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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy I'm voting for John Fetterman in PA's primary.
First of all let me state that I have always been a Fetterman supporter. Now my reason along with my story.
Pennsylvania has a rent rebate for qualified residents of which I am one. My income qualifies me for a $500.00 rebate which helps me tremendously.
Last year with help of a friend, I filled out the required paperwork and sent it along with other required income papers and a certification from company that owns the building I live in as to how much I paid in rent to them for the year 2020. All of this was done by the end of February in plenty of time for them to process my claim so I would get my money on July 1, 2021.
Around the end of April I received a letter from the state department that issues the rent rebates telling me that certain information was missing from certification paper from the company that I rented from and I should send that in or fax them the needed information so they could process my claim. I immediately took the letter from them to the resident manager asking to have her fax the missing information and I would send a hard copy of missing information also. After this was done I was satisfied that I would receive my rebate from the state.
July 1st came and went and I did not receive the rebate money. I thought well it's taking longer because of the missing information and so I wasn't too worried although I was disappointed it was taking so long.
Then, about the middle of September I received a letter stating that I was not getting the rebate money because I had not sent in the missing information. I was so angry I was spitting nails. The letter also said I could file an appeal in the next 30 days. So I went to the website that was states in the letter to file an appeal. Once I clicked on the website the info to file an appeal was so confusing to me that I just broke down and cried. I am not that smart when it comes to certain things so I just gave up vowed that next year when I file for the rebate I will make sure all the info is complete.
So now in 2022 I received my rent rebate form I'm still upset about last year's rebate money that I start thinking there has to be someone that can help me. Now both my state rep.and my federal rep are republicans so they are both useless and they are orange face supporters.
I'm guessing by now you realize who I turn to for help, yep, I emailed our democratic Lt. Governor, John Fetterman. That was about 1 month ago that I told him my story of what happened to me and my rent rebate.
I am happy to say 2020 rent rebate money is now in my bank account and I am sending the Fetterman campaign a contribution. And that's one of the many reasons I am voting for a man that wants to help those of us that may not count to others but counts to him. He is a man of the people.
JoeOtterbein
(7,780 posts)Thanks for posting!
multigraincracker
(33,835 posts)for John.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Add to which, I came out of a one-hour meeting with Fetterman totally clueless as to what he wanted to do as a Senator.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)big in PA. He is a working guy kind of candidate and a progressive- best fit for the rustbelt. I live in Ohio on the PA border, we are not New York.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Those working class voters have been happy to vote for Republican Senators in the past. "Progressive" sells in Philly, not as well in Pittsburgh, and certainly not in the Red counties.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)He is a very good candidate for PA...and I have never believed a laundry list of what a candidate will do is a way to win elections.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)"A working guy" can be liberal or conservative. I don't see Fetterman's appeal to the working guys in Pittsburgh or the rural areas who aren't in the Democratic Party.
I think a lot of activists are drawn to him for his "tough guy" "fighting" look. Without a clear message to campaign on, he didn't offer one to me, I wouldn't consider that winning formula.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)last time you sat down with union folk? I do it every election in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. I am hoping Tim Ryan can win Ohio...it is more of a longshot than PA...but he is the only candidate who can win in Ohio IMHO. I believe the same to be true of Fetterman in Pennsylvania.
We need to continue to win cities and siphon off votes in small districts and suburbs. I use the example that Joe Biden would not have won Georgia without the votes of Paulding County...a red district which Trump won overall with a substantial margin. We need to start getting out our voters in all districts for statewide races. Thus if we can get votes out of what is often called 'Alabama' in PA, and hold the cities, we will win. Fetterman has the best chance of doing this.
dsp3000
(608 posts)Celerity
(46,154 posts)the extremely problematic, anti-Pelosi, Lieberman-led, RW billionaire-backed 'bi-partisan' Problem Solvers Caucus (No Labels is its parent org), and he had the 2nd highest Trump score in the 115th Congress for all Dems, voting with Trump almost 70% of the time.
Fetterman would be a very reliable vote for Biden. Lamb could quite possibly end up being not so reliable.
Imagine we end up basically swapping Warnock for Lamb (as the only two seats that flip parties), or we also lose one of either NV or NH or AZ yet also flip either WI or NC Blue), and still remain at 50/50 after the midterms.
There is no way that the Senate will be more reliable for Biden, and the Warnock for Lamb swap makes it at least somewhat likely it will be less reliable (if still at 50/50).
The ONLY 3 Dems in the House who voted to extend the Trump tax cuts were Lamb, Jackie Rosen, and Sinema (Rosen and Sinema were in the House then)
BILL TITLE: Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 414
(Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents underlined)
H R 6760 YEA-AND-NAY 28-Sep-2018 12:06 PM
QUESTION: On Passage
https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll414.xml
Lamb Joins Problem Solvers Caucus
https://www.politicspa.com/lamb-joins-problem-solvers-caucus/97240/
https://www.nolabels.org/problem_solvers/conor-lamb/
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/house/
Ohio Joe
(21,894 posts)Everything Ive seen and heard of Fetterman tells me he would be an excellent choice. I like him and if I did live there, would probably support him as well.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)He can win the seat for us ...as he has won statewide...can't say the same about Conor Lamb who barely won his house seat.
Response to Demsrule86 (Reply #5)
brooklynite This message was self-deleted by its author.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)Separate primaries...did you check Lambs numbers? How do you expect a statewide win with those numbers?
"The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently of the gubernatorial primary. The winners of the party primaries are then teamed together as a single ticket for the fall general election."
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)This was something that had never happened so one would expect the Governor's coattails to have helped Mike Stack III. Fetterman was a strong candidate then and is one today...and could deliver the Senate seat to us. I don't believe Conor Lamb can do this. I am reminded of the Democratic Primary in 20 where the powers that be and most of the media wrote Joe Biden off.
Braddock Mayor John Fetterman wins Pa. Democratic primary for lieutenant governor
"HARRISBURG Philadelphia Democrat Mike Stack III became the first lieutenant governor in modern Pennsylvania history to lose reelection in a primary.
Stack was dealt a crushing defeat in Tuesday's election, falling to Braddock Mayor John Fetterman in one of the most hotly contested primaries for lieutenant governor. Four Democrats, including Nina Ahmad, a onetime deputy mayor to Mayor Kenney, had vied to knock Stack out of the job."
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/elections/john-fetterman-pa-democrat-lieutenant-governor-primary-election-results-2018-mike-stack-20180515.html
Fetterman has consistently led in the polls by double digits over Lamb...now it is early day yet but I believe Fetterman will be the candidate. I am sure there is bad blood because of Stack but personally, I think he helped reelect Governor Wolf
A new poll of registered voters in Pennsylvania albeit with a small sample size has Lt. Gov. John Fetterman leading the Democratic primary field for U.S. Senate, no clear frontrunner in the GOP race, and a massive number of undecideds.
The poll by Franklin & Marshall College, conducted in the last week of February, puts Mr. Fetterman at 28% and U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in second at 15% among registered Democrats, though 44% say they are undecided about their choice with more than two months to go. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta checks in at 2%.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1268025#blogHeader.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)AZProgressive
(29,346 posts)Fetterman leads Lamb in the polls.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)But if Fetterman is the nominee, I'll have to evaluate moving my resources to more winnable seats.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)But I am sure many of us here at DU will send money to Fetterman and FYI exactly what 'winnable races' do you see... I see a longshot in Ohio, maybe Wisconsin, maybe North Carolina. It will be a tough year IMHO. We need strong candidates...Lamb running the same sort of campaign that has lost before IMHO. I can't vote in PA but I can work for Fetterman's campaign as I am close and I can give money.
Demsrule86
(70,795 posts)Lieutenant Governor had never been knocked out in any primary in my memory..shows Fetterman's strength...I believe Fetterman will be the candidate despite some in the party's preference for Lamb.
FakeNoose
(35,184 posts)This is a tough decision because I really like Connor Lamb too.
Either man would make an awesome US Senator. However we need to pick one for the primary. It hurts my brain to have to choose. Without a doubt Fetterman has more executive experience. It seems to me right now that Lamb has more legislative experience. As far as their politics goes, Fetterman is more liberal/progressive than Lamb.
They both have a better-than-average chance to win in the general election, given the clowns that are running on the other side. Both Fetterman and Lamb are likable enough to pull in independents and maybe even "soft-Repuke" votes in the general election.
This is a difficult choice we need to make for the Spring Primary. Choose wisely, my fellow Pennsylvania Democrats!
jalan48
(14,257 posts)PittBlue
(4,348 posts)We moved from PA last year but we have met both Fetterman and Lamb at fundraisers. Lamb is not nearly as strong as Fetterman. Fetterman fears no one and he is exactly what we need. I just wish that I could vote for him!
SoCalDavidS
(9,999 posts)Saw him on MSNBC I believe, last year, and he sounded like someone who was going to hold people accountable, and get shit done.
I wish I had more faith in the voters there not to elect a MORON like the "TV Dr." Oz.
Deminpenn
(16,006 posts)and Lamb is my congressional rep. Both candidates are now on the air with ads. Lamb's ads are a replay of Katie McGinty's disasterous campaign centered around her being 1 of 10 kids with a cop dad and waitress mom except Lamb's is all about being a Marine, but not saying he's actually a USMC lawyer, not a combat Marine.
Fetterman's ad is all about a guy from York who moved to beat down mill town Braddock, then ran for mayor to help stop the gun violence and actually has helped Braddock begin to revitalize itself. Living in this area, I can assure you that helping to bring the towns left behind when the mills closed back to life is a big winner here.
No matter how much outsiders support Lamb, he can't win because he won't win western PA and Kenyatta will siphon off Phila/SE Pa votes in the primary. It says something that Senate Dems are staying out of the PA primary presumably because what they haven't seen anything from his 2+ terms in the House that make them feel they have to have Lamb as a Senate colleague.
Samrob
(4,298 posts)They have been paying rebates for a long time. My mother and father collected them back in the 90's. Back then the PA lottery was paying for the rebates and public transportation between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.. At least one state is doing something positive with the money they take from citizens.