33 Comments
May 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

Hi Jay. Pennsylvanian here. Bob Casey is a middle-of-the-road Dem who is very well liked in PA. His dad was our Governor. The Casey name is a little like Kennedy in Massachusetts - extremely well known and well liked. I think that any Republican would have a tough time beating him. PA is a tricky state. We had *one* Democrat elected from Delaware County (extremely red county) to Congress every time he ran - Bob Edgar. No one could figure out how he won but he was overwhelmingly popular. Bob Casey is kind of like that, I think.

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I also don’t think that McCormick will beat him, especially with Trump at the top. But they will spend a lot of money trying.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

There seems to me to be no middle of the road you’re either sane or fascist in todays political world. I have never felt fear for this country and what it’s becoming until now I’m not democrat but I will be voting that way so long as we are being threatened by fascist dictator wannabes. Scary times in so many ways.

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We are now divided between democratic or autocratic parties. It is a dangerous time.

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You're correct about parties, but that doesn't apply to individual voters. I think that the majority of American voters are still middle-of-the-road, are turned off by those they deem extreme, and crave "sensible" candidates like themselves. Progressives (like myself) need to take note and be wary of pushing too-off-the-road candidates, especially in decidedly non-progressive districts.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

Awww poor McConnell. Such a shame he didn't do the right thing for America, and himself, by convicting Trump in the second impeachment. Those Trump chickens keep coming home to roost.

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If ever two guys were meant to be locked in a room with each other for eternity, this is them.

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Ya once you’re hitched to Trump’s wagon, it’s inconceivable that you could break away from him.

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I'm exhausted having out democracy hanging by a thread every election. Obviously, these are not normal times and trying to suss thus out is extremely difficult. I'd like to think there's more of us than them and that the entire Republican party has been stained by trump, considering how many times they have doubled down on him. Even if a "moderate" Republican runs, hopefully sane people are just sick to death of the entire lot of them.

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One of my friends long ago came to this conclusion: "There are no good ones." I keep waiting for someone to prove him wrong, but it ain't happened yet.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

Thanks Jay, great info! Some things are happening in Florida that could impact Sick Rott’s seat—there are initiatives in the works to get abortion and marijuana on the ballot for 2024. Our lackey atty general is already trying to strike the marijuana one for obvious reasons, and the abortion signature initiative has just started. As always, interesting times!

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May 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

Thanks for the explainer. Boy is it complicated. More work for us!!! I'm ready!!!

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Just the mere mention of the *M* name in PA fills me with dread. And when I think about it, his name, along with now so many others, is terrifying.

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A not-so-minor addition to your commentary on Ohio and Brown's chances. The abortion ballot initiative is facing a potential August vote on whether or not to make it much more difficult to amend the state constitution. The situation is confusing -- but in a nutshell, if the August initiative passes, the state constitution cannot be changed without an exceptionally high 60% of the vote, which in turn threatens the reproductive rights initiative in November.

DeWine and his cronies (this IS Ohio, after all -- almost as ridiculous as Texas in many ways, but our state house reporters are not as funny as Molly Ivins, so folks get bored) are literally trying to confuse the voters in order to defeat the reproductive rights initiative. I don't think they studied what happened in Kansas.

SO, Ohioans, sign the reproductive rights petition (correctly, follow the rules so it is not disqualified), VOTE ***NO*** in August, and ***YES*** in November.

As to Brown: he is exceptionally well-liked because he has proven time and again, he works and speaks for his constituency. Remember, he won in 2018, despite TFG. My observation is that he should be stumping RIGHT NOW to his constituency on the August/November problem. He is very strong with women voters.

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This is very true about the 60% push. And worrisome. I wrote a piece about this back in April if you missed it— https://open.substack.com/pub/statuskuo/p/the-gop-is-trying-to-steal-democracy?r=1zr8b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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I saw it, but I'm living it. Worrisome, indeed. :-(

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I fear for Jon Tester here in Montana, especially after Matt Rosendale 🤢🤮won so handily.

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Speaking as a lifelong Pennsylvanian, Sinema doesn't have a chance here. Casey is a popular senator across parties, his father was a popular governor. There is a level of loyalty here that she would not be able to overcome.

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Since Sinema lived in Arizona it would be tough for her to win in Pennsylvania. I’m sure you meant to say Mangione.

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Make that Mastriano.

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My bad. Thanks for the correction

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I suspect Mitch may also be considering retirement, given the fraught circumstances as well as physical fallout (pun intended) from his mishap.

The GOP landscape Is a minefield, no doubt, a haunted maze, an obstacle-riddled golf course from dystopian hell, most of it littered with foul detritus masquerading as viable candidates.

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I was under the impression that the No Label party was funded by the Kochs, etc.(dark money.) No way would that be centrist.

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That is my understanding too. Federalist/Opus Dei money that is not required to be revealed until they actually have a presidential candidate. Crappy campaign finance laws make this not transparent enough.

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Yes. Per Robert Hubbell in this morning’s Today’s Edition:

irresponsible.

Commit this to memory and tell everyone you know:

The “No Labels” organization is a GOP dark-money PAC designed to elect Donald Trump by running a doomed third-party candidate to draw votes away from Joe Biden in 2024.

Do NOT believe any claims to the contrary. Do NOT fall for the claim that “No Labels” is a “centrist” political party. IT IS NOT. It is funded by the Koch brothers, Harlan Crow, and Peter Theil (among others). See The Intercept, As Manchin Eyes Presidential Run, His Allies at No Labels Face Mounting Legal Challenges.

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Is he screwing McConnell out of power again, you ask? I'm gonna go with "yes".

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It still makes me sick to my stomach to even read that TFG will potentially be on the ballot. I can't believe he's still in the position to be able to run after everything we know he did.

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Side note. Per Robert Hubbell this morning,

“ irresponsible.

Commit this to memory and tell everyone you know:

The “No Labels” organization is a GOP dark-money PAC designed to elect Donald Trump by running a doomed third-party candidate to draw votes away from Joe Biden in 2024.

Do NOT believe any claims to the contrary. Do NOT fall for the claim that “No Labels” is a “centrist” political party. IT IS NOT. It is funded by the Koch brothers, Harlan Crow, and Peter Theil (among others). See The Intercept, As Manchin Eyes Presidential Run, His Allies at No Labels Face Mounting Legal Challenges.”

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I’m in Europe right now. Reading this I may elect to move permanently. I can’t do this Trump nonsense again. I’ve lost all respect for so many Americans. We are done. If he wins again this madness will continue and I need some peace!

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