Restoring Glass-Steagall

We need to restore the Glass-Steagall Act now. Enacted during the Great Depression, it separated commercial banking from investment banking, providing our economy with stable economic growth for nearly 70 years. Large amounts of federal dollars have since been spent to stabilize a wrecked economy, including the TARP money approved by the Congress over the last three months of the Bush administration in 2008 and the economic stimulus package enacted by President Obama.The rationale sold…

March 3, 2010 at 3:09 pm | Comments (4)

DelCo Dems back Lentz

The Delaware County Democratic Committee endorsed state Representative Bryan Lentz for Congress in the 7th District Tuesday night, further solidifying Lentz’s status as the party’s overwhelming front-runner three months before the primary.

The Lentz campaign said a roll-vote wasn’t needed, with overwhelming support coming in the form of a standing voice vote. Environmental lawyer Gail Conner and political consultant E. Teresa Touey are both running, but neither have been able to gain much traction in…

February 17, 2010 at 3:00 pm | Comments (8)

Let’s fix our bridges—now

We have an absolute responsibility to ensure public safety in the Commonwealth. We can do this, create jobs, and spur business while doing what we need to do anyway. Let’s fix our bridges and let’s fix them now.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in structurally deficient bridges. If elected, I would use my congressional office to bring a sense of urgency to solving this problem. There are 41 historic Delaware County bridges tgat lie in the…

February 14, 2010 at 4:13 pm | Comments (0)

Less than $500 for Touey

State Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) finished 2009 with more than 140 times the campaign cash enjoyed by both of his primary opponents combined.

Newly-filed campaign finance data shows that political consultant E. Teresa Touey raised about $6,000 for her 7th District congressional race. But she spent almost all of it, and had only $437 on hand at the end of the year. Environmental lawyer Gail Conner, meanwhile, finished the year with full story

February 2, 2010 at 1:09 pm | Comments (17)

Candidates court DelCo Dems

MEDIA—Candidates for Governor, Senate and Congress took turns addressing Delaware County Democrats here Sunday night, appearing in a crowded forum that brought Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) back to his home turf.

A day after he and Senator Arlen Specter both made their cases to liberal activists in Harrisburg, Sestak was back in his district talking up his anti-establishment message.

“We’re not Rendell-ites or Biden-ites,” Sestak said, referring to Specter’s support from the governor and the…

February 1, 2010 at 2:25 pm | Comments (3)

From leaders to rank-and-file, Dems pitch in for Lentz

Whether it’s House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, freshman state Representative Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) or recently-defeated judicial candidate Nancy Rhoads Koons, Democrats from the top of the party hierarchy to the bottom are giving money to Bryan Lentz.

Lentz, the second-term state Representative from Delaware County, is running to replace Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7), in a conservative-leaning district that will be tough for the party to hold. But even with Lentz likely to be outspent by presumptive…

February 1, 2010 at 8:30 am | Comments (2)

A Teresa Touey-Radio Times surprise (delayed reaction)

So I was driving from Philly to Harrisburg Wednesday, catching up on old podcasts of Radio Times on my iPhone. The subject of an epsiode from a couple weeks ago (yes, I’m that far behind) was “What will it take for a woman to be president?”

Imagine my surprise when the venerable host Marty Moss-Coane took a call from a “Teresa from Glenolden,” who said she’s running for Congress in the 7th District. I quickly…

January 27, 2010 at 11:06 pm | Comments (1)

DelCo leader endorses Lentz

A top official in the Delaware County Democratic Party endorsed state Representative Bryan Lentz for Congress Wednesday, effectively giving Lentz the vast majority of the local party organization’s support.

The backing of the party’s first vice-chair, Tony Campisi, was also the surest indication yet that state Representative Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is not going to run in the 7th District primary. Vitali has yet to publicly make a decision, but Campisi, who is gunning for the…

January 27, 2010 at 5:44 pm | Comments (4)

This time we must get Marcellus Shale right

At a public forum held at Delaware County Community College on Jan. 19, a panel of eight experts brought together by state Representative Greg Vitali held a question-and-answer session regarding Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and they agreed on one thing: The decisions about the present and future extraction of the large reserves of natural gas located under our water reserves, or aquifer, will shape an important path over the next decade in the Commonwealth.…

January 25, 2010 at 4:12 pm | Comments (4)

The not-so-secret is out: Dems don’t see a primary in PA-7

There are three Democrats running for the party’s nomination in the 7th Congressional District, and one who’s still considering a run, but Thursday quietly brought confirmation of what we had long assumed: Democrats already see state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware) as their candidate.

A Politico report brings us a list of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s top-priority races. In Pennsylvania, the 6th, the 7th and the 15th are all among the party’s…

January 14, 2010 at 11:30 pm | Comments (5)