Blue dog Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper, struggling to survive in northwestern Pennsylvania’s third district, was one of 39 Democrats to oppose the adjournment last night on Capitol Hill that postponed extension of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts.
Mike Kelly, Dahlkemper’s hard-charging challenger, spoke with Battle ‘10 about Dahlkemper’s opposition to adjournment, and how her constituents see things with little more than four weeks before Election Day.
On how Dahlkemper would’ve voted on extending tax relief had adjournment not taken place, Kelly told Battle ’10, “I don’t know where she is [on the issue], because she never tells anybody.”
“You’re never sure where she’s going, and then at the last minute she does something that makes no sense to people of northwestern Pennsylvania.”
“People were looking for an answer to it, so they can make decisions based on what the future looks like for them,” said Kelly.
“She’s always waiting to see what favors her. She’s an opportunist.”
“You’ve had twenty some months to think about this, you’ve had time to debate it, and if you’re telling me that after 20 weeks of weighing the costs, in a country looking for leadership and direction, in an economy stalling and failing, and you’re still not sure? I really don’t understand that.”
“For me, it’s so basic, and the behavior is so bizarre from the eyes of a small businessperson. But from the eyes of a politician, who knows what makes these cats tick.”
“It’s very weak,” said Kelly, lamenting that Dahlkemper was “dodging a very important issue.”