Let's all get out there and vote!

It occurs to me that I should have run a contest as to what name I should write in instead of voting for Harry Readshaw. I'm thinking something like "A. Real Democrat."

Endorsements

There are a lot of progressive people running tomorrow in the PA Democratic primary. Here are some of the best:

STATEWIDE:
Attorney General
Patrick Murphy
Murphy played a leadership role in the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" when he was in Congress. He's also been extremely up front about his pro choice views and against the Republican War on Women.
http://www.murphyforpa.com

Auditor General
Eugene DePasquale
Great on Marcellus Shale and all the other issues you care about! A candidate with strong progressive tendencies, but also "something more essential: a deep-seated commitment towards doing right by all citizens of PA, in a way that transcends ideology."
http://eugene4pa.com

LOCAL:
District 22
Erin Molchany
She's so good, she's endorsed nationally! I'll be hoofing it out to Brookline to phone bank for her this afternoon.
http://erinmolchany.com

District 23
Dan Frankel
An always reliable progressive!

District 24
Edward Gainey
I agree with the P-G -- it's time for a change!
http://edgainey.com

District 56
Marybeth Kuznik
Not exactly from around here, but she's great! She's also the founder of VotePA
http://vote4marybeth.com

Meet-and-Greet with Patrick Murphy

They'll be a Meet-and-Greet with Patrick Murphy (running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania) this Thursday at the Shadow Lounge. It's being hosted by Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto.

Murphy played a leadership role in the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" when he was in Congress. He's also been extremely upfront about his pro choice views and against the Republican War on Women.

Please welcome him to Pittsburgh!

Peduto Event for Patrick Murphy
When: Thursday, April 19, 5:30pm until 7:30pm
Where: Shadow Lounge, 5972 Baum Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
RSVP: Email [email protected]
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/events/288170647925126/
Murphy Website: http://www.murphyforpa.com

Patrick Murphy calls for Corbett to apologize to PA women

Via Murphy for PA:

“It’s bad enough that Governor Corbett wants to force women to get an unnecessary and invasive procedure as a means of getting a government permission slip to undergo legal medical care. It’s worse yet that he wants to shame them by shoving an ultrasound screen in their face. But it’s unthinkable that he would so casually dismiss this by advising women to just close their eyes. Governor Corbett’s comments are disturbingly offensive, insensitive, and out of touch. He should apologize immediately.” Murphy said. “As I have said before, this legislation is an outrageous assault on women’s rights in Pennsylvania and an unprecedented intrusion into decisions that should be made exclusively between a woman and her doctor. The proposal is demeaning, mean spirited and wrong. There is no legal justification for forcing a woman to undergo an invasive ultrasound, and after careful analysis, I believe that no reasonable arguments can be made to support the Constitutionality of this bill. As Attorney General, I could not defend it against a Constitutional challenge.”

Murphy is running for Corbett's old PA Attorney General seat.

If you agree that Corbett should apologize, sign the petition here.

Here's a reason to vote for Patrick Murphy!

Via Patrick Murphy who's running for PA Attorney General:

Ultrasound Bill Unconstitutional, Legislature Must Stop Attack on Women
The legislature has no authority to force women to have an unnecessary, invasive medical procedure

(Philadelphia, PA) –Today, Iraq war veteran and former prosecutor Patrick Murphy issued the following statement in response to House Bill 1077, the so-called “Woman’sRight-to-Know Act,” which would force women to undergo a mandatory and invasive ultrasound at least 24 hours before receiving abortion care:

“We all support programs to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. But this legislation is an outrageous assault on women’s rights in Pennsylvania and an unprecedented intrusion into decisions that should be made exclusively between a woman and her doctor. The proposal is demeaning and wrong. There is no legal justification for shoving an ultrasound screen in a woman’s face and forcing her to deliver printout image to her physician – all so she can get permission from the government to have a legal medical procedure. The legislature has no Constitutional authority to require women to have this unnecessary and invasive medical procedure and,therefore, must abandon this insulting attack on women’s rights. Even Bob McDonnell, the conservative Governor of Virginia, was forced to abandon a similar bill, admitting that it ‘might run afoul’ of the Constitution and open up the state to serious legal problems. If the legislature here in Pennsylvania moves the bill despite overwhelming objections, it is Governor Corbett’s responsibility to veto it.”

University of Pennsylvania Professor of Law Tobias Barrington Wolff agreed that the bill is unconstitutional, saying:

"The Supreme Court has held that a State cannot pass laws for the purpose of obstructing a woman's access to a legal abortion, nor impose undue burdens on that access. A law mandating that doctors perform a medically unnecessary procedure, including the use of an invasive transvaginal probe in some cases, and requiring doctors to position an ultrasound monitor in the woman's face whether or not she wants to watch it, appears designed to intimidate and humiliate. Pennsylvania cannot mandate such mistreatment of women."

www.murphyforpa.com