News & Brews August 20, 2024
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RFK, Jr. heading to court today in bid to stay on ballot
The AP reports that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is “expected to appear in court Tuesday to defend his effort to get on the ballot for president in the premier battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Democrats are angling to force him off in what is expected to be a closely contested race.” Dems allege that RFK provided a false home address and that there are problems with petition signatures, claims he calls “frivolous.” The story notes, “National Democrats in particular have been active in trying to undercut the candidacy of Kennedy….”
Pittsburgh: Higher taxes & spending, less growth
According to a study from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, Pittsburgh taxes and spends more than comparative cities, but has been “lethargic” in post-COVID recovery. The Center Square reports, “Though Pennsylvania’s second-largest city had above-average revenues per capita, it also had above-average taxes, spending, and debt.” And per the Allegheny Institute, “Since 2020, Pittsburgh’s population has been relatively unchanged while the benchmark city grew 2.1 percent.”
Fetterman skips DNC
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman will not be attending the Democrat National Convention this week, saying he instead plans to spend time with his kids. “I’ve got three young kids, and they’re out of school,” he said. “That’s four days I can spend with my children.” We don’t blame him!
Anti-Israel petition won’t be on Pa. ballot in November
The petition to boycott Israel and companies with ties to Israel will not appear on the November ballot in Pittsburgh after a judge yesterday “signed off on a consent order, agreed to by both sides, withdrawing the measure,” WESA reports. Opponents of the measure had “argued that roughly two-thirds of the signatures on the petitions were deficient, which would have left the effort well short of the nearly 12,500 signatures it needed.” They also noted “that the measure was antisemitic, and could pose a major threat to the city’s day-to-day functions if passed by voters.” The anti-Israel activists have said they intend to try again.
‘Behind the scenes at the DNC’
And just for fun, some organizers of past Democrat National Conventions teamed up to write a story for POLITICO on what goes on behind the scenes. Although the authors are on the Left, the same can undoubtedly be said for the behind-the-scenes work at Republican conventions. If you think the crowds spontaneously erupt into enthusiastic chants … think again, as the authors note that “any chants from the crowd you hear are almost always generated by the production team.”