Trump is nuts alright, but he is so much more. He is ignorant of his duties to serve and protect his country and citizens. He is lazy and a slacker, consumed with his own image and dominance of the airwaves. He is most likely a Russian puppet at best, or at worst, a Russian agent. He and his family members, along with at least half of his cabinet are pillaging the American taxpayers pockets for their personal, and immediate gratifications, (such as first class or charter plane travel, outlandish office furniture, etc.) His administration is proving to be an oozing source of corruption and rot, as evidenced by Jared's attempts to sell influence and favors in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to his family's business. Or of allowing people who have no security clearance access to most, if not all, of our nation's top secret issues. Or of allowing a credibly charged wife abuser access to top secret issues who couldn't obtain security clearance in this lifetime. He is vindictive and mean. He doesn't care what collateral damage he caused to citizen bystanders as long as he can figuratively poke a stick into the eye of a political opponent. (i.e. The New York Hudson River tunnel funds he wants to cut to damage Chuck Schumer). He is dismantling environmental safeguards and pushing us back to the days of toxic waste dumps, polluted water and air, tainted foods, and weakening consumer and worker protections.
Vote Republican again if you enjoy self-immolation.
18
Does this race have anything to do with Donald Trump!s decision to announce
Tariffs on steel and aluminum? This race is very important to Trump and the Republicans. I believe they will do anything to Winn,fool the country and fool the world. Let us see what happens after March 13, 2018 .q
4
So a to-the-manor-born Democrat who opposed raising the minimum wage and improving gun laws is the best hope for Pennsylvania's working class. Got it.
5
"He's nuts" is the most telling quote here. Even Trump supporters can see how dangerous he is to the country.
8
Conor Lamb is a far better choice. Sacconne is just another long serving HACK from Congress. Sacconne has done zero, but thinks he deserves a district. Just say no to Koch Money.
5
Vote GOP or the NY Times will take away your guns, plain & simple.
Stop & Frisk prevents crime, Guliani proved it.
Federal surveillance of reporters is actually good for rooting out leakers who spill America's secret info. Snowden should have been caught, and put on trail.
I surely hope these PA voters recognize Trump's knee-jerk Hail Mary proposed steel tariffs as a way to convince them he isn't as horrible a president as they know he is. They need to look at the big picture and also the damage the steel tariffs will cause both domestically (higher prices) and internationally (breaking down our relationships with other countries). Vote Lamb and send a message to Congress that voters want them to stand up to Trump and fix what's wrong with our legislators in Washington. The 2017 tax reform legislation was not in their best interest and is a fraudulent "win". We are all hurting now, not just laid off workers. Let's stick together and raise all boats, not just the yachts of the 1%.
8
As one who was raised Catholic, I have a keen sense of doing penance to atone for one's sins. Trump voters who repent their sin should simply abstain from voting until 2024, by which time they may have come to their senses.
4
Many Trump voters regret nothing. Trump is their man regardless of what he does. These are the people who have brought our democracy to the brink of disaster. Hillary had it right. They are deplorable.
9
In light of this Pennsylvania contest, 45*'s proposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum appear to be a shrewd political move (the Dow dive notwithstanding), even if they make no rational economic sense. I'd like to have the steel industry back too, but like the coal industry, that ship has sailed.
3
It's not gerrymandering or voter suppression or Russia interference in our elections that is bringing American democracy to its knees. It's the delusional and myopic thinking of the majority of Americans that is the root cause. We have people who used to call themselves Democrats but who leave the party because of its "liberal social policies" (i.e., support a woman's right to choose) and then vote for Trump because they delusionally think Trump can work miracles and reverse four decades of steel industry decline--just like that, because he says, "I alone can fix it." and they believe him--delusionally. They apparently didn't listen to all the other things he said, didn't take him seriously or literally or whatever when he berated a Gold Star family, said, 'when you're famous they just let you do it'. Nope, none of the 10,000 offensive things Trump did or said during the campaign or before pierced their consciousness except his promise to bring back steel jobs. Wow, talk about confusion of understanding the responsibilities of a citizen in a democracy. Democracy isn't going to work if voters are so easily conned and only hear what they want to hear and only believe what they want to believe.
My prediction is that there's not enough black women in the district to swing the district to a Democrat. (95% of Black women voted for Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama while only 34% of white women did.)
6
As a further incentive Trump will announce exceptions to the tariffs for steel used in pistols and rifles and aluminum used in beer cans. Then, after the special election, the whole thing will be quietly dropped.
3
Best part is, this election should not a) even be happening, b) be close.
Tasty moves, trumpists.
It is hard to grasp a poor person living on Social Security voting Republican. But it keeps happening. Democrats need to be more aggressive at explaining the stakes to people. Bottom line. If you rely on Social Programs and you vote Republican you are voting for your enemy.
12
This district will probably elect the Republican only because the Democrat faces so many disadvantages. The DCCC refuses to spend for him and he is inundated by opposition money (10 to 1) from outside right-wing groups. The district as presently drawn is a gerrymandered GOP enclave. No poll shows him in the lead.
But there may be a silver lining in the court ordered redistricting come fall. Mr. Lamb can run in a new district where his home is located and that district is a fair fight place, not a GOP enclave. So Saccone, enjoy what will be your narrow victory, as you may not last long in office.
2
Steel tariffs would have helped back in the 1980’s when Japan was dumping steel in the U.S. But the GOP and Reagan saw a chance to get rid of the United Steelworkers, and even though it cost tens of thousands of people a good paying job, that was no consideration at all.
And here go the Republicans, dragging Nancy Pelosi into a race 3,000 Miles away from her district. Lamb ought to be reminding voters that his opponent will surely line up behind Paul Ryan who is driving us deeper into debt and salivating at the chance to gut Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security.
8
I have lived in nyc always for 52 years and Trump has always been full of himself and not admirable unless you admire a gold-plated wall. Its all veneer and shallowness, his buildings and projects and so on. However, it is about making money FROM money. So I guess people admire that. (people in nyc never really did, but he appeals to the Hope of the Working CLass, the elusive dream of Someday I Will Get Rich, For Sure!!). Definitely not a presidential figure, but obviously people wanted a break from that.
In short order, people are wanting to break from the break. Its mostly the utterly exhausting nonstop cycles that frankly, he brings upon himself. If you think other presidents didn't have troubles and chaos, just look at history. HOWEVER - this is a man that revels in the chaos, wants to pit people against each other to weaken all positions. And it works in that everyone becomes fatigued.
BUt now with these elections mid cycle, people want a break again from FATIGUE. They want some order, and for things to get done. Trump may be issuing executive orders and proclamations and bullying and blustering, but so far he's just gone with cutting whatever deal was already cut without him, not really going with the Will of The People.
Well, we will find out shortly what the american people are really feeling, as these elections happen. Ultimately my hope is, we'll all be better for having experienced all of it. Maybe we'll learn a thing or two. Maybe.
4
Pennsylvania is a swing state and, in many respects a microcosm of the US. These make it worth attention.
Election tactics and outcomes are extremely important in our democratic republic. The judicial rejection of gerrymandering has been the most underreported topic in the recent news.
Free and earnest press agencies (like The Times) seem to be stuck in an uneviable position of having to trade off between coverage of topics their readerships believe are important and topics that quietly determine the dynamics of the democratic process.
3
The Marcellus Shale gas fracking has kept Western Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley alive the past decade. It’s utterly amazing that not once did President Obama visit the area and praise this natural gas boom as a substitute for coal. What were his advisors thinking about besides their summer homes in the Hamptons?
2
I find it hard to understand why any Trump voter would now claim to be dissatisfied. Nothing about him has changed. He is exactly as he promised he would be; exactly what we saw him to be during the campaign.
7
So this race is why we are pushing steel tariffs...makes sense now. Also, When will the SEC look at trading patterns in advance of trumps statements? Follow the money, but too bad the SEC now works for Trump
33
I remember arguing in the early days of Rockefeller’s “free trade,” that colossal amounts of people would be left jobless. The answer of the brainwashed freetraders was that those people would be re-trained. Still waiting...
8
I often say that "If unemployed steel workers can be trained to be computer programmers, there would be much less unemplyment". However, age and mental flexibility make this very difficult.
3
You are waiting to be retrained, is that what you imply?
1
What a timely coincidence that Trump is suddenly proposing steel import duties!
23
Despite Trump's embarrassingly obvious incompetence the Democrats need to promote new progressive leaders. The old crowd - the Feinsteins, Pelosis and Schumers just can't cut it any longer. More news photos of Feinstein fawning over Trump is a disaster waiting to happen.
13
Ok, another one about the lady who chose Trump as a less of two evils... So many of us ask how on earth could they not see Trump for what he is, a pathetic and perhaps deranged con man. Well, I think they were simply flattered that a person they saw as a wealthy, powerful, and above all famous, someone with mansions, a plane, beautiful (if remote) wife and daughter, and on and on, would travel to speak to on their turf as some kind of outsider who understood them. I mean, Ross Perot had this kind of effect for quite awhile, but he didn't have Fox and alt-right media, Russian trolls and hackers, or probably pinpointed analytics to push him across the finish line.
72
If Trump voters are having regrets in PA, this is about more than a congressional race. Let no one forget that PA was one of the 3 crucial states that gave Trump his electoral college win.
18
To sum it up: You can't trust GOP nuts. Other places should be warned also. There are more nuts out there than Trump although they are being attracted to him.
9
Note that the women in the article are voting for Lamb. Enough said.
16
Judy Dulaney said it best, when stating why she's gone off Trump:
"Because he's nuts."
Hit the nail on the head.
36
trump's call for steel tariffs will play well in this district. And after the election, regardless the outcome, trump will again flip-flop on a promise. trump will bray about tariffs and trade wars in an attempt to once again con these voters. But that's all he has. A con.
27
Qualification: a master con man par excellence!
1
The DCCC would do well to support more candidates like Lamb, as well as Richard Ojeda for West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District. Speaking truth to economic power will do more for every constituency than trying to pander to each of them separately. Time to reclaim and rehabilitate the populist label back from its time in the sewer courtesy of Bannon & Co. So how about it, DCCC, show us what you're made of in 2018, or we may just stay home in 2020.
9
Now, I understand why Trump imposed the steel tariffs. Doh!
13
Perhaps the legacy of donald trump will be that he brought good people back to government service, After decades of the GOP proclaiming "government is not the answer, it's the problem". Add to that his tarnished accolade as "chief alligator" in the swamp.
The pendulum swings. American voters come to understand that government provides services that other parties [business] do not.
16
Sadly, it looks like dems will throw away their advantage by adopting extreme left positions that Bernie Sanders & Co. promote. So STUPID!
4
What extreme left positions do you mean? Medicare For All? Banning assault weapons?
Dems are gonna win big in 2018 and 2020 if they run on these hugely popular "extreme left" positions.
Mike, what makes you think they're "hugely popula positionsr"? I'm not seeing the popularity. Maybe because I live in a red state.
I live in the area close to Mr. Lamb, one the most gerrymandered districts in the state.
The adds on our local television paint this fine young man as the devil reincarnated.
Former Marine, Federal prosecutor and the "RNC" said he is not one of us?
I guess a draft dodger president is one of is.
Over
40
I guess the Democrats are learning. Jon Ossoff wouldn’t even put “Democrat” on his yard signs, but this new Lamb is openly running on GOP policies.
Gun control? Opposed. Fracking? For it. Pelosi? Against. Raising the minimum wage? Opposed. Veteran? Check. Law and order? He was a prosecutor. Hunter? You betcha.
What next, Democratic candidates who openly say they’re Republicans on the down low?
Seriously though, how do you progressives maintain the cognitive dissonance required to ignore this? Because personally, I would need a pretty big handful of pharmaceuticals to maintain the fiction that my party was popular, but that the only way it could win would be by running on the other party’s most cliched tropes and cultural signals. Does the contradiction here genuinely not occur to any of you?
If not, then you may as well start preparing the “The Russians Did It 2.0” for the pending midterm win that won’t be. Embrace the crazy early and put everything you’ve got into it, if this is how you’re going to be. Shifting too quickly from smug soon-to-be-winners into victimized psychotic conspiracy theorists isn’t sustainable when it’s done twice in as many years. Better to build it up slow and let it simmer for awhile, like a nice stew. Especially when it’s the second time making it. Thrown-together is fine enough when it’s on the fly and your first go of it, but if you’re going to make a habit of this, do it slow and to perfection.
5
March 13, 2018: Pennsylvania's chance to remember the wisdom of the founding fathers who met there in 1776 to declare independence and in 1787 to forge a constitution. As a famous Pennsylvanian (one of only six people to sign both documents) remarked then, America is "a republic if you can keep it."
7
So two men from political families, one a Dem the other a Rep are running for congress. Neither promises to do anything about guns, immigration, income inequality or the deficit. Neither likes Nancy Pelosi. And this is "news" from Pennsylvania? Why not just throw a dart at a map of the United States, you'll wind up writing the same story. You've written it for thirty years. The Democrats won't be seeing any Blue Wave anytime soon if this is their plan for the future. Honestly believe it or not Dems. People are hungry for ideas to improve their lives, not family dynasties, not status quo. They voted for change in 2008. They're still waiting.
6
This is the case of a Republican running in Lamb's clothing. Lamb is pro-fracking in an area with terrible air quality which needs less fossil fuel based energy, anti-minimum wage raise, doesn’t agree with his party’s leader and thinks gun laws which allow mass shooting after mass shooting are just fine. This individual should not be allowed to run as a Democrat and they should not give him a dime. He’s a republican. What would he not have voted for which the currently administration has put forward? You cannot be pro-fracking and pro-environment. You cannot be pro-working people and against increasing a stagnating minimum wage.
This will happen more and more. Republicans like Lamb seeing an opportunity to run as ‘Democrats’ because a psychotic clown is in office. So they take what pundits will call ‘centrist’ views, but in reality are very conservative viewpoints and run. Then they will get the regular Republican voters along with Democratic voters. Thus the scam is complete. If Lamb wins it will be curious to see where his votes on Trump measures like tax cuts, wildly out of control military spending and massive social safety net cuts lie. In this case reaching across the isle is more like enabling bad policy set by those not affected by the results.
It would be more appropriate to have a real Democrat run and lose than to see a Republican-lite person run and win all the while denouncing the very party and platform he is supposed to represent.
14
So maybe this is what the steel and aluminum tariffs are really about. A way to manipulate voters in this area so that they vote Republican. And when the election is over, tariffs go away.
9
Let me suggest the following penance for all Trump voters: you can't vote for the rest of your life; or you can never vote for a GOP candidate for the rest of your life.
Sounds harsh, I know, but some people go to jail for years for things less stupid than voting for Trump. You saw this coming - the bus tape, the bankruptcies, the whole campaign trail was as one person admitted in the article - Trump sticking his foot in his mouth. You gave us Trump, you deserve to be punished.
9
Hence the steel tariff, of course. Those clowns were dumb enough to vote for his coal nonsense, and they'll fall for this, too.
12
I used to live just outside of Burgettstown, PA. Trump's talk of steel tariffs will play VERY well there. The local people are strictly working class with little more than high school educations, if that. Perhaps this race has something to do with Trump's announcement timing?
8
No new gun laws after Parkland. Not running against Trump. This guy isn’t a Democrat. Field a real candidate already. I understand the guy is running in a conservative district, but does the Democratic Party have values or not? What does it mean to be a Democrat if you hold all Republican views and don’t espouse abhorrence for a President who has some of the lowest approval ratings ever. It’s one thing to say you want to bring people together, but the moderate stance would be to say you want to ‘hear what both sides have to say and try to work out a good solution’ not concede before you’ve even been challenged.
12
The article is a bit misleading. Mr. Lamb, a Marine veteran who prosecuted sexual misconduct in the armed forces, supports the second amendment, but also supports more stringent gun laws, including stronger background checks. He has stated this clearly. He also absolutely supports an increase in the minimum wage, but has been unwilling to put a number to it for all small businesses in his district. He supports safe fracking. When you listen to him, he has an intelligent and nuanced understanding of these complex issues. His televised debate with Saccone made this clear. He has accepted no corporate PAC money for this race, which makes me somewhat hopeful that there is movement away from the corruption that has made complete crooks out of our current leaders.
14
Thanks for clarifying Mr. Lamb’s positions, Voter. If they are as you say, his message seems well-tailored to your electorate. And would square with a lot of moderate Democrats and independentsin the rust belt and mid-west. These positions are even something that I, a true-blue liberal can understand and accept (well, except for that “safe fracking” pablum- that’s as oxymoronic as “clean coal”- but even Barack Obama was in favor of clean coal in 2008).
4
Maybe this is the reason that Trump announced the tariffs on steel to gain back these supporters. As usual I predict that his promise to bring back these jobs in old outdated plants will materialize like the jobs promised by Trump University.
2
Sad to say, but low income people who supported Trump and the GOP are fools. Hopefully a lesson has been learned.
4
Anyone who was taken in by Trump was either uninformed, a racist, a Country Club Republican wanting a big tax cut, a fool, a credulous Fox Fake News watcher, a cynic, or a naive person willing to gamble the democracy away.
Anyone who spent even 5 minutes reading about Trump's history would have learned about his stiffing workers and contractors, his faux charity work, his illegitimate “university” and “foundation”, his disdain for the working class, his hatred of minorities, his puerile manner, his crudity, and his sexism.
Anyone who caught any number of fact checks, or paid any attention at all to the campaign, should have known he's a liar, a failed businessman, someone who breaks his promises, and a hypocrite.
In short, he's *deplorable* — and those who voted for him *should* feel guilty for having wreaked havoc on the nation, its democratic processes, its values, and its international standing.
The irony is that most working class, white, rural, and poor Trump voters would have been much better off under President Clinton!
94
A few anecdotes do not a trend make. Trump is still polling at 40 percent, same as last summer. Most Trump supporters are as stubborn as they are gullible. Rather than admit they were conned, they will simply double down on their support for this amoral grifter. Willful ignorance and self-deception sustain these folks.
12
Democrats should be out there in droves helping Lamb to victory. Contact the local Democratic office and ask HOW you can help.
4
Lamb is not liberal enough for NYC, but fine for Western PA. That's the lesson the Dems need to keep learning. Ralph Northam wasn't expected to win in VA, but he was the kind of Democrat the voters wanted. Doug Moore stood out only on his pro-choice views; the people of Alabama felt they could send him to DC (granted, against a pervert). Joe Manchin is just barely a Democrat for some, but in WV, he knows what he has to do to win.
Does that mean the Democrats have no real center? No, if they continue to find and back candidates who are right FOR THE REGION, and who get voters excited, they can have an actual coalition of people ranging from just-left-of-center to full-blown liberals. And Bernie.
I expect more ex-Republicans could switch to Independent and get elected...and find themselves caucusing with the Democrats.
This isn't compromise; it's maturity.
48
You forgot to mention Lee Carter (who ran as a proud working-class socialist in Virginia, and won.) He too was right FOR THE REGION.
Medicare For All is right for any region. So is banning assault weapons.
2
Republican policy has been consistently corporate-centered and anti-worker for the last 40 years. Anyone who works for a living and has voted Republican in any election is a fool.
11
Pennsylvania voters finally realize they voted for a carnival barker as the clown car heads into the ditch.
7
To go back to the old Jeff Foxworthy routine:
If you believe that health is a right and not a product like Coke, you might be a Democrat.
If you think arming children with AR-15s is just not right, then you might be a Democrat.
If you think that people who work full time ought to be able to put a roof over their heads, three squares on the table and maybe a cheap car, then you might be a Democrat.
I think what we ought to call "independents" are cowards. They are just like agnostics, they can't make up their mind.
9
Lamb doesn’t think we need more gun laws, doesn’t support a $15 minimum wage or single payer / universal health coverage and is in favor of fracking. Is he running in a GOP primary? He’s 33 and these are his positions? I mean I guess he’s better than his fascist opponent, but I can’t get excited about him.
It is nice to hear that at least a few Trump voters deeply regret it.
9
It is hard to have any sympathy for the rubes, marks, and fools that voted for Trump in 2016. The country would be better off if people like Ms Stroud never ever voted again. She obviously chose ignorance as a way of life and deserves every bad thing that happens to her. Too bad that she and others on her Trump wavelength put our country on a path to an authoritarian state through her stupid stupid vote.
7
Naturally I want the Mr. Lamb to win, but this he is one of the most lukewarm Dems to come down the pike in a long time. It's a favorite GOP tactic to turn a current Democratic leader into a bête noire, so naturally Lamb runs from any idea that he supports Nancy Pelosi - he's not exactly a profile in courage. And he turns his back on a $15 minimum wage. The Dems will never beat the Republicans by becoming more like them. I believe they lost so many seats in Congress since 2010, and the Presidency in 2016 by running away from Obamacare and from how they saved the economy after 2008.
As if that were on enough, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wimps out on spending significant money on this race. To the milquetoast DCCC and its spokesperson who said “We look at places that have dormant or growing Democratic DNA, and this one has neither": that's exactly why red districts have become so red - you guys let it happen.
If the Dems rely on opposition to trump to do their work for them, it may work in the short run. But they had better show real ambition to win power by telling people what they will do with it, any success they have won't last long.
22
"Ms. Stroud, a 56-year-old house cleaner, feels politically adrift again."
That sentence perfectly encapsulates America's fundamental problem and the ultimate source of its demise.
62
Reports of the Union's early demise have been greatly exaggerated, but I shouldn't wonder if Vlad's going crashing down way sooner than one might expect.
The Republican will win! I don't believe there's a complete understanding of the nihilism that's rampant out there! And with an improving economy that trump's
everything else about our Reality TV star, President, that will equal a Republican victory in a State like Pennsylvania! He's got a lot of friends there!!!
8
Improving economy?? Are you serious??? Interest rates are going up. That means eventually businesses will expand less and hire less - and certainly won't be giving decent raises. Now, the madman's tariff tantrum brought on because his beloved Hope Hicks is leaving the White House and he just had to throw his weight around somehow, manufacturers will need to raise prices, will be selling less, and leading to further cutbacks and job loses. Our imbalance in trade will only get worse, affecting profits and stock prices of American companies doing business overseas.
Improving economy??? The stock market doesn't think so. Or, don't you pay attention to that?
It's amazing IMO when people are so condescending to the people who admit voting for Trump and now regret it - yet they never, ever point fingers at the Sanders/Stein progressives who also contribute to this mess, in 2016 and now.
Some of those progressives stayed home in 2016 or voted for Stein/Trump. Yet in the midst of Trump's reign of terror, all they focus on is opposing "Republican-Lite" candidates - all across this vast country - for midterms. A Democrat has to pass their purity test as a candidate. What's dangerous now is that if a moderate Democrat wins, they call it "a win but not a victory".
Who are these people and why are they not called out publicly as deplorables - as they should be?
There are a number of angry Republicans all over this country who are getting their acts together and willing to vote for a moderate Democrat for the good of the country. Kansas is one place where you see them; perhaps Pennsylvania will be another. And you know what? These people have been Republicans their entire lives; they aren't going to just jump up and down and say "I'm a Democrat now!"
But what they are willing to do - unlike the deplorables of the left - is compromise to get the nation back on track with a moderate government. Then they'll go back to being Republicans - just moderate ones who hopefully keep better watch on the extremists.
Deplorable, defined: https://www.npr.org/2017/08/24/545812242/1-in-10-sanders-primary-voters-...
72
One reason for the condescension aimed at Trump voters, who now regret their vote, is that the reasons for their regret was so totally predictable. There's just not much to sympathize with. Either Sanders or Stein would have been better than this train wreck.
6
Very impressed by the part of the article where Ms. McCoy believes the Republicans will now go after Social Security & Medicare to compensate for the massive debt created by the tax cut for the super-rich. How right she is.
Hopefully more regular folks will realize they've been had by Trump and the Republicans.
195
They'll go after the payments but keep the social security taxes which cover lots of Federal spending. That's their fear, that the payments go out more because of more retired people and thus they might have to raise taxes. So, to solve, they'll want to cut expenses but not the income.
2
GOP voters in Pennsylvania should have known what they were getting before Trump was elected. It was obvious from the day he announced his candidacy that he was the least qualified, least able person in the race and yet over 60 million voted for him. Now we will all suffer the consequences.
81
This clearly shows again that we need an independent party in the middle who are not sold to any particular party line, only to logic and common sense.
The poisonous political polarization, brought on to a good deal by social media, needs to be broken. Pulling the plug on Facebook and Twitter would be a good first step.
15
The political poisonous polarization existed long before Facebook and Twitter. Voting maps from late 1990s and early 2000s show extreme polarization was an almost immediate outcome of the advent of Fox News. And it continues to skewer the facts and sway the largest viewership. We've been on this path for 20 years, thanks to a crazy Austalian (Murdoch).
5
Are these voters even aware that private donations from special interests fund political campaigns, and so the elected person must work for the donors above the voters. It is not this way in Europe and Canada, and our US voters should be demanding that our elections are conducted without such legal corruption.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM NOW!
80
Mr. Lamb is correct that we need new young and never for people to run for offices coming into public service. Not with the intention of making fortunes and pumping up their egos but to render service to their country and then leave after serving a few terms at most.
26
Then they might want to look into voting in more women. What you describe is by far the reason men get into politics.
2
Try Lamb for a few months. For voters who worry they might regret voting for Conor Lamb, there will be a rematch in November.
31
That seems reasonable however, there is little Lamb will be able to do as a member of a minority party. Also, Republicans, esp. House Republicans, are the least likely to want to reach across the aisle and their voters/special interests make them unable to even try and do anything. For them gridlock is their friend.
2
This election is going to be the one to send shockwaves? The GOP has seen an average swing in election in 2017 of -10, and in 2018 of nearly -30. How many more elections do they need to see before they realize they booked passage on the Titanic and that no matter how much they move the deck chairs... they are going down? Not many seats, even gerrymandered ones are safe in a 30 point swing.
25
That does seem to be the way things are going.
1
I understand the impulse to shake things up, but Trump was so clearly an unqualified candidate without a moral or ethical compass--a reality star who played a successful businessman on tv. You'd have to be pretty desperate to believe otherwise. In fact, Trump's proven he can shake things up and pretty much burn everything in his path--and give a tax cut to the rich while he's at it. I'm sorry for these people but have no forgiveness for what their votes, which so clearly mattered to the election's outcome, have done to our country and the our children's future.
67
I agree with you. When someone shows you who they are time and time and time and time and time.....AGAIN, believe him. Sadly, they did not.
4
I share your sentiment and wonder how they ever thought this clearly incompetent person would be able to do anything except cause chaos. Not only endangering the country but the world with his ineptitude.
3
"disappointed with his presidency." What a tepid remark. Anyone who is not appalled and scared for our country is either uninformed or unpatriotic. A vote for a Republican is a vote for the demise of democracy.
113
To "uninformed or unpatriotic" I'd add unable or unwilling to analyze how the world actually works and their place in it. They have been voting for these deficit creating charlatans for decades, hoping to punish the unworthy while assuming they'd be looked after. Surprise! They just needed your votes to suck more money up from the lower classes. They didn't even invent new economic babble, they went back to '80s Reagan "voodoo economics". Although they say these days, nostalgia is in.
1
Mr. Lamb opposes raising the minimum wage in an area of huge unemployment. If you have one job you get five applicants and tell them take it or leave it. Sounds like the Grapes of Wrath.
What is a moderate democrat? Isn't that the same as a liberal republican? And we know there is no such animal.
Good luck Mr. Lamb but I don't expect anything different from
Southwest Pa.
When are the coal mines and steel mills reopening?
13
Employment at coal mines has been shrinking for 30 years due to technological advancement and automation. The other powerful factor has been competition with cleaner sources of fuel, particularly natural gas, as a preferable and less expensive source of energy.
The Federal government has a supportive role to play in conjunction with business in a partnership manner to help retrain displaced workers and support their efforts and their families as they begin to transition into new jobs. Businesses cannot and most will not do this on their own. Incentives such as tax credits or write-offs for businesses might be helpful here.
As a public school teacher, I have averaged a 50 to 60 hour work week for over two decades. Our profession requires continual retraining as technology continues to change the landscapes of education. We continue to grow professionally in our fields in order to maintain and boost our skill sets as any practitioner needs to. I point our that it is also the responsibility of middle to large corporations to offer and support professional development of their own workforce. Technology will continue to affect every sector of our economy. In order for our workers and businesses to remain competitive, business owners and corporate CEOs should be supportively focused on providing their employees with ongoing training.
I do agree with you that raising the minimum wage is essential. All full time workers must be paid a livable wage.
34
I lived in Central PA for more than 55 years. During those years I watched in dismay how jobs and industries headed overseas. I've seen empty factory buildings, once formerly vibrant downtown business areas turn into ghost towns and steel mills becomes museums. Our family business was compelled to close after almost 100 years and I had to return to graduate school at age 49 to start over from scratch. In my view both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for dismantling of almost everything in PA. The state legislature can never reach agreement. Schools across the Commonwealth are terribly strapped for cash and teachers have seen benefits reduced and salaries don't keep pace with the cost of living.
There are no politicians who are not guilty. Ideology, demagogues, and political loyalists who support their party line at any price are the cause of the destruction. Mr. Lamb says we don't need anymore gun laws but he supports more fracking. Fracking causes water pollution. Guns kill students. Is he really a Democrat? Then he says he wants to "work with the people on the other side." What is talking about? He just espoused the other side's mantra.
PA doesn't need pseudo Democrats that support Republican policy. We need a moderate Democrat who will fight for the middle class. Mr. Lamb is not going to be the man to do it. Democrats still aren't getting the message. The middle class wants real change and improvement not empty promises to just get along. How about jobs?
177
I haven’t seen much of Conor Lamb, but I know he’s a fierce defender of Social Security and he is pro-choice. A conservative Democrat is a good fit for his area.
4
Frame this comment and send to the DNC for required reading, until they get it right. Entrenched politicians are the enemy of progress. Mr. Lamb may not be true blue but in that district it's a start.
1
Excellent comment! Few statements illustrate the victimization, inertia, the need to blame others for one’s personal plight, and the desire for the government to force an employer to pay one above market value endemic on the left than a comment like this one.
When jobs go scarce, a Republican might move and find another. Or at the worst, vote for a populist Republican like Trump that at least puts some protections in place.
But a true blue Democrats’ response? Oh poor me!!! Everyone is out to get me, and I had to go back to school to find a new job! We need Democrats and government largess to protect us from such horrors!
So sad it’s funny, and so true it’s sad.
1
Pennsylvanians!
Don't let the Trump-Russia Republican Party buy you and your vote. We must send this filthiest president ever -- and his party -- packing.
57
I despise Trump.
But those Democrats won't quit pushing ethic issues and undermining white males.
13
No one is "undermining" white males by saying women and minorities are their equals, and should be treated as such.
Funny you should mention steel.
31
It looks like the Trump tariff will do more harm than good even in parts of the steel industry. Steel finishers, steel manufacturing, the auto industry. And Harley-Davidson will be hit with a double whammy. They will pay more for their raw material and steel parts and The EU will probably target them with a tariff.
19
Nothing Trump does is going to resurrect 20th century factory and industrial production jobs. The world has moved on; Trump and a lot of workers (primarily males in their 50s and 60s) have not. Sad. The transition from a primarily agrarian to a primarily industrial economy during the last quarter of and turn from the 19th into the 20th century was painful for millions, too.
25
Mr. Trump campaigned with a good message; certainly Washington needed shaking up. Years of a dominate corporate ruling class ruined middle class values. The problem is Mr. Trump lies. He's a salesman, he reads his audience like all good fortune tellers. He has honed his pitch over the years and loves the applause. For that professed love he hands out candy but only one bite and the rest is given to the rich like him. Anyone who thought a billionaire who'd never worked for the common good was one of them wanted to be fooled with the same optimism one has when buying a lottery ticket.
But as midterms near and more people understand that selling our country to the ones who love him most it's unlikely to continue. The bright articulate bunch from Parkland tell us we have a future we can be proud of.
92
"The bright articulate bunch from Parkland tell us we have a future we can be proud of." Amen (and I am at best agnostic!)
30
I don't understand how you feel he ran with a good message but then note that he's a liar.
4
I understand that some people don't feel the Democratic candidate is left wing enough. But he is running very close, and the Republicans are outspending by a 10 to 1 ratio. So the "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has so far spent only modestly on the race. “We look at places that have dormant or growing Democratic DNA, and this one has neither,” said Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the committee. The national Democratic political operatives keep waiting for a sure thing. And remain surprised that no one has enthusiasm for them. They have no fire in the belly. They play it safe. They are idiots.
61
It is largely a nationwide problem with the Democratic Party. You call it "no fire in the belly"... I call it Complacency. Ineffective leadership. Lack of boldness. No backbone.
28
People forget that it was the Republicans that refused to work with Democrats. Filibustering the senate and stealing a S.Ct. justice. We tried split gov. We tried Republicans in charge. Now it is time to give total control to the Dems. Vote now before it is too late. Unless we reverse the tax cuts, SSI is going to be cut drastically. How are you gonna live on that and have no health inusurance? Get ready to die.
128
Ah ha. Now I understand Trump's hasty announcement about placing tariffs on imported steel. This appears to me to be less about rejecting his own advisers recommendations, along with those of our allies and numerous reputable economists, and more to do with winning this special election in Pennsylvania, a State longing to regain its former steel manufacturing glory days.
After the special election, we may well see Trump change his mind again and back off of these tariffs. As Trump often likes to say, "let's see what happens."
127
I think that Lin Dixon Barr correctly sums up Trump's motivations. The
President has no interest in consistency and no particular principles, but he's YUGE on pandering to his base.
And it works. Just this morning I heard on the radio that Trump is at this point in his career the least popular President ever. However, the analysis also showed that Trump is at his most popular point ever. He has more supporters than when he was elected, and a higher percentage of those supporters are enthusiastic supporters.
6
Sorry, but these stories are meaningless until congressional districts decisively vote against the GOP and Trump. Otherwise, I'm not buying these corny anecdotes.
20
Any voter who still backs trump after 13 months is either drinking too much trump kool-aid or watches too much Fox(trump) TV.
77
Do you think steel tariffs are for anything else but the vote here?
48
These wishy washy people are really, truly depressing.
If Donald Trump *ever* seemed like a good candidate for President to you, then I despair for your actual brain and want zero to do with you.
Like seriously, what is wrong with you?
72
"Liberal Social Policies"? Like Social Security, Medicare, the ACA and much more that has improved the average person's life. Get over same sex marriage and all the other fol-de-rol of the bible thumping right wing. Vote you pocket book or are all of you too brainwashed to do that.
53
"Mr. Lamb, the scion of a local political family, is a moderate Democrat who supports natural gas fracking, opposes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and said the day after the mass shooting at a high school in Florida that the country does not need new gun laws."
It sounds like this election will only decide which party gets to suckle on the teat of these special interests. What a farce.
23
I like Donald Trump because he treats EVERYONE like they're an idiot. Now THAT'S the good ol' fashioned American spirit of "equality for all".
9
There is no shame in admitting a mistake, and trying to do better. There IS shame in denying responsibility, blaming everyone else, and repeating the same bad decisions. A very brief life lesson : What would Trump Do ???
Do the opposite. Every single time. Seriously.
25
It’s not just Trump voters who are embarrassed or disappointed.
13
Instead of demeaning folks like Patti Stroud, we should say "Thank you" and welcome them back to the fold. She, and others like her, can be tremendous local advocates of switching from the GOP to the Democrats. We need more Patti Strouds!!!!!
22
I think Judy Dulaney sums it up pretty succinctly..."I figured the lesser of two evils was Trump, now i am second-guessing myself because he's nuts"
22
"Ms. McCoy voted for Mr. Trump — “I figured it would be a change” — but she plans to vote for Mr. Lamb, because she is worried that Republicans in Washington will cut Social Security to pay for the recent tax cut. “I’m going back to my Democrats,” she said."
These people are MORONS! It has never been a surprise or a secret that REPS would go after all of the things, social programs, that allow uneducated whites to "survive" instead of rotting in the gutter. I detest Hair Cheetolini, but the middle class and working class idiots that voted for him are truly worthy of his incompetence.
25
Trump has proven himself to be incompetent, uninformed and unqualified to be president. Nothing further need be said about this chaotic presidency. Trump voters made fools of themselves in thinking that this charlatan was any more than a joke on the American electorate. Clinton was a bad candidate for the Dems and so she was defeated. Better hope the Democrats come up with a much better, more ethical and decent candidate in 2020. Meanwhile, vote the cowardly, greedy Republicans out of office in 2018 and we'll be well on the way to restoring integrity and honesty to the government.
12
"Though she is a registered Democrat, Ms. Stroud had long since drifted away from the party over its liberal social policies."
How many times have I read sentences like this since the 2016 election. Can someone PLEASE explain what "liberal social policies" means to these people? Is it guns? Is it gay marriage? Is it immigration? Is it legalizing pot? ACA? I don't think it's abortion as that has been law for decades and she is 56.
Please explain.
26
"Liberal policies" is probably code for "not racist enough."
3
Everyone of these items, in these peoples' minds, is a stand-in issue for "those others." Meaning people of color, "welfare queens," or "people who are getting something that I'm not."
2
Translation: It's the Starbucks/Whole Foods/Fresh Direct demographic that, below the surface and in private whispers, cares nothing for voters who lack college degrees. (It also happens to be the demographic that condescendingly patronizes nonwhites who lack college degrees.) There are plenty of us only a generation away from hardscrabble, and when we're asked to pick sides, people like Ms. Stroud vote Republican, while some of the rest of us shake our heads and walk away.
3
The Dems need to run quality candidates in all races, everywhere. Even if they don’t win it causes the GOP to spread their resources more thinly, depriving them of the ability to raise money in safe districts that they then transfer to other candidates. Especially so considering Trumps reverse coat tails. Lamb gets the “younger fresher “ appeal, that’s what helped Obama win his first national campaign, a lesson the Dems painfully forgot when they nominated HC and now seem to be forgetting again as they flirt with the idea that Biden and Sanders could be 2020 candidates.
11
This scenario in Pennsylvania strongly resembles the one which occurred in Wisconsin a few months ago when Patty Schachtner, a Democrat defeated Representative Adam Jarchow, a Republican, for a Wisconsin State Senate seat, which had been held by a Republican for 17 years.
Wisconsin voters are returning to the pack, as I believe Pennsylvania voters will as well. The turning tide isn't just about being "disappointed" rather lied to on so many issues. Trump talked a good game when he was running for president, but in reality, very little has really helped anyone except for the ultra wealthy American. Once again, voters' ears hurt from listening to Trump talk and talk and talk, but there are no actions behind those words.
Good luck to Conor Lamb. May he be as victorious as Patty Schachtner was/is in Wisconsin.
22
It is inaccurate to say that Lamb said "the country does not need new gun laws." The Times is generalizing a very specific and carefully worded political statement. Advice to the esteemed reporters and editors at the Times: words matter. Go back and read Lamb's words. He is obviously and intentional walking a very fine line between supporting new proposals and not rattling gun-loving voters he will need to win.
20
Fox News is at the center these brainwashed voter. Fox News is in part responsible for the most corrupt administration in history. This is also about the racial resentment of America electing the first Black president. Anyone who can’t see that is being willingly ignorant.
30
Not every Trump voter was motivated by racial resentment, and I don't see any reason to assume that's what motivated the voters in this article. Don't forget that Trump actually did better with Black and Hispanic voters than Romney or McCain (if you believe in exit polls and racial categories anyway.)
There's no doubt that Fox News and racial resentment were huge factors in Trump's election though. The social media age and constant calling out of "white privilege" also had the somewhat ironic effect of "racializing" some people who had never really identified as "white" before, or taken overt pride in it. Those that embraced the idea of a white identity in a cultural war definitely went all out for Trump.
1
The impoverished lottery-ticket-clutching woman epitomizes the confused rural vote that supported Trump.
9
Shame on the DNC. Get behind Lamb. Just pretend he is Hillary and spend the money
12
Trump voters are "disappointed"? They should be furious. Apoplectic.
At themselves for not paying attention during the campaign.
At Trump for lying, endlessly, for years and years, without regret or shame.
And then doubling down when he gets caught red-handed and undeniably.
At the GOP for fawning and scraping, excusing and defending, enabling and encouraging this disaster.
At the useless, gutless, cowardly, waste-of-oxygen Congress we endure.
19
I wish that Trip Gabriel had told readers how the candidates look and sound. These things make a difference in politics. Mr. Saccone comes across as a smug yet bitter good ole boy who hits all the old Republican dog whistle points meaning we old white men should stick together and keep the power. Mr. Lamb (fair disclosure, I support him and have seen him in action) comes across as a fresh, hopeful young man who believes in the classic values of the Democratic Party: that we are our brother's keeper, that we should care for the least among us and offer a basic safety net for which working people have been paying out of their wages all these years. Mr. Lamb does not shrink from that basic message.
8
Dear Ms. Stroud, Donald lied, he lied to us, all! Donald is not bringing the steel industry back! Nor is coal coming back. It's sad, but this is the truth. Donald wanted your vote, so he told you and all the rest of those who voted for him what you wanted to hear.
A few years ago, as part of his Jobs Bill, Pres. Obama wanted to use federal funds to rebuild our infrastructure AND help retrain people like you husband in other fields, such as building solar panels, etc. Or some other vocation. But the Republicans in Congress blocked Obama from passing the Jobs Bill....so here you are, no job for your husband and thousands of others in Pennsylvania who are out of work!
Please vote for the Democrats, we DO need to change things and we cannot do it IF Donald and Republicans remain in charge!
38
While it is obvious that Congress, and all of Washington DC for that matter, is badly broken, I'm forever baffled that voters continuously complain that our elected officials don't work together. Do they not understand that we are electing these same candidates over and over? I think voters express frustration at gridlock without really looking at themselves. I believe that many of these people who are looking for compromise ultimately want their political opponents to surrender. That seems to be the definition of compromise these days. And in Trumpworld, everything is a zero sum outcome, where there are only winners and losers. I still hold out hope that his voters are starting to see that they, and most of the rest of us, are on the losing side of his daily circus act.
22
Pennsylvania Democrats have a track record of masquerading as moderates or conservatives until they win election, and then voting liberal all the time. Like U.S. Senator Bob Casey. And the re-districting is being challenged. It will probably go to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Republicans will probably win their complaint. Because the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court violated the Separation of Powers clause. The Court does not have the power to re-draw Congressional Districts. According to our State Constitution, only the legislature does. It was a power grab by the State Democratic Party. Unable for decades to win either the State Senate or House, they decided to usurp our political process by stacking the court with partisan Democrat political hacks.
2
You do know it's already gone to the Supreme Court?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/us/politics/supreme-court-pennsylvani...
4
Democrats did not file the lawsuit. The League of Women Voters (not affiliated with either party) and Common Cause, as well as a plaintiff from every congressional district - filed the lawsuit. The current system is broken. Voters should pick their legislators, not the other way around.
It is time for an independent commission in Pennsylvania. Allowing either party to be in charge creates extremism and denies citizens of common sense compromise. Each party has to be the most extreme the party has to offer. I live in Scott Perry's district and he actually said on CNN that he believed the Las Vegas shooter was a part of ISIS - because he panders to those in the dark corners of the internet with conspiracy theories. It has to stop. We should have intelligent, competent people that are willing to compromise working for us, not against our rights to pick our politicians.
9
The court has the power to do what it needs to do to insure justice. If the legislature draws districts the courts rules are unfair, the courts can compel them to draw fair ones. If the legislature refuses, the courts certainly have the right to draw new ones. The Constitution doesn't give anyone to right to be unfair to voters. And PA is a purple state that has consistent large, GOP, seat imbalances. This is the definition of gerrymandering and is unfair to the voters, since the will of the people is not accurately reflected in the mix of politicians seated by their votes. So yes, the Courts not only can fix the problem, they must.
4
Now we understand Trump's decision to impose a tariff on imported steel, even if he starts a trade-war that hurts the whole country's economy. He's making a play to protect this one seat.
20
I'm severely conflicted about this race. I don't think we should characterize Mr. Lamb's candidacy as referendum on Trump. If Saccone hadn't hitched his wagon to Trump quite so tightly, we probably wouldn't even be talking about Trump. In another election year, Lamb just as easily could have run Republican. I appreciate that he's young. I understand the difficulties of a Pennsylvanian campaign bid. Still though, Lamb more or less represents a continuation of the post-Reagan trend towards neo-liberalism. I'll take his vote over Saccone but we should be realistic in our expectations.
A narrow loss isn't exactly a loss but a win isn't exactly a victory either. We're more less stuck right where we were before. The electorate hasn't changed. They've just soured on a particular personality.
6
Before Pennsylvania parents vote they should ask themselves "Is Trump is a role model for their children and/or grandchildren". The answer should settle it.
21
Ms. Stroud , something I have learned is selfish , egotistical & moralistic people are always going to tell you what you want to hear to get what they want. So when I say say never Trump, well , never anyone of that ilk no matter what. So Republicans have held their nose as long as they get what they want ,throwing out the baby with the bath water. I have been to Pennsylvania twice, and I think most people their do not know what they have & it is not steel or coal. A beautiful state with friendly people. A history that is incredibly idealistic. So when I saw in 2016 how the state voted, how Republicans voted, I was in shock. Do not expect anyone to do what you yourself should do. Ring a bell? That's Kennedy in essence. There is never a guaranteed income,re-invent yourself . But having no vision has an impact, one is the opioid crisis. The escape from no hope. So do not expect jobs in coal or steel. Do expect jobs in other people. Ms. Stroud , welcome home ,never accept accept help from someone who has never given it without a price tag.
25
I lived in Pittsburgh for 28 years. I don't know, this is kind of moot, the districts are redrawn for November and Conor Lamb should easily win the new 17th while Saccone should easily win the new 14th. Right?
I mean, it helps the morale of the Democrats if Lamb wins or comes close, which matters, but that's about it.
6
the democrat supports fracking, opposes a raise to the minimum wage, and doesn't think there needs to be any change to gun laws in the wake of parkland ... oh, and doesn't support nancy pelosi (one out of four isn't bad). but, really? why bother? may as well vote for the admitted trump supporter and be done of it. no wonder people are weary of hoping for any meaningful change. the only difference between the two of them is that one of them admits to supporting 45.
21
You have mixed up the Republican positions w/the Democratic positions. No fracking, raise min wage & change guns laws are ALL Democratic.
Apparently you fail to comprehend that the most important characteristic of a legislator is WHO THEY CAUCUS WITH.
3
A Sanders-style progressive that you describe would barely into the double digits in that district.
His positions match closely with those of the constituents that will be (hopefully) voting him into office. One thing for sure: he wouldn't have voted for the tax 'reform' scam that to date has been this White House's only 'accomplishment'.
5
And, boys and girls, he's just warning up!
1
I'm all for Joe Biden stumping for Mr. Lamb, but how about prominent Republicans who are sick and frightened of what their party is becoming (a national fascist front for those of you not paying close attention). Bring in Colin Powell or whomever is willing to raise the alarm.
21
Given his views on guns, the minimum wage and fracking, Connor Lamb might just as well be a Republican. The last thing we need is a House full of mushy, "moderate", Democrats who will do little to change the status quo for the better.
23
Those same Dems were the ones frustrating Obama's agenda. You could never count on their vote when you needed them.
4
Remember, this is the part of Pennsylvania hard up against West Virginia.
4
He's a "moderate Democrat," really? Backs fracking, opposes $15 minimum wage, and opposes new gun laws. Please. This Mr. Lamb is a Republican. Why bother.
28
Exactly. That's usually the case in the South, too. When I moved to NC years ago, the democratic congressman in my area was pro-life, pro-gun and anti-health care. The locals just say, "well, here in the South, we're small D democrats, get used to it." Now we have nothing but big R republicans in charge of gerrymandering our districts and destroying the state.
3
Why bother? Because he is better than his opponent and Democrats need a majority to challenge Trump.
But you can be pure and enjoy the continuing dismemberment of the affordable care act. environmental protections that go beyond fracking, etc.
10
Articles like this one give me hope that Donald Trump will be a one-term President.
The sooner he vacates the White House the better for all of us, even the misguided individuals who still support this man.
18
Just because voters are sick of Trump, does not mean they prefer Hillary, or even progressive Democrats like Pelosi or Warren or Sanders. Trump won because the Democrats put up Hillary, proving that Trump can beat a pathetic candidate. The question is whether the Democrats will have decent candidates.
3
Reply to Tony re the need for Dems to put forward viable candidates: I could not agree with you more.
It is imperative that the Democratic Platform be more substantive than “We are not Trump.”
3
Agreed. The Democrats need to run on a positive message of shared prosperity. and building a culture of cooperation and solidarity.
The Dem platform should put Medicare For All and banning assault weapons front and center. If they want to win, that is.
1
These people seriously live in parallel universe. Democrats have repeatedly tried reaching out to Republican politicians ever since Obama was elected. Republicans spurned them and instead cynically strategized to paralyze Congress, hoping the public would blame the President and his party. Whether they realized it or not, the GOP set the groundwork for a candidate like Trump. The man isn’t “change”; he’s the logical result of Republican machinations. Unfortunately, too many Americans don’t care enough about politics—except for all the ways it effects them—to have realized only one party was to blame for Congressional inaction. Hopefully, the ones who still have a foot in reality are getting it now.
42
In my opinion, if people expect to see change transform into policy and stability for the middle class and the country as a whole, these Congressional elections are the priority. These districts matter!
The fact that what I just said might make a lot of city folk mad, and the fact that the Democratic National leadership does not agree with me on this, is the very reason Trump won in the first place.
This quote from the article; “We look at places that have dormant or growing Democratic DNA, and this one has neither,” said Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the committee. “I think people underestimate that this is a tough district.”, is the reason that Trump won.
Tough district! Really? No kidding. But THAT is what you are paid for. Go into those districts and argue your case/policy. Earn the votes! In order for DEMs to have popular policy that can be made into meaningful laws, they must engage with all aspects of our country. The process of debating about policy at the grass roots level is good for both sides of the debate. It is the natural education process that is meant to go along with democracy. Both sides learn from it.
“People say they’re conservative, and then it turns out things aren’t what they say once they get into office,”
That is because the voters don't know what the 2 parties actually represent. The DEMs allow FOX news to control the narrative. So the perception of what a "conservative" is supposed to be is a lie to begin with.
10
There is something wrong with the premise of Trump voter regret. In order to regret something you must first realize you did something wrong. In order to realize you did something wrong, you must have a modicum of introspection and critical thinking capacity, two qualities Trump voters utterly lack. This means there is no such thing as Trump voter regret, there cannot be. Deplorables were conned because they are fundamentally incapable of rational thinking - the main reason why they are Deplorables in the first place - and they will continue to worship Trump, regardless of the consequences. In fact, according to the law of escalation of commitment of human behavior, the least lucid members of society - Deplorables in this case - tend to increase their support for their own actions rather than visualize they are making a mistake. They behave irrationally because their emotions and limited faculties don`t give them alternatives and because their pride is an insurmountable barrier to introspection. They are Deplorables for a reason.
29
Except your theoretical claim is contradicted by data. Groups are rarely so homogeneous.
2
You must be a college professor, right? You're so smug!
Stock market is up over 30% and unemployment is down to the lowest rate since the early 70's. Everyone I know has plenty of work. The deplorables are making America Great Again and all you can do is watch, be smug and worry.
2
Trump ran against H. Clinton's dangerous neo cold war campaign. Now he has more than embraced her campaign. The US has put troops in Syria and is arming Ukraine, not to mention Trump's nuclear arms modernization program (which will cost a vast amount of tax payer dollars). He is clearly mercurial and says nasty racist stuff which many of supporters do not support. His raising steel tariffs could be popular in that area of PA. The NRAs hard line approach to the FL school mass shooting could have some impact on less than party line gun enthusiasts.
2
Wrong most all of Trump supporters support his racist views. To say otherwise is untrue. Now that he has turned on them they want to claim he isn't what they expected. They expected that POC would get hurt but not them. Well surprise, surprise, they are getting hurt too, so now they want to be saved. As for tariffs when the lay offs come watch them whine this isn't suppose to happen to them.
18
And not on the fact that he has a Y chromosome and she doesn't?
2
If the newly redrawn PA districts survive Republican challenges neither Lamb or Saccone will live within the new district to the south of Pittsburgh. Neither of them would have a chance of winning in the new district that they live in, which is primarily Pittsburgh, and the seat is now held by a long serving Democrat. However, in PA it is not required that a US representative live in any particular district. Therefore, whoever wins the special election in March (they both live in the old district), Lamb and Saccone are likely to face off in November in the new district south off Pittsburgh.
1
Everybody in the article is late 50's or older. This type of conservative is a dying breed and you can sense the last gasp of people who want to try to turn back the clock. The future lies with the students of Florida who are not attached to party politics but are attached to the idea that enough is enough and that the future is global.
40
Not just the kids in Florida, but as of two years ago, there are more Millenials in the United States than Baby Boomers. Obviously, this trend will grow every year, so it shows that the GOP is in trouble.
9
Yes, but the 'dying breed' votes and 16-year-olds aren't allowed to vote--yet.
2
You would think. But this trend has been around for decades. Young people are liberal, grow up and become conservative. Strange enough when it's JFK to Reagan, but unbelievable when it's Bill Clinton to Trump. We all use science in our lives from computers to cell phones, to everything... so it's hard to believe one of our two major parties is anti science, math, education, history and fact. I say take all the fruits of science away from people who deny it. It's science, not a produce department.
2
If recent history is any indication, Conor Lamb has a shot of winning this vacant Congressional seat. The president endorsed Ed Gillespie in Virginia and Roy Moore in Alabama, and so far, he's batting zero. This race is going to be a referendum of the president's job performance to date and the Keystone State will provide a preview of what's to come in November.
It does Ms. Stroud good to admit her disappointment at the president's poor performance but she has to do much more than admit to buyer's remorse. Her ballot on voting day will speak volumes to the president about how disillusioned his base has become over the last year.
Voters are now saying how angry they are with this president, yet all the signs were there long before November 8 of 2016. The Twitter rants and personal insults of opponents and people who disagreed with him have continued apace and the Oval Office has not made the Chief Executive "presidential" in the least.
The president has put his family first, not America, as he once promised. Pennsylvania voters can send a pointed message to the president, to Congress and the country that they intend to take America back to where it used to be.
12
Look at Louisiana is you want to know where today's Republicans want to take us. 44% of Louisiana's public programs are funded by the rest of us. They are about last in every category, except close to first in all of the bad things none of us want like pollution so bad you cannot even swim in ponds and streams, sink holes so big entire communities abandoned. These are caused by the unregulated petrochemical industry. No aid or compensation to damaged citizens. Cancer as common as colds are in other communities. Physical damage people's bodies from working unprotected in the petrochemical industry. Bobby Jindal ran Loisiana into about a $2 billion debt, devastating the state, cutting every health, education, infrastructure, public workers and program he could. The state is desperate, having done everything current Republicans claim is good for us. Meanwhile Rhode Island under a new smart female Democrat with an exemplary education and work experience is pulling Rhode Island up out of near bankruptcy with smart pro business and pro labor programs, with more aggressive education and job training funding than most states. Read carefully about these two states. Every American should want to be more like Rhode Island than Louisiana.
49
Let's also celebrate California's 7 billion dollar surplus under the able leadership of Democrat Jerry Brown, and remember that Republicans Brownbeck of Kansas and Walker of Wisconsin have torpedoed the hopes and dreams of their states under tired republican boilerplate about dropping tax rates. Come on, America! Let's have a resurgence of . . . . intelligence!
110
You are making cardinal mistake #1. Most people on the right don't make decisions based on facts, but on emotion. (excepting the Hedge fund guys who make their decisions based on greed.) As a result no amount of evidence will shift them. You can point out how blue states have better jobs, higher wages, better schools, better hospital, less obesity, longer life expectancy, export tax dollars to red states, etc. And it will NEVER dent their beliefs. They will just say to their mantra. We weren't Conservative enough in ________. Never mind you can't find a country in the world in recorded history that ran on their ideas and worked and had happy people.
4
It's disturbs me to hear so many Trump voters now feeling buyers remorse. I know many of these hard-working Americans did not heed we New Yorkers who have seen Trump up close for decades telling more than "little white lies". The Trump brand name in New York is one to avoid. He may be scamming tourists who come here, but not we natives.
We tried to tell the rest of the nation, but all they could see was that schlock artist on his Reality TV show and think that was the way he operated in real life. That show is a fake, just like Trump is, not like The New York Times.
So what to do now? Forget with "I told you so". We all make mistakes, and this one was a whopper. Shrug it off, and move one. Remember, beginning November the American voter can start to reverse the course we're on by voting out enough Republican to lose their majorities in both Houses. It's a start. Then, at the very least, we can have some bargaining power to deal with the worse president in history. Let US begin now.
DD
Manhattan
63
These Steel tariffs may last just as long as Trump’s assault rifle ban.
13
Why does the Republican Party have to worry? As long as the "national Democrats" have anything to say about the race, this Trumper will win hands down. I am so utterly disgusted with the leadership of my party I could plotz. It's time to remove each and every one of them and start over. I'm surprised Saccone hasn't hired Hillary to come and campaign for his opponent. She has been and continues to be the GOP's secret weapon.
6
Quit the Hillary bashing. She is a notable woman with a long career in public service. If not for misogynist "Democrats" like many Bernie supporters, she would have won.
I lived in Pa for 50 years. Trump can not bring back coal and steel. Thinking he can is deluding yourself. Trump is not honest with his voters;doing anything to keep their support. Trump and GOP has become toxic after Charlottesville and Roy Moore. Vote for anyone who is not Republican. Ray;former Pa resident
35
I am a Republican who went to college in Meadeville. north of Pittsburgh, so I was back and forth through this district on many occasions. Had Donald Trump used the $1.5 trillion he gave away to corporations and the 1 percent as investment in rebuilding infrastructure like bridges and water systems there would have been good construction jobs in these communities, good jobs making steel, hauling steel, and fabricating construction equipment. In turn that would mean jobs in restaurants and stores and services. But Trump was eager to channel that $1.5 trillion to people at the top, so for every $1 in bonuses or wages to workers companies have been allocating $34 to stock buybacks and other benefits for shareholders and executives. Remember that many shareholders are foreigners so hundreds of billions of dollars leave the country to further enrich Arab princes, German and Canadian pension funds, Swiss bankers, and wealthy Chinese executives instead of employing workers in Burgettstown and Mt. Lebanon. Next year Rick Saccone will be calling for cuts in Medicare and Social Security to reduce the deficits created by Republican misdirected tax cuts rather than expanding attention to those in the district most in need. We could have seen jobs and improvements here; instead we get trips to Davos for the well-heeled.The only way real Republicans will ever be able to reclaim control of our party from the conmen, crooks, and frauds who have seized it is to vote in people like Conor Lamb
380
Good luck! And I mean that sincerely. I am a liberal Democrat so I'm not likely to vote for a Republican but we do need a conservative party which isn't nuts.
15
Thank-you for a solidly-composed response here.
14
Excellent post. I live in NYS and I suspect like the majority of this country I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I want the government out of our personal lives unless we are a danger to others and I want to pay my taxes to ensure a safe, modern society and reliable safety net. However, I have voted GOP only once many years ago for my blue state governor. The GOP in Congress is off the rails with rigid economic and social ideology and I will never vote for a GOP POTUS or Senator or representive. I wish it weren’t so, but they are a menace to this country and should never be in charge.
9
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Trump has decided to impose tariffs on imported steel two weeks before a pivotal special election in steel country?
And if it isn't a coincidence, then perhaps we should also be expecting an incredible flurry of additional actions like this in October, just ahead of the many dozens of pivotal midterm elections that will be happening in November.
My, won't that be exciting.
30
But the Democrats did very well in Virginia and Alabama:
"Having seen hopes for special-election upsets fall short last year in Georgia, Kansas, Montana and South Carolina, [Democrats] are wary of another setback in Pennsylvania."
Polls show Saccone comfortably ahead, but that could change.
1
Trump remains' very popular in Pennsylvania. This billionaire surprisingly connected with the blue collar voters more than expected. Bringing in Biden is laughable as be claims to be from Pennsylvania but has lived in Delaware his entire adult life. Kinda like Hillary using Bruce Springsteen to get people to her rally. So go ahead and believe the polls. That worked well the last time.
2
"This billionaire surprisingly connected with the blue collar voters more than expected." Well, la-de-da. Doesn't say much about the discernment of those voters, does it? Biden is far less "laughable" than this bloated billionaire dunce currently bamboozling the gullible. Biden has more integrity than the entire revolving Trump Administration. I plan to help Pennsylvanians see a little more clearly that they have well and truly been sold down the river by this surprising fake billionaire in hock to Russian oligarchs.
15
I'm sorry Hillary didn't win for you. Now that would have produced the integrity you crave. And the Wharton School of Business doesn't attract or graduate dunces. I'd like to see verifiable truth that Trump is a fake billionaire and I'm still waiting for any shred of proof he colluded with the Russians.
Act 2 for Alabama: Senator Jones win in the actual state of Alabama and the poisonous Trump administration have raised hopes in this Alabama part of Pennsylvania.
8
I grew up with a dishonest, gambler, grifter for a father. The most appealing person to me is one who is honest, stable and sincere. Trump is none of those things..Hillary had her faults but there was a huge difference between the two and for those that can’t see that I would say they are ignorant, misinformed and probably fox new watchers. Believe your own eyes. He is much worse than anyone ever thought. He isn’t even trying to do the job, only enrich his family. Complicit gop must go as well - they allowed this to happen, and allow it to continue.
Vote for Lamb. Vote for decency.
221
Anybody voting for, doing business with or associating with trump have nothing but regrets. The Democrat seems like a good man and a whole lot less crazy.
Bonne chance Mr. Lamb!
16
Trump before Trump was Trump? No thank you.
16
Now it come into focus why the idiot wants to impose tariffs. It's this race. After working in a steel mill during my college years, I can tell you, they are not coming back. The steel industry killed themselves by not modernizing the plants, while the rest of the world did. What makes you think they would do it now?
35
Now is the time for the Democratic Party to step up, inspire and lead in order to recapture the voters who are disgusted by trump and regret their decision.
But this has to happen not by focusing on disparaging the vile human in the oval office but by putting forth policy solutions that will present a positive choice.
Don't blow it Democrats.
19
I understand Trump voter's frustrations with an economy that benefits ceos and stockholders over workers. This clearly must stop.
But a lying, molesting, multiple-bankruptcy, con-artist is the answer?
Really?
If a third of this country continues to think a person of that caliber is the solution, then we are in deep trouble.
Clinton was far from perfect, but she didn't come close to Trump's level of corruption and lack of morality, integrity and humanity.
And, of course, Trump's level of government experience: 0.
31
Nothing Trump has done in his short time in office has benefited Patti Stroud or the myriad steel workers or coal workers in America. They were hapless duped caught up by a carnival barker's hypnosis and promises, and as Trump gets closer to being indicted, he will simply walk away from old Patti and her pals.
Hey Patti -- you really showed all of us in 2016 by voting for Trump. PA is one state where Trump won by the slimmest of margins, less than 1%. I hope you can sleep at night ...
26
250 Days to the 2018 Election.
Time to get ready to throw every single Republican out of Washington D.C.
Steve Bannon said they would "deconstruct the administrative state." But to most of us, that "administrative state" means roads, safe airports, fair elections, clean water, clean air, competent leadership, regulated banking, and trade and alliances with our allies.
Good luck Mr. Lamb!
105
Trump and his handlers made a grave mistake: they assumed that everyone who voted for him was dumb enough to go along with any behavior, no matter how outrageous or corrupt. They were wrong. Clearly, some Trump voters were simply angry with the system, disliked Clinton or honestly believed an outsider would right the ship, and now they're feeling disgusted and betrayed. That makes them smart. If the trend of Trump voters deciding "enough is enough" continues, the GOP is going to get crushed in the midterms—not only at the federal level but in state houses and governorships, too.
13
I'm still baffled by people who seem to think Trump has done a good job. I can understand people sticking with voting Republican because their antiquated religion causes them to fear abortion. Or because they want more gun deaths, or see school shootings as entertaining. Or because they're extremely rich and want lower taxes for themselves, caring about nothing else.
But there are a lot of people out there who really seem to think Trump has done well, despite his record of constant failure, despite his ignorance, incompetence, and fascist tendencies.
So I do hope that Mr. Lamb wins this election, and that this year Congress flips, and the Republicans lose power. But I worry that too many Americans are too clueless and will keep voting for the old white guy who is most obnoxious.
23
My mom lives in the Lamb/Saccone district, is a Republican and voted for Trump. But she says she's voting for Lamb because "something has to be done about the guns." Here's hoping Lamb does something, even though he has an "I like guns" plank in his platform.
BTW, My mom's neighborhood and other Pittsburgh suburbs are loaded with Lamb yard signs and nary a Saccone; don't know how yards look in the hinterlands of the district though, which runs along the WV border.
19
Hopefuly more Lamb yard signs are a good omen. I started to get a sinking feeling about the 2016 election in October when I noticed many Trump yard signs in the affluent suburban homes in my county.
Were any of these people with "buyer's remorse" about Trump even awake during the 2016 campaign? Everything Trump said was idiotic, incorrect, pandering, later contradicted, or purely buffoonish.
Did they REALLY think that Trump was going to build a costly, unnecessary Wall and have Mexico pay for it? Did they really think that President Obama was born in Kenya or that there were Muslims celebrating in NJ on 9/11? Didn't they hear Trump say that the "system was rigged" and that he would challenge the election (presumably if he lost; the clown act was that he continued that narrative even though he won!). We KNOW he would have attacked our electoral processes if he had lost. Never mind his devotion to Russia.
Didn't they hear him say he groped women, ogled naked teenagers, cheated in business, in his non-profit and on his wives, and hid his taxes and dealings from the public? Didn't they see him make fun of disabled people, demean the press and the courts, and insult gold star families?
Don't they remember that he didn't know what the nuclear triad was? Did they not hear him support Iran's nuclear weapons program, by opposing the deal that curtailed it? Did they hear him questioning the value of NATO? Did they not see that he was an ignorant, bragging, con man, who thought (I guess correctly) that you could say "MAGA" and "you'll get tired of winning" to poorly-educated Americans and win an election?
Please spare me having to hear moaning from the "Ostriches of 2016"!
26
Trump played the white working class for fools. He gave a trillion dollar tax cut to the rich, did everything he could to steal health care from the middle class and reserves his sympathy for billionaires.
Forget his racism, misogyny, infidelity, lying and complete incompetence for a moment. This guy sold you out, repay him at the ballot box.
147
“We look at places that have dormant or growing Democratic DNA, and this one has neither,” said Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the committee."
Taking over the House will be hard, really hard. It's even harder if you don't even try.
I am perfectly willing to believe that there is a glimmer of an opening for Democrats in the mid-term elections; but I am equally willing to believe that they will blow it, through incompetence and internal bickering.
It's out way, it seems.
9
This is exactly why I give money to individual candidates (including Mr. Lamb) rather than to the Democrats.
9
Yup, I agree. If they don't blow it by bickering with each other, they'll miss the boat completely by running around worrying which issue to be more outraged about.
1
30% of his term complete, Trump has done almost nothing for the working-class voters who swept him into the White House while he has lined the pockets of his rich cronies and covered up a Russian cyber-attack that helped him win. PA does not need him. America does not need him. And we need to end gerrymandering. We need a Congress that is a Separate Power, not the president's rubber stamp.
Hooray for Ms. Stroud and Mr. Lamb. Semper Fi.
143
If people want change in Washington, then they should vote against the incumbent or the incumbent party; and I mean Democrats and Republicans. Otherwise, we'll just get more of the same.
1
Oh yeah, that worked real well in the presidential election, where the worst candidate benefitted enormously from third party candidates who had no chance of winning.
6
Did 2016 teach you nothing? Not voting, or voting for anyone other than the Democrat, is the same as voting for the Republican.
8
We should use our vote to move the country in a particular direction,should talk to candidtes about our own vision, and recognize that no politician has the power to deliver on everything. But to throw away our vote—by not voting or by voting for someone who has NO chance of winning OR of influencing policy, such as Jill Stein—is frankly delusional. That kind of nonthinking delivered the presidency to the GOP administration we have now.
10
I would hope that this special election and the mid terms are more than a referendum on only Trump. The GOP, including those already in office and the candidates running are culpable for enabling Trump by their support and/or silence. A courageous, moral and thinking republican is a rare item today.
23
A working class person who voted Republican because she doesn't like "liberal social policies" and who believed Trump would "shake up Washington and bring back steel." Who thinks Trump's worst offense was to "put his foot in his mouth one too many times."
Hopefully the GOP/Trump con job will stop working on voters like her as they experience what really happens when you hand the country over to plutocrats and their handmaidens.
28
Hmmm ... maybe this explains the timing of Trump's announcement of steel/aluminum tariffs, using international trade to keep his PA base in line for this special election?
21
Exactly where are all these remorseful Trump-voting Pennsylvanians? My entire family voted for Trump and remain ga-ga over everything he says and does. More so when I writhe in agony.
I sometimes wonder how in touch the Times is with the hinterland.
11
Exactly where are they? You'll find out with every local election. They'll win some, they'll lose others. But that's the only way you'll find out where these remorseful Trump voters are.
I'm sure Pennsylvanians were happy when Trump announced steel tariffs. How pleased were they 10 hours later when Trump completely abandoned the idea?
Trump is hoping Pennsylvanians can't focus for more than a few hours and still think he's going to use the tariffs. That's how he rolls. Yeah, he's different from the other politicians all right. He relies on chaos and the public's short term memory. And it worked for him in the national election. But hopefully, there are people who can focus for an entire day and see what he is. A con man
We tried to tell you guys, but you just had to see for yourselves. Some of you still don't get it. They still back a con man with a pile of sprayed, bleached hairs atop his head who favours no one but his family and his fellow financial grifters. That may be how you like things, in which case, you will reap what you sow.
3
Hychkok, your ire is misdirected.
My comment stems from the panic I feel every time I move outside the city — and indeed, one need not venture far at all from Philadelphia into the suburbs to encounter those in Trump’s thrall.
I am not one of those. The “agony” I refer to? It is the same that you feel.
It is terrifying, and I do sometimes wonder whether the NYTimes realizes just how deeply Trump is loved and by how many.
There are few members of my family I can bear to be around knowing their allegiance to Trump. I should have been more clear about that.
4
Hello to all my fellow 18 district folk -- I want to show you how a thinking person votes: I am a liberal democrat in Pennsylvania's 18th district. I am no fan of Conor Lamb because he is not a liberal democrat -- as the article mentions (gun supporter, opposes min wage hike, etc). However, as I am a thinking rational person, I recognize that though Conor Lamb is not my ideal candidate, he is 1000 times better than Trump before Trump Saccone. So, I will hold my nose and vote for Lamb. I wish more of my fellow 18th district voters had followed the same logic in November 2016. It was obvious to anyone who was actually thinking about it that Trump would be a nightmare. So now you have buyer's remorse?? Use your brains!
313
It's true that one should always hold one's nose and vote the lesser evil. But can't the Democrats do better than a candidate that a Republican lite? Has the political establishment really moved so very far to the right that candidates opposing a minimum wage increase in present circumstances are good representatives of the working and middle class? The DNC really must do better.
1
"Ms. McCoy voted for Mr. Trump — “I figured it would be a change” — but she plans to vote for Mr. Lamb, because she is worried that Republicans in Washington will cut Social Security to pay for the recent tax cut. “I’m going back to my Democrats,” she said."
Add this group to the 31M angry 18 year olds (and their parents) who will be coming after Republicans in 2018 and Trump and Republicans in 2020. As well as the women angry about hypocrisy regarding sexual assault, Latinos who aren't "rapists", people offended by those who mock handicapped people, and on and on and on... No Blue Wave in 2018 and 2020.
Tsunami...
17
Nice dream, but most 18 year olds don't vote.
Anyone who votes blindly for one party or the other is why we're in this perpetually mess. Why should any politician do anything for their constituents if they know they will be getting votes anyway? Vote on the issues people, not for the party.
And yes, as another New Yorker posted here, we in New York have known Trump for over 40 years and know he's a con artist who rips off contractors and employees.
17
Mr Moore says "even with full Republican control in Washington, not much had been done. “The turnover has happened, but nothing has changed”. True enough.
Compare that with 2009-10 when the Dems controlled both the White House and Congress. Even if you do not like the ACA or Dodd-Frank, you cannot say thet they didn't get much done. The US auto industry was saved and they helped get the economy back on track, creating a recovery that is still rolling, all in 24 months.
125
Is this why Trump is announcing steel tariffs? I wouldn't put it past him. Let's see if he follows through after March 13.
13
Not being a citizen of PA, I had to go look to find that Burgettstown is west of Pittsburgh, east of Steubenville OH, and probably like a lot of little towns and smaller cities in Western NY.
Most of these areas have had tough times over the last 40 years: declining industrial base, jobs, and population. Western NY outside Buffalo votes Republican too. And it's brought them nothing; even before Trump the Republicans had no ideas to help these people, now even less.
Cutting federal taxes doesn't help most of these people, they aren't paying much anyway.
10
The problem has been that the Democrats haven't been much better at keeping their interests in mind.
3
With a 3% margin in polls, the DCCC is foolish to only invest modestly in this race. They have an excellent candidate and a vulnerable opponent.
9
It never ceases to amaze me how former democratic voters in the middle or lower classes voted for Trump because they thought he would better their lives.
Weren't they paying attention? Don't they realize the massive difference between the two parties' platforms in terms of how they affect their own lot?
Ignorance is an epidemic in America. But we do have a safety net for common sense. Unfortunately, it's when the republicans take power and their horrible policies go into effect and hurt these same people.
Just do yourselves a favor, folks. Vote blue and keep voting blue.
20
Good afternoon, Western Pennsylvanians.
You can all let go of the Art of Con, now.
It's not easy to admit you were duped by a cheap con-man, but it happens.
Vote Democratic; rejoin civilization, and welcome back from Reality TV to actual reality.
Dump Trump 2018
403
So Trump is straining at gnats by trying to start a trade war. I hope he chokes on Rick Saccone. It's too bad, though, that the DNC is totally clueless. Here's hoping Conor Lamb wins. He certainly won't be beholden to the Democratic power structure as it currently exists, and can help put new leadership in place.
57
I believe he will be beholden, and the DNC power structure will love him. Above all else he can raise money, their only consideration.
He holds several positions with which I disagree, but Mr. Saccone is much worse, so hold your nose and vote!
us army 1969-1971/california jd
12
Glad to hear some who voted for trump are starting to come to their senses. We need to stop thinking that any one individual is going to "fix" things. We, the voters, are the government and it is we who need to do that hard work of bringing this country back together again and determining its forward direction as best we can.
226
Hope springs eternal.
14
Perhaps we are in luck. Since 1994 and the Contract With America, Republicans have quietly seized control of this country. It was done in stealth through gerrymandering and voter suppression. When people said they wanted a change in 2016, what they got was double-more of the same because the Republicans have been in charge all along. Maybe the voters are finally catching on.
110
“I did not like either Clinton or Trump, but I figured the lesser of two evils was Trump,” she said. “Now I’m second-guessing myself. Because he’s nuts.”
Who are these people! You thought a disgusting human being who is known for ripping off every contractor her has ever worked with, cheating on his wives, having extremely gaudy tastes and zero intellectualism and being a jerk on tv would all of a sudden turn into a reasonable, competent leader?
Trump has been a laughing stock of New York for decades, the people and industries who knew him best respected him the least. Why the rest of the country chose to ignore this is beyond me.
683
Most people do not pay close attention to politics and campaigns. Voter turnout during presidential years is rarely over 60%. The statement you quote seems like a reasonable decision making process for someone who has almost zero incentive to get her vote right. That is the kind of Trump voter I have no problem with. It's the Rich Lowry type of Trump supporter I can't stand: those who knew that Trump would be a terrible president, but won't admit that he's terrible because it would hurt the Republican political brand and make a mockery of the right, even more than Trump's awfulness does.
10
This is a testament to the degree of ill informed or willfully ignorant voters in your populace and are akin to a fifth column. That is why it is crucial to mobilize a massive wave of informed voters to outvote them in November. I mean it is just the future of your county and democracy at stake. so maybe you should take it seriously. For the sake of your country excise the GOP from power until they display that they can play well with others.
4
"Who are these people!"
So, your strategy for the Democrats is...to INSULT THEIR WAY back into power. Oh well, some people never learn.
4
The Pittsburgh TV market has been flooded with ads. None of them deal with issues. On the Republican affiliated ads focus on Nancy Pelosi. The Lamb ads focus on saying he is a decent man. On radio the ads are move vicious. The campaigns are spending millions, and it is all for nought. New districting in PA will make this district nonexistent in November.
10
If the re-districting prevails, it will be the 17th not the 18th. This is what has the GOP so panicked.
1
Isn't Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel imports related to this race? His administration had been debating for months about those tariffs with most manufacturers, Republican congress members, and the Pentagon against making steel cost more. But with this race getting close Trump decided to throw a sweetener to this steel-making district. It is sad when policies affecting millions of Americans are shaped by a single congressional race.
100
I used to live in Mt Lebanon. There are just as many, if not more, upper middle class suburbanites here who will be furious about tariffs effect on their stock portfolios than there are steelworkers.
6
Yes, that is was I thought about as soon as I read this article. It would be just like Trump to put these tariffs in place just before the election and soon after he will reverse that decision. Watch and see. He is nuts! He doesn't know what he's doing most of the time, and in this case, he decided to see how far he can push with other countries in import/exports ... oh and the stock market, since everytime he opens his trap they spiral out of control.
7
Or a single issue.
3
It will be very interesting to see how this pans out. It ties in with Trump's announcement of tariffs on imported steel.
Until recently many DEMs had reservations about Free Trade and warned against social/environmental damage this could bring about. (See Nader's The Case Against Free Trade.) But the DEMs have now abandoned that issue, though the inequities become more and more obvious.
This unwillingness to face the social damage done in places like western PA, in fear of offending their Wall Street donors, and Trump's willingness to voice the economic concerns of the people living in those places, has put the DEMs on the back foot.
We need DEMs to start fighting again for FAIR trade rather than FREE trade. We need them to acknowledge the damage that's been done in places like PA and WV. And we need them to take the lead in proposing plans to help those populations regain their place in a productive American economy.
23
The damage done in Western PA was 30-40 years ago. In the meantime Pittsburgh has become a vibrant, up and coming city with a diverse economy, culture, and is a magnet for young, well educated workers.
Some ways of life become obsolete, and people need to be given the education and resources to either retool, or move.
8
Unfortunately the DEMs have not been perceived as giving "the education and resourcers to retool".
Moving on is not a realistic option. For a start, for a lot of poor communities, they don't even have the resources to move. Secondly, it is destructive of community and if the DEMs were to pursue policies that do that will certainly lose all future elections.
2
Lamb will lose for the same reason that Jon Ossoff lost in Georgia. He is running as a "watered down Republican" instead of a Democrat. Saying things like he is not running against Trump and that he doesn't support Pelosi is a great way to lower the turnout of your base. When faced with the choice of voting for a real Republican or a fake Republican, the public will choose the real thing. Give the voters a genuine choice and don't be ashamed of being a Democrat, and you will turn out the voters who are dying to vote so that they can stick a thumb in the eye of Trump and the Republicans who are destroying our country.
155
Knowing who the voters are and what they want is more important in a district than trumpeting extreme affiliation with one party or another. So many Americans are sick of the gridlocked partisanship in Washington; why would they want another party-line representative? Moderate, middle-of-the-road politicians are what will bring functionality back to our government.
12
Wrong. Lamb is running as a moderate or even a conservative Democrat, and he's gaining ground on Saccone. I don't agree with his position on gun control, but it fits his voters' attitudes and probably his own. He doesn't have to be true blue; he's not running in San Francisco or Seattle. My wife and I donated to his campaign, and we encourage other Democrats to help him.
12
Really? There are a LOT of former Republicans in the suburbs who can't stomach Trump and would love a "RINO / DINO" to vote for.
Count me in as a suburban voter who would hold my nose and probably vote right wing before I'd vote for a genuine Bernie style left winger, but will enthusiastically support a moderate of either party.
11
Mr. Lamb is just the sort of candidate we need from both parties - experienced, dedicated, centrist, and committed to the Republic before ideology.
By now Trump supporters, if they are fair in evaluating Trump, realize we are witnessing a slow-rolling national disaster whose consequences we are just beginning to come to terms worth. Our government as currently constituted does not respond to the will of the people. The refusal of Ryan and McConnell to institute common-sense gun reform as supported by the vast majority of both democrats and republicans is just one example. The best thing that average voters can do is to send a message to Washington that this is unacceptable. We do that by voting the GOP out of power. After all, if there is no cost to denying the will of the voters Ryan and McConnell will simply keep pushing the agenda of the plutocrats and special interests.
49
Judy Dulaney, 65, a retired employee of the state Dept. of Welfare, said: "I did not like either Clinton or Trump, but I figured the lesser of two evils was Trump. Now I’m second-guessing myself. Because he’s nuts.”
You didn't know he was nuts before the last election? Or perhaps Trump's race baiting, anti-immigrant rants and misogyny were okay, it's just that Trump tweets too many irrational things.
In any case, many of us won't forgive what you Trump supporters put the country through very easily.
346
I will forgive easily. If Judy Dulaney came to my door and said she had changed her mind about Trump and would vote Democratic from now on I would give her a hug, invite her in for coffee and welcome her to the fold.
If we continue to be angry and reject people such as Ms. Dulaney we send them right back into the Republican's arms. No one is more of a true believer than a convert. And we need every vote we can get.
3
"The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has so far spent only modestly on the race. “We look at places that have dormant or growing Democratic DNA, and this one has neither,” said Meredith Kelly, a spokeswoman for the committee."
What are they waiting for?
266
Their funds are not unlimited--they have to spend where they think it will do the most good. Of course, the rest of us could help.
2
Do we think this critical race has any influence on POTUS’s recent tariff on steel and aluminum? Is he actually starting a global trade war, which will surely hurt the US across the board, to win one (1) Congressional seat? Can you say “desperation policy”?
168
I *think* you mean vice versa, that the tariff was intended to influence the race; but if a "covfefe" GOP shellacking by the Democrats makes the race actually influence the tariff, by making the bigot change his mind and regret it, so much the better!
2
Mr.Lamb is a good alternative to the GOP clown. Send part of your tax savings to him... energize the young man !
69
We should do better than that though. Most peoples' tax savings are about $1.50 a week.
3
He is too Republican for me, although I would vote for him over his opponent. Fortunately, I do not have to make that Hobson choice.
4
Can it be possible that Archie Bunker has finally reached the first plateau? If so, maybe Trump can't get away with his daily equivalent of shooting someone on 5th Ave. on TV after all. And it's a good thing, too.
35
Come on, people, give Conor Lamb $25! A win here would be fantastic. Local races are the only way we're going to truly win and change things at the most important levels! I'm a transplanted Pennsylvanian and its precisely these states we need to take back
381
Conor Lamb is a good man and a fantastic candidate for my district!
172
Right on! I just did. Glad to have the money go directly to someone fighting the good fight and not filtered through all of those fundraising people calling me night and day. I hope direct funding like this will be the way to go in 2018. Good luck, Mr. Lamb!
10
I grew up in this district! My family lived in SW PA for 5 generations, and no one is there now.
I've contributed to Lamb.
Democrats can win with quality candidates.
More women and more veterans!
15