EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dear Mercer Countians for Sam Rohrer,

Sam Rohrer Republican Candidate for Governor to be in Mercer on May 14

EVENT: Breakfast with Sam Rohrer

WHEN: Friday, May 14th 8am-10am
(Doors will open at 7:30AM and Sam will arrive at 8AM)

WHERE: BRANDY SPRINGS PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, 390 South Shenango,
MERCER (get a map HERE)

WHAT: Hot breakfast will be served. Stop by before work and meet and hear Sam Rohrer.

NOTICE:
This event announcement was submitted by the Candidate or by a Candidate representative. The event announcement is being published here as a community service in an effort to give concerned citizens an opportunity to meet the candidates. Candidates and committees are invited to submit announcements to this blog by email to roberta.in.mercer@gmail.com.

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The internet is a wonderful thing. It has provided us with an endless database of digital information including articles, photos, and videos that are accessible with great ease. I found a presentation on YouTube the other day and it is fascinating. The piece was produced by Titan Radio News in December of 2008 as a tool to highlight the long and wonderful career of State Senator Bob Robbins. In the interview, you get an opportunity to find out exactly how Senator Robbins found his way into the State Government. I invite you to listen to the interview (or click below) and hear (in Senator Robbin’s own voice) as he admits his “accidental fall into” government after the political re-districting of the area.

Senator Robbins says “you’d rather be lucky than good”

To quote Senator Robbins:

“By the time they got done with drawing the new districts I was setting in the middle of a brand new district that didn’t have a Representative. So, within 6 months I got to run again, basically for a house seat. As it worked out as I tell a lot of people . . . ‘sometimes you’d rather be lucky than good . . . other times is that you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time’.”

Never does Senator Robbins say that he deserved the seat in the House of Representatives because of his dedication to the needs of the people, and he never stated that he was selected because he was the best candidate for the job. Instead, Senator Robbins admits that he was “lucky” and he was “in the right place at the right time”. If it weren’t so sad, it would almost be funny.

The Back Door Politics Continue

The most bothersome part of his statement is that it defines politics of the past in our area. If the “sliding through the back door” approach to public office seems familiar, you know your stuff. In 2006 a similar back door approach allowed Representative Michele Brooks to fall into her spot in the same district (the 17th) when she was selected to replace former State Representative Rod Wilt as the Republican nominee. Again, it was another example of “it was better to be lucky than good”, and Ms. Brooks seemed to be “in the right place at the right time”. It makes you wonder if the trend is as accidental as it appears.

Knowing what we know about “business as usual in area politics” and realizing how the good ol’ boys (and girls) prefer to control “who gets lucky”, it is interesting to think through the thought process of political strategy in our area. Let us use this year as an example as we examine a possibility . . .

Is 2010 another Back Door Deal year?

If the Mercer GOP and their political friends were to use the “better to be lucky than good” strategy again, what sort of conservations would they be having in 2010.

As many of you know, at the beginning of 2010 it looked as though State Senator Robbins and State Representative Brooks would be running unopposed through the General Election in November. Unfortunately for the Senator, an Independent candidate* has stepped up to challenge Senator Robbins and the fate of Representative Brooks is still unknown. The Senator was probably hoping to rebound from his close race of 2006 (where he LOST his home county of Mercer by the way), and was planning on going out on a high note. At the point that he realized that he will now have an opponent, and that opponent will most probably expose all of the ugly truths about the Senator and his past, has the Senator started to consider ways to avoid an ugly loss? Could he be looking for ways to slide out on a “high”? Is it possible that a hand-off is in the works for 2010? Could Senator Robbins be planning to step down (before the dirt from his past begins to resurface) and allow Representative Brooks to step up and access the Senate seat through another backdoor deal?

This past weekend, Representative Brooks was spotted promoting herself at a local TEA Party [read the story HERE] including the distribution of yard signs (of all things), but Senator Robbins was no where to be seen? Who exactly is Representative Brooks running against that she feels a need to distribute yard signs? Why was it so necessary for her to bully her way onto the stage at Saturday’s event? Who is her opponent this year? Is it possible that her opponent is going to be an Independent* that is running for State Senate? Hmmmmm. Wouldn’t that be interesting?

Is it possible that Senator Robbins knows that the political climate in 2010 will make it extremely difficult (if not impossible) for him to win re-election in November. Is he fearful of going down in flames . . . and thus tarnishing his long career forever? Would he prefer to leave on a high note and pass the challenge onto his young enough and smart enough protégé? Is Representative Brooks desperate enough to take on the challenge? Is she willing to take yet another backroom deal in an effort to slide into higher office?

* – For those of you that are not aware of the details, the “Independent Candidate” is me, Roberta Biros, political analyst and editor of Mercer County Conservatives.

Brooks vs. Biros?

I’d love to be a fly on the wall for the conversations that have already transpired in the past several weeks. Time will tell, and I can’t wait to see the results. While “the Independent candidate for State Senate” (Roberta Biros) had no intention of taking on Representative Brooks head on, I know that the same “Independent candidate” has no intention of backing off from the challenge if Ms. Brooks decides to offer it.

If Representative Brooks takes “the deal”, she will again demonstrate that she is not part of the solution . . . but is very clearly part of the problem in area politics. I look forward to accepting that challenge any day of the week.

It would be the perfect opportunity to prove Robbins and Brooks wrong and to demonstrate that some of us believe that “It is better to be good than to be lucky!”.

As always, just my opinion (but if it happens, realize that you heard it here first).

~Mercer County Conservatives

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Join us on the journey to take back America…
….and energize Republican Voters for the May 18 Primary.

Saturday, May 15 – Rumble Motorcycle Rally

Join us for the full ride…or just a leg.

Scheduled Stops

• Start Erie 9:30am
• Meadville 11:00am
• Franklin 12:30pm
• Mercer 3:00pm
• End Butler 4:30pm
• $10 Donation per rider
• Lunch in Franklin
• Picnic follows final stop in Butler at Odd Fellows Gazebo-Alameda Park until 8:30pm for Riders and Campaign Volunteers

NOTICE:
This event announcement was submitted by the Candidate or by a Candidate representative. The event announcement is being published here as a community service in an effort to give concerned citizens an opportunity to meet the candidates. Candidates and committees are invited to submit announcements to this blog by email to roberta.in.mercer@gmail.com.

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Segment Two focuses on candidate Steve Fisher of Crawford County.

The interview includes commentary from Roberta Biros, editor of Mercer Conservatives. The statements and summaries were taken from 40 minute interview that was filmed at the station on Monday, May 3rd.

Enjoy.

We will post the other segments as they are made available by WJET.

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Segment One focuses on candidate Clayton Grabb of Butler County.

The interview includes commentary from Roberta Biros, editor of Mercer Conservatives. The statements and summaries were taken from 40 minute interview that was filmed at the station on Monday, May 3rd.

Enjoy.

We will post the other segments as they are made available by WJET.

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There was a TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in Meadville Pennsylvania today. It was cold . . . it was really cold. It was windy . . . oh heck, it was really windy. The TEA Party DID go on, but it wasn’t an overwhelming crowd or an overwhelming success.

The event was scheduled to begin at 11am. We arrived at 10am, but attendees didn’t really start to show up until 10:55am. The crowd was small at the start, and although it did grow slightly, I’d estimate that the totals never reached 150.

The speakers were many . . . perhaps too many. Some of the speakers overstayed their welcome and it impacted the crowd. It was unfortunate.

There were a number of elected officials and candidates that were patiently waiting for their opportunity to speak, but for most that opportunity never surfaced. There was ONE elected official that took the opportunity to step ahead of everyone else, and it was disturbing.

State Representative Michele Brooks made it clear that her busy schedule required her to be “at a thing”, so she jumped ahead of everyone else. She got up to the podium and promoted herself for a few minutes and then was on her way out as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for the other elected officials and candidates who didn’t use their prestige and clout to bully ahead of the crowd, they were left to wait for an opportunity to speak . . . and wait they did.

The event was scheduled to run from 11am until 2pm. At 2pm, one very long-winded speaker finally wound up his presentation and the crowd began to leave out of disgust. It was at that point that the candidates who had spent their day at the event realized that their opportunity to address a crowd was disappearing.

I left shortly after 2pm after discussing the matter with a number of candidates. It was a shame that candidates that are pressed for time before a very important Primary were not treated with any compassion for their situation. They were all playing fair and they all respected that they were invited guests, but they were tossed aside unfairly by speakers who were unwilling to yield the podium and organizers who failed to control time limits.

There were no formal introductions of those present, but I spotted a number of familiar faces on my own. In the crowd were Daryl Metcalfe (candidate for Lt. Governor), Jean Craig Pepper (candidate for Lt. Governor), and Dr. Martha Moore, Ed Franz, Mike Kelly, Clayton Grabb, and Paul Huber (all candidates for the 3rd Congressional District). I managed to speak with all of them (even if briefly). [Steve Fisher, the last remaining candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, did not attend.]

Congressman Thompson (5th Congressional District) was given the opportunity to address the crowd, and State Representative Brad Roae was left sitting on the sidelines waiting his turn (which I never witnessed).

It was a nice event with well-meant intentions.

Congratulations to the Tea Party organizers for putting their best foot forward . . .

Congratulations to Michele Brooks for once again putting her needs ahead of those of others . . .

and my sincerest sympathies to those candidates and elected officials that spent the day in the cold and wet waiting for an opportunity to connect with voters . . . an opportunity that seemed unattainable today.

As always, just my opinion.
~Mercer Conservatives

BLOG POST UPDATE:

View the summary from WJET-TV in Erie below:

http://yourerie.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=113655

Really? Really! Are you kidding me? WJET-TV in Erie covered the Meadville TEA Party event and they ONLY ONE that gets an interview is MICHELE BROOKS. Seriously? Are you kidding me?

This just goes to show that I did not embellish my summary of the event . . . Representative Michele Brooks was the ONLY ONE that got to speak . . . on camera and off!

(although they seemed to embellish a bit with their estimate of “hundreds” of attendees)

Dear Mercer Countians for Sam Rohrer,

Sam Rohrer Republican Candidate for Governor to be in Mercer on May 14

EVENT: Breakfast with Sam Rohrer

WHEN: Friday, May 14th 8am-10am
(Doors will open at 7:30AM and Sam will arrive at 8AM)

WHERE: BRANDY SPRINGS PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, 390 South Shenango,
MERCER (get a map HERE)

WHAT: Hot breakfast will be served. Stop by before work and meet and hear Sam Rohrer.

NOTICE:
This event announcement was submitted by the Candidate or by a Candidate representative. The event announcement is being published here as a community service in an effort to give concerned citizens an opportunity to meet the candidates. Candidates and committees are invited to submit announcements to this blog by email to roberta.in.mercer@gmail.com.

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An open forum for citizens to voice their thoughts, ideas and concerns for our region with someone who will finally listen……someone who will bring the voice of Main Street to Washington DC.

Wednesday May 12- Time: 7 pm

Slippery Rock
Municipal Building
203 Branchton Road
Slippery Rock, PA 16057

NOTICE:
This event announcement was submitted by the Candidate or by a Candidate representative. The event announcement is being published here as a community service in an effort to give concerned citizens an opportunity to meet the candidates. Candidates and committees are invited to submit announcements to this blog by email to roberta.in.mercer@gmail.com.

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Where: Crawford County Fair Grounds (Gate 3)
Date: Saturday, May 8, 3010
Time: 11 AM – 2PM

Bring your Tee Shirts, signs, attitudes.

Listen, Learn, Participate.

Disc Jockey, Speakers, Presentations, Candidates.

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After the ceremony, a caravan of vehicles took part in the nearly one-hour trip to the Norwin Elks Lodge in Manor, Pennsylvania where the same family and friends shared dinner, dancing, and laughs at a fun-filled reception. The song for our first dance was “I can’t help falling in love with you” by Elvis Presley. We danced the night away to favorite tunes like “Old-Time Rock-n-Roll” by Bob Seger, “Pump up the Jam” by Technotronic, “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, and “I hate myself for loving you” by Joan Jett. We polka’d, we did the Bird Dance, and we gathered for sing-a-longs.

It was a time BEFORE the huge popularity of the “Electric Slide”, and the song “1999” by Prince was still about the future. It was back in the days when we still wore our hair “big” and the guys wore their ties “narrow”. We had entered a new decade (the 90s), but some of us were still a little stuck in the decade before. Chuck Noll was still the head coach of the Steelers, and we cheered on Bubby Brister as quarterback.

Oh my . . . the memories.

Twenty years later we’ve grown older and greyer. We’ve lost some of our loved ones over the years . . . Grandma and Grandpa McKenna, Pap Heider, and Adorable Deborah have all gone on to a better place and they are still missed. We’ve changed . . . hopefully for the better, but deep inside we ARE still the same “two stupid kids” that tied the knot twenty years ago.

Thanks for sharing in our memories on our 20th wedding anniversary.

BLOG POST UPDATE:

Below is another photo that was contributed by my “much older brother”. I thought I’d share.

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