POLS ON THE STREET: Record Millions Heaped on Pa. Elections

by Joe Shaheeli
It’s scandalous and outrageous and downright stupid and it only turns off voters when they find out how expensive has become the Pennsylvania’s US Senate race has become.

The flood of spending from candidates and outside groups has set a record in the contest between Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Katie McGinty as the most-expensive US Senate race in history.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending, shows $118 million has been spent so far. That includes $31 million between Toomey and McGinty, and $87 million from outside groups.

We don’t have any facts about presidential spending,

but we’d venture to guess how far into the billions of dollars it has gone. Some of that we learned first-hand the other night when we glimpsed a meeting going on in one of the recreation centers attended by a crowd of backpack-carrying young men and women listening to an instructor discussing how to get the best in canvassing results. We learned all were from out of town and all were receiving stipends.

Seems the campaign gurus for Hillary Clinton understand the importance of a huge Philly turnout vote, so they were adding door-knockers to the already-effective get-out-the-vote machinery of Democratic City Committee.

We believe those additional outside troops do little to increase voter turnout, but do a lot to turn off voters.

Philadelphia’s Democratic machine has proven its

mettle in producing majorities for its presidential campaigns. In 2008, Congressman Bob Brady’s Democratic Executive Committee gave President Barack Obama 595,980 votes to Sen. John McCann’s 117,221. Four years later, DCC handed Obama 588,806 votes to Mitt Romney’s 92,467 votes.

We have added and subtracted all the poll results, those we poll ourselves and see Philly this time around giving Hillary over 475,000 votes. We think the revitalized local GOP party, energized by its new chairman, Joe DeFelice, and local Trump support will produce a record GOP turnout, possibly nearing or topping 200,000.

That could be the reason Clinton forces have made this city a get-out-the-vote target.

In any event, we will learn who did what to whom and why both the presidential and congressional elections in a post-mortem election discussion with facilitator Stew Bolno at Temple University’s Center City Campus, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and at its Ambler Campus, Nov. 19. Pre-registration is required. Call (267) 468-8500 if interested.