Skinny Shooter
05-17-2006, 09:14 AM
Well it seems "the system" really does work.
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Some of the big news is that a career republican (in name only) politician since 1984 has been FIRED! and his name is David Brightbill that arrogant SOB!
Also reference this thread: http://www.huntchat.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41497&highlight=raise
http://www.readingeagle.com/re/lead/1522265.asp
LEBANON - Unprecedented voter discontent over legislative pay grabs and political inertia on school property taxes ended the 24-year career of Senate Majority Leader David J. “Chip” Brightbill on Tuesday night.
Brightbill, a Lebanon County Republican whose district dips into parts of Berks, was soundly defeated by Lebanon tire salesman Mike Folmer in a bitter GOP primary fight for the 48th Senate District.
Unofficial results showed Folmer trouncing the second-highest ranking Republican in the state Senate by about a 2-to-1 margin.
Folmer ran up large vote totals in western Berks, which was a hotbed of anti-incumbent sentiment since lawmakers voted at 2 a.m. on July 7 to boost their salaries by 16 percent to 54 percent.
Lawmakers repealed the pay raises in November after months of public outrage.
But that did not appease voters Tuesday.
Complete but unofficial results showed Folmer winning Bethel Township by a better-than 2-to-1 margin and Robesonia by a more than 4-to-1 margin.
Brightbill conceded defeat shortly before 10 p.m., thanking a roomful of stunned supporters at Lebanon County GOP headquarters here in downtown Lebanon.
“Tonight is neither the beginning nor the end,” Brightbill said. “It is just part of the process of self government.
“We are part of the best process devised by man. It's been an honor to be part of this process.”
After hugging several sobbing staff members, Brightbill headed to a Lebanon hotel ballroom to shake hands with Folmer and wish him well in the general election.
Folmer, whose only political experience was an 18-month stint on Lebanon City Council in the late 1980s, said the legislative pay hike created an opening for reform-minded candidates to sweep to victory.
“I think the people were ready for reform, and they were tired of the same-old, same-old,” Folmer said.
Folmer said his stunning victory should make the Legislature receptive to the voters' demands for changes to the way state government operates.
“We defeated a very respected and very powerful senator,” Folmer said. “You know politicians all want to get re-elected, and the winds of reform are blowing.”
Folmer will face John R. Liss, a Democrat from Jackson Township, Lebanon County, who ran unopposed.
Berks County Republican Party Chairman Larry Medaglia said he sensed two years ago that people were unhappy with government at all levels.
However, Medaglia acknowledged that the success of underfunded and relatively unknown challengers was surprising.
“I expected a couple of scalps would be on the wall,” he said. “I didn't expect this many.”
Medaglia added that the pressure will now shift to candidates to deliver on their large promises to usher in an era of reform.
“The people have spoken, and they have made a resounding statement about their discontent with the Legislature,” Medaglia said. “I hope they don't wake up with a hangover.”
Brightbill said he was home watching movies with his two sons, Adam and Christian, when the phone call came that he would not win the GOP nomination.
On Tuesday, the only plans Brightbill had for his future was celebrating Christian's ninth birthday, which happened to fall on the primary election day.
As for a career outside of the state Capitol, Brightbill said he would do fine and did not know what was ahead.
“I'm going to take a couple of days off,” Brightbill said. “I'm going to mow my grass tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Brightbill's defeat ended a campaign that had grown increasingly bitter in the closing stages.
Both candidates attacked one another with a barrage of television, radio and direct-mail advertising.
The campaigns estimated Brightbill spent close to $1 million to try to hold onto the seat while Folmer raised about $70,000.
Folmer and his supporters charged that Brightbill was a tax-and-spend liberal who did not block Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's push to legalize slot machines and increase state spending.
Brightbill's campaign countered that Folmer missed 51 percent of the non-voting sessions during his tenure on Lebanon City Council.
In the closing days of the race, Brightbill's camp aired radio and television ads featuring Folmer's ex-girlfriend.
Margaret Blom sued Folmer and the brokerage firm he was working for in 1998.
She was seeking $10,000 in the suit, claiming Folmer mishandled her investments. The suit was settled for $2,500.
On the key reform issues, Folmer has pledged to serve no more than three terms and to rein in state spending.
On school property taxes, Folmer has called for eliminating the levies but did not address how he would replace the roughly $10 billion in revenue.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_ELN_LEGISLATIVE_SHOWDOWN_PAOL-?SITE=PAREA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- In a demonstration of lasting public anger over a legislative pay raise, Pennsylvania voters ended the political careers of two veteran state Senate Republican leaders and at least 12 House members in a major shake-up of the General Assembly.
On top of an unusually large number of retirements, the decisions Tuesday by voters will result in more than one out of six seats in the 253-member Legislature turning over this fall.
The results marked the first time in more than 40 years that any Pennsylvania legislative leader was voted out of office. They also represented a dramatic reversal of recent election trends; only a handful of sitting lawmakers typically lose in any given election year.
"It just warms my heart ... to know that what started with a few angry activists turned into this movement that has literally changed the government of Pennsylvania," said Russ Diamond, founder of PACleanSweep, a group formed to oust legislative incumbents following last year's pay raise furor.
Six races involving incumbents were too close to call early Wednesday.
The revolt at the polls came 10 months after lawmakers voted themselves salary increases of 16 percent to 54 percent in the middle of the night, without public hearings or floor debate. Further angering voters, lawmakers found a way to circumvent a state constitutional ban on midterm raises.
The raise, which also boosted the salaries of judges and executive-branch officials, was repealed Nov. 6 but the political damage was already done. Two days later, Pennsylvanians denied Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro a second term in an unprecedented vote.
Sixty-one incumbents had challengers Tuesday, the highest number since 1980. Still, most incumbents had no opposition in the primary, a reflection of the long odds candidates face in taking on sitting lawmakers.
The most stunning defeats Tuesday were suffered by the Senate's top two Republicans, Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer and Majority Leader David J. Brightbill. Both had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars since the beginning of the year to protect their jobs.
Jubelirer lost to a longtime political foe, Blair County Commissioner John Eichelberger, in a three-way primary. Brightbill was defeated by tire salesman Mike Folmer, a Lebanon city councilman in the 1980s.
Jubelirer, who was first elected to the Senate in 1974, said the pay raise was a catalyst in his loss. But he also blamed voter frustration over issues such as the Iraq war, gas prices and immigration.
"It's everything," he said. "They took it out on incumbents."
"I only hope that as we move forward that the change that people have clearly spoken out tonight is a positive change," Jubelirer said.
Eichelberger said the pay raise provided voters with a window on "the real story in Harrisburg."
"In my mind it was just indicative of how business is done there and once you understand that, then you can look at ... all the things that these guys do on an every day basis that they really shouldn't be doing," Eichelberger said.
Unofficial returns showed that Eichelberger finished with 45 percent of the vote, Jubelirer 36 percent and farmer-publisher C. Arnold McClure 20 percent.
Brightbill, a Lebanon County native, was first elected to the Senate in 1982 and became Senate majority leader in 2000.
A red-eyed Brightbill gave his concession speech at the GOP headquarters in Lebanon, where he assured his supporters, some of them in tears, "I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine."
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
He said the campaign had been hard on his family. "Pain is inflicted on the family of a candidate," he said. "I wish Mike Folmer and his family well. I wish him success and happiness."
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Folmer had 63 percent, compared with 37 percent for Brightbill.
Incumbents who lost on Tuesday were primarily from the south-central and southwest regions of the state, where anti-pay raise fervor also contributed to Nigro's defeat.
Thirty legislative seats were left open by incumbent retirements, the largest number since 1992 - meaning there will be at least 40 new faces in the General Assembly come January.
The last time a Pennsylvania legislative leader was defeated in any election was 1964, when Republican Senate President Pro Tempore M. Harvey Taylor lost the primary.
More regular citizens need to take back their government from the lobbyists, lawyers and others who don't care about who they work for. We're off to a good start. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Some of the big news is that a career republican (in name only) politician since 1984 has been FIRED! and his name is David Brightbill that arrogant SOB!
Also reference this thread: http://www.huntchat.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41497&highlight=raise
http://www.readingeagle.com/re/lead/1522265.asp
LEBANON - Unprecedented voter discontent over legislative pay grabs and political inertia on school property taxes ended the 24-year career of Senate Majority Leader David J. “Chip” Brightbill on Tuesday night.
Brightbill, a Lebanon County Republican whose district dips into parts of Berks, was soundly defeated by Lebanon tire salesman Mike Folmer in a bitter GOP primary fight for the 48th Senate District.
Unofficial results showed Folmer trouncing the second-highest ranking Republican in the state Senate by about a 2-to-1 margin.
Folmer ran up large vote totals in western Berks, which was a hotbed of anti-incumbent sentiment since lawmakers voted at 2 a.m. on July 7 to boost their salaries by 16 percent to 54 percent.
Lawmakers repealed the pay raises in November after months of public outrage.
But that did not appease voters Tuesday.
Complete but unofficial results showed Folmer winning Bethel Township by a better-than 2-to-1 margin and Robesonia by a more than 4-to-1 margin.
Brightbill conceded defeat shortly before 10 p.m., thanking a roomful of stunned supporters at Lebanon County GOP headquarters here in downtown Lebanon.
“Tonight is neither the beginning nor the end,” Brightbill said. “It is just part of the process of self government.
“We are part of the best process devised by man. It's been an honor to be part of this process.”
After hugging several sobbing staff members, Brightbill headed to a Lebanon hotel ballroom to shake hands with Folmer and wish him well in the general election.
Folmer, whose only political experience was an 18-month stint on Lebanon City Council in the late 1980s, said the legislative pay hike created an opening for reform-minded candidates to sweep to victory.
“I think the people were ready for reform, and they were tired of the same-old, same-old,” Folmer said.
Folmer said his stunning victory should make the Legislature receptive to the voters' demands for changes to the way state government operates.
“We defeated a very respected and very powerful senator,” Folmer said. “You know politicians all want to get re-elected, and the winds of reform are blowing.”
Folmer will face John R. Liss, a Democrat from Jackson Township, Lebanon County, who ran unopposed.
Berks County Republican Party Chairman Larry Medaglia said he sensed two years ago that people were unhappy with government at all levels.
However, Medaglia acknowledged that the success of underfunded and relatively unknown challengers was surprising.
“I expected a couple of scalps would be on the wall,” he said. “I didn't expect this many.”
Medaglia added that the pressure will now shift to candidates to deliver on their large promises to usher in an era of reform.
“The people have spoken, and they have made a resounding statement about their discontent with the Legislature,” Medaglia said. “I hope they don't wake up with a hangover.”
Brightbill said he was home watching movies with his two sons, Adam and Christian, when the phone call came that he would not win the GOP nomination.
On Tuesday, the only plans Brightbill had for his future was celebrating Christian's ninth birthday, which happened to fall on the primary election day.
As for a career outside of the state Capitol, Brightbill said he would do fine and did not know what was ahead.
“I'm going to take a couple of days off,” Brightbill said. “I'm going to mow my grass tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Brightbill's defeat ended a campaign that had grown increasingly bitter in the closing stages.
Both candidates attacked one another with a barrage of television, radio and direct-mail advertising.
The campaigns estimated Brightbill spent close to $1 million to try to hold onto the seat while Folmer raised about $70,000.
Folmer and his supporters charged that Brightbill was a tax-and-spend liberal who did not block Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's push to legalize slot machines and increase state spending.
Brightbill's campaign countered that Folmer missed 51 percent of the non-voting sessions during his tenure on Lebanon City Council.
In the closing days of the race, Brightbill's camp aired radio and television ads featuring Folmer's ex-girlfriend.
Margaret Blom sued Folmer and the brokerage firm he was working for in 1998.
She was seeking $10,000 in the suit, claiming Folmer mishandled her investments. The suit was settled for $2,500.
On the key reform issues, Folmer has pledged to serve no more than three terms and to rein in state spending.
On school property taxes, Folmer has called for eliminating the levies but did not address how he would replace the roughly $10 billion in revenue.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_ELN_LEGISLATIVE_SHOWDOWN_PAOL-?SITE=PAREA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- In a demonstration of lasting public anger over a legislative pay raise, Pennsylvania voters ended the political careers of two veteran state Senate Republican leaders and at least 12 House members in a major shake-up of the General Assembly.
On top of an unusually large number of retirements, the decisions Tuesday by voters will result in more than one out of six seats in the 253-member Legislature turning over this fall.
The results marked the first time in more than 40 years that any Pennsylvania legislative leader was voted out of office. They also represented a dramatic reversal of recent election trends; only a handful of sitting lawmakers typically lose in any given election year.
"It just warms my heart ... to know that what started with a few angry activists turned into this movement that has literally changed the government of Pennsylvania," said Russ Diamond, founder of PACleanSweep, a group formed to oust legislative incumbents following last year's pay raise furor.
Six races involving incumbents were too close to call early Wednesday.
The revolt at the polls came 10 months after lawmakers voted themselves salary increases of 16 percent to 54 percent in the middle of the night, without public hearings or floor debate. Further angering voters, lawmakers found a way to circumvent a state constitutional ban on midterm raises.
The raise, which also boosted the salaries of judges and executive-branch officials, was repealed Nov. 6 but the political damage was already done. Two days later, Pennsylvanians denied Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro a second term in an unprecedented vote.
Sixty-one incumbents had challengers Tuesday, the highest number since 1980. Still, most incumbents had no opposition in the primary, a reflection of the long odds candidates face in taking on sitting lawmakers.
The most stunning defeats Tuesday were suffered by the Senate's top two Republicans, Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer and Majority Leader David J. Brightbill. Both had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars since the beginning of the year to protect their jobs.
Jubelirer lost to a longtime political foe, Blair County Commissioner John Eichelberger, in a three-way primary. Brightbill was defeated by tire salesman Mike Folmer, a Lebanon city councilman in the 1980s.
Jubelirer, who was first elected to the Senate in 1974, said the pay raise was a catalyst in his loss. But he also blamed voter frustration over issues such as the Iraq war, gas prices and immigration.
"It's everything," he said. "They took it out on incumbents."
"I only hope that as we move forward that the change that people have clearly spoken out tonight is a positive change," Jubelirer said.
Eichelberger said the pay raise provided voters with a window on "the real story in Harrisburg."
"In my mind it was just indicative of how business is done there and once you understand that, then you can look at ... all the things that these guys do on an every day basis that they really shouldn't be doing," Eichelberger said.
Unofficial returns showed that Eichelberger finished with 45 percent of the vote, Jubelirer 36 percent and farmer-publisher C. Arnold McClure 20 percent.
Brightbill, a Lebanon County native, was first elected to the Senate in 1982 and became Senate majority leader in 2000.
A red-eyed Brightbill gave his concession speech at the GOP headquarters in Lebanon, where he assured his supporters, some of them in tears, "I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine."
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
He said the campaign had been hard on his family. "Pain is inflicted on the family of a candidate," he said. "I wish Mike Folmer and his family well. I wish him success and happiness."
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Folmer had 63 percent, compared with 37 percent for Brightbill.
Incumbents who lost on Tuesday were primarily from the south-central and southwest regions of the state, where anti-pay raise fervor also contributed to Nigro's defeat.
Thirty legislative seats were left open by incumbent retirements, the largest number since 1992 - meaning there will be at least 40 new faces in the General Assembly come January.
The last time a Pennsylvania legislative leader was defeated in any election was 1964, when Republican Senate President Pro Tempore M. Harvey Taylor lost the primary.
More regular citizens need to take back their government from the lobbyists, lawyers and others who don't care about who they work for. We're off to a good start. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/