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BREAKING: Rep. Pat Meehan (PA-7) announces immediate resignation from House (Original Post) brooklynite Apr 2018 OP
And another one bites the dust... Wounded Bear Apr 2018 #1
Semper tiptonic Apr 2018 #6
Oooh-rah! Wounded Bear Apr 2018 #7
Good riddance. yortsed snacilbuper Apr 2018 #2
And Another One Rides the Bus - The Resignation Express MineralMan Apr 2018 #3
Excellent Weird Al reference! Still In Wisconsin Apr 2018 #9
MeToo malaise Apr 2018 #4
This will be the new 5th CD in the next election FakeNoose Apr 2018 #5
Kind of looks like he would have lost anyway, right? Wounded Bear Apr 2018 #8
According to the local news here in Philly BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #13
They were probably giggling so hard when they drew that up C Moon Apr 2018 #20
In this case... BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #22
Thanks for the insight, BumRushDaShow! C Moon Apr 2018 #31
np BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #32
The new PA-5 is a guaranteed pickup BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #24
Look for more blue in November! FakeNoose Apr 2018 #28
They're dropping like flies. nt Cognitive_Resonance Apr 2018 #10
k&r DesertRat Apr 2018 #11
I'm confused. Scarsdale Apr 2018 #12
I am sure that was sarcasm, but I will proceed like it wasn't Caliman73 Apr 2018 #15
GHW Bush had a mistress Scarsdale Apr 2018 #17
Actually to Republicans, like Fundamentalists lunatica Apr 2018 #16
Whoa. Droppin' like flies. ANOTHER sex harasser. Geez. nt Honeycombe8 Apr 2018 #14
And the hits just keep on comin' NBachers Apr 2018 #18
K&R stonecutter357 Apr 2018 #19
Another special election? WhiteTara Apr 2018 #21
Maybe not. Better to keep the seat open, the primaries are in May or June. Blue_true Apr 2018 #25
I believe a special election may be required & the PA governor is a Democrat by the way BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #27
If that is the case, I would like to see a Dem win it and become the incumbent. nt Blue_true Apr 2018 #35
I confirmed on the local news here this morning BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #36
Yes. BumRushDaShow Apr 2018 #26
party of family values Takket Apr 2018 #23
Bye bye Ferrets are Cool Apr 2018 #29
Drip. Drip. Drip. BobTheSubgenius Apr 2018 #30
It must be bad.. lots of evidence to resign Cha Apr 2018 #33
Fleeing town fast bucolic_frolic Apr 2018 #34
Do they get to keep their campaign money? pwb Apr 2018 #37

MineralMan

(146,338 posts)
3. And Another One Rides the Bus - The Resignation Express
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 02:02 PM
Apr 2018

Climb on board, Republicans. Don't be left behind. Board the Resignation Express Today!

Ewww...he's gonna sit by you!

FakeNoose

(32,802 posts)
5. This will be the new 5th CD in the next election
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 02:22 PM
Apr 2018


West Southwest of Philadelphia, just north of the Delaware state border.
(formerly called the 7th congressional district)

This could be a good opportunity for Democrats to take a seat in the Midterm election.

Wounded Bear

(58,728 posts)
8. Kind of looks like he would have lost anyway, right?
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 02:35 PM
Apr 2018

That wouldn't be a reason to leave now, but maybe he's just tired of the shit storm.



BumRushDaShow

(129,643 posts)
13. According to the local news here in Philly
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 03:36 PM
Apr 2018

he supposedly "didn't want his staff to have to go through the ethics probe" and resigning now "would give the staff time to look for new jobs".

As a side note, his was the district how it looks currently (before the redrawing) -


BumRushDaShow

(129,643 posts)
22. In this case...
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 06:37 PM
Apr 2018

they were so desperate to FIND GOP voters for that district that they drew the district boundaries all around the major cities to exclude them in order to do it. And this was because they had lost the 7th with the 2006 blue wave and again in 2008.

This is what it looked like before they gerrymandered it in 2010 -



In 2010, when PA lost a seat, the GOP was able to manufacture 13 GOP and 5 Democratic seats by gerrymandering... and doing so in a state that at the time had 1,000,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans. As it is, Democrats still hold an almost 800,000 voter registration advantage.

This is a good analysis of what they did at the time - the article calls it "packing and cracking".

BumRushDaShow

(129,643 posts)
24. The new PA-5 is a guaranteed pickup
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 06:53 PM
Apr 2018

the only "argument" being the Delaware County Democrats have served notice that they want someone from Delaware County to represent the district rather than someone from South Philly (which is also part of the district).



The above map (from 538) shows a 2 seat definite pickup, making the split 11-7 (GOP/DEM) vs the current 13-5. The light red on the western side of the state is the new district that Conor Lamb will be running in and he has a good shot at taking that one (which could make it 10-8). And the light red Bucks County north of Philly really SHOULD flip if enough Democrats get out and vote (which would make it 9-9). That was the old PA-8 and was once Patrick Murphy's seat after the 2006 blue wave and for 2008 before the 2010 gerrymandering. And really, the new upstate map includes Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has also gone back and forth and is do-able and if by hook or by crook, we could see a 9-10 (GOP/DEM) split, which is really what it should be based on registered voters.

FakeNoose

(32,802 posts)
28. Look for more blue in November!
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 08:07 PM
Apr 2018

We hope the new district northeast of Pittsburgh will go blue! That's where Conor Lamb will be running in November.

His old district is the one that surrounds the southeast and west of Pittsburgh. The newly redrawn district that Lamb won will probably go back to red again.

I believe we'll see blue districts in the center of the state - Harrisburg and State College areas. The northeastern Allentown area could well return to blue by this fall.



Scarsdale

(9,426 posts)
12. I'm confused.
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 03:24 PM
Apr 2018

Aren't the republicans the party of "family values"? Maybe that means something totally different to them than it does to the rest of us. When will Fart-N-Hold repay the $83,000 his campaign paid the staffer?

Caliman73

(11,749 posts)
15. I am sure that was sarcasm, but I will proceed like it wasn't
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 03:47 PM
Apr 2018

Republicans stand for nothing, except retaining power however they can. The whole, "Family Values" thing was a dog whistle to their ignorant base signaling their intent to oppose LGBT rights, Women's equality, the rights of minorities, or any other thing that you could attach to that vague phrasing. So many of the hypocrites have gotten caught on the "Appalacian Trail", wearing diapers with hookers, On their third wife after cheating on the first two, forcing their mistresses to get abortions, etc...

All of those situations above, though people may find them ethically or morally wrong, Progressives usually would say that they are personal behaviors between spouses, or whatever other privacy valuing statements. The problem is that those pieces of filth are always trying to use religion and government as a bludgeon to beat down on others and control the behavior of certain groups against doing things that they themselves are doing.

That is what gives me that momentary pleasure when one of those clowns goes down.

Scarsdale

(9,426 posts)
17. GHW Bush had a mistress
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 03:52 PM
Apr 2018

for 10 years, google Jennifer Fitzgerald. It was an open secret in DC, yet the gop all castigated Clinton for his womanizing ways, pretending GHW was a saint. "73 year love story" my aching arse. Gingrich was one of the worst offenders, low down dirty swamp thing.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
16. Actually to Republicans, like Fundamentalists
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 03:52 PM
Apr 2018

family values is completely different than it is to Liberals.

To Republicans the family is The Father at the top who is the boss on all matters. The Wife/mother obeys him and usually implements his will in the family. The children obey the father. The father is like god in the household. God has given the father the role of being His voice in all things. And God has given the father the ownership of his wife and children.

Also child rearing done right is disciplining the children to obey and to grow up to be either harsh fathers or obedient and compliant mothers.

The words Family Values may be the same but the concepts couldn’t be further apart. Does it make sense now? It did to me once I understood this.

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
25. Maybe not. Better to keep the seat open, the primaries are in May or June.
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 07:02 PM
Apr 2018

Better to run the primaries and then go to the general. I doubt republicans will want a special election given how those are going for them. Look like a good Dem candidate can pick up that seat.

BumRushDaShow

(129,643 posts)
27. I believe a special election may be required & the PA governor is a Democrat by the way
Fri Apr 27, 2018, 07:42 PM
Apr 2018

and would do the scheduling.

That is why Meehan officially notified the governor. Normally, the special could happen at the next election which is May 22. However since the vacancy was announced within 60 days of that May Primary, then it cannot occur at that time and the governor has 60 days after receiving the notification to announce the new date -

In the case of a vacancy in an elective office, a person shall be elected to the office on the next election day appropriate to the office unless the first day of the vacancy is within two calendar months immediately preceding the election day in which case the election shall be held on the second succeeding election day appropriate to the office.

http://www.duq.edu/academics/gumberg-library/pa-constitution/texts-of-the-constitution#4


The election could be held in July and the winner would remain in the seat until January.

BumRushDaShow

(129,643 posts)
36. I confirmed on the local news here this morning
Sat Apr 28, 2018, 10:35 AM
Apr 2018

that the governor has 10 days to "announce" the date of a special election and that date would need to be no less than 60 days from the time he was given notice of a vacancy.

And I agree - it would be nice to have a Dem win there even if it is just for the balance of the term. As speculation, there are 10 Democrats and 1 Republican running in the May primary for the re-drawn district (new "PA-5" ), so I would not be surprised if one of the "losers" of that primary decides to try again in the current version of the district (current "PA-7" ), assuming any of them live within the boundaries of the current version.

Edit to add the Primary is May 15th... (not the 22nd).

Cha

(297,780 posts)
33. It must be bad.. lots of evidence to resign
Sat Apr 28, 2018, 06:24 AM
Apr 2018

immediately. too bad trump gets away with all this shit that even repub reps don't.

pwb

(11,292 posts)
37. Do they get to keep their campaign money?
Sat Apr 28, 2018, 11:22 AM
Apr 2018

If they don't run it should be returned not passed on to another puke?

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