Paige vs Barletta « NewsTalkPA

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Paige vs Barletta

(10 posts) (4 voices)

lowerluzerne

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you got to love this Paige guy....... he takes it right at Barletta's home court !For Barletta's whole political career he has held all his events at the Hazleton Elks Club. now I see Paige is holding an informational public meeting there. it isn't like Barletta has held a public meeting,but he instead hides behind the TV in giving his one-sided story.
There isn't anywhere I go that people not only in the City of Hazleton, where Barletta was only elected to represent, but in all the surrounding municipalities that people are complaining about Barletta's reported selling of the water authority.

this event will be a huge victory for Paige, he will be presenting facts I suppose will show what a short sided scheme this is.Paige is turning out to be a better candidate than anyone, including Barletta or his lap dogs ever thought.

and then there is the campaign finance reporting that shows Barletta is having a difficult time raising money. he continues to loan his own personal money to the campaign!

It seems Lou has finally hit a brick wall, his political capital is spent and all he has is shame and disgrace on the City of Hazleton......

Posted 7 months ago #
Chris
New Cumberland, PA
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I just don't see Paige topping Barletta, but crazier things have happened.

What do you think about the Kanjorski/O'Brien contest? My spider senses tell me that's going to be a hot one to follow!

Posted 7 months ago #
lowerluzerne

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Chris,
yes crazier things have happened. but I see it leaning towards Paige. Paige has Monroe County as his base, and should do well there. Barletta is losing his base in Luzerne and more specifically Hazleton area. With Barletta raising property taxes by 70%, while also raising earned income tax on blue-collar workers, an increase in garbage and water rates, the selling of the water authority, put that all together and HE ISNT well thought of any longer. At a time that Republicans want a more conservative elected official Barletta doesn't give him that.

I see Kanjo easily defeating O'Brien. outside of Scranton O'Brien has no name recognition and doesnt have the cash to challenge Kanjo in a real way......

Posted 7 months ago #
Brian B

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I spoke with Chris Paige a couple of months ago, and IMHO, he is a RINO. He's been a Democrat up until after the 2008 election, he contributed heavily to Hilary's campaign for president, he spouts "big government" lines and "government knows best" which makes me cringe. Some of the more liberal R's may vote for him, but I think Barletta is going to get the nom by a big margin unless he commits some major faux pas in the next 3 months.

Posted 7 months ago #
lowerluzerne

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Bergie,
at first glance you have an argument but please read this about Mayor Barletta.
1983: Switches Party Registration to Republican
In 1983, Barletta switched his party registration from Democratic to Republican in order to volunteer on
the successful 1983 mayoral campaign of family friend John Ford.
Barletta comes from a somewhat political family. His father Rocky was a former chairman of the
Hazleton Democratic Party, and was “a leader of the Democratic Party here in Hazleton for as long as I
could remember,” according to Barletta. [Pennsylvania Cable Network, “PCN Profiles: Mayor Lou Barletta,” aired
7/18/04]

Barletta said that his wife’s uncle was active in the Republican Party, and was friends with John
Ford, who was running for mayor at the time. Through his wife, they asked Barletta to switch
parties to help, which he did.
He added that he never bothered switching his affiliation back after the election, but later realized
that his ideals were a closer fit with the Republican Party than with the Democratic Party anyway.
[Pennsylvania Cable Network, “PCN Profiles: Mayor Lou Barletta,” aired 7/18/04]
March 1995:

so this Republican in Barletta wasnt born out of some ideological basis, but out of his wife asking him to switch for a friend.

its easy to label and call people names but Lou is no different from Paige.

Posted 7 months ago #
Chris
New Cumberland, PA
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O'Brien is making the argument that Kanjorski's approval ratings are so low that there’s no way he can win re-election.

@lowerluzerne: hmmm, I dont know about the Kanjorski 'easily defeating' O'Brien thing... You are certainly correct that O'Brien doesn't have anywhere near as much cash as Kanjorkski but he is running against an incumbent (who probably doesn't have superb approval numbers) in an anti-incumbent year. In comparison with Paige, I would wager that O'Brien probably has higher name id throughout the district.

But Kanjorski shocked everyone in 2008, so what do I know?!?

@lowerluzerne, bergie72:

Either of you two know of any recent polling involving Kanjorski, O'Brien, Barletta, Paige?!?

Posted 7 months ago #
lowerluzerne

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Attended the event held by Chris Paige tonight concerning the sale of the Hazleton City Water Authority. There was a great turn out of residents, the parking lot was packed and there was spill over into the parking lot of Justice Zola.

i have to say, Paige is on point and has Barletta looking pathetic. only time will tell, but will it be too late, playing with rate payers for political gain just isn't right, now is it Mayor?

Posted 7 months ago #
harrison17
Wilkes-Barre
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Mr. Paige is for big government; he is for maintaining the Fed (instead of auditing it to know where the money is going); he is for amnesty for illegals instead of enforcing the laws. From what I can tell after meeting him and listening to him speak condescendingly to his listeners about the issues (as though he knows more than we do), he is little more than a big government liberal with a GOP label. He's another Benedict Arlen. Having spent massive sums of money on Hillary during the last presidential election, it is hard to see that he could make such a stark switch to be perceived as a superior conservative alternative to Lou Barletta.

Face it: Lou Barletta is far closer to traditional Republican principles and values (and the Constitution) than Paige, no matter what Barletta's failings as mayor may be. He will be elected based on his conservative position. Mr. Paige doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell at coming close to that.

And, if by some quirk Mr. Paige happens to win the primary, I would sooner vote for Barney the Dinosaur in the fall election. In fact, if Barletta doesn't win the primary, I will be writing in some other name. Mr. Paige has no respect for the Constitution.

I want America back - and Mr. Paige just doesn't get it.

Posted 7 months ago #
lowerluzerne

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its pretty amazing what I just viewed on TV. in the Greater Hazleton area they are having the annual American Cancer Telethon. Mayor Barletta was just on giving a check in support of finding a cure for Cancer. at first glance that is an admirable thing to do, CORRECT?

but then you have to remember it is this same Mayor that brought cancer contaminated dredge and is planning on bring construction and demolition debris laced with hazardous materials in to the city ..........

What grandstanding at the expense of people with cancer......

and then at the end of it all........... he tells viewers if they want to be part of his Mayors tournament, to call his SECRETARY!!!!!!!!!!! a person that is paid with my tax dollars doing personal work for the Mayor on City time!!!!!!!!!!

I say call the State Attorney General Tom Corbett and demand an investigation in City workers doing personal and possibly political work on tax payers time!

Posted 6 months ago #
Brian B

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Paige drops out of Primary

Republican Chris Paige has withdrawn from the primary in the 11th Congressional District, making Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta the party’s de facto nominee for the third time in the last decade.

Paige, whose candidacy was notable for his self-managed messaging style, announced his decision in a blog post over the weekend. His nominating petitions were being challenged in an effort to keep him off the ballot. And while Paige said he was “confident that I would prevail, I am equally confident that a protracted legal battle would not advance the causes I believe in, and—ultimately—those issues are more important than my personal political fortunes.”

(more on the website above)

Posted 5 months ago #