Romney's Press Secretary Cusses Out Media after Romney Photo Op in Poland

Another country, another bad headline for Romney on his foreign trip this time in Poland.

Would bet many press secretaries over the years would have loved to make similar comments to the media but they had the class not to act like jerk.  Romney has been dissing the American press on this foreign trip starting with his ignoring the American press when he was at a press conference with Prime Minister Cameron.  Instead only the British press were recognized which goes against protocol but Romney seems to make it up as he goes as we have been witnessing.

Talk about zero class -- read this transcript with remarks from his press secretary:

When members of the press tried to ask Romney about some of the mishaps on his trip, his traveling press secretary Rick Gorka verbally dressed down reporters. 

Here's a transcript of the questions and Gorka's response: 

CNN: "Governor Romney are you concerned about some of the mishaps of your trip? 

NYT: "Governor Romney do you have a statement for the Palestinians?

Washington Post: "What about your gaffes? 

NYT: "Governor Romney do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?" 

CNN: "Governor Romney just a few questions sir, you haven't taken but three questions on this trip from the press! 

Gorka: "Show some respect" 

NYT: "We haven't had another chance to ask a question..." 

Gorka: "Kiss my ass. This is a Holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect." 

Moments later, Gorka told Jonathan Martin, a reporter for Politico, to "shove it." About a half-hour later, the aide called reporters to apologize. 

Gorka's comments to the media came just hours before Romney's foreign policy speech in Warsaw. 

Source:  CNN

Juvenile behavior seems to be the norm with this Romney campaign not to mention not living in reality.  When they tried to keep all media out of the fundraiser in Israel, they finally relented but the bad taste was left with the media.  Best reason I can think of for excluding all press was Romney didn't want the media to see him pandering to his billionaire campaign bank roller Adelson whose dollars from his gambling empire in McCau are helping fund the Romney campaign.

It looks like when Adelson says jump, Romney says "how high" because nothing else makes sense about Romney's comments in Israel that has the Palestinians very disgusted not to mention the fact that he declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  That's okay in Romneyland as it pandered to Adelson while playing to the conservative pundits and the far right who refuse to acknowledge that Jerusalem is not recognized as the capital of Israel by 99% of countries because it is the home to many religions.

Romney has spent a lot of time walking back comments he made on this trip starting  London dissing the British handling of the Olympics, couldn't remember the opposition leader's name (where was his staff to remind), and the Anglo Saxon comment against Obama for starters.  We must not forget his dissing his wife and her horse at the Olympics which was another one of those "I know nothing" moments which he has a lot of in this campaign as he hides his taxes prior to 2010 and even then doesn't release all of 2010.

His pandering to the far right is leaving a lot of Republicans shaking their heads and asking why because he is fast losing support of the more common sense Republicans who want someone with a backbone to be President.  Speaking of backbone, Michael Tomasky, at The Daily Beast has an excellent article about Mitt's Missing Backbone:

Romney’s defenders say his combative remarks in Israel prove he’s no wimp. What they really show is the same cowardly deference to the right that has inspired countless flip-flops. 

What’s in a word? I guess a lot. All of us here at NewsBeast knew the word “wimp” would carry a charge and get people to pay attention. So to the extent that I have people’s attention, what I really would like them to focus on is the question of what makes this guy tick, and more specifically on his total lack of political backbone, because that seems to me a very serious potential shortcoming in someone who’s aiming to be president of the United States, and one that ought to be discussed more than we’re discussing it. 

What’s in a word? I guess a lot. All of us here at NewsBeast knew the word “wimp” would carry a charge and get people to pay attention. So to the extent that I have people’s attention, what I really would like them to focus on is the question of what makes this guy tick, and more specifically on his total lack of political backbone, because that seems to me a very serious potential shortcoming in someone who’s aiming to be president of the United States, and one that ought to be discussed more than we’re discussing it.

All of Romney’s ideological somersaults can be similarly described. Good policy has nothing to do with any of them. Passing muster with the right is the only thing. And no, everyone doesn’t do this. Soledad O’Brien said to me on CNN Monday morning: come on, if we had a dime for every time a politician flip-flopped, we could retire. Put that way, true enough. But actually, if you look at really successful politicians, they are surprisingly constant in their views, especially the views that truly define their character and identity.

It isn’t fine that Romney has changed his view on every issue. It’s pathetic. It suggests that he lives in fear of America’s right wing. That’s the real wimp factor.  

Read more from Tomasky's article at The Daily Beast

Watching Tomasky last night on one of the shows was struck at how articulate he was at getting his points across and had his facts lined up.  No one was going to put words in his mouth.  I have yet to run across anything he has said not backed up with the facts but yet he is trashed in conservative circles because he doesn't play their game of pandering to Romney.  He tells it like it is which is refreshing.  BTW, I have seen him go after Obama as well as Romney.  He is a true journalist in my book who isn't afraid to make people mad with his comments which are based on fact not spin.

The headline with "Wimp" IMHO was perfect to bring in readers but also describes Romney exactly as he panders to donors like Adelson in Israel and the far right wing who is out of control today with their 'my way or no way' demands.  Only thing Romney stands up on is his taxes so the question from most thinking people is "What is he hiding?"  With every passing day you have to wonder if the tax experts are correct that he took the amnesty offered by the Federal Government for Swiss Bank Accounts.  That would make more sense then the Romney statement if he overpaid his taxes he couldn't be President.  For some reason when the media brings up taxes, Romney says some pretty dumb things -- that was one of the dumbest.

If Obama made gaffes like Romney has made overseas which Romney keeps trying to walk back, the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Fox News, Republicans in the House and Senate, and establishment types would be all over the air trashing Obama for not being ready for prime time to be President.  When it comes to Romney, those same people, for the most part, report he has had a great trip and if there have been any hiccups, it is the media's fault.  The exception is when the media talks to Republican consultants who want to remain anonymous who will say Romney has had a horrible trip with all the gaffes and misstatements.

Anyone with a brain knows this visit has been nothing but a fundraising junket for Romney along with photo ops but Romney has turned the trip into a foreign policy nightmare.  Someone needs to tell Romney he is not the President and the Cold War has been over for years.  He wants to give the Defense Department over $2 trillion more dollars to counter the geopolitical threat of the Russians, Iran, and China. Sitting here shaking my head at how ludicrous that would be.

No wonder the head of Lockheed was with Cheney lobbying in the Congress.  He smells more dollars coming their way if Romney wins.  That is another reason not to vote for Romney -- defense needs to take some cuts maybe not as drastic as sequestering but there is plenty to cut if members of Congress would quit pandering to defense contractors for donations and in exchange for funding programs they want.

Romney with his advisers are a disaster waiting to happen every day.  When Romney goes off the script from reading from his teleprompter he gets in even bigger trouble with his comments.  Speaking of teleprompters, Obama isn't the only politician to use them as Romney and most others use them as well.  Imagine that with all the stories coming out of the conservative media focusing on the Obama teleprompter like he was the only one who used a teleprompter.

What are we learning from this election so far?  Romney on foreign soil could not control his mouth along with his aides making foreign policy situations worse and leaving the adults to clean up his mess.  Didn't take the Israeli's long before leadership was praising Obama for what he has done for the security of Israel after Romney's remarks against Obama.  This trip gave us a glimpse he would be the pander in chief in the White House to what people like the billionaire Adelson tell him.  Looks like Bibi convinced Romney not to meet with the opposition leader in Israel when the meeting was already set.  He cancelled at the last minute leaving people to wonder if  Netanyahu is now telling Romney what to do.

Is that someone you want as President who panders almost every day?  Not this Republican -- would suggest that people with blinders still on, take them off and discover that Romney would be the worst person to be President.  The conservative media is feeding all of us a bunch of lies in order to get us to hate Obama so we will vote for Romney.  That is no way to run an election and the big donors behind Romney who are funding this disaster should be ashamed but you have to have a conscience to be ashamed and obvious from the last few months that a person with a conscience doesn't exist in Romneyland as they would quit.

Vote for the Best Candidate, not the Party

Took the day off from the blog to go to a meeting on a local race where I am supporting the Democrat over the Republican conscientious objector who twice declared CO status to keep from being deployed with the OK National Guard so he didn't interrupt his college.  A good friend of my daughter's was deployed during that same time frame which interrupted his Journalism college degree program but you didn't see him trying to get out of serving.

My family has a long history of people serving in the military and fighting for our Country starting with the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI where my grandfather was gassed in Europe and died when my Dad was five years old, WWII where my Dad fought in Europe along with four uncles in the military, Korean War where my husband and my Uncle fought.  My husband turned 18 on the ship going to Korea.  Lost several friends in the Vietnam War.   In Gulf War I we knew a lot of people serving including a former Lt we had adopted when he worked for my husband at Wright-Patterson waiting for pilot training.  Saw him on the news that first night flying an F-4.  In the current Iraq/Afghanistan theater of war, my son-in-law who retired several years ago from the Navy was deployed to Sicily and flew out of there on missions.  My daughter who served a tour in the Navy was also stationed in Sicily for the naval operations which were ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan so we come from a long line of military plus my husband and I both were civil service for the Air Force.

In this year's upcoming election, do America a favor and vote for the best candidate not the Party.  It is time to send notices to both major parties at all levels that they cannot routinely count on our vote as they have to earn it with good, solid candidates.

US Taxpayers Bailout of 2.7 Billion for 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City

Romney continues to brag about how he saved the Salt Lake City Olympics but it seems it was the US Taxpayer not Mitt Romney who save the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.  How can the winter games cost so much more than the summer games when there are a lot less athletes and less venues that need to be built?  


Never thought about a state ripping off the taxpayers to get needed infrastructure fixed they had neglected.  What am I missing? In Los Angeles in 1984 corporate sponsors paid for the Olympic venues and games -- we lived in So Cal at the time and witnessed first hand what a fantastic job that Peter Ueberroth did as head of the 1984 Summer Games held in Los Angeles.  If you want to see a real organizer for the Olympics, look no further than peter Ueberroth not Mitt Romney.  Fast forward to 2002 and Romney ripped off the taxpayers for $2.7B for the Utah games.  This is supposed to be this big fundraiser.  Something is not right here and once again it comes down to the lies of Mitt Romney.  


Once again Romney thought nothing of taking money from the taxpayers for his own pet project -- the Utah Olympics and lying about what really happened and who bailed out the Olympics.  It was the taxpayer not his Bain Corporation Rolodex with the final bill from the US Taxpayers ending up being $2.7 billion.


Did Mitt Romney lie to then President Bush about how much this was going to cost?  My bet is YES!  With all this baggage of Romney that McCain knew, why did he back him for the nomination?  Were the other candidates that bad or is McCain up to something?

Romney’s 2.7 Billion Olympic Bailout by John McCain
Posted on July 28, 2012 by politicol 

In 2002 the Winter Games held in Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the Mormon Church, Mitt Romney canvassed the White House for a bailout of the Olympic Games. 

The Final Bill was: 2.7 Billion Dollars given to Romney by George Bush, the then, President to complete the Games which was grossly over-budget from the initial costs. 

The taxpayer saved the Olympic Games from what was corruption, greed and misappropriations of funds. 

Mitt Romney failed to gather support from corporation sponsors to swing the costs to private businesses, which is one of the qualities he boasts about in his run for the 2012 Presidential Election. Had that been true, the taxpayer would not have been footing the bill for the entire project. 

Romney has no problem asking for a government bail out and no problem admitting he could not accomplish the task of funding the Winter Games. 

In this clip, Senator John McCain blows up on Romney’s pork barrel project and the failure to remain within budget. 

\In this same clip Mitt Romney calls it” Modest help when he asked Senator Bennett, a member of the Appropriations Committee for money”. Sen. Bill Bennett was the Republican Senator for the State of Utah, whom he worked with to get the massive bailout money during the Bush Administration. 

Apparently, Mitt Romney lobbied Hard for Money from Congress to bail him out, to fund the Olympics and to add to the National Debt, and in the end he credits himself for “Saving the Olympics” as he puts it.Romney: “I think he was thinking we were asking for 5 to 10 million, we asked for several hundred million dollars in help. Everything that was needed was ultimately obtained”. 

McCain: “…The American taxpayer has become by far, the largest single underwriter of the costs of hosting the Olympics”.We apologize for the audio quality, please adjust your ears, but this is well worth listening to as we continue to vet Mitt Romney for the Presidency of the United States. 

Click to see and hear McCain video 

As Senator John McCain points out: 

1) The 1984 Summer Olympics in LA received 75 Million Dollars in Federal Support.Compared to: 

2) The 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah received 1.3 Billion Dollars in Federal Support. (Final Total was 2.7 Billion) 

3) What the Money was Used for: 

• 91% in LA was for safety, Security, Safety 7% was non-security funding  

4) In Utah the 1.3 billion was spent on building Salt Lake City Infrastructure

$ 974,000 Utah Olympics Public Safety Command

$ 5 Million Dollars to Communications Agency Networks

$ 3 Million Dollars to Olympic Regional Development (Upgrades to Sports Complex)

$ 2.5 Million Dollars Bus Facilities

$ 2.5 Million Dollars to SLC regional parks ride lines

$ 500,000 SLC Transit Bus

$ 925,000 SLC Public Safety after the Olympics

$ 1 Million for SLC Security and Training

$ 2,200,000 for SLC Sewer Infrastructure Needs associated with the Games

 (snip) 

As Sen. McCain outlines, what began as corruption and bribery charges in Salt Lake City, before Mitt Romney took over, turned to massive paybacks, pork barrel for the City and friends of Mitt Romney. 

It was no surprise that the Salt Lake City association with the Mormon Church is the connection here to Romney and the pork barrel spending. Mitt Romney now donates stocks from Bain Capital regularly to the tax free status Mormon Church. 

President George Bush approved of Mitt Romney’s pork barrel spending, which included the construction of roads and bridges for the Olympics. 

If Salt Lake City needed 1.3 billion in infrastructure required to host the games, they never should have been chosen as a viable site to host the Games. 

In conclusion, Mitt Romney claims he will slash spending and reduce the deficit, when his track record shows he does not know how to budget. In his term as Gov. of Mass. he also left the state with a 5 billion dollar deficit. As a potential candidate, Romney’s record evolves around:  

The Romney Big Tax Payer Spending record and passing the costs on to the middle class who pay the volume of taxes to run this country are legendary. 

Although he makes false claims in the mainstream media, and they erroneously report “He saved the games in 2002″ the reality of what Romney did is a completely different story. 

What you hear on NBC, CBS, Fox News, and CNN the other faux news channel, is just one example of the fabricated misinformation on the reality of the big spending, bailout that Mitt Romney received as CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. 

This is the Reality of Mitt Romney’s Resume on the 2002 Winter Games- The Most Expensive Games in US History 

Excerpt:  See Politicol News 

Why all the lies by Romney and the people who surround him?  Do they honestly believe the truth will not come out in this campaign?  Did he figure people were just going to take him at his word which is worth nothing?  All questions without answers.


While watching a news show the other night they were talking about when President Bush would make a gaffe, you could see the moment on his face like he shouldn't have said that and joke about it.  When Romney gaffes he keeps on going and it doesn't bother him which is a little scary out of someone who wants to President who would be dealing with foreign leaders.  


Already it has come out that he lied about Netanyahu during the primary when he said he was good friends with him when it turns out they worked at the same place and Bibi may have known him.  Not like the best buds Romney portrayed: 

Netanyahu: Romney Lying About Their Friendship 

Imagine that -- Romney lied!  It came out two days ago from Netanyahu!      

Games of the XXX Olympiad: July 27 - August 12, 2012

The Olympic Oath

"In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these

Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the

true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams." 

Tonight Americans will be able to view the opening of the XXX Olympiad on NBC.  Throughout the games you can log onto NBC to get the schedule events and watch them live on line.

A special "Good Luck" to our men's gymnastics team where we have five Oklahoma Sooners as part of the eight man team along with the coach of the Sooner Men's Gymnastics and to all the other Sooner athletes competing in track and field, wrestling and other sports not only for the USA but for other countries.  The Olympics rowing team is now headquartered her at the Devon Boat House in the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City so will be following their events as well.  USA basketball along with swimming events are always a favorite.  Going to be a fun couple of weeks with plenty to watch on TV ending just in time for the Football season to begin.  

This is a chance for America to showcase their Olympic team with athletes who have been training for this event for years.  Let's get behind our team and put politics aside tonight as we watch the Opening Ceremonies viewing the athletes marching in representing their countries who are as proud of their athletes as we are of ours.

Good Luck to all participants and may the true spirit of athletic competition reign supreme!

London at night showcasing the Olympic Athletes

Out of Touch? “It has been a marvelous day for us,” Romney said

When Romney decided to stick his foot in mouth to start his overseas trip, he did it in a big way insulting our closest allies, the British, more than once.  When you have a Prime Minister take a swipe at a man who is running for President as a Republican, that candidate has a problem.

Prime Minister Cameron had this to say in a clear swipe at Mr. Romney:

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.”

Romney is so far out of touch with reality that it seems like Romney and his advisers have their blinders on and cotton in their ears so they cannot read, see, or hear what is being said about the Romney gaffes where his semi-apologies made it worse.  Romney said last night at a fundraiser co-hosted by bankers involved in the rate fixing scandal in Britain:

 “It has been a marvelous day for us,” Romney said.

If yesterday was a 'marvelous day' for Romney, I would hate to see a bad one as he insulted the Brits on their own soil but he also did in his book, No Apology where he writes:

England [sic] is just a small island. Its roads and houses are small. With few exceptions, it doesn't make things that people in the rest of the world want to buy. And if it hadn't been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler's ambitions. Yet only two lifetimes ago, Britain ruled the largest and wealthiest empire in the history of humankind. Britain controlled a quarter of the earth's land and a quarter of the earth's population  

How can Romney be so dumb to first write those words and second to publish them in his book.  That alone would not endear him to the Brits who BTW don't consider themselves Anglo Saxons as we learn from The Pink Flamingo blog:

"To those of us who are historians, and specialize in Post Roman Britain, and are basically Norman, DON’T call us Anglo-Saxon. Them’s fighin’ words. It’s an insult. We’re Brits. I’m basically a Brit. The Anglo-Saxons were invaders. They were the bad guys. Those of us who are students of the Arthurian consider it even a greater insult. They were the invaders King Arthur fought. Yes, I am well aware of the archaeological and historical mess here, but I am convinced there was an actual Arthur, perhaps several of them. I still think the first incarnation was Lucius Artorius Castus."

This man is not ready to be President or the GOP nominee.  In fact he is not ready for prime time because his interviews and remarks are arrogant, smug, and self-serving refusing to answer any question he doesn't like including refusing to call on the American media when holding a joint press meeting with Prime Minister Cameron.  It is standard in such situations that someone like the PM would call on someone from the British Media to ask Romney a question and then the person being hosted calls on their media to ask the Prime Minister a question.  Not in Romneyland as he called on the British Media to ask the Prime Minister a question and snubbed the American media.  Yet, Romney had a "marvelous day" which is an insult once again to the British.  


London Sun ran a headline "Mitt the twit"  That is going to leave a mark!  As I asked yesterday, Can we recall Romney as the GOP candidate before he is officially nominated?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mitt the twit  

Wannabe US President Romney in Games insult, but David Cameron insists: We’ll show you 

By GRAEME WILSON, Deputy Political Editor Published: Today at 00:12 

WANNABE president Mitt Romney infuriated Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday by making a string of embarrassing blunders. 

The US election hopeful, on a visit to London, questioned whether the Olympics will be a success. 

Mr Romney said in a TV interview: “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting.” 

The Republican candidate, who organised the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, also questioned whether the British people will “come together and celebrate” the Olympics.  

There was further embarrassment when Mr Romney said he had looked out of “the backside of Number 10” to see the beach volleyball court. 

He breached diplomatic protocol by revealing he had been briefed by MI6 chief Sir John Sawers, then appeared to forget Labour leader Ed Miliband’s name, calling him “Mr Leader” instead. 

Mr Cameron later slapped down the Massachusetts governor. Visiting the Olympic Park on the eve of the opening ceremony, the PM insisted the Games would be a huge success. 

He said: “We’ll show the world we’ve not only come together as a United Kingdom, but are extremely good at welcoming people from across the world. “You will see Britain can deliver.” In a clear swipe at Mr Romney, he added:

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.” 

Where did the GOP get the idea that Romney was going to make a good candidate when over 60% of Republicans refused to vote for him in most states before Gingrich and Santorum dropped out?  He is not likable and the Brits recognize that he also is not friendly and extremely arrogant.  Shame on the Republican Party for putting money ahead of someone we would be proud to support by making sure Mitt Romney won the nomination.

London Mayor "Ready for the Olympics"

Would say the London Mayor is not happy with Mitt Romney in this video after Romney made some very arrogant comments like he is the only one who can put on a good Olympics and then later he is trying to backtrack his comments.  He has made a complete mess out of his London trip with his arrogance and trying to showcase how much he knows and who he sees.  This man is not ready for prime time even a little. 

The former lobbyist for the Utah Olympics, Mitt Romney,  is the same person who took after Newt Gingrich in the primaries because he was a lobbyist.  What else is going to come out on Romney?  Did he miss having those Olympic records destroyed like he did the contracts so no one could see the sole source contracts to Bain companies?  

Cannot believe he went to London and in two days has so many government officials plus British citizens mad not to mention he went after the President on foreign soil during his fundraiser in London.  

What is going to happen in Poland -- you want to bet Romney goes after the Russians who he considers our biggest threat?  Then there is Israel -- who knows what he will say there.  Can you recall a candidate?

Romney’s ‘We Did Build This’ Events Feature Businesses Built With Government Subsidies And Contracts (OOPS!)

In my lifetime it is hard to remember a campaign that is so dishonest as that of Mitt Romney and so non-transparent.  What was the RNC and the so-called establishment thinking getting behind his nomination?  Was it the big donors because they (RNC) needed to fund the Convention and campaign?  Have news for them if they had held fair debates, same rules for all states in the primary, and not supported a culture of win at any costs for the Romney campaign including cheating, we wouldn't be at this spot today.  They would have had the money from honest donors who didn't want anything in return.

Anyone who says a businessman does everything on his own without help to build the business is a buffoon.  Romney told Olympic athletes that they had help which they all acknowledge.  He has given speeches about the help businesses receive from the Government and infrastructure.  Guess the businesses in today's Romney World are different because they did in all on their own using their own hands according to this ad:




OOPS!  There is a slight problem:

In “These Hands,” the Romney campaign repeated the out-of-context quote, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else did that.” Jack Gilchrist, the owner of Gilchrist Metal Fabricating in Hudson, New Hampshire, incredulously asks, “My father’s hands didn’t build this company? My hands didn’t build this company? My son’s hands aren’t building this company? …Through hard work and a little bit of luck, we built this business. Why are you demonizing us for it?”  

In context, Obama’s speech was not “demonizing” small business owners but simply challenging the idea that wealthy and successful individuals have never benefited from government services.

And, as it turns out, Jack Gilchrist is no different. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports today that Gilchrist benefited from millions of dollars of government loans and contracts to get his business on its feet: 

In 1999, Gilchrist Metal received $800,000 in tax-exempt revenue bonds issued by the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority “to set up a second manufacturing plant and purchase equipment to produce high definition television broadcasting equipment,” according to a New Hampshire Union Leader report at the time…

Last year, Gilchrist Metal also received two U.S. Navy sub-contracts totaling about $83,000 and a smaller $5,600 Coast Guard contract in 2008, according to a government web site that tracks spending. 

The businessman now famous for the ad admits he did take Government help to build the business. Nothing wrong with that as that is what these programs are for but what is terribly wrong is to represent that you had no help and built the business with only your hands and hands of family members.  Guess his family built the building where  they are located only with their own hands as well.

Fox News and Rush Limbaugh led the Romney camp in the direction they wanted him to go even it was a total misstatement of what the President said due to the editing of Fox News.  It is like Limbaugh is a puppet for Fox News today and Romney is a puppet for Fox News and Rush.  Romney or his surrogates run out to make fools of themselves routinely parroting what Fox News or Rush has to say with no fact checking.  Fox News is about the last place I would quote today.  If you want to find investigative reporting with links, you now have to use more liberal sites.

It is simply mind boggling what has happened to Conservatives who are backing Romney.  They turn into pretzels and refuse to hear anything negative about the man or positive about Obama.  Facts don't matter today.  The people on the right who yelled the loudest about Obama not releasing his college records (he should have released them) are the ones turning into crickets on Romney's tax returns and Bain Capital.  We are not supposed to go after the "perfect" candidate in their minds.

Is this what happens to a political party when it is taken over by the followers of Ayn Rand, who make up a large portion of the far right and Tea Party, along with big donors like the Koch Brothers?  Truth doesn't matter, it is the narrative?

The Romney's "We Did Build This' Events are not exactly what they imagined as the info below points out.  Seems these business people rounded up by the Romney camp did have help which was exactly what President Obama was saying.  The Romney camp has proved Obama's points were correct when you get passed the redacted Fox News/Limbaugh spin: 

Romney’s ‘We Did Build This’ Events Feature Businesses Built With Government Subsidies And Contracts 

By Aviva Shen on Jul 25, 2012 at 3:12 pm 

Today, the Romney campaign is hosting an entire series of campaign events based on President Obama’s misinterpreted comment about small businesses. While Obama’s full speech made a “no man is an island” argument, the Romney campaign has seized on the quote, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that” as evidence of Obama’s disdain for small business owners.

 Romney, ignoring the fact that he has echoed this same sentiment on multiple occasions, organized 24 “We Did Build This” events in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Nevada. At each event, local business owners are speaking about their self-sufficiency in running a business and how government is hindering their growth. 

But, like the New Hampshire business owner showcased in Romney’s attack ad on the issue, many of these business owners have received significant support from the government, a ThinkProgress analysis finds.

• Ball Office Products hosted the “We Did Build This” event in Richmond, Virginia. The company received a loan of $635,000 through the Small Business Administration in 2012, according to USASpending.gov. The company was also awarded a lucrative $52,525 contract with the General Services Administration just a year after its founding.

• Midwest Tape, a media distributor of Holland, Ohio, was showcased at a local event and has been contracted by the Department of Defense since 2008, earning a cumulative $13,659.

• Columbus Truck and Equipment was featured in a neighboring event and has received $6,643 in contracts with the Department of Defense.

• Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corporation, the owner of which spoke Wednesday morning at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has reaped a total of $61,729 in contracts with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2007.

• Systems Engineering Co.The owner of Systems Engineering has received a total of $180,200 in DOD contracts, as recently as last year.

• Brady Industries in Las Vegas has received $54,425 in contracts with Veterans Affairs since 2009.

• Pennsylvania business PRL Industries Inc. received a $167,847 contract through the Department of Homeland Security for ship and boat propulsion components for the U.S. Coast Guard in August 2008. Janis Herschkowitz, who spoke on behalf of PRL, Inc. used to be a director of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, which, defined in Herschkowitz’ own words, was created by Congress “to meet personal, social or business needs, especially in low- and moderate-income communities by forming cooperatives.”

• An Iowa event featured Competitive Edge, Inc. which was contracted by Veterans Affairs for $3,543 to make informational refrigerator magnets.

• J & W Cycles of Missouri was awarded $25,808 in contracts from the DOD and Department of Interior.

• Total Resource, featured in a Sparks, Nevada campaign event, has been a federal contractor since 2010, and received a $11,200 contract from the DOD in 2009.

• Applegate Insulation, which hosted one of the events in Michigan, benefited from an energy saving federal tax credit worth 30 percent of the installation project, up to $1,500.

• Home Instead Senior Care supported Romney in Roanoke, Virginia, even though home health care companies receive 75 percent of their funding from public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Home Instead franchises in Virginia have received at least $3,613,549 in federal funding through the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2008. Chris Head, who represented Home Instead at the event, has previously lamented the low Medicaid reimbursement rates in Virginia and told the Roanoke Times that he wished state funding had helped save the now-defunct local Mill Mountain Theatre.

• Ed Nagle of Nagle Trucking in Ohio also took issue with Obama’s speech, which mentioned roads and bridges as examples of essential government support. But less than a year ago, Nagle protested an idea to privatize the Ohio Turnpike, noting that the privatized Indiana toll road “has diminished in its quality and it’s become a lot more expensive.”

While the “We Did Build This” event was intended to “allow small business owners the chance to respond to President Obama’s claim,” it is clear that many of these owners exemplify the combined powers of individual effort and government support that Obama — and Romney — have praised. 

Additional reporting by Steven Perlberg.  

Source:  Think Progressive

Once again Romney and his campaign are proving to the American people they will say and do anything for votes even knowing it was a lie from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh that started this.  It is the narrative which the Romney campaign plays by and in the process have thrown truth and honesty out the window with the win at any cost mentality.

Does he have an enemies list like Nixon?

Why Didn't Former PA AG and Now Governor Tom Corbett Stop Jerry Sandusky?

Since January of 1997, our family has lived in the college town of Norman, OK, with a well known football program at The University of Oklahoma.  That is where the similarity with Penn State ends.  The members of the media here in Oklahoma investigate every little rumor and are not adverse to reporting without all the facts on the OU football program or any of the other programs at OU.  I would rather they be tenacious then what we are seeing after the fact about the cover-up by the Pennsylvania media of the people in charge at Penn State including Penn State President and the Athletic Department who covered up for Sandusky since 1998 and the cover-up for then Attorney General and now Governor Corbett since at least 2008.  

Penn State's football program became more important than young boy's safety from a predator along with an out of control Attorney General who had plotted his way to the Governor's office.  Once Governor, he threw Paterno under the bus like he had nothing to do with it as Attorney General.  He was more concerned about putting political enemies behind bars then he was protecting young boys as the details have come out.

Started this research when I watched an ESPN video today about the aftermath where they mentioned Gov Corbett who then as Attorney General had done nothing with the allegations against Sandusky but took campaign contributions knowing about the allegations from the Second Mile Charity of Sandusky and a lot of Penn State donors.  What I discovered has left me speechless.  I am still shocked at what I read today about this scandal and would have to wonder how Corbett can still be Governor.

Now Gov Corbett friends are asking the same questions that those of us not involved with Penn State are asking.  Why didn't the Attorney General Corbett have his office investigate all of this aggressively.  Was it because he wanted those campaign donations and support to run for Governor?  Sure looks like he put his political career over the safety of young boys who were left alone with Sandusky.

Why Didn't Tom Corbett Stop Jerry Sandusky? 

Will Gov. Tom Corbett's role in the Sandusky investigation continue to haunt him when he seeks re-election?

• July 18, 2012

Columnist and investigative reporter Chris Freind, a longtime supporter of Gov. Tom Corbett, has penned an open letter (letter below) to the state leader asking tough questions about the Jerry Sandusky child rape scandal. 

Freind says Corbett refuses to answer disturbing questions about his role as attorney general in investigating Sandusky. 

Freind contends that Corbett could have stopped Sandusky, but didn't. 

Pennsylvania has re-elected every governor for a second term since 1971.

IMHO Governor Corbett should not be reelected but needs to take the honorable route and resign but after reading the details, the chance of that happening is zero, zip, nada.  When he stood at the podium and talked about the voter ID bill he had just signed was going to elect Romney it left me speechless as I watched it this week.  But then while looking for that video, I discovered that Gov Corbett has contracted with a Romney fundraiser for the ID bill.  Chris Freind who is a reporter made these comments which every last journalist should be living by today:

Bottom line: this isn’t personal, and it’s not partisan. It’s only about one thing: the truth

Those two sentences should be followed by every last reporter and network.  Fox News has proven that they have little regard for truth in this election cycle as Roger Ailes promotes Mitt Romney including taking the President totally out of context which led to Limbaugh and the Romney camp running with that.  Truth has taken a huge hit at Fox News this time.

This letter from Chris Friend blew my mind:

Freind: An open letter to Gov. Corbett on Sandusky affair
Published: Monday, July 16, 2012
By CHRIS FREIND,
Special to the Times 

An open letter to Pennsylvania’s governor, who refuses to answer disturbing questions about his role investigating the Penn State sex scandal: 

Bursting with righteous indignation, his cheeks flushed with rage, the governor banged the podium in disgust while berating a journalist - in fact, chastising the entire media - for the audacity to ask questions on the issue. 

We’re not talking about New Jersey’s Chris Christie, who gets away with such outbursts because of his stellar track record and pure gravitas. 

No, this tantrum came from Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett after being queried about his incredibly long investigation of child predator Jerry Sandusky. 

And it backfired in spectacular fashion. Why? 

Because Tom Corbett is no Chris Christie.

Since questions on this matter remain unanswered, it seems only fitting, on behalf of the media and public, to pen an open letter to Mr. Corbett. 

For the record, no media commentator in Pennsylvania supported Corbett’s ideas more than Freindly Fire during the 2010 campaign, from increased Marcellus Shale drilling to school choice to liquor privatization. In fact, FF even backed Corbett’s decision to subpoena Twitter during the Bonusgate corruption probe - a highly unpopular position. Bottom line: this isn’t personal, and it’s not partisan. It’s only about one thing: the truth.

Dear Gov. Corbett:

Since there are a number of questions which you have failed to answer concerning your investigation of Jerry Sandusky, on behalf of the media and the public, I respectfully ask for clarification in the following areas: 

1) Based on a decade’s worth of evidence of Sandusky’s predatory activities, why did it take the Attorney General’s Office three years to arrest him? I fully understand that it takes time to conduct an investigation, but as numerous prosecutors have stated, you could have arrested him quickly and continued building the case. 

Tragically, it is probable that Sandusky continued to molest victims during your epic investigation, as predators do not stop preying unless forced to do so. Had he been arrested early, (standard procedure in many cases with a lot less evidence), Sandusky would have had to post bail, had restrictions placed upon him, and, most important, been under an ultra-intense media and community spotlight - every minute of every day until his trial. 

In short, children would finally have been safe. And contrary to your assessment, this would have created a much more favorable environment for additional witnesses to come forward, knowing their bigger-than-life demon could hurt them no more. Arresting Sandusky quickly would have in no way jeopardized the strength of the case. 

One of two things seems to be true, as there is no third option. Either A) you were an incompetent attorney general, which virtually no one believes, or B) the investigation was deliberately understaffed and drawn out because you did not wish to be the gubernatorial candidate who took down fabled Penn State - with its massive and intensely loyal alumni network - and the beloved Joe Paterno. Since doing so would have presented difficult campaign challenges, many are asking if politics was placed above children’s safety. Which leads to the next question. 

2) Why was the investigation so understaffed? Yes, you just now claimed - after eight months - that media reports are wrong that only one investigator was assigned the case for the first 15 months. The real number, as you now state, was a whopping two. We know you were busy with Bonusgate, but political corruption never threatens anyone’s physical well-being, particularly defenseless children. 

And the two investigators assigned were narcotics agents. While Sandusky’s heinous crimes were many, drug offenses were not among them. 

Yes, they were former police officers. But wouldn’t the reasonable course have been to assign agents with experience in child molestation cases? Did their inexperience lengthen the investigation more than normal … say, past your election in November 2010? 

Additional resources were available. Upon becoming governor, you placed state police on the case. You could have made that same request to Gov. Ed Rendell, and, given the stakes, there is virtually no possibility he would have refused. And since you are a former United States attorney, you undoubtedly realized that federal assistance was also available. 

3) Do you believe ethical and moral lines were crossed when, after investigating Penn State as Attorney General, you then participated as a member of the Board of Trustees upon becoming governor? 

In other words, knowing full well that the investigation was still in full swing, conducted by your handpicked attorney general successor, you nonetheless chose to sit on the very board you had been - and still were - investigating! 

Did you ever consider recusing yourself from board activities until the investigation was concluded? Since governors rarely attend board meetings, this would have in no way raised suspicions. 

4) As governor, why did you personally approve a $3 million taxpayer-funded grant to Sandusky’s Second Mile charity, given your knowledge that Sandusky was under investigation for multiple child rapes? 

Your statement that blocking the grant would have tipped people off to the investigation is utterly disingenuous, particularly since the media reported on the investigation in March, and you did not approve the funds until July 2011. 

Vetoing the charitable grant would have simply been viewed as another financial cutback in a budget full of slashed programs. 

So one has to ask if the $640,000 in campaign donations from board members of the Second Mile, along with their businesses and families, had anything to do with your actions? 

If not, fine. But how did such a massively significant point slip your mind - until the media brought it up? And was that question also out of line? 

Since these are matters of grave concern, I and many others look forward to your immediate response. 

The media talks about Penn State’s Big Four casualties: Joe Paterno, former President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President Gary Schultz, and Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley. But perhaps they are missing the biggest: Tom Corbett. 

He has always claimed to hold himself to a higher standard, and has roundly criticized Paterno and others for not doing more to stop Sandusky. But when it came down to it, when Corbett had the power to put a speedy end to Sandusky, he didn’t. 

If mistakes were made, fine. People can accept that. But to stonewall reasonable questions on such an important matter, and then stalk off , is something that should not, and will not, be tolerated. 

Tom Corbett has a choice, perhaps the biggest of his career. He can either answer now - or in 2014. 

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com. He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

There should be a huge outcry out of the people of Pennsylvania for Governor Corbett to resign.  Is this the type of Republican that the Tea Party has chosen to be elected?  Beginning to look like it more and more that ethics and integrity do not count in the Republican Party of today -- it is the hatred of all Democrats that is the most important.  This statement says it all:

The media talks about Penn State’s Big Four casualties: Joe Paterno, former President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President Gary Schultz, and Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley. But perhaps they are missing the biggest: Tom Corbett. 

Today ESPN reporters talked about Governor Corbett and his cover-up while Attorney General.  The last paragraph of the Corbett story is far from over as more and more people learn the truth.  The following is an essay on the whole situation that ended with the author hearing about the death of Joe Paterno so this predates the Freeh investigation but is damning to Corbett, the media, and the Attorney General's office who spent their time working for Corbett's campaign while he was doing a witch hunt against Democrats in the legislature.  The current Governor when you read the facts was an out of control Attorney General who put his own election for Governor as the primary guiding factor in the AG's office.  This is mind boggling and I have only excerpted as it is a very long article.  What we have learned about Paterno and others since this article after the Freeh Report leaves you asking the question if there are any honest people in the leadership of PA State Government.   Bill Keisling IV, posted this on January 22, 2012:

'JoePa' takes the fall

A slow Tom Corbett throws Joe Paterno
under the bus

'It's going to kill him'

'Joe Paterno was Pennsylvania's Coach, and we owed him,
in his final days, our debt of gratitude,
not a death of instant scandal and ruin'

"What counts in sports is not the victory, but the magnificence of the struggle," Penn State Coach Joe Paterno for years was fond of saying. It's a variation of the phrase, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." 

This ethos of fair play, honesty, doing the right thing, abiding by the same rules as everyone else, hard work, proper preparation, and decency in all our endeavors is lost on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. 

Insiders at the state attorney general's office speak of moral bankruptcy, blatant hypocrisy and raw politics in the AG's office under Corbett. 

Tom Corbett misused the office of attorney general to win the Pennsylvania governor's office at any and all cost, by any means necessary, those around him say. Part of the great cost paid, we now see in the Jerry Sandusky case, included the safety, dignity and well-being of children.

Required homework for understanding the Sandusky case: 'Don't do it here' 'Get used to having your mind boggled' Winning friends and influencing voters 'Tied together' Political prosecutions race forward while pedophile case stalls 'Arrest by news conference' 'Tom didn't want to do it' Candidate Corbett orders background investigation of 356 potential 'Bonusgate' jurors Poor ethics create more problems in the AG's office Bonus for 'Bonusgate' prosecutor? A laughable punch line: 'I'm referring this matter to Attorney General Tom Corbett' Not the good shepherd 'The whole office was political' 'Kissing the ring' The writing on the wall Whither Ray? Corbett avoids assigning Sandusky case to AG's Child Predator Unit: 'Could have done a quick grand jury in two months' time' A moveable scandal: Gov-elect Corbett removed as obstacle, AG office nabs Sandusky in several months' time JoePa takes the fall for TomCo What this is called

As governor, Corbett then attempted to distract public attention away from his own mounting failures, political machinations and dishonesties by making a fall guy of Joe Paterno. 

Tom Corbett's lack of sense of decency or character, his fundamental dishonesty, and basic incompetence were magnified by the political nature of the elected attorney general's office. This gives cause to pose plenty of troubling questions about the stalled legal case against Jerry Sandusky. 

Look at the wreckage in Corbett's wake. The reputations of Coach Joe Paterno, Penn State, and its football program, are all in tatters and ruin. Like a scandalized widow, Penn State would contemplate changing its name. Penn State's once-proud football team, for decades among the finest in the nation, suffered a fall from grace, deep disgrace, and was in jeopardy of disbandment. 

The moral authority and integrity of the governor's office and its predecessor -- once occupied by great, sincere and hard-working men like Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Curtin, and Gifford Pinchot -- has also taken a devastating hit.
Pennsylvania and some of its most hallowed institutions would be discredited and become the butt of national jokes and disbelief. All that has been much discussed. 

Not so clearly seen and spoken about is that Corbett, on his political run to the governor's office, would leave in tatters the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and potentially the careers and reputations of the many good and dedicated people who work there. 

But that's only part of the unseen story.

'Don't do it here' 

Jerry Sandusky's kid glove treatment at the hands of diverse Pennsylvania institutions, from 1998 until late 2010, reveals a classic pattern of looking the other way. From at least 2009 onward, AG Tom Corbett would be the lead player in this culture of cover-up, shielding and confidentiality. 

In March 2009, a former Corbett underling, Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira, referred several Sandusky pedophile complaints to AG Corbett. Madeira was a former deputy AG, and a drug prosecutor, under Corbett. He'd been elected Centre County DA following the strange disappearance of Ray Gricar in 2005. Passing the case along to AG Corbett, Madeira cited a personal conflict of interest with a relative. 

DA Madeira himself hadn't done much with these Sandusky complaints while they were in his office. The complaints, after all, had been referred to Madeira the previous year, in 2008. Neither would AG Corbett do much with them.
After the Sandusky scandal became public, speculation arose as to possible motivations behind Corbett's reluctance to take action. His concern that he'd be perceived as having impeded or obstructed the investigation. His fear of offending major contributors. Fear of backlash from alumni and friends of Penn State. 

While certainly there are issues of politics, largesse (Marcellus Shale, for example) and patronage deserving keen public scrutiny to help explain Corbett's misconduct, we must consider an obvious harsh reality: 

Sandusky's protection by Corbett, and others, mirrors a pattern that is all too familiar to those who've investigated or studied other long-running pedophile crimes, I've been told repeatedly by experts. 

Sandusky's treatment by superiors at PSU and the law enforcement community in Pennsylvania is little different from that received by Catholic priests in this and other countries. This familiar pattern of non-investigation -- amounting to shielding and protection -- would later scandalize the Roman Catholic Church. 

Pedophile priests for years would simply be told to go to a different town and parish. 

"Just don't do it here," became the bottom line. Like it or not, culturally and socially, for decades, this is how pedophile cases curiously have been handled by church and state authority figures alike, here and abroad. 

This happened with Jerry Sandusky. Complaints from victims and their families would be given lip service by school officials, charity overseers, and law enforcement -- including Attorney General Tom Corbett. Any complaints filed, and any supposed investigations, would be allowed to languish in the dark for years. And Sandusky would remain free to carry on.
Jerry Sandusky would simply be told, again and again: Don't do it here. Don't do it in the shower room. Don't do it at Penn State.  

(snip)  

Much like those questionable disciples, AG Corbett would keep the children from the supposed safe harbor and long arms of the law.

There would be an investigation of Sandusky in name only, and opportunities to prosecute Sandusky for pedophilia would be avoided time and again. 

It would come down to matters of priorities and political expediencies, Corbett's associates say. 

Corbett, for his part, has doubtfully explained his failure to prosecute Sandusky. It was the fault of a "slow grand jury," Corbett explains. Very slow indeed. 

He would say he wanted to make sure there was enough evidence before bringing a case. But he did little to collect more evidence, and stymied the investigation. Corbett in fact did next to nothing from early 2009 onward, when the Centre County DA Michael Madeira referred the case to him. It was Tom who was slow. 

Corbett adds that he was focusing his attentions instead on a long-running public corruption case known in Pennsylvania as "Bonusgate." That, observers say, is somewhat closer to the truth. 

But it's not really the whole truth. The whole story is far more complex and troubling.

The whole story is, in fact, mind-boggling.  

(snip)   

The inability of victimized Pennsylvanians to get help, or to simply be heard with their complaints, is at the heart of the overall problem. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania no longer has a government, or a press, that is much, if it all, interested in all of its citizens. Rather, privileged insiders (like Jerry Sandusky) have become all-important, and take precedence. It has become the Privilegedwealth of Pennsylvania.

How did we get here? 

A lot of this, to paraphrase Terry Gross, simply is not as it should be. To understand the decades-running Sandusky story you have to be prepared to go from one mind-boggling event to another. 

The bottom line is that Tom Corbett's personal misuse of the state AG's office to run for governor all but destroyed the morale and integrity of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Previous to 1980 the AG was an appointed position. Elective politics have proven to be poison for the AG's office. 

Most ironically, the staff of the AG's office has been left as helpless as the victims. No one working in the state AG's office seems to know where to turn for help, or how to explain to the public the deep problems. 

"It's all politics," with a sigh, is how I've heard described what's going on. 

(snip) 

 Did AG office employees know they were helping Tom Corbett get elected governor? "Hell yeah," I'm told. 

"It was all political, and everyone knew it," is also how I've heard these and other practices described. 

"Everyone in the AG's office knew they were working to get Corbett elected governor with 'Bonusgate,' and with everything else they were told to do." 

It was the truth that everyone knew, but no one could speak.

The sad twist of irony is that, in late 2011, the Harrisburg Patriot-News decried the two years the Sandusky case had languished in the AG's office. 

The complaint I've heard is that it was the Patriot's own self-serving chest-thumping about the "Bonusgate" donnybrook that ate up an overwhelming chunk of the finite resources of the state AG's office, and the limited time of the grand jurors.

The political AG's office had become media driven. 

This is where the media drove it. 

(snip) 

As we see here, a politically elected attorney general let loose to plague society can easily misuse his public trust to control a political and social hot potato. That's what happened to the AG's Sandusky pedophile non-investigation for a year and a half, from 2009 to late 2010. It was put on ice. The slow boat to China. Given File 13, as cops say. 

Tom Corbett simply did not want to prosecute the Sandusky pedophile case.
"Tom didn't want to do it," I'm told. 

"What do you mean, 'He didn't want to do it?'" I ask again.
"He didn't want to do it." 

I have to keep asking the same question, and getting the same reply, before it begins to sink in.
By assigning only a single trooper, yet not instructing or even allowing his prosecutor to push the case, AG Tom Corbett did the bare minimum he could do to cover his ass and to say that he was doing something about the Sandusky pedophile complaint(s).

In actuality Tom Corbett was doing nothing, except, intentionally or not, protecting and shielding Jerry Sandusky, and Sandusky's well-connected associates and institutions.
This would be exactly the same excuse offered by Pope Benedict in Rome to explain why pedophile complaints had languished for decades in his old Vatican office, without a good shepherd, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, before his election as pope. "Stavamo lavorando su di esso." That's Italian for, "We were working on it." 

The cardinal's inactions hurt the papacy. 

Just as Attorney General Corbett's inactions now injure the governor's office. 

The green-domed Harrisburg state capitol building, I should mention, is modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

Candidate Corbett orders background
investigations of 356 potential 'Bonusgate' jurors

Over time it became all-too apparent to those working in the AG's office that Tom Corbett's "Bonusgate" investigation itself was political in nature. "Bonusgate" was used by AG Corbett as his main strategy and pillar in his political run for the governor's office. 

It was stunning hypocrisy. AG Corbett was running for governor by prosecuting public employees for mixing elective politics with state work. Corbett was now openly doing the same thing: mixing elective politics with state work. The attorney general was prosecuting others, and jailing them, for doing what he was now doing, and making his staff do. 

No one seemed able to speak out about it. At least, no one could be heard. 

"The whole AG's office knew we were helping Tom Corbett to get elected governor," is one complaint I've heard. "Our focus from 2008 on was that. Everybody was working on 'Bonusgate.'" And, "The whole office was political." 

The AG's office, now running its boss for governor, simply had no time, or resources, for the Sandusky pedophile case -- even if there was the will to pursue the allegations, which there was not.

(snip) 

JoePa takes the fall for TomCo

For Gov. Tom Corbett, meanwhile, there remained one more important task following the nationwide public relations fiasco of Jerry Sandusky's long-overdue arrest. Corbett had to protect his own carcass, and cover his own ass for the nuclear blast he now feared was about to blow. 

It wouldn't do to have the public focus on Corbett's own refusal to investigate or prosecute Jerry Sandusky for a year and half. Corbett sought to change the conversation. He looked around for a likely scapegoat(s) to take the fall for him. What's one more victim, or two?
Corbett incredibly settled on a beloved 85-year-old to take the fall. The Gipper was down, why not kick him down some more? Gov. Corbett landed on the brilliant idea of throwing Joe Paterno under the bus. As Nixon observed, when the wolves are gaining, it's time to toss a baby from the sled. 

After all, hadn't Joe Paterno failed to follow up by calling the university police or DA Gricar? It wasn't nearly as bad as deliberately sandbagging the Sandusky case for a year and half, and actively shielding and protecting Jerry Sandusky, as AG Corbett had done.

But Corbett knows from first-hand experience that today's corporate media is servile, for the most part isn't all that smart or morally scrupulous, and doesn't look into things all that deeply or for very long. And more and more these days they simply write what they're handed. Corbett himself learned this on his long slog for the governor's chair, and all through the recent years of growing corruption in Pennsylvania. That business with the 6,500 kids sold down the river in Wilkes-Barre had blown over. Maybe the serial rape of innumerable kids at Penn State will blow over too. 

Corbett's job as attorney general had been to prosecute. To uphold the law. To protect the public. He didn't do so well in that job. Now, as governor, the job was altogether different.
A competent governor, and a good man, would have, and should have, asked the public not to rush to judgment against Joe Paterno. A competent leader, and a good man, would have asked the public to wait for all the facts to come in. A competent governor, and a good man, would have reminded the public of the great and exemplary services performed for Pennsylvania, and Penn State, by Joe Paterno in over 60 years on the job. A competent governor, and a good man, would have pointed out that that Joe Paterno was Our Coach.

Joe Paterno was Pennsylvania's Coach, and we owed him, in his final days, our debt of gratitude, not a death of instant scandal and ruin. 

"It's going to kill Joe," suddenly was on everyone's lips. "It's going to kill him." Tom Corbett, as usual, had his own not-so-sorry ass to worry about. It would be the pathetic act of a desperate, morally bankrupt man. 

On November 9, 2011, Gov. Tom Corbett indulged the Penn State board of trustees, by telephone, to throw Joe Paterno under the bus. At the moment of the vote to fire Paterno, Corbett said over the speakerphone, "Remember that little boy in the shower."

From the 31 trustees in the room there was no response. No question. No objection. Just silence. Despite the illustrious backgrounds of most of them, they all marched in lockstep, following Corbett's lead. 

Corbett wasn't there to look them, or Paterno, in the eye. He wasn't there to explain why he had done nothing to help that little boy. He wasn't there to explain why he himself had prevented any investigation for a year and a half. He wasn't there to explain the double standard. Why should the coach be punished, but not the attorney general/governor? As I say, in Tom Corbett's Pennsylvania, some are more privileged than others. 

That night Corbett got his scapegoat, and the students rioted in State College. A weary nation turned its eyes to the fleeting images of the saddened cries, groans and crashes of the decline and fall of Pennsylvania. 

A simmering story in the sports columns in moments ignited into an all-consuming firestorm, a national disgrace, and a world-class scandal. 

Excerpt:  Read More at Yardbird.com

Then I found this letter to the editor that goes after Corbett for his not prosecuting Sandusky in 2008 (my bold in the letter):

Editor: 

Most likely there was no one more relieved when the memorial services for Joe Paterno ended than Gov. Tom Corbett and the rest of the Penn State Board of Trustees. They are banking on the fact that people will forget what they did by throwing Paterno to the curb in the manner that they did. They could not be more wrong. Where was the due process? Corbett's poor excuses for not arresting Jerry Sandusky in 2008 - slow grand jury, the need for more evidence, working on other cases - could lead one to conclude that had Paterno involved the state police in 2002, it might not have led to an arrest anyway. 

After all, it took the attorney general's investigator an entire year to find the police report filed in 1998. It also took him an entire year to find out that Sandusky wrote a book. Where was the sense of urgency to get a child predator off the streets? What happened to the sense of urgency to report in a timely manner? Who is at fault if Sandusky abused more children from 2008-2011? So why was Paterno excoriated for not doing enough when Corbett's office dragged its feet several years later? There is more to this scandal than the people are being told, but thanks to people such as Phil Knight, Anthony Lubrano and Bill Keisling, who found the courage to say publicly what needed to be said, the public is learning more. I will remember forever, especially when election time comes around. 

Domenic Parenti, Lower Heidelberg Township

If the judicial system is going to prosecute the former Penn State Administrators former President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President Gary Schultz, and Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley who along with Paterno were covering-up for Sandusky according to the Freeh Report, then the current Governor needs to be right there as he also covered up for Sandusky as well.  Shame on the Republican Party of Pennsylvania for continuing to support this Governor and not question why he covered up his inaction in this sordid event when he was Attorney General.