Extreme Pa. GOP mapping its own demise

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa You’ve probably heard about the old story about the dog who finally caught the car — and didn’t know what to do with it. In Pennsylvania, of late, assume legislative Republicans are the dog grabbing the rear bumper, but one who doesn’t see the reverse lights suddenly turn on. They’ve already moved to take emergency declaration power away from...

A tale of two political parties

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa With apologies to Charles Dickens, it is a tale of two political parties. In one party, a long-serving U.S. Senator is under attack for voting his conscience — the party rejecting the idea that said senator can hold a former President responsible for sparking an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The local county committee draws up a resolution condemning...

Op/Ed: We are one

By Viraj Joshi, Special to The Times Viraj Joshi Four years ago, I felt great pride and joy when I saw Donald Trump taking the oath of office on the United States Capitol steps. However, as the Trump presidency went on, my support and the joy I felt when he took the oath of office slowly dwindled as the days of his presidency went on. I soon realized that Donald Trump was not just destroying Republican...

Op/Ed: When democracy dies

By Lisa Longo, Special to The Times Lisa Longo Democracy fails when the few are permitted to hijack the concerns of the many. When elections become referendums on personalities and political parties are used as weapons against advocates and activists. When any party becomes a tactical weapon for special interest it loses all ability to speak for, or to, the people. We are at a pivotal point. We see...

It’s happening: Democrats to outnumber GOP in Chester County

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Well, it finally happened. By Monday, it is very likely that for the first time since before the Civil War, there will be more registered Democrats in Chester County than Republicans. Last week, the gap had closed to less than 65, and Democrats had been picking up a couple of hundred registered voters a week in recent weeks. Obviously, electorally, Chester...

After the crisis passes, things will change in America

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Obviously, the single most important thing with the current COVID-19 crisis is keeping you and your family safe. We’re reached the point where the virus is impacting everyone, whether it means your business, your kids in school (my son attends Temple, which will close its dorms next Saturday — and we’re awaiting updates on my daughter at Nevada-Reno, which has...

The joy (not) of paying the GOP tax

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Say what you will about Donald Trump, but a lot of what either thrills or angers folks is decades in the making. Essentially, Republicans being Republicans. For me, personally, that means grabbing money from me and my family and cheerfully reassigning it to wealthy people and corporations. Until I recently did the math, though, I had no idea how bad those numbers were...

Spare me the ‘outrage’ on Sims’ abortion comments

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times So there it was, the screaming email this morning from someone named Marian Casillas declaring “Bully Brian Sims must RESIGN!” Sims is a state legislator from Philly who got a little over the top when calling out anti-abortion protestors (they are decidedly not pro-life when they want to cut food stamps, slash health care, and fight against gun safety) they just...

Democrats endorse Sondergaard, Binder, Maxwell & Maddox

WEST CHESTER — Chester County Democrats are on the verge of a third consecutive tear of historic wins as they gathered at Stetson Middle School Tuesday night to endorse countywide judicial and row offices.  Among the 23 candidates presented to the Committee, only two – Deb Ryan for District Attorney and Chris Pielli for Recorder of Deeds — ran unopposed. All came with impeccable resumes...

Why I’m NOT running…

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times So, that went well. After more than three months of mounting a campaign for a county wide office, I pulled the ripcord Saturday and said, “enough.” It became clear that I am not cut out for politics, circa 2019. With the infighting, the false narratives and yes, concerns about corrupt conduct, I knew it was going to be bad, but like Maroon5’s Super Bowl halftime...