LIZ RANDOL LOSES AGAIN
Just thought I’d give you an update on the Liz Randol story that broke on Election Night in Scranton. After losing the Mayor’s race on the Democratic side, Randol told the news media that she was sure she’d be winning the GOP nomination. That speculation was fueled by many, including me on WILK Radio that morning. I stated that the state of the GOP in Scranton was so bad, that Democrats routinely tried to pick off the GOP nomination. Gary DeBillio did it in 2005 and Chris Doherty did it in 2009. I thought that maybe Bill Courtright or Randol would try to organize and get some write ins. Well, it turns out Randol’s campaign organizational skills on the GOP side was just as faulty as her efforts in turnout were on the Democratic side. In the official count, Randol finished a dismal fourth.
But as far as the Scranton GOP, I was at least half right. The GOP electorate voted in Garrett Lewis as their nominee, a man who never even bothered to show up for the broadcast debate. Then, Lewis has said he would withdraw because he doesn’t want to run for Mayor after all. The GOP should just endorse Bill Courtright and get it over with already. They aren’t going anywhere.
Liz Randol, despite these setbacks has more of a future than the Scranton GOP!
FRANK LAUTENBERG
New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg died at the age of 89. He was the last surviving WWII veteran in the Senate. He served 5 terms and came to office after the Abscam scandal cleared out then Democrat Harrison Williams. Lautenberg stayed until 2000 but came back to the Senate after another Democrat, Robert Toricelli left office under an ethics cloud. Lautenberg was responsible for prohibiting smoking on planes and was a defender of John Kerry during his 2004 Presidential bid. Kerry, a three time Medal Winner in Vietnam was criticized as being a coward by Swift Boat veterans and in particular then Vice President Dick Cheney. Lautenberg came right after “Deferment Dick” in this Senate speech saying "We know who the chickenhawks are," the New Jersey senator said on the Senate floor. "They talk tough on national defense and military issues and cast aspersions on others, but when it was their turn to serve, they were AWOL from courage." Lautrenberg was a Democrat from the Democratic wing of the party and could not stand the hypocrisy of Cheney. He decided not to run in 2014 but not before letting Newark Mayor Core Booker sweat it out for a while.MEDIA MATTERS
LEONARDI ON THE TALKER
Dr. Joe Leonardi will be on the radio tomorrow; Wednesday, June 5th 2013, He will be a guest on NEPA's most talked about program, The David J Madeira show, on 94.3FM The Talker, tomorrow at 7am; to discuss his first novel America Enslaved.