DV Journal

Remember when the rent was too damn high?

Today, America’s politicians are too damn old.

And President Joe Biden’s greatest (unintended) legacy may be getting America’s political system to finally confront the problem.

When news broke Sunday evening about Biden’s diagnosis of prostate cancer with metastasis to the bone, there were many expressions of sympathy from both sides of the aisle.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” said President Donald Trump.

Closer to home, Gov. Josh Shapiro posted a message of support on Twitter/X.

“Lori and I are praying for President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and their entire family today. May they find strength and hope in one another, and be lifted up by the thoughts and prayers of Americans across the country who are thinking of them right now.”

But while many Americans were sympathetic, none of them were surprised. An 82-year-old man with prostate cancer is about as shocking as a 21-year-old with a post-frat-party hangover. It’s an age-related outcome we’ve come to expect.

The U.S. Constitution addresses the issues raised by excessive youth. Thus, the requirement that a candidate must be at least 35 years old to serve as president is found in Article II, Section 1. The age requirements for the U.S. House (25) and Senate (30) are found in Article I.

Our system acknowledges that a candidate for high public office can be too young. Why not too old?

The embarrassing details pouring out about Biden’s failing mental acuity while in office have provoked a flurry of finger-pointing. Some are blaming reporters who defended Biden’s obvious infirmity rather than reporting the hard facts. CNN’s Jake Tapper accusing Biden critics of mocking his stutter, for example, helped Biden avoid scrutiny, they argue.

Others blame big-name elected Democrats like Senator Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) who, even after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, told voters the president was doing fine and deserved four more years.

He wasn’t the only one. Shapiro also publicly defended Biden, despite the undeniable decline on display in the debate. Though it was clearly untrue, Shapiro insisted that Biden was “up to the job” of another four years as chief executive. And he urged his party to rally behind the unfit incumbent.

Politico reports Shapiro is now trying to rewrite history.

“I can tell you that I was very frank with the president during his campaign about what I saw were some of the shortcomings,” he told Politico last week. “I was very honest with him in a private setting about that.”

But, the news site reports, in August 2024 — even after Biden had dropped out of the presidential race — Shapiro was saying he had no concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.

“Not at all, and I’ve been in regular contact with the president.”

Still others say Schumer and Shapiro were just doing what they were forced to do in the name of politics. There’s only one man to blame, and that’s Biden himself. He knew he wasn’t up to the job. He campaigned on serving a single term, and then he chose to run again, anyway. It’s all Joe’s fault—not a joke!

But why even debate blame? Wouldn’t it be smarter to prevent it from happening again? And this is one of those rare political problems with a simple and obvious fix:

Don’t let old people serve as president.

Amending the U.S. Constitution is never easy (that’s a feature, not a bug), but it can be done. And in the current climate, it’s easy to see how an amendment that reads, “No person can serve in elected federal office after their 80th birthday” would roll through Congress and on to the states.

This amendment would be supported — whether they like it or not — by some of the biggest names in American politics: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (85), Sen. Mitch McConnell (83), Rep. Jim Clyburn (84), and perhaps even Trump, who is a youthful 78.

(Don’t worry, MAGA voters, the amendment wouldn’t take effect until after he leaves office.)

The decision of Democrats to ignore Biden’s infirmity and boost him in 2024 looked risky at the time. In hindsight, it’s both despicable and self-destructive. And don’t forget that when Biden finally dropped out, his brother Frank told CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, “Selfishly, I will have him back to enjoy whatever time we have left.”

If it turns out, as many believe, that Biden and his family knew he had cancer months ago and he chose to run anyway, that would compound the Democrats’ disaster. It also adds to the case for taking this decision out of the hands of very elderly candidates.

There’s an argument to be made that the voters will solve this problem. In Illinois, 80-year-old U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-highest ranking Democrat, announced he isn’t seeking reelection next year. A few weeks earlier, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, 78-year-old Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), did the same.

Would they have made the same decisions if the Biden example weren’t front and center before the voters?

But another way for voters to fix this problem is by fixing the Constitution. Joe Biden’s example is every reason why.

President Biden entered the White House waging war on America’s fossil fuel energy industry, and critics say he’s going out the same way.

In his final days, he’s issuing edicts designed to restrict investments in domestic energy, including a ban on oil and gas drilling projects in most U.S. coastal waters.

Citing the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Act, Biden claimed the move was necessary to protect 625 million acres of coastal areas for future generations. He suggested the move was made to help American communities threatened by “the climate crisis” and to support the transition to a clean energy economy.

“Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It is not worth the risks,” Biden said in a statement.

However, President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to reverse Biden’s actions.

“It’s ridiculous. I’ll un-ban it immediately,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt. “What’s he doing?”

Biden critics see his latest actions as part of an attempt to limit the growth of the U.S. energy industry, going back to his first day in office when he killed the Keystone XL pipeline. Since then, he’s ordered a pause on all new U.S. LNG exports, and his administration approved a Clean Air Act waiver for California, requiring all new passenger cars, small trucks and SUVs to have zero emissions by 2035.

U.S. energy advocates say banning proposed new LNG terminals in places like Louisiana and Pennsylvania will kill thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic opportunity. They will keep U.S. resources that could be used to push back against Russian aggression off the global market.

Environmentalists hailed the Biden move, pressing him to do more.

“Biden must reject pending (LNG) export projects,” wrote Aru Shiney-Ajay of the Sunrise Movement. The group held a sit-in with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in 2018 over climate change legislation.

“This is an epic ocean victory!” crowed Oceana campaign director Joseph Gordon. “Our treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations.”

Critics said Biden is following a 2020 campaign promise to change the American energy industry.

“The same man who said he would ‘end fossil fuel’ in 2019 is attempting to do just that, and hamstring President-elect Trump on the way out,” said Craig Stevens of the GAIN Coalition.

Pennsylvania Manufactures’ Association President & CEO David Taylor called the president’s order on continental drilling a “betrayal of the American people.

“I guess President Biden wants to lock in place the inflation that has hurt so many American families, because the number one way to fight inflation is by maximizing domestic energy production,” Taylor told DVJournal.

It could also undermine America’s and Pennsylvania’s energy security.

The United States is the world’s most significant exporter of natural gas and is tied for second with Russia on crude oil exports. It’s also the globe’s top oil producer.

A large portion of the LNG comes from Pennsylvania. Statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) rank the Keystone State as the nation’s second-largest gas-producing state, behind Texas. Pennsylvania is also the second-largest energy exporter in the U.S.

European countries pivoted to U.S.-produced LNG after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Last year, the EIA reported that LNG exports to Europe remain at record-high levels.

“The U.S. has an abundance of natural resources at our disposal and banning the extraction of these efficient and reliable fuels jeopardizes our nation’s energy security,” Stevens said.

More important, American oil and gas producers adhere to regulations not in place in other countries.

“Energy produced in America under strict environmental standards can be used here at home or exported to allies abroad, which is better for the climate, global security and our economy,” said Christopher Guith, a senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute.

Taylor encouraged Americans to not be so single-minded on oil and gas drilling.

“Petroleum has multiple purposes, not just as a fuel, but also as a lubricant [and] an input for petrochemical manufacturing,” he said.

It’s not unusual for presidents to use the Outer Continental Shelf Act to withdraw unleased offshore areas from future drilling. What made Biden’s move unique was his attempt to ban future leases. While Trump vowed to go to court to revoke Biden’s move, it may ultimately be up to Congress to overturn the action.

How will history view Joe Biden’s healthcare policies?

Will people remember that he took the benefits of Operation Warp Speed and imposed mandates, supported school closures and caused increased vaccine hesitancy? Or that his administration called doctors and scientists who dared to ask questions (such as nominees for the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) — purveyors of “misinformation”?  Or that he bragged about imposing price controls on innovative biopharmaceuticals? 

Most likely. Perhaps Biden will also be remembered as the first president to raid Medicare (while claiming to protect it) to pay for his spending agenda. Biden spent like no president in history, and, with a sleight of hand, by taking hundreds of billions out of Medicare and spending it on green energy subsidies. 

This legacy needs to be highlighted, and its consequences explained so policymakers never go down this path again.

Some have forgotten that the wrongly called “Inflation Reduction Act” was a mega-spending bill originally called the Build Back Better Act. Team Biden decided to give it a new name for marketing purposes and to address the nation’s raging inflation rate. This “Inflation Reduction Act” did nothing to reduce inflation.

Deep inside the legislation was a longtime Democratic policy dream:  price controls masquerading as “Medicare negotiation.” Those mandates gave Biden a campaign talking point that he was a good steward of government funds by forcing “negotiation” and lowering drug prices.

As the CEO of the Missouri Pharmacy Association, Ron Fitzwater, wrote, “The Biden-Harris administration is not protecting Medicare; they’re stealing from it.”

He added, “Through this distortion of the market, the IRA has diverted nearly $260 billion from the projected Medicare ‘savings’ to pay for special interest handouts like large tax credits for costly electric vehicles, enormous subsidies paid to big health insurer-PBM corporations, and funding health care programs for illegal immigrants.”

One of the most significant healthcare successes was spearheaded by the George W. Bush administration: the Medicare Part D Program. The Donald Trump administration strengthened Part D and lowered Medicare premiums. Sadly, the Biden IRA went in the opposite direction. As Ge Bai wrote in Forbes in November, “While average basic premiums for Medicare Part D declined by 12 percent from 2017 to 2020, plan bids for 2025 nearly tripled, partly due to this and other aspects of benefit redesign.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Inflation Reduction Act is projected to reduce Medicare spending by $237 billion through 2031. However, as Tomas Philipson, a former chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, wrote in the Wall Street Journal last year, “Mr. Biden’s Medicare cuts aren’t limited to the Inflation Reduction Act. In April the White House cut Medicare Advantage payments for the second year in a row. These cuts will reduce seniors’ benefits by nearly $400 per year.”

He added that the IRA will raise annual out-of-pocket costs for 3.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who take price-controlled medicines and that cost increases will result from the interaction of price controls with new rules on how Medicare drug plans design their benefits.

Interestingly, Biden never discussed where the money redirected from Medicare went — like green energy projects. Perhaps the political staff in the White House knew how seniors would react. But all Americans should understand this “bait and switch” so it never happens again.

2025 offers a chance to take genuine steps to help seniors by strengthening Medicare, eliminating waste in Medicare Advantage, rolling back price controls, and fixing the IRA’s “pill penalty,” which reduces access to life-saving medicines for those most in need. 

Of course, 2025 will likely also be the year the White House and Congress achieve meaningful Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform, which was on the cusp of passage at the end of the last Congress.

In his ill-fated debate performance last June, Biden inadvertently said, “We finally beat Medicare.” 

Let’s ensure that in the coming years we never put Medicare at risk again.  Instead, let’s resolve to pursue commonsense reforms that improve the quality of life for our seniors and help all Americans lead healthier lives.

It was an action that President Joe Biden repeatedly pledged he would not take.

But when he broke his promise and pardoned his troubled son Hunter for crimes he’s pleaded guilty to — and those he may not have been charged with going back a decade — Biden’s fellow Democrats in the Delaware Valley had little to say about it.

Except for Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan and Chester County Democratic Chair Charlotte Valyo, a cone of silence has descended over DelVal Democratic lawmakers asked to comment about Biden’s pardon.

In a statement, Biden claimed his own Department of Justice was tainted by politics, a claim most pundits dismissed as unserious.

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden said. “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”

In fact, the Department of Justice attempted to give Hunter Biden a favorable deal that was only derailed when the judge raised questions about what appeared to be special treatment for the president’s son.

As IRS agents Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “President Biden’s pardon is an insult to every honest taxpaying American. He claimed that his own Justice Department unfairly targeted his son. On the contrary, we produced mountains of evidence and testified under oath about the machinations his Justice Department, including (Special Counsel David) Weiss, used to shield the Biden family from a thorough investigation of alleged corruption in Ukraine, Romania, and China.”

The timeline of the pardon, from 2014, dates from when the younger Biden joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. It pardons him for any “offenses he has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024.

Republicans have accused Joe Biden of benefiting from his son’s business deals with Ukraine and China while he was vice president under President Barack Obama.

Houlahan (D-Chester) said, “While I understand the instinct to protect one’s family and share the concern that President-Elect Trump will use his administration’s powers to punish his personal and political enemies, I am disappointed that President Biden pardoned his son Hunter. I still believe that no one should be above the law and will continue to use my voice to call out this and other examples of unwarranted immunity from our justice system.”

Valyo used the opportunity to criticize President-elect Trump.

“The pardon power exists to undo unjust prosecutions,” said Valyo. “The charges against Hunter Biden would have been dismissed or settled without a criminal verdict if the defendant were anyone except the son of  President Biden. Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, his daughter’s father-in-law, even though he was convicted of much more egregious crimes and has made it clear he intends to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists.”

Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) declined to comment. Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey Jr. also refrained from commenting.

And Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the former state attorney general, also declined to respond to DVJournal’s request for comment. He did the same when Politico asked him about the pardon.

The Democratic Party chairs for Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties did not respond to requests for comment on the presidential pardon.

On the other side of the aisle, neither Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick nor Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) responded to requests for comment.

Ironically, Trump is one person who isn’t surprised by Biden’s actions.

In October, Trump told Fox News, “I wouldn’t do anything that would be overt in terms of Hunter. It’s a sad situation. I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him.

“But he’s a bad boy,” Trump added. “No question about it.”

The Biden administration is touting the Inflation Reduction Act as a transformative piece of legislation. The reality tells a different story for millions of seniors relying on Medicare. Rather than prioritizing older Americans, this act has raided Medicare to fund a broader agenda, diverting billions from healthcare to unrelated spending projects. As Americans grapple with higher costs and fewer options in Medicare, it’s essential to expose the effect of these policies.

The staggering $260 billion the IRA raided from projected Medicare savings and funneled to projects like tax credits for electric vehicles and solar energy is at the heart of the issue. According to the Congressional Budget Office, these funds could have been used to strengthen Medicare but were squandered on political agendas that have nothing to do with healthcare. 

In 2023, $10 billion of Medicare spending was paid in electric vehicle and solar energy tax credits. Simultaneously, large subsidies continued to fund prominent insurer-Pharmacy Benefit Managers and other non-Medicare programs.

The administration initially promised the spending bill would significantly lower drug prices for seniors. However, since the bill’s passage, Medicare premiums have surged by more than 20 percent on average, with some states experiencing more than 50 percent hikes. This is only the beginning, as insurers have warned their beneficiaries that hikes will continue to rise. Additionally, the administration has introduced a last-minute “demo” project, which the CBO just revealed would gut at least $21 billion from the Medicare Trust Fund to prop up big insurers— without congressional approval. This leaves seniors with fewer drug plan options and, for many, the uncertainty of whether their current plan will even exist next year.

Despite the White House’s talk about reforming the practices of big insurer-PBMs, the IRA quietly slipped in a provision that extended a little-known exemption these health cartels have from federal anti-kickback corruption laws. Although it may seem insignificant, these integrated conglomerates can legally pocket significant drug pricing rebates initially intended to lower patient costs. Instead of promoting savings for Medicare beneficiaries, they are being consumed by PBMs, which gives insurance oligarchs more reason not to oppose the IRA. While the White House publicly criticizes the influence of large corporations, the IRA’s provisions speak volumes about its priorities.

Perhaps the greatest betrayal comes from the so-called Medicare “negotiations” the administration has championed. With $260 billion already siphoned off for non-healthcare spending, President Biden proudly publicized drug price “negotiations” as one of the most significant milestones in healthcare. The reality is that 67 million seniors enrolled in Medicare will only save $1.5 billion collectively. Not only are these savings minimal, but they will also likely lead to intense Part D premium spikes. For millions of older Americans, this delayed relief means more waiting and financial strain.

The administration has claimed a victory on drug prices, but for many seniors, it feels more like a swindle. The IRA’s windfalls have gone to corporate interests, while seniors are left with higher costs, fewer options, and no real relief. This isn’t the Medicare reform Democrats promised older Americans — it’s a raid on Medicare, and America’s seniors are counting on Republicans in Congress to reignite their fight against the disastrous spending bill.

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According to a chilling report from the House Judiciary Committee released Monday, at least 99 illegal aliens on the FBI terror watchlist were released into the United States after being arrested by Border Patrol at the southern border, and another 34 aliens on the list are currently in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody.

This information was reported to the committee by DHS.

Those actions were taken under policies administered by the Biden-Harris administration and are likely to add heat to the debate over border security in November’s elections. GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick has already called out his opponent, three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Casey.

“Bob Casey and Kamala Harris should be putting terrorists behind bars, not releasing them into our communities,” McCormick posted on X in response to the findings.

According to the Judiciary Committee report, the Biden administration “allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the United States, including [from] terrorist organizations and other bad actors looking to harm Americans. In three and a half years, the Biden-Harris administration has released more than 5.4 million illegal aliens into the United States, with an additional at least 1.9 million known ‘gotaways’ escaping into the country.”

Among those are 250 people on the terrorist watchlist who Border Patrol encountered on the southern border between 2021 and 2023. The report said the Department of Homeland Security released at least 99 of them, with some 34 others in DHS custody.

The illegal aliens in question came from at least 36 different countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

During the fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol encountered thousands of illegal immigrants from countries that “could present national security risks,” including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese citizens, 541 Iranians, 530 Syrians, and 3,104 Uzbek nationals, the report said.

Of eight Tajik nationals released despite potential ISIS ties that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested in June 2024, three had been released into the country using the Biden-Harris administration’s CBP One phone application to schedule an appointment at a port of entry. Four were encountered by Border Patrol while crossing the border without scheduling an appointment.

One of the eight Tajiki men was arrested in Philadelphia.

Polls show Americans are very concerned about the impact of illegal immigration, which set multiple records during the time Vice President Harris was tasked by Biden to address “root causes” of migration from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras).

While Harris allies reject the label “border czar,” illegal crossings from these four countries were 140 percent higher than during the Trump presidency.

Critics of the Biden administration hold the president and his team responsible for the violent crimes committed against lawful American residents by those who cross the border illegally. They point to cases like Rachel Morin, the Maryland mother of five who was beaten, raped, and strangled to death, allegedly by an illegal alien from El Salvador earlier this year.

Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies argues that “all crimes committed by illegal aliens represent an unnecessary and preventable burden on American society and its criminal justice system.

“To state what should be obvious: Illegal aliens blocked at the border or who are quickly removed from the country cannot inflict harm on Americans because they are not present. That means every single crime committed by an illegally present immigrant was preventable and should never have happened.

The committee report, presented by the GOP majority, claims the Biden administration downplays the possibility of terrorist threats. It also calls out Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his management of the illegal immigrant issue.

“There is a more than 3,000 percent increase of watchlisted alien encounters compared to all four years of the Trump administration,” the report said. “With the border in chaos under the Biden-Harris administration, the terrorist threat to the homeland has skyrocketed.”

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Not since LBJ in 1968, who faced public anger over his handling of the Vietnam War, has a sitting president decided not to seek a second term.

But Sunday, with pressure growing from dozens of congressional Democrats in the wake of his disastrous June debate against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden announced he’s dropping out of the race.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” the 81-year-old Biden wrote in a letter posted on X.

Congresswomen Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) praised Biden’s decision to withdraw. He “prioritized everyday Americans, guided the United States into pandemic recovery and enacted some of the most consequential legislation in a generation,” Dean wrote.

“The country, and in fact, the world, is a better place because of him,” Houlahan said.

After announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Harris, 59, thanked Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and “decades of service to our country.”

“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said in a statement.

Harris promptly announced she would be seeking her party’s nomination, and she’s already been endorsed by one of the most frequently-mentioned potential Biden replacements: Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro posted on X.

Shapiro is widely reported to be on the short list as a potential Harris running mate.

Chester County Democratic Committee chair Charlotte Valyo is also on board.

“Now we will unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the candidate President Biden has endorsed and elect the first woman president. This is our focus and the goal for which we will work for the next 106 days and nights,” Valyo said.

Biden’s decision caught many Pennsylvania Democrats by surprise. Just hours before he withdrew from the race, Pennsylvania state Democratic Party chair Sharif Street signed a letter declaring his support for Biden’s reelection. And Sen. John Fetterman continued to promote another four years of a Biden presidency.

However, some Delaware Valley political observers claimed they saw Biden’s departure as inevitable.

“It was absolutely the right thing to do. I wish he had done it three weeks ago,” said Neil Oxman, Democratic strategist with The Campaign Group.

“The Biden announcement comes as no surprise. His own party abandoned him. Now they are saddled with the prospect of putting ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris at the top of their ticket,” was the take from GOP strategist Charlie Gerow.

Jeff Jubelirer, vice president with the Bellevue Communications Group, said that while Biden’s decision was “no surprise,” he hasn’t left his party much time to mount a national campaign for a new nominee.

Biden “finally saw the writing on the wall about no path to victory, especially without full support of Democratic legislators, donors and most importantly, voters in swing states.”

Can Kamala Harris carry Pennsylvania?

As of Sunday afternoon, one Delaware Valley congressional Democrat, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlan, had already endorsed her.

Veteran Democrat public relations pro Larry Ceisler says not only can she win, “I doubt Trump will even debate her.’

“Of course, she can win Pennsylvania,” Ceisler said. Democrats have won the state a majority of the time [in the recent presidential elections]. You’ve got to believe that a state that’s elected Democrats is in a very good position.”

In 2016, Trump became the first Republican to win Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Trump lost to Biden in 2020.

While local Democrats are hopeful about Harris’ candidacy, Republicans note that Trump has consistently led in the Keystone State for months and they don’t see that changing.

While Republicans are “totally united behind our candidates,” said Bucks County GOP Chair Pat Poprik, “the Democrats are in such disarray that they are going to be battling among themselves as they decide who their presidential candidate should be.

“Even though President Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, I don’t know that their party will accept her, knowing all the mistakes that she has made, how she’s been so unsuccessful as the ‘Border Czar’ and how she’s terrible at public speaking.”

“On the other hand, the Republican party, after its hugely successful convention, is totally united behind our strong candidates, President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance. I am looking forward to the great victories we will have in November with this great slate, including Dave McCormick for Senate and, in Bucks County, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick,” she said.

Local Republican operative Guy Ciarrocchi agrees.

“Kamala Harris owns the Biden record—plus, she failed at her only assigned duty: securing our border. The politics of 2024 haven’t changed one bit.”

Fetterman responded to the news of Biden’s announcement with an expression of frustration–and irony.

“People pushed out an honorable man, loving father, and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was convicted on corruption charges last week.

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Pennsylvania Democrats are featured in a new ad pushing President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign.

A group called Pass the Torch is spending $36,000 to air an ad on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday in both Washington, D.C. and Delaware. Morning Joe is reportedly must-watch TV for Biden.

The ad follows a #PassTheTorch Saturday rally outside the White House featuring chants of “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Thank you Joe, it’s time to go.”

On Sunday, Democrat-turned-independent U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia echoed the rally’s message. “I came to the decision with a heavy heart that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin told CNN.

The TV ad airing Monday morning “features Democratic voters from Pennsylvania urging President Biden to step aside for a new nominee,” according to Pass The Torch.

Pass the Torch calls itself a network of “activists, organizers, and voters” who believe that it’s imperative for Democrats to have a ticket that can beat Donald Trump. Democratic activist Charlie Bulman, who worked as a Biden campaign organizer in Pennsylvania in 2020, attended the #PassTheTorch White House rally.

“I just think it’s clear that the president is not going to be up to do the job for another four years, that his candidacy is not putting us in the best position to win,” Bulman told the progressive news site Mother Jones. And, he added, he has concerns about what backing Biden will do to down-ballot candidates.

Bulman worries about the impact of Biden’s campaign on down-ballot races and the party’s credibility. “I think it puts other folks in a tough position defending his competency,” he said. “And I think that they might lose trust among voters if they’re forced to do that.”

Biden has lagged behind Trump in the polls for months while other Democrats have polled better. The RealClearPolitics average puts Trump ahead of Biden by 4.5 percent in Pennsylvania. That includes an Emerson College poll released last week giving the Republican a five-point lead, which is outside the margin of error.

The super PAC’s website cited a “stunning crisis of faith” in Biden after his terrible showing at last month’s debate against Trump.

Biden gave rambling answers at the debate, then failed to alleviate concerns during an interview on NBC. Earlier this month, he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” and Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” at a NATO press conference.

A Philadelphia radio show host who interviewed Biden after the debate later resigned after it was revealed she used questions given to her by the Biden campaign. A Milwaukee radio show host also said Biden’s campaign supplied him with questions for an interview.

That’s enough for Pass the Torch leaders, who include Rhode Island state Sen. Tiara Mack and Public Citizen Senior Climate Policy Counsel Aaron Regunberg. They blame Biden’s team for protecting him “for years” from live and unscripted interviews.

As of Sunday morning, 36 congressional Democrats have publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 campaign. But Biden’s campaign insists he’s not leaving, releasing a letter from the Democratic state party chairs in seven swing states — including Pennsylvania’s Sharif Street — urging Biden to stay in the race.

“As we enter the final 100-day stretch, President Biden has proven he can beat Donald Trump if we all do the work,” the party chairs wrote.

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(This article is reprinted from Broad + Liberty. It first appeared in PoliticsPA.)

If the Republicans seem more united around their presidential candidate than in recent memory, the Democrats are in the opposite camp.

The hue and cry among Democratic ranks for President Joe Biden to step aside has not subsided in recent days, even after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump stole the news cycle for the past three days.

Now, as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) prepares a virtual roll call to solidify the nomination of Biden as the party’s candidate, some Democratic members of Congress are voicing their objections and considering putting them in writing.

A letter is being circulated by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) that argues there is “no legal justification” for an early virtual roll call, now that the state of Ohio has enacted legislation that allows Democrats to nominate its candidate in person at its convention in Chicago in mid-August.

“At this point, there is no serious threat to the Democratic ticket nominated in regular order at next month’s DNC convention appearing on the ballot in Ohio or any other state. Simply put, there is no longer any legal reason for moving forward with the extraordinary step of an early nomination by way of a “virtual roll call,” as even many DNC members have admitted.

“Proceeding with the “virtual roll call” in the absence of a valid legal rationale will be rightly perceived as a purely political maneuver, which we believe would be counterproductive and undermine party unity and cohesion. Moreover, it would contradict what President Biden himself has repeatedly said to members of Congress in recent days, telling us that anyone who wants to challenge his nomination should do so “at the convention.”

The draft letter is critical of those who want to stifle debate and shut down any possible change in the Democratic ticket, citing morale and unity of the party at “the worst possible time.”

Axios is reporting that Rep. Susan Wild (D-07) will be signing the letter. Wild’s seat is considered one of the targets for Republicans as the GOP makes plans to defend its House majority. A request for comment from Wild received no response.

The move comes three days before the Democratic National Convention rules committee is scheduled to meet, when they are expected to vote on setting up the rules and dates for a virtual roll call vote.

David Winkler says he believes he has a good chance of beating three-term  incumbent Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) in November.

Winkler is running for Congress because he cares “deeply about America.”  He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the Marines, he joined the Army.

“A lot of people died to preserve our freedoms and way of life,” said Winkler. “I feel like right now our government is failing the people. And that it’s my duty to stand up and fix it.”

His changes have improved because of the rising popularity of former President Donald Trump, whose coattails might lift down-ballot Republicans.

And, the first-time Republican candidate notes that Dean’s far-left votes against Israel and pro-Palestinians have alienated a sizable portion of the area’s Jewish voters. According to the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia, Jews comprise about 10 percent of Montgomery County residents.

Dean is “one of the most divisive people we have in the government,” said Winkler, 38. “Everything she’s done has torn America apart, from her volunteering to be an impeachment manager to her voting record, even at what’s happened with the Jewish community, the blatant antisemitism. We need people in D.C. who bring people together, not divide… She only caters to the far left.”

Commentary magazine editor John Podhoretz wrote in June that Trump is poised to get more support from Jews than any Republican presidential candidate in modern history due to Biden’s lukewarm support of Israel. He noted a drop in votes for Democrats from Pennsylvania Jews “may be the game right here.”

Rabbi Matthew Adelson, a Conservative rabbi and member of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis, supports Winkler for Winkler’s position backing Israel.

“David is a wonderful person,” said Abelson. After he met Winkler, “it became very clear to me that he’s someone who is capable of leading on that very critical issue.”

In the months since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, Dean has “made it very clear she is not a supporter of Israel,” said Adelson, who cataloged a long list of Dean’s pro-Palestinian votes.

“On Nov. 7, there was an opportunity to censure (Rep.) Rashida Talib (D-Mich.) for promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7 attack, and (Dean) voted no,” said Adelson. “She allowed funds to go to Iran, and voted against putting sanctions on Qatar.” Iran funds Hamas, and Qatar has given money and sanctuary to its leaders.

“In December, she did not condemn antisemitism on university campuses amid the testimony of university presidents to Congress,” Abelson said. “She voted no on the Israel security supplemental Appropriations Act on Feb. 24.  She called for a ceasefire with Hamas on Feb. 29.”

On April 5, Dean voted with members of the “Squad” to cut U.S. military aid to Israel.

“And she wrote a letter asking Biden to ‘use all the tools’ there are to prevent Israel from going into Rafah,” he said. “When the IDF did go into Rafah, they found tunnels between Rafah and Egypt, which is a grave concern.”

“On April 16, around Passover, she voted present when there was an opportunity to condemn the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ which is clearly genocidal,” he added. In May, she backed Biden’s withholding of offensive weapons from Israel.

And in July, Dean “rose on the House floor” to say the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), which is anti-Israel with employees who took part in the Hamas terror attack, “is doing ‘God’s work,’” said Abelson.

“It’s very obvious she doesn’t have the back of her Jewish constituents,” he said.

Christian Nascimento, chair of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, said, “Whether it is her doubling down on support for Joe Biden after the recent debate debacle or her one-sided approach to the Israeli-Hamas conflict, Rep. Dean has shown that her far-left views are outside the mainstream of Montgomery County voters. In David Winkler, we have a candidate that has a commonsense approach and a different perspective as a person of color and a veteran – a perspective that better aligns with the majority of residents of the 4th Congressional district.”

Winker also holds Dean, who sits on the foreign affairs committee, partly responsible for the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, where 13 U.S. troops died in a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate near the Kabul airport.

“She should have been able to push back on Biden to keep Bagram Air Base open,” he added. He noted military equipment worth billions was left behind, but more importantly, so were American citizens and Afghans who helped Americans.

“One of those was my interpreter,” said Winkler. “This was a complete failure of the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense.” His interpreter is still trapped in Afghanistan.

That withdrawal is “one of the reasons I’m running. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi. We don’t leave people behind.”

Winkler was a biracial foster child who was adopted by “two loving White parents.” His father was an engineer with Raytheon, then a merchant marine. Winkler grew up in Canada, southern California, and Northern Ireland. Winkler joined the Marines when he turned 18. He also worked as a police officer in Murfreesboro, Tenn. and led a nonprofit, Wings for Warriors. He moved to Montgomery County in 2021 after marrying his wife, Kay, who grew up here. She is a first-generation American whose family came from Sierra Leone. The Winklers, who live in Elkins Park, are raising a stepdaughter and a baby son. David Winkler currently employed as a property manager.

“I’m just a pissed-off veteran,” said Winkler. “You can call it MAGA. You can call it whatever you want. I’m just very commonsense.”

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