Lebanon Baloney

I hear that a certain county chair was getting a lot of heat yesterday because of this Kori Walter column in the Reading Eagle. Apparently the talk radio subject yesterday was about this column and lots of angry Democrats were blaming their Chair for not standing behind their nominee. He's getting heat because of this quote:

“He (Liss) was the person who decided to run, but personally, yes, I think somebody else should be running,” Horst said. “Somebody who could win.”

There has been talk about who else might possibly run in the 48th but all the talk was within the party until Mr. Liss decided to have a conversation with Mr. Walter at last Saturday's Berks County Democratic Committee meeting. It was Mr. Liss who made this discussion a public one, not Mr. Horst. Tom Horst simply said what everyone else has been saying, and he said it in response to what John Liss said to the reporter. I imagine he was caught off guard and a bit miffed at some of what was said to the media. He was speaking from the heart though.

Let me go back to a particular quote from the candidate:

“Coming out of the primary, I expected people (in the party) to be calling me saying ‘Hey, great job,' ” Liss said. “Instead of that, I got the opposite (reaction). I can't tell you how it sickened me.”

That sort of floored me when I read it. It seems the only campaign activity Mr. Liss engaged in prior to the last ten days was circulating petitions and attending a few events where his addresses left a lot to be desired. I was shocked to discover a couple weeks ago that he hadn't even formed a campaign committee or found a campaign treasurer. He hadn't raised a nickle yet. He took the primary season off, a primary that saw extensive media focus. He could have done much to raise his name recognition by playing off what Brightbill and Folmer were doing and staying above the negative horse manure the Republicans were throwing around. It was a good opportunity, but an opportunity lost.

Exactly what "great job" did John think the party needed to congratulate him for? I'm at a loss to comprehend that quote.

The bottom line is this: the people in the 48th need someone who will truly represent their interests in Harrisburg. An extremist like Mike Folmer isn't the answer. With Chip Brightbill gone this is a unique opportunity to win a seat that may help Democrats recapture the State Senate. John Liss' primary vacation doesn't bode well for him succeeding in November so some Democrats started looking at more formidable candidates. When they approached John he didn't take it well and has vowed not to withdraw. So he is the candidate.

None of this had to be public. Washing our dirty laundry in the newspaper isn't a good idea. The people in Lebanon calling the radio station probably didn't have any information except what was in Kori's column.

I suppose the moral of this story is that if you really want to run you'd better get on the ballot and run in the primary. After all, this is what primaries are for. I don't agree with pressuring John to step down. He is the candidate and everyone in the party needs now to rally behind him and do what is necessary to help him and win in November.