Scarnati Agrees to Return Super Bowl Money After 1,000 Write to Him Demanding Action

(HARRISBURG, PA)—Less than 24 hours after the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Senator Joe Scarnati took a junket on the tab of Consol Energy, more than one thousand citizens forced his hand by demanding he return the money.

Scarnati’s office received more than one thousand emails telling him that his acceptance of the Super Bowl trip calls his judgment into question.

Consol Energy is one of the largest drillers using the controversial “hydraulic fracturing” method of extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale region. Pennsylvania is the largest natural gas producing state that does not tax extraction. Scarnati opposes taxing Consol and other drillers.

Scarnati’s trip didn’t break any laws, but it raises questions about whether Scarnati is in the pocket of the natural gas industry. Raising even more questions about his ability to represent taxpayers, Scarnati has also taken $142,000 in campaign contributions from energy interests, including another $15,000 from Consol.

Keystone Progress organized the email campaign demanding Scarnati return the Super Bowl money. Keystone Progress is now asking Scarnati to return the $15,000 in Consol money to eliminate the appearance of a conflict of interest. The sign up sheet for the campaign can be viewed at:

http://keystoneprogress.pnstate.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=831

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/11/03/gop-frosh-class/

REPORT: Meet The 2010 GOP Freshman Class »

Following last night’s election, over 100 freshmen Republicans will take their seats in the 112th Congress. These GOPers come from disparate backgrounds, but they are united by their adherence to the extreme wing of conservative ideology.

A new ThinkProgress investigation has found that the incoming GOP freshman class is rife with legislators who not only oppose climate change legislation, but deny that manmade global warming even exists. They are pushing not just to end birthright citizenship, but also demand that the United States reduce the number of legal immigrants.

Here is a snapshot of the GOP Class of 2010’s extremism:

ENVIRONMENT

- 50% deny the existence of manmade climate change
- 86% are opposed to any climate change legislation that increases government revenue

IMMIGRATION

- 39% have already declared their intention to end the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship
- 32% want to reduce legal immigration

TAXES/SPENDING

- 91% have sworn to never allow an income tax increase on any individual or business – regardless of deficits or war
- 79% have pledged to permanently repeal the estate tax
- 48% are pushing for a balanced budget amendment

This is where individual incoming GOP freshmen stand on each issue(We're listing PA only. For the entire report use the link above):

Key

GW: Global warming denier		CC: No climate change legislation
BC: End birthright citizenship		RI: Reduce legal immigration
TP: No tax increase pledge		ET: Repeal estate tax
BB: Balanced budget amendment

Pat Toomey (PA-SEN) GW TPET

Mike Kelly (PA-03) CC TP ET

Pat Meehan (PA-07) CC TP ET

Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) CC TP ET

Tom Marino (PA-10) CC BC RI TPET BB

Lou Barletta (PA-11) CC BC RI TPET

From the Daily Beast:
"The former president of the Club for Growth is one of the original RINO hunters—a hard-core fiscal and social conservative whose voting record in Congress was to the right of Jesse Helms. His voting record makes Rick Santorum—the former conservative Pennsylvania senator who got kicked out of office because he was too far right for the purple Keystone State—look liberal. But against the Wingnut tide of Angle and O’Donnell, Toomey almost looks like a statesman."
Read the entire article at:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2187/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-10-11/the-ultimate-wingnuts/?om_rid=DZrIoQ&om_mid=_BMswFjB8VIV44V

Are we going to let these people win?

Congressional District	Incumbent	No. of Dead
Pennsylvania 5	Glenn Thompson	64
Pennsylvania 6	Jim Gerlach	49
Pennsylvania 9	Bill Shuster	83
Pennsylvania 15	Charles W. Dent	54
Pennsylvania 16	Joseph R. Pitts	77
Pennsylvania 18	Tim Murphy	40
Pennsylvania 19	Todd Russell Platts	51

http://blogs.wfmz.com/rnc/2008/09/swann-may-run-a.html

Swann may run again for PA gov.
Our cameraman, Bill Seiders, spoke with Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steelers great and Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, on the floor of the arena here in St. Paul a short time ago. Swann told Bill he's talking it over with his wife about another run for governor. He lost his first bid to Ed Rendell in 2006. Swann said he wouldn't consider running for Congress because "it's not a good fit" for him.