton are among the highest in the State.  Barletta has gone to court to get permission to raise taxes above the legal limit.  He’s illegally tapped into the Hazleton pension fund.  But not a lot of people seem to be talking about all of this.  Why?

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS BAD!  This is Lou Barletta’s smoke screen.  To keep people from paying attention to how bad he’s screwing up as mayor of Hazleton, he runs around shrieking about illegal immigrants.  And, to a degree, this tactic works.  Many people aren’t aware of what goes on in Hazleton.  It’s not that important of a city, due in large part to Barletta chasing out businesses and driving it into the dirt, so people don’t hear much about it.  They do, however, hear all about Lou Barletta and his battle against illegal immigration.  Some people call him “brave” for leading this “fight.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Taking a popular stand on a hot issue is not brave.  It’s actually really, really easy.  Just like I can say I’m against cancer, Lou Barletta can say he’s against illegal immigration.  Fine.  I can tout absurd cures for cancer all day long, and Barletta can do the same with illegal immigration.  And, at the end of the day, I’ve done nothing to fight or cure cancer and Lou Barletta has done nothing to fight or cure illegal immigration.  We’ve both just spent a lot of time talking about it and trying to convince people that we should be elected to Congress.  Lou Barletta is a political hack and nothing more.  Clearly, Lou Barletta should not be elected to the US Congress.

-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

Lou Barletta has been, once again, named a Republican “Young Gun.”  This is very exciting to the Lou Barletta people.  His imps on Facebook are sending out all sorts of spam talking about how wonderful it is and how Barletta has now pretty much got the entire election in the bag.  Anyone with a memory, however, will probably recall that Barletta was also named a “Young Gun” during the last election.  He ended up losing that election.

So what, exactly, is a “Young Gun?”  Basically it’s a marketing gimmick sponsored by the Republican Party.  But those are my words.  Here is how the Republican marketing guru’s describe it (full details HERE)…

“Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Congressmen Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns Program began as a Member driven organization of House Republicans dedicated to identifying, recruiting, and mobilizing a new generation of conservative leaders.

NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) adopted the Young Guns program as the candidate recruitment and training program for House Republicans and it is designed to assist Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives build a foundation for victory.

The Young Guns is not just a political program, but an ongoing movement to go on offense and strengthen the GOP, welcoming your participation with and support for strong Republican candidates nationwide. Sign up for the Young Guns team today and you will be on the front lines of a historic election; we’ll keep you informed as news breaks and look to you for strategic advice on how to conduct this campaign.”

This all sounds well and good, but it’s not going to help the Barletta campaign.  This is Lou Barletta’s third attempt at running for Congress.  His previous two campaigns have floundered because 1.) He’s a lousy candidate with nothing important to say about real issues 2.) His campaign has struggled to raise cash and is now carrying a massive debt and 3.) His biggest supporters are racists and convicted criminals.  The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (RCCC) can call Lou Barletta whatever they want.  Make him a Power Ranger for all I care.  It won’t change the fact that Barletta is unelectable.

And Barletta is just that: Unelectable.  You can try and argue with me on that point, but I have the election results of two previous, consecutive elections on my side.  Both times, a majority of voters said “NO!” to Lou Barletta and his candidacy.  Being a “Young Gun” didn’t help Lou Barletta raise money during the last Congressional election, it didn’t help him run a competitive election, and it didn’t help him win.  Because, when all is said and done, the last time Lou Barletta was named a “Young Gun”….he lost the election.  So from that perspective, the “Young Gun” program is a failed experiment.

The most entertaining part of the Lou Barletta press release is this part…

“The NRCC lauded Mayor Barletta’s “proven track record of serving Pennsylvanians’ best interests as mayor of Hazleton,” his “tough but prudent financial decisions that earned statewide praise,” and his service on the United Nations Advisory Committee on Local Authorities.”

His “tough but prudent financial decisions?”  Which ones would those be?  The ones that involved raising Hazleton’s tax rates to the highest in the State?  Or maybe they were referring to Barletta’s grand scheme to sell off the Hazleton Water Authority to the highest bidder.  Either way, there really isn’t anything to “laud” about Barletta’s financial decisions as Mayor of Hazleton.  The only explanation I can think of as to why the NRCC is so high on Lou Barletta is that they were all slipped roofies by the Barletta campaign.  And considering that a good portion of the little money that Barletta has raised was donated by convicted drug dealers, I probably shouldn’t joke about that sort of thing.

Clever marketing schemes will do nothing to help get Lou Barletta elected.  His campaign is running on fumes.  As mayor of Hazleton, he’s driven the city to the brink of bankruptcy.  Being named a “Young Gun” will not change any of that and it will not convince voters, a majority of whom have consistently voted against Barletta, to vote for him this time around.  If people wanted to have Lou Barletta as their Congressman, they would have made that happen by now.  And, thankfully, they haven’t.  Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

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

Lou Barletta is running for Congress again.  And, after the departure of Chris Paige from the race, Barletta is the lone Republican candidate and will be representing the party in the November general election.  As a Republican, I think this is horrible.  Lou Barletta is, quite possibly, the worst political candidate currently on any ticket in any race in any part of the country.  Allow me to explain why I feel this way.

If you support Lou Barletta for Congress…

• You support massive tax increases. Yup.  Because if Lou Barletta is about anything, he’s about raising taxes.  And not just by a little or from time to time.  Barletta likes raising taxes so much (it’s like a hobby of his), that he’s actually gone to court to seek permission to raise taxes above the legal limit.  If you live in Hazleton, you know all about this.  Because of Barletta, the city of Hazleton enjoys one of the most oppressive tax rates in the state.
• You support bailouts. Lou Barletta loves these things.  After raiding the Hazleton Pension Fund, illegally, Barletta was ordered to pay it back.  Problem was…he couldn’t.  Because he’d already spent that money.  So, Barletta did what any good fiscal conservative Republican would do.  He went screaming and crying to the State legislature and demanded that they give the city a bailout.  Instead, they simply changed the law to make what Barletta originally did legal, so the sad little mayor wouldn’t have to pay any of that money back.
• You support convicted drug dealers. Or, more accurately, convicted drug dealers support you.  Lou Barletta gets a lot of money from the DeAngelo brothers, a pair of convicted heroine dealers who now operate one of the biggest businesses in Hazleton.  When I first heard this, I laughed because I always said, “You’d have to be on drugs to support Lou Barletta.”  I’ll probably get sued if I continue with where I was going with that, so I’ll stop here.
• You support cutting police forces. As mayor of Hazleton, one of Lou Barletta’s first acts was to slash the Hazleton Police force in half.  He did this to save money.  However, it didn’t really save any money.  Crime rates increased and Barletta tried to blame that on some imaginary “illegal immigration crime wave.”
• You support stupidity. Lou Barletta, as mayor of Hazleton, has managed to screw that city into the dirt.  Hazleton is now teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.  Lou Barletta’s answer to this is to sell the Hazleton Water Authority to the highest bidder.  When this fails to fix things, maybe he’ll try to sell some bridges or something.
• You support a loser. This is Lou Barletta’s third try at running for Congress.  In two previous, consecutive elections, running against the same opponent (Rep. Paul Kanjorski), Barletta has come up short.  His campaigns (all of them) have struggled to raise cash and he’s flopped around the campaign trail, embarrassing himself, his supporters, and the Republican Party.  If you like losing, frequently and on a regular basis, please put a LOU sign in your front yard to show your support for losers and losing.

Over the past two years, I’ve laid out my case as to why I think Lou Barletta should not be elected to Congress.  So far, the majority of the voters out there agree with me.  If you look at the state of affairs in the city of Hazleton and can honestly say, “Boy!  I wish the whole damn Congressional district was run like that!”, then you should probably send Lou Barletta all of your money (he needs it) and vote for him in November.  But if you have any common sense, you’ll realize that Mayor Lou Barletta should not be elected to the US Congress.

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

The latest campaign finance numbers have been released and, to no one’s surprise, Lou Barletta’s finances are by far the most abysmal in the race for the 11th Congressional District.  Mayor Barletta’s debt continues to grow, putting him at an increasing disadvantage to whomever he faces in the general election.  This is nothing new for Barletta, who has always struggled to raise funds and has always operated at a huge disadvantage to his campaign rivals.

According to the latest FEC filing, Barletta is lagging in almost every way possible to the other candidates.  Consider the following:

• Barletta raised $281,913 in campaign donations.  Compare this to Paul Kanjorski who raised $1,123,937 in donations.  Even Corey O’Brien, the Democratic challenger, raised $320,271 in donations.  This means that no matter who Barletta faces off against in the general election, he will be at a competitive disadvantage.
• Lou Barletta continues to build up debt.  To date, Barletta has more debt that any of the other candidates in the race…combined.  Barletta has managed to accrue a staggering $136,100 in debt.  Paul Kanjorski has $0 in debt and Corey O’Brien has only built up $4,367 in debt thus far.  This is notable because O’Brien is running against a powerful incumbent in the Democratic primary.  Barletta is running unopposed in the Republican primary, but has over 30 times as much campaign debt as Corey O’Brien.

No matter how you look at it, Lou Barletta continues to run his campaign on life support.  His campaign finances are a mess.  No matter who Barletta faces in the general election, he will be up against a huge financial disadvantage.  No doubt, the Democrats will spend early and spend heavily.  This will force Barletta to burn through his limited supply of cash early in the race just to keep up.  This is exactly what Paul Kanjorski did during the last election, when he faced Lou Barletta.  In the end, this all-out blitz proved too much for Barletta and his small pile of cash to overcome.

If not being very good at raising campaign cash was Barletta’s only sin, it would be easy to overlook.  However, Barletta’s inept handling of his own campaign finances mirrors his handling of the city he was elected to lead, Hazleton, PA.  Like his Congressional campaigns (all three of them), Lou Barletta has shown a shocking inability to make intelligent financial decisions.  The city is damn near bankrupt and Barletta’s only response to this crisis, which has been ongoing for years, is to raise taxes (even going to court to get permission to raise them beyond the legal limit) and slash city payrolls.  All this has accomplished is to drive businesses out of Hazleton, raise property taxes to horrifying levels, and make Hazleton one of the worst economies in the state.

Around the nation, Republican candidates are enjoying an incredibly favorable political environment.  Donations to Republican candidates are surging and many once-safe Democratic candidates are now in competitive races with their challengers.  Despite all of this, Lou Barletta has still found a way to under perform.  I receive emails, on a daily basis, telling me how popular Lou Barletta is and how much the people love him.  That may be true (I don’t think it is), but if all of these people are so infatuated with Mayor Lou, why does he continue to struggle, year after year, to raise campaign cash?  The saying goes that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.  In the case of Mayor Lou Barletta, he doesn’t appear to be worth very much at all.  The Republican Party needs to leave Lou Barletta for dead and find a serious candidate who can actually run a competitive political campaign.  Lou Barletta should not, and will not, be elected to the US Congress.

See also: Mayor Barletta Disrespects US Military and Barletta Accepts Money from Drug Dealers

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

Hello and welcome to StopLouBarletta.com.  For two years now, this site has been standing in opposition to Lou Barletta, mayor of Hazleton, PA, and his efforts to be elected to higher office.  On this site, I’ve explained, and will continue to explain, why I am so opposed to Mayor Barletta being elected to any higher office, especially the United States Congress.  The number of visitors to this site continues to increase, almost daily, so I’d like to take a moment to explain who I am, why this site exists, and (for those that don’t know), who Lou Barletta is.  For many of you, this post will serve as a review for things you already know.  For others, I hope it proves to be a good starting point.

My name is Dan Cheek and I am the owner and operator of StopLouBarletta.com.  As of this writing, I’m 28 years old and live with my wife, Krissy, and our dog, Molly.  We live just outside of Scranton, PA.  I graduated from North Pocono High School in 1999 and joined the US Army shortly afterwords.  I served in the Army for four years (2000 – 2004) as a tanker in various armored units.  I was stationed at Fort Knox (KY), Fort Iriwn (CA), and Camp Casey (South Korea).  I was honorably discharged in 2004.  I worked for about a year at RCN, a national telecommunications company, working out of Wilkes-Barre, PA.  I enrolled at Wilkes University in 2005 and graduated in 2009 with my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.  I am currently the co-owner and president of Laser Burn Media.

As for who Mayor Lou Barletta is, I’ll let him introduce himself.  Here is his official biography from his website….

“Louis J. Barletta is the mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania – a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a two-to-one margin. Born and raised in Hazleton, he left his family businesses to create his own company with his wife, Mary Grace, building one of the largest companies of its type in the country. They are the parents of four daughters, Kelly, April, Lindsey, and Grace, and have one grandson, Gabriel Louis.

Lou Barletta was elected to Hazleton City Council in 1998, and became mayor in 2000. He inherited a massive budget shortfall, and was able to turn the city of Hazleton around with tough prudent financial decisions, earning statewide praise and recognition. He now leads Hazleton through one of the most impressive revitalizations in regional history.

In September, 2004, Mayor Barletta was appointed by the White House to serve as a member of the United Nation Advisory Committee of Local Authorities representing the United States of America. In February, 2006, Mayor Barletta was appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities Legislative Committee. Also in February, 2006, Mayor Barletta was appointed to serve on the Republican National Committee Chairman’s Advisory Committee on Catholic Outreach. Mayor Barletta is on the National Board of Advisors of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, (FAIR). He also is a Board Member of the Northeast District of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Luzerne County Community College. In 2008, he was named “Mayor of the Year” by the Pennsylvania State Mayor’s Association.”

I started StopLouBarletta.com in April of 2008 as a way of voicing opposition to his 2nd run for Congress.  Barletta had run against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-11) in 2006 and had lost.  By a lot.  In 2008, after receiving all sorts of national exposure for his controversial and unconstitutional “Illegal Immigration Relief Act”, Barletta decided to try and run again.  He was endorsed by David Duke, one of the nation’s leading racists and former member of the Ku Klux Klan leadership.  Barletta was also receiving large financial support from convicted drug dealers and indicted politicians.  Additionally, as mayor of Hazleton, Barletta had run Hazleton into the ground.  It continues to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy and has one of the worst economies in the state.  For all of these reasons, I was deeply opposed to Lou Barletta being elected to higher office and this website represents my efforts to keep him out of Congress.

Both Mayor Barletta and myself are members of the Republican Party.  I’ve been a Republican since I was old enough to register to vote and consider myself a moderate.  Lou Barletta was a Democrat and now, after switching parties, wants to represent the Republican Party in Congress.  Many people have asked if I’m a Republican and Lou Barletta is (for now) a Republican, why I would be so opposed to him.  My answer is this: Lou Barletta does not represent my views.  He is an incompetent fear and hate monger who has a proven track record of making stupid decisions and then blaming everyone else for the consequences of his actions.  I think the Republican Party, and the voters of the 11th Congressional District, can do better.  In short, I would rather have anyone in office, even a Democrat, than Lou Barletta.  I am not a mindless sheep and I refuse to throw my support behind whomever the party leadership props up as a candidate.

Mayor Barletta has already ruined Hazleton.  Seriously, Barletta’s failures were of such an epic proportion that Temple University now teaches a course attempting to explain how he managed it.  StopLouBarletta.com is determined to keep Lou Barletta from taking his brand of “leadership” to the halls of the US Congress.  This nation has enough problems right now without having to worry about Lou Barletta being in a position to make things worse for all of us.  Lou Barletta does not deserve to be elected to the United States Congress.

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