Whither Pennsylvania? QAnon, Bigotry, Coup Mongers and (Sadly) More!
Whither Pennsylvania? QAnon, Bigotry, Coup Mongers and (Sadly) More!
I focus on the abysmal state of our state in this newsletter.
Happy Friday! The Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer published my latest column: PA can support workers, protect the environment by funding public transit. I spoke with Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania’s (CVPA) Political Director Katie Blume about why we need a long-term funding bill as ACT 89 funding is set to expire at the end of next year. I also explain why public transit funding is a #transitjustice issue, as it impacts working class and environmental justice communities.
Raging Chicken Media Editor Kevin Mahoney and I have a weekly podcast on Wednesdays. Please have a listen, subscribe and share.
We are going to book some really interesting guests from Bucks County and beyond over the summer.
Let’s take a look at what’s happening across the state. Brace yourselves …
State of PA
PA Spotlight dropped a bombshell of a report when it unmasked some of the money behind Keeping Kids in School PAC. Former Republican Congressman Ryan Costello was outed as the second largest contributor to the PAC that is pushing QAnon followers and bigots for school board. His money augments Doylestown venture capitalist Paul Martino's, who also funneled tens of thousands of dollars into Bucks Families for Leadership PAC. Since the report dropped, Costello has been having a meltdown on Twitter.
I wrote about two of Keeping Kids in School PAC’s Bucks County candidates last month, who are on the ballot in November:
“Cora Landis, a QAnon supporter running for Palisades school board, believes FEMA camps will be used for “redoctrination” (sic) of conservatives, promotes hydroxychloroquine as a COVID cure, thinks George Floyd protesters are “using ‘black’ to create anarchy,” and tweets: “We already had a minority Muslim in the WH. We should learn from our mistakes.”
Then of course there is the Pennridge School Board, where the local Republican Party apparently wants to purge two Republicans they deem as too moderate. One of its endorsed primary challengers is Ricki Chaikin, who posted her Parler profile on Facebook with a Q superimposed on an American flag. Chaikin’s social media posts have left a toxic trail of QAnon-inspired posts about child sex-trafficking, transphobia, and hate.”
The moral of the story is how important it is to support your local Democrats/Progressives running for school board. Join their campaigns because only people power can defeat this dark money! Look in my archives for profiles of some of the candidates who I support.
The Arizona audit “clown show” may be coming to PA, if Republican state lawmakers get their way. Matt Masterson, a former Department of Homeland Security official who helped lead the federal government's election security preparations leading up to November's election, told NPR: "It's an audit in name only. It's a threat to the overall confidence of democracy, all in pursuit of continuing a narrative that we know to be a lie."
Of course, state senator and insurrectionist Doug Mastriano is the ringmaster of this political circus. While on one level this is a joke, it’s extremely dangerous because as Masterson pointed out, this is creating a disinformation playbook for other states to use when democracy gets in the way of their political ambitions.
Andy Meehan, failed #MAGA congressional candidate and challenger to #PA01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, spoke at a QANON conference in Dallas Memorial Day weekend.
Meehan runs a voter outreach and education organization Right for Bucks. The fact that a QAnon kool aid drinker is “educating” voters, someone who gleefully poses with coup monger General Michael Flynn, who just called for a violent, Myanmar-style coup in the U.S. to overthrow President Joe Biden, should horrify folks. But it also explains why Bucks County Republicans are becoming more and more extremist. Sadly, he has been given guest column space with the Bucks County Courier Times (the paper I write for).
Bucks County isn't alone with its growing problem of MAGA bigots on school boards. In Northwestern PA, a Penncrest school district director David Valesky posted on Facebook that a school library display of books for Gay Pride Month is "totally evil."
Go Erie reported the story, and if you hit a paywall contact me and I’ll send you the text. "This is about students and staff finding our public schools to be safe places free from harassment and discrimination," said Penncrest School Director Jeff Brooks. "We strive to prevent the bullying of any student, especially LGBT students who have a suicide rate 1.5 to 3 times higher than heterosexual youth, and especially prevent bullying by the government and elected officials who feel their existence is somewhere between not OK and evil."
There is a petition here with more than 4,000 signatures (and growing by the minute) started by a former student asking for David Valesky's recall.
Media Matters published a report which unmasks QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2022 (so far). Of course Pennsylvania is represented:
“Bobby Jeffries is a Republican candidate running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District and for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2020 -- dropping out of both races before Election Day. In since-deleted tweets, Jeffries had repeatedly tweeted the QAnon slogan and wrote, “#QAnon for the win!”
Thanks for reading! I look forward to your feedback and suggestions. And most importantly, keep organizing!