http://www.philly.com/r?19=960&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F Philly.com politics headlines. en-us Tue, 21 May 2013 11:37:33 GMT 2013-05-21T11:37:33Z en-us http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323181&44=208245651&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fcity%2F20130521_Controller__judgeships_up_for_grabs_in_Phila_.html It may come as a surprise to many Pennsylvania voters, but Tuesday is primary election day, with balloting to choose party candidates for judgeships and a variety of local offices throughout the state's 67 counties. Tue, 21 May 2013 11:37:33 GMT 23c15d67f88ae45771cd0cda3f655d6a 2013-05-21T11:37:33Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168206&44=208245631&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F20130521_Thomas_Fitzgerald__IRS_scandal_may_give_ammunition_to_conservative_groups.html It had become fashionable in certain circles to mock tea party activists for their vocal warnings about the abusive power of government, with jokes, for instance, about tinfoil hats. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:16:15 GMT 7674453e32bbd432c0d9d1df3f303159 2013-05-21T10:16:15Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323206&44=208250971&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fstate%2F20130521_IRS_scandal_may_give_ammunition_to_conservative_groups.html It had become fashionable in certain circles to mock tea party activists for their vocal warnings about the abusive power of government, with jokes, for instance, about tinfoil hats. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:15:03 GMT 1eb90fc15ac5c1d0dd2c0a8cf5621593 2013-05-21T10:15:03Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208249161&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130521_N_J__lawmakers_hear_sharply_different_revenue_predictions.html TRENTON - As the Legislature moves toward adopting a new budget, the Christie administration and a nonpartisan budget analyst offered starkly differing projections Monday of how much revenue the state will take in. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:49:10 GMT c79ba9e5db42fdf910de8b869e5ceea3 2013-05-21T09:49:10Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208249181&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130521_N_J__bid_to_tie_sales_tax_to_open_space_preservation.html TRENTON - A proposal to let voters decide whether to direct a fraction of sales-tax revenues toward land preservation for the next 30 years cleared another hurdle Monday when a Senate committee signed off on legislation to put the question on the ballot this November. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:49:09 GMT 714a1ff7ea6f12119d6106cd5107c2c4 2013-05-21T09:49:09Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208239121&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130521_Casey_promotes_health-care_research_as_job_source.html U.S. Sen. Bob Casey says he doesn't have an answer to the national need for balance in creating health-care financing solutions, but he knows that National Institutes of Health funding helps put and keep jobs in the Philadelphia region. Tue, 21 May 2013 09:11:23 GMT 265ea7c5ca45e426029cc84bd5aaa174 2013-05-21T09:11:23Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323206&44=208236561&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fstate%2F20130521_Judge_says_she_ll_decide_NCAA_suit_within_weeks.html HARRISBURG - A federal judge said Monday that she would decide in a few weeks whether to dismiss a lawsuit by Gov. Corbett against the NCAA over sanctions against Pennsylvania State University stemming from the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. Tue, 21 May 2013 05:18:46 GMT ad03a9c664574b3989cabb4031376fe9 2013-05-21T05:18:46Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323181&44=208246361&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fcity%2F20130521_Primary_Election.html Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. To report problems: Philadelphia 215-686-3462 or phillyelection.com. Bucks 215-348-6154 or buckscounty.org. Tue, 21 May 2013 02:08:08 GMT daa26008675074b6426fe240bd95d104 2013-05-21T02:08:08Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323231&44=208195931&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fcongressional%2FCongressmen_to_Hagel_Where_Are_the_Missing_War_Records.html Mon, 20 May 2013 21:08:59 GMT c602944f609269c83bab1247d6124f29 Sam Wood 2013-05-20T21:08:59Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=192797&44=208107831&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fnj%2F20130520_ap_budgetexpertchristierevenuesoffbynearly1b.html Gov. Chris Christie's revenue projections for the next 13 months are overestimated by nearly $1 billion and could be even worse if some revenue items that are in doubt do not come through, the New Jersey Legislature's budget expert told lawmakers Monday. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:36:51 GMT 2e576864353868611a028c131bc3997e 2013-05-20T20:36:51Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=192797&44=208144581&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fnj%2F20130520_ap_njsenatepaneloksopenspaceballotquestion.html A proposal to let voters decide whether to direct a fraction of sales tax revenues toward land preservation for the next 30 years cleared another hurdle Monday when a Senate committee signed off on legislation to put the question on the ballot this November. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:35:10 GMT 3e8ba5ec12c798547e570a94efe0fd6d 2013-05-20T20:35:10Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=192797&44=208164011&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fnj%2F20130520_ap_njsenateleaderstakejabsatoneanother.html The two most powerful men in the New Jersey Senate are locking horns. Mon, 20 May 2013 20:20:58 GMT e9310f4036ff18bf266fb5f0c4c90ea9 2013-05-20T20:20:58Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=192797&44=208184411&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fnj%2F20130520_ap_njsenatordoesuturnonpaybymileplan.html A New Jersey state senator has turned away from a plan to tax drivers by the mile instead of at the gallon at the gas pump. Mon, 20 May 2013 19:58:01 GMT c6fd1097bb4b4557aaceb986a42c5a56 2013-05-20T19:58:01Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208114291&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2FWhos_accountable_for_funding_Pennsylvanians_for_Accountability_.html Mon, 20 May 2013 19:21:54 GMT c3805fd7bd1bfa82d8160f010e428edd Sam Wood 2013-05-20T19:21:54Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208082221&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2FGOP_has_Benghazi_blood_on_hands.html You know how a magician uses slight of hand to make a trick work? Well, magicians have nothing on the Beltway Republicans. They're as slippery as Turtle Wax. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:56:44 GMT 37a5a09dc4e0e86dbcbfd46a5757b0b3 Bob McGovern 2013-05-20T17:56:44Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208113371&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2FDoes_using_a_church_facility_for_graduation_ceremony_violate_the_Constitution.html Mon, 20 May 2013 17:34:03 GMT b219aa7f0c73433d7c5af0c02879a18d Sam Wood 2013-05-20T17:34:03Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207970191&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_Phila__smokers_and_drinkers_get_ready_for__tax__hit.html The destitute Philadelphia schools are counting on Kevin Sosinavage, and others like him, to come to the rescue by continuing to do what they're doing: smoking and drinking. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:14:33 GMT fa4386c5a3cd8abdbff29c2f21d474fa 2013-05-20T17:14:33Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208087051&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_N_J__developmental_centers_brace_for_huge_change.html TRENTON - With its imposing, Victorian-era buildings and leafy, college-like campus, the Vineland Developmental Center was in its time a state-of-the-art institution for treating young women with complex mental and emotional disorders. Mon, 20 May 2013 17:10:20 GMT 5d2a1cf1bf63f993b69887c87fbc64c6 2013-05-20T17:10:20Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208085901&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_Grassroots_group_wants_Castille_gone.html Can an age issue and past controversies undue the state's chief justice? Mon, 20 May 2013 16:42:03 GMT 50f0bf65523dd0b71d51af2a0c83eca8 2013-05-20T16:42:03Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208086271&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_Phila__Council_to_vote_on_bill_governing_teens__use_of_tanning_salons.html Councilman William Greenlee hopes not to get burnt Thursday when his indoor-tanning bill comes up for a vote. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:14:59 GMT 02af4d75f62abdefdb748ed940877648 2013-05-20T16:14:59Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208089751&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_Obama_encourages_Morehouse_grads_to_serve_others.html ATLANTA - President Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, told graduates of historically black Morehouse College yesterday to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people's lives. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:40:02 GMT ca2cea60e9c9c2cdabb5546fa0cf7818 2013-05-20T14:40:02Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207961341&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_AVI_should_be_just_a_first_step.html The growth-killing Philadelphia tax structure has to change, and now is as good a time as any to start. Taxes have taken center stage in the city with the implementation of the Actual Value Initiative, or AVI as it is commonly called. While this change in the property tax is critical, it is just one component of the burdensome tax system that needs to be modified. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:19:28 GMT dc7c99158661f3603284265a29f0fe09 2013-05-20T14:19:28Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208088961&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_Political_machine_flexing_its_muscles.html With low turnout, labor and the local Democratic Party could hold huge sway in Tuesday's election. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:05:12 GMT 1da7d42a20bc81828acba3483b93ded2 2013-05-20T13:05:12Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208088951&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_A_slap-fest__The_Democratic_primary_for_City_Controller_gets_personal.html Incumbent Alan Butkovitz, seeking a third term, has two spirited challengers Mon, 20 May 2013 12:25:45 GMT c358a8e98adffef2446e111f6fe2c102 2013-05-20T12:25:45Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208109891&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130520_ap_buonotellsnjitsbwohnohnotbonoinnewad.html Name recognition is a problem plaguing the Democrat who wants to challenge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in November. Mon, 20 May 2013 12:22:41 GMT 1cd905eeec2cf83e870be5b3687c3244 2013-05-20T12:22:41Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207969271&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_Phila__controller_s_race_enlivens_a_sleepy_ballot_season.html For any city controller in Philadelphia there is a conflict between the ideal job specifications and the political reality of getting yourself elected. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:37:40 GMT 02dfae640d907c188efde25b5ae9e381 2013-05-20T10:37:40Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208057641&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_ap_apceocallsrecordsseizureunconstitutional.html The president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on Sunday called the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records "unconstitutional" and said the news cooperative had not ruled out legal action against the Justice Department. Sun, 19 May 2013 23:07:28 GMT 92798d74c534fdf3e024818ba4a0f777 2013-05-19T23:07:28Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207947821&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_The_Pulse__At_the_IRS__wrong__but_maybe_explainable.html First the easy part: No one from the Internal Revenue Service should ever have singled out any applicant for disparate treatment based upon party affiliation or ideology. And never should IRS officials have scrutinized only one end of the political spectrum, which in the case of the current scandal involves targeting groups that use the words tea party, patriots, and 9/12 project in their names. Sun, 19 May 2013 22:46:00 GMT c082e0a4cc0e5079b89b615675a345a4 2013-05-19T22:46:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208048211&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_ap_alookatwhythebenghaziissuekeepscomingback.html The night of smoke, chaos, gunfire and grenades that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is well-documented. Eight months later, it is the decisions made back in Washington that remain murky and in perpetual dispute. Sun, 19 May 2013 20:42:35 GMT 476f6a42b5ce79af20d826da2cc84c75 2013-05-19T20:42:35Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208053961&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_ap_obamatospeakonlegalityofdroneprogram.html President Barack Obama will discuss the legality of his administration's secret drone program and other counterterrorm practices during a speech Thursday, a White House official said. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:35:08 GMT 96c90fe0fa63b14f0ed5a4f9734235c0 2013-05-19T15:35:08Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207970161&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_Silicon_Valley_s_unlikely_new_favorite_cause__Gov__Christie.html TRENTON - The hottest new trend in Silicon Valley isn't inventing a gadget, developing an app, or investing in an IPO. Sun, 19 May 2013 15:09:52 GMT 8e94ea4d24a5c1657db16876def82192 2013-05-19T15:09:52Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=208049201&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_ap_aideobamalearnedaboutirsfromnewsaccounts.html A senior White House adviser insists President Barack Obama learned the Internal Revenue Service had been targeting tea party groups "when it came out in the news." Sun, 19 May 2013 14:35:39 GMT 5c519cbd3c0d35f652cdfe183e8a38a8 2013-05-19T14:35:39Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323206&44=208029451&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fstate%2F20130519_Montco_s_Shapiro_laying_groundwork_for_statewide_run.html Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County commissioners and a rising Democratic star, will bypass 2014 races for governor and Congress already congested with ambitious pols and instead launch his own political action committee to try to influence campaigns and issues around the state. Sun, 19 May 2013 14:19:50 GMT 69866905b5847f5f578e137d4273988b 2013-05-19T14:19:50Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=168201&44=207966221&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F20130519_An_official_Wash__state_pot_logo_.html SEATTLE - Officials in Washington state took their first stab Thursday at setting rules for the state's new marijuana industry, nearly eight months after voters here legalized pot for adults. Sun, 19 May 2013 11:01:00 GMT 7ce1122501f95030d607bc973185db7e 2013-05-19T11:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=323181&44=207966011&32=3796&7=195367&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fcity%2F20130519_Tuesday_s_Pa__Primary__What_Voters_Need_to_Know.html Voters across Pennsylvania have only one statewide contest on Tuesday's primary ballot - the Democratic primary for a seat on Superior Court. Sun, 19 May 2013 02:18:22 GMT 5588d1f89d53f0d6b1a9a850bbe34e8d 2013-05-19T02:18:22Z