Write in BRIAN KELLY for Congress PA District #8 Primary in 2022

Brian Kelly for Congress PA District #8 Primary in 2022 :

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Brian Kelly Reflecting On Election Day 2010 

Thank you Very Much for Believing! 

Perhaps the smartest man in the world is Barack Obama. I am pretty well convinced of that.
 
Even in what appears to be his less sterling moments, he emerges as the smartest man. Some see him as the lord and savior of the world. It would be easier for me I suppose if I accepted that.

The smartest person in NEPA in 2010 had got to be Paul Kanjorski.  His undying devotion to Barack Obama, who at the time was the recognized smartest man in the world, was undeniable.
 
The time I wrote this article in 2010 before editing it this year, was a wonderful, spirit raising day for me. Overall, it was very uplifting. God is good. His plan for me did not include going to Washington at the time, and I accepted that. I do regret that I will never, ever, be the candidate that causes Paul Kanjorski to be removed from office.  That would have been sweet but it did not happen this primary election. Lou Barletta, a Republican conservative took Kanjo out in the general election and I helped. 

One of the reasons that I ran for office then was that I was concerned that Mr. Kanjorski and his ilk in Congress were leading America towards its destruction.  Today, I have very similar feelings regarding Mr. Cartwright. We do not need the kind of Leadership Paul Kanjorski, Matt Cartwright,  and the San Francisco Democrats have continued to bring us.  

America is not OK and neither Barack Obama nor Kanjo, nor Cartwright are the ones who anybody should trust to save our country.  Kanjo and his friend Barack Obama along with Pelosi, Reid (now Schumer) and a total crew of about 435 in one House, and 100 in the other House of Congress, are the major perpetrators. They caused the problem. Kanjo, Cartwright, and company proved not to be the solution.

From the beginning days after I lot in the Primary Election, I knew that I could not back Kanjorski and I would vote for Lou Barletta. I gave it few days to let it settle in and then I sent out the press release endorsing Mr. Barletta.  I think he is one of "we the people" and he was the  only candidate with a chance of helping America.  With the trouble this 111th Democratic controlled Congress brought us, I could not back any of  the Dems in good conscience.  Though I am a  Democrat, this time, I could not stand with the Democratic Party. 

The problems that the country faced were created by both parties for sure.  The Republicans forgot that they were supposed to be fiscal conservatives when they took their turn to dip deep into the debt and deficit troth.  The Democrats took something that the Republicans had on the verge of collapse, and the 110th congress, also Democratically controlled, tipped it over the edge. Then, they blamed hapless George Bush and the Republicans.  Anybody watching knew the truth.  The Democrats have never met a huge debt or deficit they did not like.  Unfortunately there is no money even to borrow.  Still Barack Obama and the 11th Congress continue to spend US into bankruptcy.
 
Though the bailouts occurred on Bush's watch, the Democrats were in power for two years before Barack Obama became President.  There is enough blame to go around but my party (Democrats) are now in control for almost four years and they have chosen not to fix it. Every day they make it worse. In case you have not noticed, Democrats regained control again in 2020 and I bet you noticed. 

This problem is so serious that party unity is the last thing on my mind. The people are on my mind.  The party is a distant second.  The Democrats in Congress and about 99% of the Republicans need to be thrown out. One of those Democrats to get the hook was our own Paul Kanjorski.  Democrat or Republican, he had to go. Barletta beat him.  I may have been able to support Corey O'Brian with a little work on his part, but Paul Kanjorski was not for me. No! He's not for me!  He's not for you! He's not for NEPA!, And he is not for America!  If we let him back, things would have gotten even worse. No doubt!  
 
Paul Kanjorski celebrated a big victory May 18, 2010. He is typically not challenged in the Primary.  Fifty-One percent of the Democrats (34,648) believe there are enough reasons to bring Kanjo home that they voted to do just that.  Just 51%. It was very close. Privately, when Ed Mitchell and the Kanjo machine look at these numbers they are not be very happy.  The thirteen term Democrat did not win a majority of the Democrats in the Democratic Primary.  That is not good.  A majority of the Democratic citizens of District 11 figured it out for themselves. They knew that the 13-year Congressman had been part of the problem, and their vote was to keep him out of Congress for good.  
 
Corey O'Brien had a lot of thinking to do.  He has not been around since then. During the campaign Paul Kanjorski could do no right in his eyes and O'Brien and I believed that Kanjo needed to be replaced post haste. Corey O'Brien's 23,236 supporters saw that the Democratic Party's candidate this time around was against his own people, so they voted for O'Brien.  Bravo for them all. When the excitement of the campaign calmed down, O'Brien realized something-- hopefully that he needs to stand with his supporters. I have not seen him since. 

Kanjorski's victory over O'Brien did not make Kanjorski a better man. In his heart, O'Brien knew that. Rather than convince his supporters that he (O'Brien) was wrong when he criticized Kanjorski during the campaign, he should avoid the flip flop, and stick to his guns, and work for his supporters as they have worked for him. Publicly, so far as I saw, O'Brien was for Party unity and that means he and his supporters were not in synch. 

Eventually perhaps O'Brien concluded that the people were more important than the Party and he might have begun to  do the right thing and recommend that his supporters vote for Lou Barletta, the only candidate in NEPA who is for the people, not for the special interests. Lou is the only guy who, when I originally wrote this note in 2010, could send Paul Kanjorski back home for good. That ultimately made a lot of O'Brien and Kelly supporters happy.

If Mr. Kanjorski had a change of heart, he never confessed it tothe people of Northeastern PA about the transgressions of his past. He did not renounce that he  engaged in shameful contempt of the American people and the people of NEPA. The people ultimately would have forgiven him but the people would not reelect him again, ever.  

I became 100% behind Lou Barletta and I urged those who supported my campaign efforts and those who supported Corey O'Brien to join me, and perhaps Corey in the future, in supporting Lou Barletta for Congress. Those who voted for Paul Kanjorski in this past election on May 18, won everything they hoped for but the majority.  I hope that some suffered from "buyers remorse" because they know they voted for another dose of "the same."  I did ask the Kanjorski voters to reconsider their vote and do what is best for America. Time is short as the San Francisco Democrats with Pelosi in charge, and Paul Kanjorski as first Lieutenant, were well on their way to bankrupting America.
 
 
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I am very upbeat about the election results other than not winning, of course.  I did not expect all Democrats in PA D-11 to vote for Corey O'Brien or myself. I am pleased with my 17% of the vote considering I did not take a penny in donations. I think that there was a message today as only about 1/3 of the voters in NEPA voted for Paul Kanjorski. Fifty-one percent of the Democrats went someplace else.  Counting the Republicans, close to 65% of all those that voted in District 11 voted for a big change in Washington. Not only did Mr. Kanjorski not get the backing of a majority of democrats but those clearly lined up against his candidacy . Add the Obrien and Kelly total to Barletta's 28321 and you get  63069 citizens against Kanjo out of 96852 total votes cast

When there is a small turnout, many of the voters who brave the weather have another reason than the pursuit of democracy.  Many have an allegiance to the machine and though I am sorry to say it, often it is a result of past patronage or the hope of future patronage.  I do not think the citizens of NEPA are in love with Paul Kanjorski.  I do think that a number were afraid of him, however. They were afraid that whatever spigot was flowing that positively affects them, with Paul Kanjorski's hands on the spigot, he might just turn it off. Then where would they be?. What a shame there is such fear about government officials? 
 
It seems there is a lot of fear at the institutional level also.  Why were there no debates. When Paul Kanjorski declined to debate, why did Public TV not give the other candidates a forum to at least give a speech? What was public TV afraid of? 
 
While the rest of the state and the country decided that there was too much corruption, and it had to end, for their own reasons, most Pennsylvania voters chose to ignore the corruption and stay home. 49% of Democrats who voted in District 11 have said that is how they like it. 
 
I do not plan to run for office again though this was a great experience. Thank you to a wonderful group of people who helped in many ways for us to run a successful campaign.  You are all terrific.

Like a fickle feline (I do like cats) I changed my mind a few years back. I am running to replace Matt Cartwright in the 17th (new district for us). Write-in BRIAN KELLY when you enter the voting booth. It's time that together we give NEPA a fighting chance.  Don't you think???