March 4, 2019: PA excluded

Hello, Monday. “Oh Monday mornin’ you gave me no warnin’ of what was to be”

PA Weather


Meadville | Mostly Sunny, 71


Newport | Partly Sunny, 64


Oxford | Partly Sunny, 61

PA Sports


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What We’re Hearing
“For a huge swath of our country, it’s still parties picking what’s best for the current party in control.” – Michael Miller

Did You Know?
It’s just 50 days until the Pennsylvania presidential primary.

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Top Story

1. Super Tuesday’s Dominance Highlights How Presidential Selection Process Can Exclude Many US Voters

“As an independent, Christian Miller can’t vote in Pennsylvania’s closed presidential primary in April. He said it wouldn’t matter even if he could.

“You’re not really voting for anything,” said Miller, who left the Democratic Party in 2022. “Every election I’ve ever seen, the candidates have been decided by the time they get to Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania is a crucial presidential swing state and the fifth most populous in the country. And yet holding a primary so much later than other states means its voters often have little say in choosing the presidential contenders. It’s the same for voters in much of the rest of the country.” (AP)

Related

PA Was Deluged By Election Lawsuits In 2020. Experts Say 2024 Will Be Even More Intense. “With a Biden-Trump rematch likely in November, new challenges are expected to target everything from the legality of drop boxes to what constitutes a valid mail ballot. One case involving mail ballots that a voter fails to date or misdates has the potential to land before the U.S. Supreme Court.” (Spotlight PA)

A Supreme Court Decision Could Come Monday In A Case About Barring Trump From The 2024 Ballot. “A Supreme Court decision could come as soon as Monday in the case about whether former President Donald Trump can be kicked off the ballot over his efforts to undo his defeat in the 2020 election.” (AP)

President Joe Biden Will Visit Philadelphia Area Following His State Of The Union Address. “Details of where Biden will visit in the Philly area have not yet been released. It’ll be his fourth trip to Pennsylvania in 2024.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Split-Ticket Voters Could Be Key To Helping Democrats Keep Senate. “Democratic Senate candidates have been significantly outperforming Biden in early polls in battlegrounds like Arizona, Montana and Pennsylvania, fueling hopes that their strength could carry the party to victory in the race for the upper chamber even with a weak incumbent at the top of the ticket.” (The Hill)

State

2. Could One Of Pennsylvania’s Last Political Machines Save Biden?

“Downtown Scranton’s Courthouse Square tells the political history of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Just stand at the corner of Adams Avenue and what was rechristened by the city as Biden Street. Looking toward Lackawanna County’s stately courthouse, one sees a bronze figure of John “Johnny” Mitchell, the United Mine Workers president who led the region’s mining laborers during the 1902 coal strike.

In a state known for razor-thin election outcomes, and where suburbs continue their Democratic turn, a Trump-Biden rematch could be decided in Lackawanna County, a storied bastion of well-known Democratic and Republican names in Pennsylvania politics, including the late governors Bob Casey and Bill Scranton.” (PennLive)

Related

Governors Push Consolidation in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma. “Battered by market headwinds, many institutions have turned to consolidation in recent years, seeking partnerships or mergers to help navigate enrollment challenges and financial issues.” (Inside Higher Ed)

Shapiro’s Higher Ed Plan Is Being Fleshed Out; Republicans Still Not Sold On It. “During budget hearings last week, Kate Shaw, deputy education secretary and commissioner for postsecondary and higher education, said the goal is to see legislation with a framework of the reorganized system enacted by June 30.” (PennLive)

The Fight Over Pennsylvania’s Cyber Charter Schools. “If one Pennsylvania state senator has her way, the legislature would institute a moratorium on the approval of new corporate-managed, publicly-funded cyber charters until basic education funding in the state can be solved.” (PoliticsPA)

Latest House Ratings Still Have 10th Congressional District Race Slightly Favoring Rep. Scott Perry. “A well-respected political analysis outlet’s latest U.S. House ratings maintain that south-central Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District is a “lean Republican” race, while Democrats prepare to try and flip the seat.” (PennLive)

PA Election 2024: The State House Races To Watch As Democrats Try To Keep The Majority. Political insiders and campaign operatives say there are more than a dozen districts across the commonwealth — including in suburban Philadelphia, Johnstown, and the Lehigh Valley — that could be won by either major party.” (Spotlight PA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Officials In PA, Around The U.S. Race To Secure Elections In ‘A New Era’ Of Unprecedented Threats

“Fueled by cyberattacks from abroad and amplified by conspiracy theorists at home, the 2024 election will take place in an environment rife with disinformation that could spur some to threaten the peaceful conduct of a democratic election, officials and experts warn.

A job that had been considered routine just a few years ago is now seen as a target for geopolitical foes, a battlefield for information warfare and a potential flashpoint for domestic violence targeted at the heart of the world’s most powerful nation.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Chatbots’ Inaccurate, Misleading Responses About U.S. Elections Threaten To Keep Voters From Polls. “With presidential primaries underway across the U.S., popular chatbots are generating false and misleading information that threatens to disenfranchise voters, according to a report published Tuesday based on the findings of artificial intelligence experts and a bipartisan group of election officials.” (AP)

20 Years Of Data Shows No Link Between Mailed Ballots And Illegal Voting. “It is an article of faith among those who do not believe Donald Trump lost in 2020 that mailing ballots to voters increases illegal voting — often called voter fraud. But articles of faith are not facts.” (The Fulcrum)

A Different Kind Of Candidate Forum In 10th District Race: YDR, Others Plan March 25 Event. “The York Daily Record, WITF, The York Dispatch and PennLive invited the candidates to join us for an evening in which they will spend much of the night sitting quietly, listening to the voices of the voters.” (York Daily Record)

HD-139: It Will Be Olsommer v. Skibber In Wayne/Pike Special Election. “Jeffrey Olsommer, a supervisor for Sterling Twp. in Wayne County, who also owns an insurance agency, will square off against Robin Skibber, the retired head of Pike County’s Area Agency on Aging, for the 139th Legislative District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Racism, Bias, And Xenophobia: How Trump’s Bigoted Views Foster Division And Abase The Presidency. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Mitch McConnell Is The Arsonist Who Set America On Fire And Ran Away. (Will Bunch)
• Summer Lee Picks Her Side. (Brandon McGinley)
• How Democrats Can Win Anywhere and Everywhere. (Frank Bruni)
• Election Workers In Pennsylvania Deserve Respect, Not Threats. (PennLive)
• Election Security Task Force Can Only Do So Much. (Tribune-Review)
• Misinformation Poses The Gravest Threat To Our Election System. (Scranton Times-Tribune)
• Which Democracy Do We Want? (John Peeler)
• In Defense of IVF and the Families It Can Create. (Dr. Christian Macedonia)

1 Baseball Thing

5. Livin’ The Dream

Want to catch for the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization? Here’s your chance.

Both the Reading Fightin’ Phils and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs are looking for bullpen catchers for pre-game and in-game sessions during the season. Requirements include the ability to work in a crouched position for extended periods of time while catching bullpen sessions and being able to withstand long hours of standing, squatting.

Apply today.

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