Why do you think they want McGinty over Sestak?

[Divernan]

16. Fitzgerald dominates Peduto in city/county politics.

In last spring's county primary election, they both campaigned hard and financially supported a slate of candidates to oppose incumbent Dems who had not rolled over for or had dared to oppose Fitzgerald. Here's my detailed post about that election:

The times they are a-changin' - happened in the 60's & its happening now.

Here in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, we just witnessed a vicious attack on a progressive Democratic candidate by the good-ole-boy Democratic machine. The progressive is County Auditor, Chelsa Wagner. She's running for re-election. In her first term she had the audacity to conduct performance audits on the County Executive (Democrat) & various county departments - all headed by Democrats. Caught the County Executive using a county vehicle for personal and campaign travel. He bought his way out of that scandal by reimbursing the county some $45,000. He then ordered his various departments to refuse to submit to legally mandated audits; the cases are now before the courts.

Chelsa Wagner's opponent, hand picked and subsidized by the County Exec., got the endorsement of the County Democratic organization - also a bunch of mostly aging, old-style machine hacks who became committee men and women for personal advantage and going to a lot of parties, and do squat all when it comes to campaigning door-to-door, handing out literature at polling places, finding places for and putting out yard signs, etc. (I was approached to run for Committee and declined, stating I was not young enough/fit enough to handle what I regarded as the responsibilities of the position. I was told - oh, you don't have to do any of that and you can go to all these great parties. I still declined. My limited time, money and energies are better spent directly supporting progressive candidates.)

The good-ole-boy dominated party machine, led by County Executive Fitzgerald and his hand-picked, personal lapdog candidate for auditor, outspent her 5 to 1.

FIVE- TO-ONE!!!

They spread unsubstantiated and distorted lies about her. When challenged to produce any facts supporting said lies, they just smiled and repeated the lies and smears. This was an off-year primary where you'd expect the county Dems' endorsed slate to win in a walk. BUT THEY DIDN'T. Fitzgerald himself was up for re-election, unopposed in the primary, and got 20,000 fewer votes than unopposed Dems running for other county offices. The Democratic voters' reasoning? When you have a county which has been run by one party for decades, you need an attack dog, not a lap dog as auditor. And Fitzgerald has been very over-reaching in dominating the County Council. And Fitzgerald also made enemies by pushing fracking at the county's airport and parks. Fitzgerald had endorsed and campaigned for other candidates for county council - and they also lost. It was quite a public and humiliating slap in the face to him and the political hacks controlling the County Dems.

OUTSPENT FIVE TO ONE, BUT SHE/THE PROGRESSIVE WON!

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/05/21/Primary-results-put-the-spotlight-on-Pittsburgh-areas-short-political-coattails/stories/201505210109

Voters are becoming more and better informed on many issues, including the role of profiteering, quid pro quo sellouts by politicians to wealthy campaign contributors. Contempt among millenials for old style politicians is growing. Bernie will get those voters out to the polls; HRC won't.

We Pennsylvanians wouldn't let the the national & state Democratic Party honchos shove Arlen Specter down our throats in the 2010 Senate race and chose Admiral Joe Sestak. And we're going to back Sestak again in 2016, despite what the party "leaders" want. Do you see a trend, here?!?! We want INDEPENDENT-OF-PARTY-HACKS and independent of Big Money Democratic candidates.