Uncertainty killing job creation

Over the past few months, I have met and spoken to many small business owners and managers to see how we can restore growth in our economy. Despite spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on bailouts and stimulus programs, we continue to see high unemployment. With so many people not going back to work, the inescapable question is “Why not?”

Some truly astonishing figures recently released by the Federal Reserve offer a clue. Those…

July 12, 2010 at 12:50 pm | Comments (4)

POST-HIATUS RECAP: Corbett’s gaffe, a Dem petition pile on, action in the 11th

A surprising amount of news happened while we were taking a little breather last week. So before we move forward, it seemed prudent to offer up a little recap.

The story of last week had to be Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett’s comments that Pennsylvanians are purposefully staying jobless to collect unemployment benefits. The attorney general made the claim during a radio interview Friday, during which he said: “People don’t want to come back to…

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

When Republicans and Democrats agree

Just when we thought Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on anything, this week brought some great news.

It started Monday when Democrat Bryan Lentz and Republican Pat Meehan, our two most bitter congressional rivals in the state, came dangerously close to complete and total agreement on a piece of legislation. The bill would lump disabled veterans and their businesses into groups that get preference for state contracts, which is more in line with federal law.…

July 1, 2010 at 1:25 pm | Comments (5)

LEFTOVERS: Fundraising pleas, NRCC lifts Fitzpatrick, Biden/Pelosi details

It was the last day of the FEC fundraising quarter on Wednesday, which meant the typical batch of last-minute pleas from candidates seeking cash.

The morning started with an e-mail from Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) on behalf of Manan Trivedi, the Democratic candidate in the 6th District. Schwartz had backed Trivedi’s opponent Doug Pike in the May primary, but now she was going to bat for Trivedi. “This district has been a challenge over these…

June 30, 2010 at 5:29 pm | Comments (7)

EXCLUSIVE: Biden, Pelosi to headline Philly event for Lentz & DCCC

Two of the country’s top Democrats are heading to Philadelphia to raise some cash for House candidates, and Bryan Lentz will be raking in some of that money.

Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be headlining a fundraiser July 19, according to Democrats familiar with the event. The proceeds will be split between Lentz’s campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, though the exact nature of that split remains unclear. Some…

June 28, 2010 at 11:00 am | Comments (9)

Meehan policy picks, the lightning round

Here’s one more fun item from our story Tuesday about Republican Pat Meehan’s roundtable discussion with entrepreneurs and angel investors.

During the event, our host Steven Welch handed out a list of 10 policy prescriptions that could encourage economic development, asking the question: “Suppose this group comes together in 2020 in a celebration that the United States has maximized its economic potential over the last 10 years, what will we say…

June 22, 2010 at 6:15 pm | Comments (5)

Touring businesses, Meehan heeds angel investors

PHILADELPHIA—Republican Pat Meehan met Tuesday with some of the region’s best and brightest entrepreneurs Tuesday, using a roundtable discussion to soak up some advice about how the federal government can best foster an atmosphere that will lead to business development and job creation.

Meehan’s appearance at the University City Science Center here was one of several business tours the 7th District hopeful has undertaken in recent weeks. The campaign has mixed forum-style discussions with more…

June 22, 2010 at 5:13 pm | Comments (10)

Over-the-top tactics unnecessary for GOP

I read with some confusion of Republican Pat Meehan’s attempt to confront Democrat Bryan Lentz with evidence of the latter’s complicity in Bonusgate, and had a similar reaction to attempts to link Democrat Mark Critz to Nancy Pelosi in the 12th District. Neither attempt was notably successful.

It seems to me Republicans have a clear, simple argument to make in the 2010 elections. President Obama was elected…

June 21, 2010 at 12:13 pm | Comments (7)

LEFTOVERS: Sestak on Clinton, Meehan gets plagiarized, Corbett’s birthday

After going against the bulk of the Democratic establishment in his Senate primary win, Joe Sestak says he’s looking forward to help from the top party leaders—including former President Bill Clinton. Sestak, who worked in the Clinton White House, said Friday on MSNBC that his old boss has already said he’d pitch in for Sestak’s campaign against Republican Pat Toomey. “Yes, he already said so,” Sestak said of Clinton. “As a matter of fact, they…

June 20, 2010 at 4:03 pm | Comments (7)

Lentz camp needles Meehan after Harrisburg presser

Republican Pat Meehan was mostly panned in the press and the blogosphere this week for promising “newly uncovered information” about his opponent, before offering up little at a Wednesday press conference in Harrisburg. On Friday, Democrat Bryan Lentz’s campaign had some fun after its candidate essentially crashed Meehan’s own campaign event.

In a faux media advisory Friday, Lentz’s 7th District campaign jokingly said it would “reveal what everyone already knows” about…

June 18, 2010 at 5:30 pm | Comments (26)