by Lindsay Perna

WASHINGTON — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent more on behalf of Kathy Dahlkemper in her successful race for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District seat than the candidate’s campaign raised, according to year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

By making massive expenditures in the late stages of the campaign, the Democratic committee helped Dahlkemper defeat Republican incumbent Philip English, who raised twice as much money as his Democratic opponent.

The committee independently spent $1,567,016 for a seat that Republicans held for 32 years, according to reports filed with the election commission. The committee expenditures are separate from the candidate’s campaign and include money spent in support of the candidate and money spent against the opponent. The Democratic committee spent $783,509 for Dahlkemper and $783,507 against English.

“Having support from the party was very helpful, just in letting me compete on a level playing field,” Dahlkemper said of the expenditure made outside of her campaign.

Dahlkemper raised only $1,313,239 to English’s $2,659,971, according to the year-end campaign reports filed with the election commission.

“I was going up against a 14-year incumbent who had resources well beyond what I had to start with and certainly was able to raise,” the congresswoman said in her House office. “The power of the incumbency is huge.”

Democratic committee ads “were able to take on the opposition while allowing us to stay focused on the positive message of change and vision for the district,” said Tina Mengine, Dahlkemper’s chief of staff and former campaign manager.

“Because we have no input into these ads nor do we know about them in advance, each ad that ran was a surprise and usually very welcome,” she said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee spent $776,828 on the race, according to election commission filings, including $7,659 on behalf of English and $769,169 in opposition to Dahlkemper.

“The fact that Kathy Dahlkemper was one of 30 that we targeted—it was a district and a seat we had our eyes on,” said Paul Lindsay, spokesman for the Republican committee.

Both the Democratic and Republican committees doled out the majority of their funds in October of 2008.

Realizing that English had serious competition after the Dahlkemper campaign released a poll in July of 2008 showing her leading, the Republican committee started saturating the Erie media market. At the same time, the Democratic committee began spending money in the district as well.

“I got their attention,” Dahlkemper said, proving that she was worth the extra Democratic effort.

The party committees were not the only big independent players in Dahlkemper’s win. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) political action committee independently spent $497,875 against English on Oct. 15—the only other significant independent expenditure besides the Democratic committee’s, according to the year-end filings with the election commission.

This labor organization’s expenditures in Dahlkemper’s race were one of only five House campaigns it spent money on, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group that tracks money in politics.

“We felt the need to counter that with the independent expenditure on our part,” David A. Bielski, the director of AFSCME in the district and secretary treasurer of the Northwest Pennsylvania Area Labor Federation, said of the Republican committee ads.

“It’s been a strategy of ours for a long time—we don’t want to let all of our tricks out of the bag early on,” he said. “It seemed to have worked.”

Daniel Shea, a political science professor at Allegheny College in Erie, said that there are different strategies on when to direct the cash: giving money early could help propel candidates, but storing it for the end could make a difference in the outcome.

Political action committees and interest groups used to spread their money around, Shea said, but are now spending it on a limited number of races.

“Their efforts now are more effective,” Shea said.

And the party committees increased their total independent expenditures significantly from years before.

The Democratic committee spent 21 percent more in the 2008 elections than it did in the 2006 elections, while the Republican committee spent 77 percent more, according to election commission data.

Dahlkemper, a small-business owner, beat four other more experienced candidates.

“I had connections with people from all over the district—through my life,” she said.

“She is pretty conservative on social issues; voters knew this wasn’t a typical Democrat—that match was a good one,” said Stephen Medvic, a government professor at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.

Shea attributed Dahlkemper’s win to the fact that the National Republican Congressional Committee’s efforts were spread too thin and too late.

“One catch is that Republicans held their money. Money that the DCCC spent in very end was very necessary to stave off English,” Shea said. “I think Phil English felt his vulnerability early on and was begging for help.”

photo by Caroline Bridges

By Lindsay Perna

WASHINGTON – Banks and automobile companies are not the only ones looking for more green from their government.

Renewable energy experts nationwide appealed to Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.), Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and other members of the House Small Business Committee on Wednesday for “must-have” support as biofuel plants suffer in a staggering economy.

At a hearing of the committee, the energy representatives asked for an extension of biodiesel tax incentives, a loosening of credit for struggling ethanol plants, and an overall commitment to the industry.

The current regulations on biodiesel include a temporary tax refund to consumers using biodiesel from vegetable oils, animal fats and food grease. After extending the energy policy act twice in the past five years, the incentive will expire Dec. 31, 2009.

“Current law sends the signal to the marketplace that the federal commitment to biodiesel is tenuous—the temporary nature of the incentive undermines overall confidence in the stability of the industry,” said Manning Feraci, the vice president of federal affairs of the National Biodiesel Board.

Feraci and the other four members of the panel testifying said that biofuel demand dwindles as oil prices dive. This creates an unappetizing market for investors un-willing to make a leap for this oil replacement.

Already, two-thirds of ethanol plants are not operating due to a stifling credit flow and minimal long-term investment, Feraci said.

Stating that renewable energy initiatives have a potential to create more than 78,000 jobs, Feraci elaborated on the benefits the nation would reap if they invested in the vitality of the industry.

Biofuel has displaced more than 20 million barrels of petroleum in 2008, according to Brooks Hurst, a board member of the Paseo-Cargill Biofuels Plant in Missouri.

After the hearing, Dahlkemper said, “We really want to move towards energy independence here—something that is already constructed, ready to produce—but we are not giving companies the incentives they need to make it viable financially.”

The congresswoman said she thinks credit will fall into place after the industry is revitalized.

“Private investment would jump at the chance to be part of this market but if the market’s not there—it’s a demand issue right now that I think is the crux of the whole thing,” she said in her House office.

She said it is a top priority as foreign dependence on oil creates national security and economic issues.

“We can talk about solar and wind and so many other things,” she said. “But this is already there; we just have to move it along a little bit.”

Though Thompson said he would like to see those tax incentives stay, he said the country needs to utilize petroleum and natural gas instead of ethanol from corn.

“It is my true belief that…we can’t move right into alternative energies, because they are not productive to do that,” Thompson said in his House office. “If our goal is to eliminate dependence on foreign oil…this is not a bridge that will get us there for many many decades.”

The 5th District congressman said that there are other more efficient forms of renewable fuels.

“It takes as much energy to create corn ethanol as what corn ethanol produces—so it’s a break even and we are taking from our food stock,” he said. “Biomass ethanol that uses landfill—there’s a win-win.”

Michael Maniates, an environmental science professor at Allegheny College in Meadville, said in an email that extending tax incentives for biodiesel is only fair as the nuclear and oil industries have already seen billion-dollar tax incentives.

“If we’re going to see alternatives flourish, they need to be afforded the same support. Anything else stifles competition and innovation and is plain unfair,” Maniates said.

However, Maniates said that the ethanol industry already receives heavy subsidies and should not be rewarded with loans until production becomes more “energy positive.”

“They should be mothballed until oil prices rise or until the industry is able to shift production away from corn-fed fuels and towards more environmentally and energetically positive sources like woody biomass and switchgrass.”

Woody biomass and switchgrass are two of many forest byproducts used to produce bioenergy in place of food or animal products.

“It may take more energy to raise the corn and process it into liquid fuels than the energy in the liquid fuel itself,” he said.
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By Lindsay Perna

WASHINGTON –Contemplation and outright glee were painted on the faces in the House chamber as President Obama addressed the House and Senate in a state-of-the-union-style speech on Tuesday night.

“I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism,” Obama said.

As the nation faces overwhelming numbers of jobs lost and debt gained, Pennsylvania lawmakers shared mixed emotions on the President’s remarks one week after he signed the near trillion dollar stimulus bill into law.

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) was no exception as Obama’s words kept most occupants in the House chamber up from their seats in waves of applause.

“I believe that the comprehensive plan that the President outlined tonight, with a focus on slashing spending on the war in Iraq, is of utmost importance,” Dahlkemper said in a statement.

Dahlkemper said that Obama’s concentration on renewable energy and transforming the country’s dependence on foreign oil holds tremendous opportunity for Pennsylvania’s 3rd District.

“Tonight, the President called on me and other members of Congress to confront these challenges …I will continue to make the hard choices necessary to turn our economy around, yet will remain mindful and diligent to the goal of reducing our deficit,” the congresswoman said.

It was not until after 11 p.m. that Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) left Statuary Hall and was able to funnel through the press to a vacant Capitol Rotunda en route to his Senate office.

Besides pointing out the busts of U.S. vice presidents marking the way to the other side of the Capitol, Casey explained his thrill with Obama’s speech.

In particular, the senator noted Obama’s unprecedented way of prioritizing his budget.

“Some in Washington would say: look you’ve got a tough economy you’ve got to deal with—why don’t you push health care and energy and education off for a couple more years…he’s saying no we have to do this now,” said the senator.

As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, Casey shares Obama’s concern.

“At some point we’ve got to reach a consensus, at least on the Democratic side, about what will be the vehicle to make health care reform a reality,” Casey said after running into Sen, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in the underground tunnels from the Capitol to the Senate offices.

He said that in order to pass such a bill into law, it will take a lot of hard work to get bipartisan support in Senate.

“One speech does not lead to total unanimity, but I believe Republican members of the House and Senate have been impressed by his efforts to reach out to them…doesn’t mean they will always vote with him, but some day it might lead to a couple extra votes that he may not have gotten otherwise,” Casey said.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) also agreed with the President’s focus on health care, education and energy, though he remained speculative while Obama addressed the nation and Congress.

“It’s hard to see how he can reach those goals and fulfill his commitment to deficit reduction. The figures just don’t add up,” Specter wrote in his program during the speech.

Standing in a sea of cameras in Statuary Hall outside the House floor, Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa. 5th) said his optimism grew as the President identified the crises before the country, such as Medicare and Social Security.

“I mean those are the things that are really looming on the horizon that we should have been dealing with earlier in this term,” said Thompson.

“On those things where we can agree—I think we are going to be the President’s best ally,” Thompson said of his Republican colleagues.

A health care professional for 30 years, Thompson said the current system is defunct and he is pleased that Obama is looking to unite health care providers and members of Congress “to come up with the best possible health care reform for our country.”

“We need to improve accessibility. We need to improve affordability and we need to maintain the quality that we are used to in this country. So that was affirming for me,” Thompson said.

The congressman said he agrees with the President in terms of the country’s dependence on foreign energy.

“That is dangerous to our economy and to our foreign defense,” he said.

Thompson said he is concerned the President’s approach to climate change will create a tremendous tax burden in his district.

“You take small businesses in the 5th Congressional District that are very challenged—and you pile a bunch of…carbon tax on top of them …that’s enough for those businesses to go out of business—people will lose jobs and families will have no way to support themselves,” he said.

The Obama administration claims the stimulus plan will create 7,500 jobs in the 5th district. Thompson said he does not know where these jobs are going, but he is going to monitor the plan’s implementation.

“I’m concerned the stimulus may wind up worsening the recession—may result in inflation as a result of deficit spending. That’s a heck of a legacy to pass along to your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Thompson said.

“Tonight were some good sound bites—but we really have to take a look at what he gets us,” Thompson said.

Photo by Caroline Bridges, WSEE Washington Bureau

by Lindsay Perna
WASHINGTON – As the Senate prepares to vote on the pending economic recovery package, White House advisers and Pennsylvania members of Congress are trying to dissect what the near-trillion dollar price tag will mean for the taxpayers who are investing in it.

The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is an “important down payment on rebuilding our economy,” National Economic Council Director Larry Summers said in a press briefing Tuesday.

As the point person in charge of coordinating President Obama’s policies, Summers simplified the context of the bill that would create or save 3 million to 4 million jobs over the two-year period of the plan.

Summers estimated an employment impact of 152,000 jobs for Pennsylvania.

“We want to do infrastructure investment wherever possible, but we also want to prevent the economic implosion of our communities,” he said. “These funds will help us do that.”

Other Pennsylvania initiatives in the plan include the modernization of at least 409 schools, a work pay tax cut of up to $1,000 for 4.9 million workers and $100 per month increase in unemployment insurance benefits to 1 million workers in Pennsylvania who have lost their jobs.

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Penn.) said she voted for the bill based on the urgency of the economic situation. She said in a press release that the bill’s allocation of $70 million into 3rd District schools will “address the modernization of classrooms, libraries, and labs…make our schools more energy efficient and make upgrades to their
educational technology infrastructure.”

The Erie School District is estimated to receive $20,765,100 from the stimulus bill, according to Dahlkemper.

Some Pennsylvania members opposed the House bill.

A spokesperson for Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.), Patrick Creighton,  said the congressman, who voted against the spending package, found the legislation “a wish list of the liberal, socialist agenda.”

Creighton said that the congressman recognized “worthy programs in the stimulus package,” but not enough in the way of infrastructure.

As the bill is being considered in the Senate this week, some would like to see changes made.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) introduced two amendments Wednesday to increase oversight and accountability in the economic recovery package.

Also, an amendment offered by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) to provide incentives for U.S.-based companies to bring foreign earnings home and invest in the U.S. economic recovery was rejected by the Senate Wednesday.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) said he believes an economic stimulus is necessary. However, he said “there is insufficient money in infrastructure” in the bill, and “there needs to be more on the tax cut side.”

The Pennsylvania senator stated other “good” programs in the stimulus belong “in the appropriations process, as opposed to a stimulus.”

“Make no mistake though,” Summers said. “These problems were not created in a day or a month or a year and will not be solved in a day or a month or a year.”

Photo By Caroline Bridges, WSEE Washington Bureau

By Lindsay Perna

WASHINGTON—Since Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper’s swearing-in ceremony two weeks ago, the new freshman on campus has been acclimating herself to a Capitol more complex and staggering than her predecessors could imagine.

“This is not the world that most of us live in,” Dahlkemper said in an interview at a Starbucks coffee shop.

As the second Democratic woman in history from western Pennsylvania to serve in the House, this representative of the 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses the thousands of resident from Erie to Pittsburgh, spoke with confidence the day before the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

“People have put a lot of hope in this new president, but they’ve also put a lot of hope into this new Congress,” she said.

“I have a big learning curve, obviously, having never been in any state legislature.”

But Dahlkemper said she does not let the daunting curriculum ahead faze her.

Dahlkemper, a former dietitian, business owner and arboretum aficionado, deems herself savvy in the issues relevant to her constituents.

“It’s a people’s house, it’s not the house of career politicians,” she said, promising to stay in touch with her district by going home every possible weekend.

Dahlkemper has been assigned to the Agriculture, Small Business and Science and Technology Committees. She said she is building a new base as she “makes alliances with people with similar minds and interests.”

Adamant about following the “mandate by the people of this country” to act positively, she said she knows how it is “important to reach across the aisle. That’s one thing the American people have asked for…to work together.”

Her biggest concern lies in the compromise between adhering to her platform promise to be fiscally conservative and voting yes on an enormous stimulus package to bail out the economy of her country, and more specifically, her district.

“We are beginning to unfortunately catch up with the rest of the country in seeing the downturn in this economy,” Dahlkemper said of her district.

“The hardest part is turning off the spigot once we open it up.”

She said she intends to step back to see “how we are spending because we are bankrupting our children’s future.”

She said she is excited by the part she and her fellow newbies will play as a “hope caucus” in the administration to come.

Her inaugural festivities range from new Vice President Joseph Biden’s Delaware state ball to the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral Wednesday morning.

“I am very honored to be part of the new direction of this country,” she said. “I think there is a lot of hope for this country.”

WSEE WASHINGTON BUREAU
By Lindsay Perna

When Dennis Kobielski first involved himself in politics during the 2004 presidential election, he never knew he would score tickets to the hottest inauguration in history.