PENNSYLVANIA — The far-right Republicans battling it out in the “Super MAGA” primary seem to embrace more extreme views every day — and they aren’t even trying to hide it. From endorsing Texas’ abortion ban to championing the Big Lie, Republicans are showing their true colors: they care more about Donald Trump and MAGA litmus tests than Pennsylvanians.
“While Pennsylvanians face real challenges, it’s clear the Republican candidates have no interest in addressing them — they are too focused on what Donald Trump and his allies want,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “These PA Apprentice hopefuls are locked in a race to the bottom, seemingly embracing another far-right litmus test every day, just to pander to the Super MAGA base and win Trump’s endorsement. They care far more about what’s good for Mar-a-Lago than what’s good for working families in Pennsylvania.”
Here’s the reality:
- The majority of Americans oppose the key provisions of Texas’ restrictive abortion ban.
- Pennsylvanians are “outraged, frustrated, and scared” as Republicans continue to champion Donald Trump’s Big Lie by pursuing a dangerous fraudit that would jeopardize the private, personal information of 9 million Pennsylvania voters.
- Despite the pleas of medical and public health experts, Republicans are refusing to speak out on behalf of the vaccine — instead, they are spreading misinformation and prolonging the pandemic by “politicizing vaccinations.”
Instead of listening to Pennsylvanians, Doug Mastriano, Bill McSwain and Lou Barletta are stuck in a Trump-infused echo chamber, parroting unpopular beliefs:
Senator Mastriano: Op-Ed: It’s time to follow the science and protect life
By Doug Mastriano, 03/17/21
Senator Judy Ward, Senator Doug Mastriano, and Representative Stephanie Borowicz
[…]If a person is pronounced dead when their heartbeat stops, why are they not considered alive when their heartbeat begins? Psalms 139: 13-14 makes it simple: ‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.’ At the most fundamental level, this heartbeat bill would guarantee that Pennsylvanian children have the right to be born.
The legislation will require physicians, before proceeding with an abortion, to determine whether the baby has a heartbeat. If the baby has a heartbeat, then the abortion cannot be performed. This will eliminate the need to establish a gestational age in legislation and will reflect the science showing that more than 90 percent of pregnancies in which a heartbeat is detected are viable.
[…]By Bill McSwain, 10/07/21
In his recent editorial, Gov. Tom Wolf accused Republicans in the state Senate who are pursuing an investigation of the 2020 election of “acting to undermine election security in Pennsylvania,” “tearing down our democracy,” and “tearing our Commonwealth apart.” This sort of overheated rhetoric ignores the legitimate concerns that many Pennsylvanians of all political stripes have about the way the 2020 election was administered. So let’s turn down the volume on self-serving political rhetoric and examine what really happened in 2020.
[…]Much of what we saw in Philadelphia and other Democratic areas of the state reflected Wolf’s and Shapiro’s partisan approach. For example, funded with controversial grants from entities associated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Philadelphia announced the opening of “Satellite Election Offices” and advertised them as “early voting,” despite early voting being prohibited under Pennsylvania law. When Republicans sought transparency by having poll watchers present inside these offices, the city excluded them – arguing there was no “voting” going on despite the offices being advertised as polling places. Similarly, Philadelphia counted mail-in ballots at the Convention Center, but kept observers far behind barricades, where they could not meaningfully observe anything. When the people who run elections – as well as those responsible for enforcing our election laws – behave like partisan operators, regular citizens don’t trust the outcome.
[…]Election fraud does happen; it is not some figment of the imagination, and it was happening in Pennsylvania well before 2020. As U.S. Attorney, I prosecuted ballot-stuffing defendants in Philadelphia who had falsified votes for various Democratic candidates in numerous elections. Unfortunately, Wolf and Shapiro did not share this desire to enforce election laws or implement methods to improve transparency this past November. Instead, they allowed their partisan preference to undermine faith in the election, particularly in areas of Pennsylvania with an already poor track record of election integrity.
[…]Delaware Valley Journal: BARLETTA: Biden’s Vaccine Mandate is Unconstitutional and Should Be Stopped
By Lou Barletta, 09/17/21
[…]Blindly directing that everyone must receive the shot is also a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores science. Biden’s order makes no allowance for natural immunity, which exists in people who already have had COVID-19. A number of studies have shown that natural immunity provides “equal to or better” protection for people as compared to the vaccine.
And in what universe does it make sense to impose such a mandate on the American people, while not requiring it of illegal immigrants flooding across our southern border?
[…]When I’m governor, I will stand up for Pennsylvanians and stop such federal overreach.
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