Chris Potter

I'd put my money on US/Israel continuing total domination of Iran, and it's prettttyyyy hard to mourn the loss of that country's leadership. But wasn't there ALREADY a food/water crisis in Iran? Is there a relief plan to address that if demolition of regime makes it worse? Did anyone think about it?

Voters in Fetterman's party widely believe the pillars of law and democracy are crumbling. But he's on TV talking about Dems waving paddles at last year's State of the Union. Even if you agree the paddles were stupid, if you're a Democratic voter is this what you're looking for in this moment?

If your position is "these Dems are opposing Trump in all the wrong ways," fair enough! But it's also fair for Dems to ask you to model the approach you think is correct. In Fetterman's case, that appears to be pinning a one-off tweet about how Kristi Noem should be fired. And ... not much else.

The pundit case for Fetterman is he's independent and willing to buck his own party. But the party isn't just Chuck Schumer. There are actual voters with actual concerns who supported him. And every day he shows himself to be uninterested in or hostile to their interests. Should they be grateful?

It's absolutely fair game to criticize Dem positions and messaging. They can be bad! But he seems way more invested in being anti-anti-Trump than anything. Like, here's a tweet no one asked for that dunks on his own party. A GOP Senator could have posted it. How does he expect other Dems to react?

Does Fetterman vote against Trump more often than Oz or some other R would? Yes, despite VERY conspicuous exceptions (shutdown votes, Noem/Bondi confirmation). But when he's on TV or social media, he defines himself in opposition to Democrats. No wonder Democrats oppose him! That's what they see!

And obviously the stroke sidelined Fetterman from his own campaign. By his own acknowledgement, his major contribution was a debate that nearly blew up the entire effort. He won thanks to an abysmal opponent, dedicated staff/vols, and social media vibes. Live by the vibes, die by the vibes.

"Don't we want the kind of Democrat who can flip a red seat?" is the kind of justification you make for Joe Manchin -- who Fetterman explicitly campaigned on NOT being. And Pennsylvania isn't West Virginia.
x.com/Acyn/status/...

Case in point right here. His brand-building anymore almost always comes at the expense of other Dems. So maybe not really a surprise that shows up on both sides of polling questions about favorability!

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Sort of amusing to see pundit response to new Quinnipiac polling showing Fetterman beloved among GOP voters while anathema to many Dems.

Guys, it's not that complicated: Every time you turn around, he's on Fox telling everyone that Dems are screwed up. What's not to love/hate?

TBF, old-school State of the Union speeches were boring. But Simon Says expressions of patriotism and the game show theatrics don't do much for me either. So how to make a SOTU address that's engaging AND substantive?

Only one answer I can see: Next year bring on the frisbee-catching dogs.

Allegheny County DHS leader to leave for NYC job New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Erin Dalton as social services director. Dalton has served as Allegheny County Department of Human Services since 2021.

NEWS: Allegheny County's Human Services director, Erin Dalton, will leave to take a similar job in Zohran Mamdani's administration in New York. www.publicsource.org/mamdani-pick...

Democrat Mazzocco wins special election for South Hills seat in Pa. House 42nd Jennifer Mazzocco faced Republican Joseph Leckenby in the race to replace former state Rep. Dan Miller in the 42nd District. Her win keeps the South Hills district blue.

Haven't had time to say much here about the special election in state House 42nd district. But notable that the race was over within seconds of 8 p.m. poll closing: Democrat Mazzocco posted 3,660 mail-in votes in early vote dump; GOP's Leckenby had only 2,330 all night.
www.wesa.fm/politics-gov...

MORE: US Rep. Chris Deluzio, who has raised questions about this case and other ICE actions, said that if there are firearms charges in this case, it speaks to "why this agency needs to be communicating. ... The uncertainty and the lack of transparency from this agency is what's breeding distrust."

One immigrant-rights activist notes that immigrants -- including those who may have held valid work permits and other documents for years -- can be at a disadvantage as they negotiate bureaucratic forms, and a legal landscape that has been shifting dramatically during the Trump administration.

Immigrant father's detention draws questions from Deluzio, Sewickley community Bruno Guedes da Silva, a 38-year-old man from Brazil and the father of a child who supporters said is being treated for cancer, was taken into custody Sunday by federal immigration agents in Glen Osbo...

New details: An affidavit obtained by WESA shows police accused Guedes da Silva of seeking to purchase a firearm from a North Hills gun store in July, and stating on a federal form that he was not in the US illegally. McCandless PD sought arrest warrant last month

www.wesa.fm/politics-gov...

"Poorly written". Man, everyone's a critic I guess. But not living up to Trump's literary standards has to sting.

There are many reasons to follow Adam Bonin, and his exhibition of bad petitions is not the least of them.

Sometimes I'll remember that the night before the 2024 election, Kamala Harris' campaign trapped 1000s of supporters at the Carrie Furnaces for hours waiting for buses, ensuring they'd wake up tired on Election Day. All for a few minutes of recycled platitudes and a brief Katy Perry set. Madness.

Making life tough for Pittsburgh-area poll workers with this date!

(The correct answer, of course, is that ALL political commentary tropes are the most annoying.)

Finally, some polling data we can USE, courtesy of the Bravo Group.

This place sounds like a paradise!

“They have really deep differences about the way politicians should be,” said former Representative Conor Lamb. ... Mr. Shapiro “works hard to convey a sense that he’s been trusted with public office and that he owes the public something.”

"And that’s just something I don’t see from John.”

Why Pennsylvania’s Two Most Powerful Democrats Don’t Speak

Insiders "describe the tensions as one-sided, with Mr. Fetterman far more focused on Mr. Shapiro. More than one [cited] the television show 'Mad Men,' in which someone tells Don Draper, that he feels bad for him.
'I don’t think about you at all,' Draper replies."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/u...

They do! And the Sun-Telly for that matter!

I for one would love to resuscitate the Pittsburgh Leader.

Okay, I'm out.

Priority 2:
There are some good people in that newsroom. THEY are the legacy that matters. THEY are the brand. Build capacity across multiple newsrooms to hire them. Spread that money around so we don't again put so much of our public conversation in the hands of a bunch of weirdos.

If I had lots of money, I'd have 2 priorities
1) Preserve the history recorded in the PG morgue. Protect microfilm records everywhere -- the Heinz history center, the Carnegie Library, etc. (Sorry, I don't trust online as a repository of cultural memory. I'm STILL a nostalgic print guy, I guess.)

I don't say this lightly: I worked at the PG, and have a sense of what it will mean if a newsroom that big goes dark. But partly BECAUSE I worked there, I'm also tired of having the Blocks shape the civic conversation. And if its losses are HALF the size reported, the PG simply can't remain as it is