It is both utterly shameful and wholly predictable that the Pennsylvania House Republican leader, Brian Cutler, wants to leave 100,000 Pennsylvanians without House representation for as long as he possibly can, rather than holding special elections for two open state house seats as soon as possible (“Judges weigh GOP bid to delay 2 Pa. House special elections,” Jan. 11, TribLIVE).
Since fair state House districts finally exist in the commonwealth — after decades of gerrymandering — it seems there are two electoral paths the GOP can choose from. One is choosing to do the hard work of building a coalition of people with conservative values and earning their votes. The other is using whatever tricks they can, legal or otherwise, to attempt to disenfranchise those who are not their voters.
The first, while difficult, might lead to the growth of the party and the long-term health of the commonwealth, while the second will result, at best, in temporary victories with awful long-term consequences. Unfortunately — for all of us, not just GOP loyalists — the second path seems to be the one Cutler and his ilk are intent on pursuing. This approach is shortsighted for the party and bad for the commonwealth.
Jon Parker
McCandless