The Battle for Pennsylvania

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

The Keystone State is always a key battleground State in the Presidential Election.  The Democrats wish to grab full control of the State, silencing any voice of any opposition . . . but, the miners and workers who may have loyally voted for them in the past have become fans of President Trump.  Pennsylvania slid into the Red Column in 2016, and in 2018 the fight for her has become a monumental conflict.

An upcoming special election in Pennsylvania is being considered a key opportunity for the Democrats to show off their claim that the country is against Trump, and that 2018 will be a major victory for team blue.

GOP leaders know the importance of Pennsylvania, and have sent their biggest weapon to the State for tonight's rally.

President Donald Trump is the key speaker at a rally tonight in support of the Republican candidate running in Pennsylvania's special House election, State Rep. Rick Saccone.  Saccone is locked in a tight race with Democrat Conor Lamb, in a place where the race shouldn't be as competitive as it is: Trump won the district by 20 points in 2016. The election is set for Tuesday.

Pennsylvania's Democrats are willing to do anything it takes to make the State permanently Democrat leaning, even if it means criminal action and fraud.  I am sure the special election on Tuesday will be no exception.

The Pennsylvania State Department is now facing a lawsuit after officials refused to release records relating to non-citizens on voter rolls in the commonwealth.

An analysis found that there are allegedly more than 100,000 non-citizens who are currently registered to vote.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), an election integrity group, initially threatened the lawsuit against Pennsylvania's State Department in December, 2017 after officials in the State were unresponsive to PILF's requests to inspect the data relating to non-citizens on the State's rolls.

PILF filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania seeking injunctive relief to compel Pennsylvania's State Department to allow the group access to the information.

Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia city commissioner, disclosed a "glitch" in September 2017 at "Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicle branch offices was enabling non-citizens to register to vote when they applied for or renewed their driver's licenses."

In California they are doing the same thing, but here in the Golden State the practice is on steroids.

Let's not forget how Pennsylvania's State Supreme Court unconstitutionally rewrote the congressional districting map, as well, in an attempt to make the districts more Democrat-friendly.

Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution states that the manner and procedures of congressional elections are solely a legislative authority.  Yet, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court stepped in, and issued a new congressional map to replace the State’s current one.  Why?  They said the old map is so partisan it violates the State’s Constitution.

Apparently, the U.S. Constitution means nothing to these judges.

The idea was to make the map more "democratic," and the court forced their opinion upon the State, like it or not.

Never mind that Article IV. of the Constitution indicates that the States are not supposed to be democracies.  They are to be guaranteed a "republican form of government."

Republicans have already signaled they will likely file a federal lawsuit challenging the State Supreme Court’s map.  And, yes, it looks like they are on the right track with their lawsuit. They argue that only lawmakers and the governor can draw congressional lines, not courts.

“Implementation of this map would create a constitutional crisis where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is usurping the authority of the Legislative and Executive branches. We anticipate further action in federal court,” the statement said. “This entire exercise, while cloaked in ‘litigation,’ is and has been nothing more than the ultimate partisan gerrymander – one brought about by the Democrat Governor acting in concert with liberal politically-connected litigants.”

From my point of view, it was just another example of the Democrats doing whatever they can, legal or not, for political power.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary