Tuesday, October 21, 2014

For Pennsylvania's Republican Governor, Tom Corbett, There's A Wolf At The Door

Tuesday, October 21st, 2014



My Dear America:

Democrats have had very little to cheer about lately.

Although they might be counting their chickens before they hatch, Republicans seem to be already counting on savoring their victories in upcoming off year elections throughout the American landscape.  It is hard for me to understand how and why American voters seem to continually vote against their interests and for seemingly more and more extreme Right Wing Republican Candidates.

In a world that has bogged down Democrats, especially President Obama, with Crises in the Ukraine, in Israel and most disturbingly in Iraq and Syria one would think that polls would show that voters might be coming to their senses and voting for candidates that look out for rather than look down on the American Middle Class.  Unfortunately most polls don't show voters headed in the direction of Democrats, however.  But as we have seen many times polls cannot always be counted on to accurately predict the outcomes of American elections. 

One can only hope that countless previously foolish American voters will somehow wise up by election day and not only pay attention to expensive and often less than accurate Television ads but also actually pay attention to real issues and save the day in the nick of time at the ballot box.

In the Northeastern State of Pennsylvania's Governor's race the outlook for Tom Wolf, a Democrat businessman and Former Revenue Secretary under popular Democratic Governor Ed Rendell, the prospect of a Democratic victory looks incredibly bright.  Wolf rather easily defeated a number of better known Democrats during the Pennsylvania Primary by a wide margin.  His rather wide margin of victory in that race has continued to progress as he winds down his campaign against incumbent Republican Governor, Tom Corbett.  Corbett barely squeaked out a victory in his last Gubernatorial Campaign but this time the life and legend of Tom Wolf apparently seems to have stopped Tom Corbett in his tracks.  

Wolf has shown in his television ads in the primary and in the general election that he has the kind of background that resonates well with Pennsylvanians.  His ads have featured mainly his family members and workers in his company, Wolf Industries, an office furniture manufacturing company.  His two cute daughters were effective in the primary ads and his parents are now being featured in ads during the waning days of the general election campaign.  Also featured have been Wolf's employees and co workers who have touted the generosity of Wolf's profit sharing with those employed in his company.  

One disastrous ploy made by Corbett early on was to try to tie Wolf in a television ad to a deadly racist incident in York, PA, where Wolf lives.  Wolf countered that ad with one featuring the black mayor of York (a woman, no less) who raved about what a racially sensitive man Tom Wolf was and how lucky Pennsylvania would be to have him as Governor.

Wolf has also featured his Jeep in his TV ads.  When he was PA Revenue Secretary Wolf refused to use a government car and traveled the state in his own jeep.  He continues to drive it as he combs the state these days in search of votes and Pennsylvania voters love him for it.  Although Wolf is a millionaire with deep pockets, which have kept his TV ads running constantly in his campaign for Governor, Wolf is also a man with a deep respect and concern for Middle Class and poor Pennsylvanians.

On the other hand Tom Corbett has shown his allegiance to the corporations, including the Koch Brothers and the Natural Gas Frackers who have bankrolled his Gubernatorial Campaigns during his time in office.  Under Corbett Pennsylvania was the only state in America not charging Natural Gas Drillers an extraction tax.  Since Wolf made this an issue and pledged to right this wrong if elected, Corbett has suddenly and late in the game changed his tune on this issue.  Corbett also put every school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania so far in debt that thousands of teachers have lost their jobs during Corbett's tenure.  Wolf has pledged not only to charge an extraction tax for the frackeers but he has pledged to take themoney raised by the tax on frackers and put the money into the Pennsylvania education budget.

Other Democrats throughout the country might learn some valuable lessons from the Wolf Campaign.

The number one lesson is that when the Democrats give their voters a good candidate, voters respond.  Tom Wolf may now be the darling of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party but it was not always that way.  Pennsylvania State Treasurer, Rob McCord was the Democratic party pick and Tom Wolf beat him and three other good Democratic candidates in the Pennsylvania Primary election in order to get the opportunity to run against Corbett.  

Now in the last days of the Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Campaign Tom Wolf is at the door of Tom Corbett's Pennsylvania Governor's office and is knocking hard. It appears to be only a matter of a couple of weeks before Tom Wolf will have found entrance to the Governor's office for good.

Hooray for a Pennsylvania Democratic Party Victory.


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher