Friday, January 29, 2010

The Real Joe Hoeffel

Joseph M. Hoeffel III wants to be the next governor of Pennsylvania. He officially launched his campaign this week although he's been talking about running since last fall. Hoeffel served three terms as a U.S. Congressman before a failed bid to unseat Arlen Specter for U.S. Senate in 2004 (when Arlen was a Republican), and an abortive run for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov in 2006. After a stint in the Rendell Administration, Hoeffel settled for the post of a Montgomery County Commissioner in 2008.

So who better to introduce Hoeffel to the rest of Pennsylvania than a resident of Montgomery County? This Letter to the Editor was published in The Pottstown Mercury. It pretty much sums up all you need to know about Joe Hoeffel, who proudly announced this week that he is running as the liberal candidate in the race. I guess Hoeffel didn't hear about the results from Massachusetts yet. If a liberal can't win in the Socialist Republican of Massachusetts, what chance will he have in Pennsylvania? I predict Hoeffel will finish a distant third ... maybe even fourth ... in the four-man race for the Democratic nomination for governor in May.
Joe Hoeffel is a tax-and spend liberal in the Ed Rendell mold

In the Jan. 23 edition of The Mercury on page A5. Joe Hoeffel, the Democratic Montgomery County commissioner, announced that he will enter the Democrat primary for governor in May 2010.

Hoeffel described himself as "a pragmatic progressive" who would continue Gov. Ed Rendell's policies to expand health care accessibility, improve education and create jobs. Rendell's policies? Seven years without presenting a budget on time, granting positions to friends and political contributors and threatening a massive layoff of state employees if you would not vote his way. That's Ed Rendell's record in Harrisburg. Both the state and Montgomery County are running deficits. The county reached this position while Joe Hoeffell and Jim Matthews were in charge.

Hoeffel quote: "I would like to lead the party in a progressive political agenda that is socially liberal and socially responsible." Joe, that's what you did driving the county into the hole. Now you want to do what Rendell almost accomplished.

Hoeffel ran on a platform of political change to break up the "old boy Republican network in Montco ( eh......) that sounds familiar. What did we get? He immediately hired the losing candidates on his slate to high-paying county jobs. In some cases, he hired devotees who where less qualified than other candidates for the position. We got one husband-and-wife team pulling in high six-figure salary due to Joe and Jim's benevolence.

In his first election to county commissioner back in the 1990s, Hoeffel sent out a letter on his old law firm stationery that his new position could lend help to people who needed it. A hair away from being declared influence peddling, he quickly apologized and said it was one of the biggest mistakes of his political career. Irregardless, the message got out. So what did the automatons do ... elected him to Congress.

Joe Hoeffel thinks we are stupid. It is time to stop pulling a party lever. If we learned anything from the presidential election, the country was conned by a Chicago street hustle. Keep this nonsense out of Montgomery County. Get rid of these political drones. It is our only hope.

BILL MADARA
Gilbertsville

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

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