Murtha: Set to Retire -- Finally?

Melissa Hart (R) - Jason Altmire (D); Lou Barletta (R) -Paul Kanjorski (D); Tom Manion (R) - Patrick Murphy (D); Toni Gilhooley (R) - Tim Holden (D); William Russell (R) - John Murtha (D). Craig Williams (R) - Joe Sestak (D). Marina Kats (R) - Allyson Schwartz (D).

These are the hottest congressional races in Pennsylvania this year. It doesn't look currently like the GOP will win all of them -- but, surprisingly, it could very well win most of them.

Here's a short piece I wrote today to Katie Hastings O'Malley, a writer for Human Events and other publications:

Hi Katie: I hope you'll write something on our Pennsylvania races, In my own district (4th), Melissa Hart is trying to regain her seat against Jason Altmire, a self-described "conservative" of whom Bob Novak said, "There's nothing conservative about him." Melissa is a slight favorite. She's a wonderful human being -- and Altmire is nothing more than a snake.

Toni Gilhooley (17th) , one of the female pioneers in the PA State Police, is running against Tim Holden, a Superdelegate who announced he was voting "moot" in the Obama-Hillary race. If Toni can raise the money to get her message across, she has a chance for victory.

Tom Manion, a 30-year-Marine who lost a son in Iraq, is running against Nancy Pelosi's political boytoy, Patrick Murphy. Murphy's district voted two-to-one for Hillary, so of course he came out early for Obama. This race is highly competitive, although extreme leftists are pouring in money for Murphy. If McCain does very well in Bucks County, he could help carry Manion into office.

Lou Barletta (of anti-illegals fame) is running very well against Paul Kanjorski, who vies for the coverted title of most Corrupt Member of Congress.

Bill Russell, who served as an Army Lt. Col. in Iraq, is running against John Murtha. There are widespread rumors (which I believe) that this is Murtha's last go-round -- too much alcohol, too much rich food, too much betrayal of his fellow Marines. I've contributed to Bill's campaign and support him strongly, but I've sadly concluded that this race is not winnable. At the same time I acknowledge some strange things (and some good things) happen in politics, and I hope that's the case here. Murtha is a disgusting excuse for a human being -- corrupt and absolutely self-serving.

Murtha does not look well. Beyond that, his notorious big mouth has remained shut, a sure sign that he's not in good health. The probability is that this will be his last go-round. He has raised a huge amount of cash from his favorite special-interests, and he should be able to buy his way to one more victory.

If I had to hazard a guess, I believe the next congresswoman from the 12th district will be Diana Lynn Irey. But that would be in 2010.

Marina Kats, a Russian emigre and entrepreneur-lawyer is running against the truly wretched Allyson Schwartz. As a human being, Marina is one of the best candidates in PA ever to stand for federal office. However, her campaign has gotten off to a slow start, and that's not exactly the way to beat Allyson Schwartz, who raises gazillions of dollars. If the election were based on the qualities of the individuals running, Marina would win in a walk.

I dearly hope her campaign catches fire. Montgomery County and Northeast Philly would be lucky to have a patriot like her in office, rather than someone (Schwartz) who panders relentlessly to the worst elements in our society.

Craig Williams versus Joe Sestak. I don't have a good handle on this race. Sestak is a purely programmatic liberal, and he dearly deserves to lose, but he's ahead now and may remain so. (I'll write more about this contest in coming weeks.

Are we having fun yet?

One of the fascinating developments in PA politics (and nationally) is the semi-frantic effort to get angry Hillary Supporters (MAHHS -- Mad as hell Hillary Supporters) -- on board with GOP candidates, including of course John McCain. As I suggested earlier, when such Hillary Supporters find out the roles of people like Murphy, Altmire, and Holden in torpedoing Mrs. Clinton's campaign, they will be less likely to vote for said Democrats.

Yes, there are a lot of stories here in the Keystone State . . .


On my Hillary Supporters for McCain site, I wrote (Thurs.-Friiday column) about the many strengths of Hillary Clinton -- and contrasted them with the many weaknesses of Barack Obama. The battle for the Hillary Supporters is the highest stake game in contemporary politics.