Senator Casey Wiped the Debate Floor with McCormick
I think this debate – between Bob Casey and Dave McCormick – was the most decisive debate I’ve ever seen in my 60 years on this planet. While McCormick got a few jabs in, for almost the whole night McCormick was an inflatable punching bag wagging back and forth. Casey put in the screw and kept on turning it.
Casey was very well prepared and ready for anything McCormick might be saying. Casey’s body language was steady, and he did not react to anything McCormick said. McCormick was soon fidgety (understandably), and soon was on the defensive. He tried to go on the offensive, but he just appeared exasperated.
McCormick tried to blame all the problems of the world on Casey – inflation, crime, immigration, etc. But Casey appeared steady and strong, and McCormick was soon getting defensive and frustrated.
McCormick tried to appeal to his business acumen as a qualification. But, to paraphrase, Casey said “He wants to talk about his business record, so let’s talk about that.” Ouch!
Casey repeatedly reminded everyone that McCormick is a wealthy hedge fund manager who helped Chinese corporations at the expense of Pennsylvania workers and companies. And McCormick even hurt himself by telling us he would help energy corporations at the expense of the environment, rolling back subsidies for electric vehicles.
Casey repeatedly referred to McCormik not living in Pennsylvania, and McCormick could not defend himself effectively on that issue.
Nevertheless, McCormick spent a lot of time talking about the economy because the wants us to think the price of groceries, and not about the dire threats to democracy coming from his boss, Donald Trump.
One thing Casey could have brought up but didn’t was McCormick’s links to election deniers and insurrectionists.
McCormick was endorsed by election denier and prominent insurrectionist Doug Mastriano. Mastriano participated in the January 6 insurrection against the federal government, spending thousands of dollars to bus supporters to Washington, DC. McCormick has never denounced Mastriano’s participation in the January 6 insurrection.
McCormick was also endorsed by Donald Trump, the father of all insurrectionists. McCormick had no problem with that endorsement.
McCormick has flip-flopped on exceptions for abortion restrictions and had said he was very happy about an end to Roe vs. Wade. Not exactly a women’s rights advocate. He thinks his religion should control other women’s bodies.
In the debate, and on his TV ads, at this late hour before the election, McCormick tries to look like a moderate. There is nothing moderate about abortion rights denial, election denial, Trump, Mastriano- or McCormick!
That is why it is common sense that Pensylvanians must vote to re-elect Senator Bob Casey as the one who will continue to represent all Pennsylvanians with wisdom, common sense, and empathy.
Dean Miller, Collegeville
Why Trump Is Not Fit for Office
Even Donald Trump’s most diehard supporters must admit that he’s not the man he was in 2016. At 78 years old, he now rambles incoherently, loses his train of thought, and forgets the most basic facts.
Trump refers to his zigzag speaking style as “the weave,” as if he does complex mental gymnastics and miraculously lands on his feet. But many of his comments are bizarre – for example, he frequently spends minutes debating whether it’s worse to be electrocuted or eaten by a shark.
He also makes up things out of whole cloth. Fact checkers found that Trump made more than 30,000 false or inaccurate public statements during his first term. His former national security adviser, John Bolton, said that he “can’t tell the difference between what’s true and what’s false.”
Trump claims that he is a near genius for having aced an IQ test by correctly repeating five words in order – “person, woman, man, camera, TV” – and accurately identifying drawings of a giraffe, a tiger, and a whale. The irony is that he didn’t realize that he wasn’t taking an IQ test, but one to diagnose possible dementia.
Even Trump’s staunchest supporters realize that he has changed. Crowds at venues that would have been packed in 2016 are now much smaller. Videos show people leaving Trump speeches after just 20 minutes, likely due to boredom, confusion, or demoralization – or all three.
See for yourself on YouTube by watching any recent Trump speech. You’ll find that he is more incoherent, more forgetful, more apt to repeat obvious falsehoods, and more detached from reality.
Would you hand the keys to someone stumbling out of a bar? Why would you trust Trump to protect you or to steer our country?
Harry Gural, Lewisburg
Kamala Harris’ Sensible Proposals
I support Kamala Harris on most issues, but in particular her proposals for education and childcare. In a recent speech, she noted that for too long our nation has encouraged only one path to success, a four-year college degree. In her speech she stressed the value of other paths such as apprenticeships and technical education programs. She vowed to make those a major focus of her opportunity economy. She supports eliminating unnecessary college degree requirements for some federal jobs and partnering with industry and trade groups to provide meaningful apprenticeships in the skilled trades. We need more electricians, plumbers, craftsmen, mechanics and welders. A robust economy fueled by rebuilding our infrastructure is dependent on these careers. The bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed by the Biden/Harris administration has created the strongest economy in the world. By contrast in his 4 years as president, Trump was unable to pass any infrastructure legislation.
Kamala Harris also supports expansion of the child tax credit and capping the cost of childcare to 7% of household income. For many young families the cost of care for pre-school children is out of reach. She supports expanded investments in early child development programs and universal all-day kindergarten.
Donald Trump proposes eliminating the Department of Education and raising taxes on middle class families. The crippling tariffs he proposes will cost families nearly $4,000 per year according to The Center for American Progress. He proposes more big tax cuts for corporations at the expense of working people.
Don Wilver, Jr., New Columbia
Don’t Vote for a Wannabe Dictator
If Donald Trump is given a second chance to lay his hand on the Bible, and takes the Presidential Oath of Office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, a host of angels ought to appear, saying “Liar, liar, pants on fire!”
Trump has already shown us his willingness to trample the Constitution. He tried, unsuccessfully, thank God, to overturn a free and fair election. He attempted to browbeat Georgia’s Secretary of State into “finding” more votes for him. He tried to coerce both the Vice President and U.S. Attorney General to act illegally to keep him in office. He encouraged a hoodwinked mob to storm the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power, and then later ignored pleas from his own party members to call off the angry mob of supporters chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”
Trump is as anti-democratic as his authoritarian buddies, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán. Is it honestly possible for Trump to take the oath? Is it possible for him to do anything honestly?
It’s distressing to know that some Americans actually want an authoritarian in charge. Trump, after all, would be “their” strongman. It’s also true that the vast majority of Americans who believe they’d be happy if we allowed this to happen, have no idea what it’s like to live under an authoritarian regime.
Americans should be careful what they wish for. Nowhere has the standard of living for average citizens improved under a dictator.
Carol Gall, Jim Thorpe
Turning the Page on Trump and His Lies
Lying has become so trendy these days that it feels as though we’ve been drawn into a muck of quicksand of all that is false. We fear we’ll never be able to pull ourselves out.
Ever since Trump descended down his glittering escalator and gave rise to his MAGA cult, we have witnessed one outrage after another. We become numb—discouraged and depressed—but also numb. Year after year it becomes harder and harder to maintain the outrage. We dismiss his antics, countless lies, and despicable behavior with a shrug. “Well, that’s Trump, ya’ know? “But I like the guy,” they say. “He’s a good showman. And, hey, we all like to be entertained.”
An adjudicated sex-offender, real-estate cheat, election-denier – well, he’s a “man’s man” and also who doesn’t want to live large like the guy (with mansions, golf courses, beautiful women, fame, power).
Recently I came across words by the late Hannah Arendt (1906-1975), noted German historian and philosopher: “This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want.”
Isn’t it time to turn the page?
Gina Leon, State College
