News & Brews November 15, 2024
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In Senate recount, Dems ignore Pa. Supreme Court ruling
It’s rather shocking, but Democrat officials in multiple counties are ignoring the Pa. Supreme Court’s ruling—and later re-emphasis of that ruling—that undated or incorrectly dated mail-in ballots should not count in this election. As Democrats seek to find votes for Sen. Bob Casey in the close race against Senator-elect Dave McCormick, “Democratic-majority election boards in Montgomery County, Philadelphia, Bucks County and Centre County voted to count the ballots,” the AP reports. Even more shocking, in voting to ignore the court’s ruling, Bucks County Democrat Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia outright said, “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country. And people violate laws any time they want….”
Dissecting Pennsylvania’s election results
Election Day in Pa. saw major wins for Republicans in statewide races and a largely status quo election in district-by-district state legislative races. What explains it? Well, as our president and CEO Matt Brouillette writes in RealClear Pennsylvania, “Incumbency proved powerful, except when it wasn’t. Money proved pivotal, except when it didn’t. And the Trump-effect proved it could leave a wake of Republican victories, except where it couldn’t.”
‘Should Dems be listening to Fetterman?’
In an interview with POLITICO, Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman discusses where Democrats went so wrong this election season. For example, calling Trump a fascist? Not good. Fetterman says, “I love people that are absolutely going to vote for Trump. They’re not fascists. They’re not those things. I think if you go to the tickle switch, use those kinds of terms, then it’s kind of hard to walk back on those things.” Fetterman also notes that the Butler assassination attempt against Trump “changed everything.”
Regulations hinder efforts to meet power demands
Using the example of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s recent rejection of “a request to increase power generation for a data center located next to a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania,” Reason looks at how the U.S.’s “burdensome permitting process” is hindering efforts to “to rapidly build out power generation to meet future demand.”
Philly to investigate ‘courtesy towing’
If you’ve ever had your legally parked car disappear without a trace in Philadelphia and spent weeks trying to find it, you know there’s nothing “courteous” about the situation. Yet, Philly has an odd informal name for “the city’s dysfunctional process of moving vehicles that are parked in legal spaces that subsequently become temporary no-parking zones due to special events, utility work, construction, weather, or other reasons,” the Inquirer reports. Well, the city council recently passed a resolution to investigate the practice. How soon? TBD.