Voices of Reason March 18, 2019

It’s a Welcome Back to Harrisburg, Monday. The Pennsylvania primary is just 36 days away.

PA Weather


Rogersville | Scattered Snow Showers, 38


State College | Mostly Cloudy, 39


Tunkhannock | Partly Sunny, 43

PA Sports


Sixers (37-30) | Charlotte 109-98 | Mon vs. Miami


Flyers (34-26-8) | Boston 5-6 | Tue vs. Toronto


Penguins (30-29-8) | NY Rangers 4-7 | Detroit 6-3 | Tue vs. New Jersey


Duquesne (NCAA MBB) | Thu vs. (6) BYU, 12:40 p.m.


Drexel (NCAA WBB) | Fri vs. (1) Texas, 3 p.m.

What’s Happening Today
Guess who is back in session? The House convenes at noon, while the Senate convenes at 1 p.m.

What We’re Hearing
“As a non-partisan data provider, we provide information for researchers, campaigns, interest groups, and those in the media and this is a great venue for us to explore state and local politics in a way we haven’t done before.” – Paul Westcott, EVP, L2Data

Pennsylvania Political Headlines In Your Inbox Daily
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Top Story

1. “Voices of Reason” Podcast to Redefine Pennsylvania Politics News

“PoliticsPA is thrilled to announce the launch of the Voices of Reason podcast, presented by L2 Data Inc. in partnership with Broad + Liberty. The program will redefine the conversation around Pennsylvania politics with smart, measured coverage that features high-profile politicians, candidates and policy influencers on both sides of the aisle, as well as exclusive news and data that is central to the 2024 campaign.

Voices of Reason is the antidote to a political environment too often mired in animosity and hidden agendas. The podcast cultivates intelligent discussions that give way to real-world solutions even when guests don’t share the same perspectives. The key: everyone gets a fair shake.

Data is a hallmark of Voices of Reason with L2’s deep data resources and expertise in visualizing that data. Exclusive statistics, maps and analysis on Pennsylvania’s policy and politics landscape makes the program one you can’t miss.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Introducing the “Voices of Reason” Podcast. “On behalf of PoliticsPA and Broad + Liberty, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Voices of Reason podcast, powered by L2 Data Inc. Our goal is to redefine the contours of political and policy dialogue in Pennsylvania by providing a platform for smart but accessible debate featuring those that make policy and headlines in the Keystone State.” (PoliticsPA)

After Winter Hiatus, PA House Resumes Voting Monday. “The new year is no longer new but on Monday and for the first time in 2024, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will convene a voting session.” (CNHI News)

Casey, Fetterman Ready To Vote For TikTok Ban Over Shared Concerns About Chinese Ownership. “As the debate over a congressional bill that could ban Chinese-owned TikTok from app stores rages on, Pennsylvania’s two Democratic U.S. senators appear ready to vote for the legislation.” (PennLive)

State

2. Battle For The White House Looms Large Over Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate Race

“While Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick have highlighted their own careers and positions as their pivotal race heats up, the candidates and their political parties have spent almost as much time trying to link each other to the unpopular figures atop their tickets: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Mr. Casey’s team is trying to connect Mr. McCormick to Mr. Trump on such issues as abortion, taxes and election denial that it says are out of touch with most Keystone State voters. And the McCormick campaign consistently links the three-term incumbent senator to Mr. Biden’s agenda on immigration, the economy and foreign policy.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Border Looms Large Over Senate Races Hundreds Of Miles Away. “The crisis at the southern border is surging as a top issue in states hundreds of miles away, allowing GOP Senate candidates the chance to capitalize in critical races in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Montana.” (Axios)

Trump Ramps Up Dark Rhetoric In Ohio Stump Speech For Senate Candidate. “Former President Donald Trump claimed that he — not President Joe Biden — will protect Social Security and warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses in November as he campaigned for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio.” (AP)

Trump Says He Favors Abortion Ban After Certain Number Of Weeks. “Donald Trump said Sunday he favors a national abortion ban after a certain number of weeks, with exceptions — but did not confirm how many weeks, leaving his stance on a top US election issue murky. The former president said that he would “soon” issue a proposal on the number of weeks at which a ban should be implemented.” (CNHI News)

Seniors in Pennsylvania Are Concerned About Social Security Following Trump’s Comments. “The former President made reference to ‘cutting’ the program, and the Biden campaign took it as a call to action.” (Penn Capital-Star)

PA Dem In District That Voted For Trump Says He’s A Moderate, But Voting Record Tells Another Story. “A Pennsylvania congressman who has touted himself as a “moderate” despite being in the Congressional Progressive Caucus is anticipated to have one of the most closely-watched congressional elections this year as he works to again defend his seat in a district that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020.” (Fox News)

Around The Commonwealth

3. More Women Taking On PA Politics, But Men Still Dominate

“In 2007, newly elected Lisa Baker was the only woman state senator with a school-age child.

“All the others who were serving at that time were either married with no children, or grandmothers and their kids were out of the house, so the challenges I faced were much different from many of my female colleagues at that time,” recalled Baker, whose son was a freshman in high school.

The challenges included facing down male colleagues’ attitudes about a mom’s ability to balance family and legislative demands.” (WVIA)

Related

Gov. Josh Shapiro Wants To Spend $80M To Attack Pennsylvania’s Housing Crisis. Here’s How. “Housing is often considered a local issue, but there is a growing consensus in Harrisburg that state-level action is necessary to combat Pennsylvania’s persistent shortages and rising costs.” (Spotlight PA)

Shapiro Has Work To Do To Win Senate Republicans’ Support For His Energy Plan. “Gov. Josh Shapiro frequently complains about Pennsylvania losing to Ohio when it comes to family-sustaining, job-creating economic development projects, but Senate Republicans question how the governor’s just-released energy plan does anything to correct that.” (PennLive)

Most Philadelphia Community Leaders Appear Optimistic About Mayor’s Budget. “Black leaders from a myriad of sectors across Philadelphia expressed their thoughts on Mayor Cherelle Parker’s budget address as she emphasized a “One Philly” budget on Thursday.” (Philadelphia Tribune)

Push To Cut 10s Of Thousands From Allegheny County Voter Rolls Feeds Fears. “Clara Osburg has lived in Allegheny County since 2011 and is a regular voter — including in last fall’s municipal election. So it came as a surprise when she received a letter in late January from the county: “Your Allegheny County, Pennsylvania voter registration has been challenged on the basis of residence.”” (Public Source)

With The Primary On The First Day Of Passover, Pittsburgh Jewish Leaders Encourage Voters To Vote Early. “Throughout the halls of Temple Sinai, a Squirrel Hill synagogue that normally serves as a polling location on Election Day, are flyers with a slogan that reads: Buy Matzah, Vote Early.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• The President Is Too Big a Deal. (Richard Lim)
• Biden Gets Blame For High Inflation, But He Shouldn’t. (Peter Morici)
• Cyber Charter Funding Must Be Reformed In Pennsylvania. (Scott Overland)
• Casey’s ‘Greed-Flation’ Figures Don’t Add Up For Most Americans. (G. David Sload)
• We Need a “Marshall Plan” for Public Media. (Chris Mills Rodrigo)
• Four Years Later, COVID-19 Shutdowns Remind Us The Government Is The Ultimate Tyrant. (Jennifer Stefano)
• Pennsylvania Swings to Joe Biden’s Jobs. (Matthew A. Winkler)

1 Thing

5. Why Does Chocolate Cost So Much?

“Cocoa prices have skyrocketed to record highs, amid wild weather and rising freight costs. The benchmark cocoa contract, traded on the Intercontinental Exchange in New York set a new record on Friday, crossing $8,100 per metric ton. That’s a 215% jump from last year.

Follow the money: Soaring costs are weighing on the bottom lines of candy producers, including Hershey.

Chocolate makers had been passing on the rising cost of cocoa to consumers without seeing much of a decline in demand. But Hershey’s sales volume dropped 6.6% in the fourth quarter of 2023, Reuters reports.” (Axios)

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