Michele Bachmann and more booze for Pennsylvania

Michele Bachmann is the Republican flavor of the week, and a new poll shows her leading the rest of the Republican pack in Pennsylvania, with 23 percent of potential primary voters. That’s ahead of Mitt Romney with 15 percent and former keystone state Senator  Rick Santorum with 13 percent.

I found about the poll by Communications Concepts in the blog of my old buddy from the Daily News John Baer, who’s always worth checking out.

Bachmann is up with a TV ad in Iowa, called “Waterloo.” You can see it in this piece from Politico.com. You’ll notice it doesn’t mention her recent gaffe about Waterloo, Iowa. She proudly told a reporter that John Wayne was from Waterloo, adding, “That’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.”

It’s actually serial murderer John Wayne Gacy who lived in Waterloo.

And we learn from Brad Bumstead of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the state legislature will soon return to the issue of privatizing state stores.

Brad reports that the chief sponsor of the idea, State House Majority Leader Mike Turzai is expected to push legislation calling for 1,200 retail liquor licenses. That’s nearly twice as many as the number of existing state stores, and far more than the 750 in an earlier version of Turzai’s bill.

I’m all for easier and more convenient liquor sales, but it’s ridiculous for the state to reap a big windfall by auctioning off a limited number of retail licenses to the highest bidders. This would restrict the sale of spirits those with the means to purchase a state-chartered monopoly. Can’t believe any true Republican would favor that kind of government control.

I refer to you to my earlier rant on this subject.