Erie Times-News endorses Dahlkemper

"It's time for a change," paper writes

Erie, PA - The Erie Times-News editorial board today endorsed businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper over 14-year incumbent Congressman Phil English in the race for Pennsylvania's third district Congressional seat. The editorial board has never before opposed English in his seven previous races for Congress.

The paper wrote, "It's time for a change," and praised Dahlkemper's work for the community and her promise to bring "fresh ideas and energy" to Congress.

The editorial board criticized English's "political pandering," and "negative campaign attacks," calling them "particularly noxious" and "laughable."

The endorsement follows:

Dahlkemper endorsed for Congress
Erie Times-News, October 27, 2008

It's time for a change in representation for the 3rd Congressional District.
The Erie Times-News Editorial Board endorses Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper, a political newcomer who is challenging seven-term Republican Congressman Phil English.
English has not faced a really serious challenge to represent this district, which reaches as far south as Butler and as far east as Warren, since 1996, when he beat Ron DiNicola by 2 percentage points.
With polls showing English lagging behind Dahlkemper, voters might be tempted to think we are merely backing the candidate in the lead.
That is not the case. We haven't made our decision because of party affiliation, either.
Rather, we think Dahlkemper will bring fresh ideas and energy to a position that requires the officeholder to stay connected to constituents and to take responsibility when things go wrong, as well as when they go right.
News that we would recommend a newcomer to Congress should not come as a shock to English, who advocated term limits when he was first elected to Congress to succeed Tom Ridge, who became Pennsylvania governor.
Like Ridge, English has voted as a moderate Republican, and in this current election, has distanced himself from the Bush administration.
But he hasn't kept himself distant enough to discourage negative campaign attacks against his opponent. A slew of ads that depict Dahlkemper as a wild-haired radical are particularly noxious. English could do better than that because he knows the issues.
Whenever English meets with the Editorial Board, he comes prepared to speak knowledgeably about legislation and the issues.
Michael Federici, a Mercyhurst College political science professor, accurately described English as a "policy wonk" when Federici commented after Thursday night's debate between English and Dahlkemper. Federici gave the victory to English on those grounds, saying English has great command of the subjects being discussed. In fact, being a "policy wonk" is a good thing, and English could have used his expertise to sketch out how his energy proposals, for instance, differ from Dahlkemper's.
Instead, voters had to endure a laughable attack ad in which Dahlkemper is made to look like she wants us to slosh through the snow and skid on the ice to save fossil fuels. That tact detracts from the argument for his candidacy.
We also have been disturbed by political pandering. His opposition to tolling Interstate 80 comes to mind, as well as his vote against the economic bailout that the sitting president supported.
In evaluating Dahlkemper's ability to step into this job, we took into consideration the fact that English has risen in the ranks. We understand that he has advocated for northwest Pennsylvania in Congress and delivered money for beneficial projects. But we don't appreciate the fact that English tends to double- and triple-dip when it comes time to take credit. In particular, we recall an instance this summer when he touted his support for federal dollars for Presque Isle sand -- the same sand and dollars he took credit for two months earlier.
It's to Dahlkemper's credit that she has organized a strong campaign team and traveled into every county in the district to knock on doors to hear voters talk about the issues. She also admits candidly that she could not have challenged a sitting congressman without tapping big financial resources. Perhaps she can champion a better way to run for office, other than sinking millions into a race -- every two years, in the case of those running for the U.S. House.
Dahlkemper, a small-business owner and mother of five, says that concerns about her family's future motivated her to run. "I truly believe we're going in a direction that's not good for our children," she said. We also considered her success as director of the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier, in turning the untamed park into a major regional asset.
She has thought through her positions on topics as diverse as abortion and Iraq. "I believe in the sanctity of life," she says. "I've been very open and honest -- that comes from my faith."
But she also has the courage to state that the subject of abortion has been made a divisive issue by both political parties. To that end, she supports prevention and sex education.
"I like to think of myself as a whole life person," she says, and as such says she will support consistent positions on other health and welfare issues. She defines health care as "a right, not a privilege," says she opposed the Iraq War from the start, supports diplomacy as "our first line of defense," and advocates green energy as "the next economic driver" for Erie.
If Dahlkemper is elected to Congress, we will scrutinize her voting record as we do for English. And we will call on her to release her income tax records. We expect transparency of all political officeholders. She won't get a free pass.

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