On August 19th, a woman that I will identify as Karen sent me over a full memo of additional materials and context on Brooks. Karen does not appear on any other campaign’s payroll, which doesn’t mean she isn’t, but I certainly don’t know her. As she shed more light on who Crooksy is, it’s become clear he’s totally unacceptable.
When Crooksy posted the meme above is significant. Just days after an armed nutbag went into an El Paso, TX Walmart and killed people, there was Crooksy posting pro-gun material. One could say that it isn’t proof of support for the killer, but the fact that it’s material from radicalized right-wing fanatics who do. support killing Latinos and lots of other people, and that didn’t dawn on him at the time as a bad thing is significant. Crooksy posted this in 2019, years before a Congressional run, and frankly before he was even a major labor figure, so while now John Fetterman’s handlers have their hands on him to tell him not to say anything this crazy, this 2019 post by Crooksy is a better representation of who he is. When he didn’t think everyone was looking, he was in favor of right-wing radical propaganda and beliefs. Now that he wants to be your Congressman, you are getting a cleaned up version. Reality is though, he’s a right-wing gun nut.
A bunch of people in Washington and Harrisburg want to sell you a vision of some working class hero that will go “fight for you” in DC. It’s astroturf. God knows who he’ll take from and what he’ll actually believe if you give him a chance to go there. Crooksy is just Fetterman 2.0.
Ok, I’m going to admit two things. The first is, I actually held back the worst stuff about Bob “Crooksy” Brooks, a Congressional candidate in PA-7, to this point. For a while, I felt like maybe it was overkill. You see, I told you that he stiffed his ex-mother-in-law for $55,000, then lost a lawsuit and appeal. Then since he lost and owed over $130k, he just abandoned the property in his divorce settlement and left it to his ex. You see, when I first published it, I really hoped the guy would just not run. He not only announced, but also announced his endorsement from Deadbeat Bernie Sanders and every other person not from PA-7 besides Governor Shapiro. Of course, this guy had promised Governor Shapiro (and even got a newspaper to print), but what’s the truth to him? Once I knew he was getting in, I decided to tell you a bit more about “Crooksy,” mainly that he’s a militant religious and gun nut that aligns with the 3%’ers. Then, the “working class hero” that stole from his mother-in-law decided to not even attend Labor Day Celebrations with other unions, despite being a statewide union President. He’s just lazy, frankly. Others alluded to that before. Yes, the guy is a deadbeat that stiffed his mother-in-law, it’s not even my opinion. Two courts in Pennsylvania found it. Yes, he’s a right-wing nut. Frankly though, I sat on some stuff. Criticisms from an Allentown Fire Fighter in the political spectrum made me think twice. Sure, this guy is a bum. However, I can’t tell you the last time the Fire Fighters Union and I disagreed on a major campaign. Frankly, I was conflicted.
Well, now I’m not. The other night I ran into a longtime, lifelong friend at the Phillies-Mets game, I’m talking someone who came to see me in the hospital after they chopped off my leg. He’s a fire fighter for a city in the Lehigh Valley, not an overly political guy, and he asked me a question that cut like a thousand knives- are you anti-fire fighter? I had spent three hours waiting in line at a fire fighter’s viewing the night before, I spent my early, formative years in politics organizing with fire fighters in Iowa for Presidential campaigns. Not only was it such a cut at me, to say that through a personal friend? Blaspheme. I guess I was only a friend to this particular union leadership when they didn’t support a deadbeat. Fine.
So here’s where I admit the second part- I held back all the stuff where Bob Brooks really shows you who he is. Bob “Crooksy” Brooks not only stiffed his mother-in-law, his internet history is a horrendous dumpster fire of far-right wing radical rhetoric. Not only did he post about wanting school prayer and guns on demand, “Crooksy” posted the above straight up racist bullshit. Post the 13 stars? That’s one thing. To do so and then make a point to attack Colin Kaepernick directly during the “Black Lives Matter” and kneeling controversies? Bob Brooks is showing you here who he is. He was not yet a candidate for Congress when he put this out. In fact, he hadn’t even staged his coup to be the State President of the Fire Fighters yet. Bob Brooks holds views on race that are way out of line with most civilized people, not just liberals. Most of my Republican friends wouldn’t even post this.
There’s a lot more coming about this “douchebag,” as he called Kaepernick (I don’t even really like Kaepernick, the guy openly says he didn’t vote in 2016, but this is outrageous.). Since his friend in Allentown claims I did this at the behest of a certain candidate, I will go ahead now and confirm that this came from another campaign’s opposition research people, not those of Lamont McClure (he is not paying this individual supplying it, nor is anyone on his behalf.). Later on I will post whole memos on him. Bob Brooks is in way over his head here. There’s a reason even some of his friends called him “Crooksy.” I wonder if they knew just exactly who he was? Do we think Lt. Governor Austin Davis knew he “Crooksy” was?
I’ve had lots of jobs — bartender, Teamster, union leader, 20-year firefighter.
Now, the biggest problem we face is a Washington that burns working people. I’m running for Congress in one of the closest districts to take on the billionaires and big corporations holding us back. pic.twitter.com/KAyxPYYzVz
I remember the 2022 primary very well. A bunch of leftists in Philly and Pittsburgh running around Pennsylvania telling us that John Fetterman was exactly what we needed. He was going to be a fighter, for us. We needed an “authentic, blue collar fighter.” Pennsylvanians were dying for this guy that “doesn’t look like a politician.” The fact that all of the insiders were endorsing Conor Lamb and not siding with Fetterman was only more proof that he was who we needed now. Many of us raised questions. Even some of his opponents raised questions about what kind of guy he was. The progressive network in the big cities knew best though. I hated that he was our nominee, but eventually I voted for him, mostly because I think Dr. Oz is a jackass. There are days I really wish I had left that line blank.
I don’t mind that Fetterman is moderate, or that he supports Israel. I do too, to some extent. I mind that he was a fraud. He sold himself as some leftist/progressive champion, a blue collar guy from Braddock. He was no champion of the left, and he’s realistically just a trust fund kid that picked a tough blue collar town to launch his career in. It was a complete bait and switch. He wasn’t lying to me, I knew he wasn’t good. I still don’t like that he hoodwinked other people.
Well, meet Bob Brooks, now a candidate for PA-7’s Democratic nomination to Congress. Bob Brooks wants you to know that the Democratic Party forgot how to talk to working class people before he came along. Sound familiar? Yes, watch the Fetterman commercial above. It’s the same damn message, verbatim. That’s not shocking. Brooksy is literally using the same team that created the Fetterman myth. They want you to believe that he’ll come along and be different. Brooks, like Fetterman, will be a working class hero who fights for the little guy. Brooks, like Fetterman, is endorsed by Bernie Sanders. He even has the tacit Harrisburg insider support that Fetterman had when he was sitting Lt. Governor. If you just took Brooksy out of his own ads and had John Fetterman do them, there would be no skipping a beat. They both even tell you about how the steel mills left their towns (Brooks had no steel mills in his actual neighborhood). Similarly, neither actually ever did anything about it for those steelworkers, unlike opponents of their’s. Hell, Fetterman chased a black guy down the street with a shot gun because he thought he was shooting a gun- Brooksy probably agreed, he’s right with the 3%’ers on arming everyone. John Fetterman and Bob Brooks are basically the same guy, minus well…
You might be saying to yourself, “okay Rich, but Fetterman won his race.” Yes, he did, and at least for two years that was helpful on some basic level. The main difference is that John Fetterman didn’t stiff his former mother-in-law for $55k. Crooksy? Yeah, he did. Yeah, he never paid it back either. Look, it only took a few internet clicks to find. If I could do that, what will the NRCC and their allies do to defend a seat they paid tens of millions of dollars for? By the time it’s Labor Day in 2026, they will have portrayed him as the symbol of elder abuse and fraud in America. Hell, they’ll probably say he took the $55k to Wind Creek and gambled it all away while he was supposed to be on the clock working. Is it fair? Probably not. They’ll embellish the actual shitty thing he did and make it a new inquisition. Sure, Fetterman was a mess by the Fall of 2022, but he was running against a quack who made a fool of himself every time he spoke. Mackenzie just won’t speak. Problem solved for them. The Republican media machine will beat this guy over the head so badly with his transgressions that he’ll have to pick up and move after the race. That’s how politics are.
This is the choice that Democrats have to face on Brooks. Under the best case scenario, you get a carbon copy of the John Fetterman who mislead you on who he was and disappointed you as a Senator. These guys say the exact same things at the behest of the exact same people, even down to the talking points about “corporate pac money” and “stock trading” that neither of them is going to do shit about in Congress. And that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario? You’re nominating a “deadbeat” that the Republican Party will beat to death with the negatives that could be found without a Lexus Nexus account. You tell me what’s worse?
I do hate picking up the phone, but every once in a while I do it, and hear some interesting rumors. The latest one has nothing to do with PA-7 (thank god), but instead has everything to do with the 18th State Senate District. The district is all of Northampton County besides the Northwest corner, and the portion of Bethlehem City in Lehigh County. Since 1998, that district has belonged to Senator Lisa Boscola, and she generally wins by a lot. For most of the last six decades (58 years), the seat has either been held by Jeanette Reibman or Boscola. It has been competitive like once in my lifetime, when Joe Uliana won the seat by like 2 votes over Bob Freeman, entirely because of the 1994 Republican wave. Otherwise it’s basically been the two Democratic women beating the bejesus out of whoever runs against them.
Senator Boscola isn’t a big favorite of progressive activists, but she has been highly effective at securing resources for the communities in her district. Her moderate tendencies make her very hard to beat in a general election that is centered in heavily moderate Northampton County. Reportedly though she has finally ruffled enough feathers to draw fire from her left. Lehigh County Commissioner at-large Jon Irons is reportedly considering primarying Boscola in 2026. Irons has been a favorite of the progressive community, and reportedly there are people encouraging him. Irons was born in Ecuador, raised in suburban Chicago, and moved here when his wife took a job at Lehigh, about a decade ago. From his website, he tells us “what he cares about and loves:”
Outside of work, I have been a committed volunteer with a number of social justice organizations. I have collected signatures in support of inclusionary zoning in Allentown, hosted city council debates, and volunteered for a number of political campaigns including Greg Edwards for Congress in 2018. Most recently, I have served as a member-leader with Lehigh Valley Stands Up where we have supported candidates for local office, organized ballot initiatives in Lehigh County and Allentown, and built a restorative, relational organizing community of working class resident’s committed to change through building political power.
I am also an avid photographer, bird watcher, and musician. I enjoy hiking in the many parks and trails throughout the county. I bike the D&L trail north and south, and I walk my dog, Dingo, every day in our West Bethlehem neighborhood. The Lehigh Valley has so much to offer, and I’ve enjoyed building and working for my community in every way I can to make a caring, empathetic, connected, and sustainable world.
Anyone is welcome to run for any office they want. From my vantage point though, the map is not in his favor here. For one, he is way, way behind in name recognition in this district, because he has only represented the West Bethlehem voters. The other thing I see here is that he represents a considerably more progressive county than Northampton, and some of his past positions would be a very hard sell to that electorate. In particular, I think his positions on immigration and crime would probably be under water in the primary, let alone a general election in Northampton County. On the flip side, if the primary electorate is feeling positive about Carol Obando-Derstine in the Congressional primary, they have very similar stories as immigrants, highly educated people, and progressives. The biggest problem here? Money. The general public likes Senator Boscola. Not only would Irons, or anyone else, need to introduce themselves and build up some name recognition with voters who don’t know them, they also would have to change the public’s mind about Boscola. In the past I’ve told people who bring this up that they would need $600k if Boscola doesn’t decide to spend against them, just to compete. I’ve got news though- Senator Boscola would absolutely spend to get her message out. That probably means it would take north of a million bucks to have a chance. I don’t see that money coming in the Lehigh Valley.
The interview process with the five candidates was done by union members in Pennsylvania. According to at least one former public sector union employee with knowledge of that room, the people doing the interview were not super impressed with Crooksy, but they liked Carol Obando-Derstine a lot. Now I’m a little bit surprised there on the one hand, because no other major union has backed Carol so far, but a lot of her message does overlap with the message of SEIU, so I tend to believe it. If the folks who actually did the interview had votes that mattered to the fat cats and big whigs, they were going to be the very first union to endorse Carol in this race. Apparently the folks in the interview don’t have votes that matter though.
Apparently in the conversations to get deadbeat Bernie Sanders to endorse Crooksy, the question of who else would come out and endorse him on day one came up. Bernie allied Congressman Chris Deluzio followed him into the race, just like he followed him out here for a rally (Note dude- this is not going to get you elected statewide, but cook bro.). The Governor had apparently decided to not get involved, but was willing to offer up the Lieutenant Governor as a consolation prize. The IAFF was in, because it would be absolutely hilarious if they didn’t back their own statewide President. But Bernie wanted a little more cover. Apparently the Sanders political operation has very good relations with SEIU’s political operation these days. One conversation lead to another, and the SEIU folks down in DC leaned their weight on the SEIU folks in Pennsylvania, and Carol lost her only labor endorsement to the man called Bob “Crooksy” Brooks.
Meet union busting, carpetbagger Republican Ryan Crosswell. I’m sorry you have to, but he and his rich Republican friends are trying to buy him a seat in Congress. His manager claims PA-7 is accepting him with open arms, but every single donor he has but one was from outside of the district. Of course, if his manager has his way, you probably don’t really understand where the district is. Honestly, if you listen to Crosswell’s out-of-touch manager, you might actually believe the sky is green.
Crosswell’s manager either doesn’t know that Pottsville is not in the 7th Congressional District, or doesn’t want you to know it’s in the 9th District. Just read the response he gave to attacks on his lack of any connection to our community.
Grimshaw added Crosswell was a “lifelong Republican that suddenly changed his thinking and became a Democrat to run in our district… [and] to my knowledge, until recently, he never even lived here.”
Worob noted Crosswell grew up in Pottsville.
“Like a lot of Pennsylvanians, Ryan left the state for public service. He joined the Marine Corps, then served as a federal prosecutor,” Worob said.
“He has spent his life serving his country, because that’s what people from here do — they put others before themselves. And like many people who leave Pennsylvania to serve, he decided to come home when his service was over.
“The people of the Lehigh Valley and this district have welcomed him with open arms.”
Again, who the hell is welcoming him with open arms? All of his donors don’t live here and absolutely no one is endorsing him. Second, Ryan Crosswell did not “come home” to the Lehigh Valley. After the Marines, Crosswell moved to North Carolina to bust unions, then to Louisiana to do some Prosecuting, and then to Washington, DC to do Donald Trump’s bidding. This guy didn’t “come home,” he’s almost certainly never been to Jimmy’s Hot Dogs, or went to a show in the old “Croc Rock,” or spent an evening taking in the salad bar at the Bethlehem Diner. His home is Pottsville. That’s not here. In fact, it’s a bit of a ride.
Then there’s the whole matter of Crosswell busting unions. Here’s what his guy had to say:
“Ryan worked at a large law firm early in his career, and left that job over a decade ago to join the Department of Justice where he protected our country from fraudsters, pedophiles and corrupt politicians until the day that Donald Trump tried to force him to drop a case against one of his cronies,” Worob said in a prepared statement.First off, Crosswell started buying domains for a Congressional campaign years before Eric Adams was even charged with a crime. Potato, Poh-tat-oh, right? But let’s talk about what Ryan Crosswell says he did at Littler-Mendelson:
McClure noted candidate and former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell‘s work with Littler Mendelson — “the largest union-avoidance law firm in the United States,” according to McClure, who is Northampton County executive.
“This firm made millions helping corporations crush organizing efforts,” he said. “That’s not someone who shares labor’s values or belongs in a Democratic primary.”
Crosswell’s campaign manager Noa Worob said Crosswell never worked on a case that involved union busting.
Here’s the truth though- Crosswell got out of law school and took a job at a firm that does major union busting activities. He literally says he didn’t bust unions, he just sued employees to enforce non-compete agreements that are straight up predatory in nature. It’s disgusting. Of course when Crosswell went to that firm, he registered to vote as a Republican. He registered as a Republican in North Carolina before the 2012 Election, probably helping Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama there. Then he moved to Louisiana and registered as a Republican there, voting in their 2016 Republican Primary and in the general election- I’d love to know who he voted for in that Republican Primary. Then he took a job from Donald Trump and registered as a Republican in Washington, D.C. as Trump enacted the Muslim ban, appointed judges who overturned Roe v. Wade, and eventually attempted a coup on January 6th, 2021 to overturn an election. He voted in the 2020 Election as a Republican and stayed registered as a Republican even when Trump was trying to overturn our democracy and his allies on the Supreme Court were taking away a woman’s right to choose. According to the latest voting records I saw, Crosswell didn’t even return his ballot for the 2024 Election. Then he’d like you to know he became very angry and left the GOP. Honest to God.
In plain English, Ryan Crosswell worked at one of the largest union-busting law firms in America. At that firm, he says he tried to enforce predatory agreements against low wage workers to prevent them from moving jobs. He registered as a Republican multiple times, including after Trump was elected President, and voted in Republican Presidential Primaries and in general elections as a Republican. Crosswell lived everywhere but in the Lehigh Valley, and this was never his home at any point in his life.
Ryan Crosswell is a Republican. Ryan Crosswell is a carpetbagger. Ryan Crosswell screwed over the working man. He’s really hoping you’re too dumb to realize that.
This guy, who fashions himself a big labor leader, and is banking on essentially usurping the labor support of other candidates, didn’t even want to go hang out with the union people. Sure, he raised a decent amount (less than Crosswell) on his launch, but that was pushed to him by DCCC employees and Deadbeat Bernie’s friends. This guy has no idea what it takes to campaign and win a seat. This fire is too big for Crooksy, and he will prove that to you, again and again.
Well, let’s try again. This is like the fourth time that Bob Brooks has been set to announce he’s entering the race for Congress. Maybe this time he means it. Then again, now that I’m writing it, I doubt it. But he’s supposed to announce his candidacy today though.
Bob Brooks is president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a small business owner. He served more than 20 years as a firefighter and EMT for the city of Bethlehem before retiring in March. He has taken on many public safety leadership positions locally and statewide, including on Governor Josh Shapiro’s transition committee on emergency management as a member of the Pennsylvania State Fire Advisory Board. He has coached many levels of baseball in the community, most recently at Nazareth Area High School. Do you find this a very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not a convincing reason to vote for Bob Brooks?
I dunno, I feel like the buzzwords “firefighter,” “small business,” and “Shapiro” were enough positives, but baseball coach didn’t move anyone? Yet no one seemed to care.
While this seems foolish to me, others disagree. According to reports, SEIU will be endorsing rather quickly in this race. After weeks of claiming the Governor will endorse on day one, reports are now that he will not endorse at all in this race. In the least shocking news of the race, the IAFF will reportedly switch their endorsement to their brother in arms, as they actually should. If you listen to at least one of their leaders though, they’re switching because I was too mean to the guy here. I doubt I actually hurt someone’s feelings if they’re tough enough to run into a fire, but politics is a contact sport. Toughen up, buttercup.
At the top I posted a screenshot of the text message Brooks agreed to send on the behalf of his now opponent, Lamont McClure, endorsing him earlier in this race. One line really stands out for me, because it explains exactly why this cynical candidacy shouldn’t get off the ground:
“I know a thing or two about putting out fires, but the one going on in the Republican-controlled Congress is too big, even for me.”
Out of town Republican running for the Democratic Congressional nomination Ryan Crosswell found Northampton County over the weekend to meet the Democrats there and ask for their support for him for Congress. Good for him honestly. Unfortunately, I hear it went very badly. One candidate called him an opportunist in her speech, for which she is spot on. Another noted his “in-artful use of a political metaphor.” I’m down the beach this week and didn’t get to see the bumbling, blunder filled speech, so I asked some people what he said. Apparently he claimed he’s been fighting the nomination of Emil Bove to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Now of course that’s silly- Crosswell is no longer at the Justice Department, after “bravely” cutting and running from his former post, he’s also not a Senator or staffer dealing with the nomination, and there’s no public record anywhere of him leading some kind of protest. I’m glad he opposes Trump’s henchman for the nomination, but based on what? He’s opposed to unions too. Neither one left Trump after his flunkies attacked the Capitol on January 6th. Both of them were fine with Trump when the high court struck down Roe v. Wade. Based on their long held Republican views, when Crosswell registered as a Republican in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Washington D.C., I would presume Mr. Crosswell is for this nomination. I guess he’s not though, this time. Maybe there’s a primary coming up, or something.
I’m pretty sure that if I told you Bob Brooks was entering the race for Congress on say, tomorrow, he’d push back his announcement. I guess it’s something I said. While he reportedly has lined up SEIU, his own union, and the DCCC, he’s now delayed for over a month and a half since initially telling people he would enter. Coincidentally, not much that was initially promised has happened either. The Governor called no one to ask them to drop out, and sources around the Governor claim that never happened. Not coincidentally, they have not pushed anyone out. Two sources within Shapiro land adamantly claim he will not endorse in the Democratic Primary. Even so, Brooks-watch has outlasted several Trump scandals now.
It is clear that Brooks hired a paid media team, and now two separate sources relay that he has hired staff. He has hired a manager who managed a Congressman that recently flipped a long time red seat in a neighboring state. He has also apparently hired a finance director who will also serve as Deputy Manager. He is taking on some significant payroll with his hires before he even enters and raises any money. Everyone better hope that Brooks raises money the way some folks initially were told he would, and not at the “$175-200k” level that they’re now downplaying expectations to for him. Maybe they’re worried that Democrats won’t like him?
I can’t see how this works out. I can’t imagine how anyone else thinks so either. The more I think about this, the more I think this is about taking votes from other “local” candidates and helping the union-busting, carpetbagger Republican win the primary, and making a few folks some money along the way. While the “local” candidates fight each other for scrap money, he keeps raising money from his fat cats everywhere else. Then when the primary actually comes, he out spends everyone. Brooks cuts into McClure’s Northampton vote by just enough. Boom, the DCCC gets the candidate they actually wanted, one who can raise his own money. They’ve decided that’s the most important thing a nominee can have here. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say money isn’t very, very important. I’m just saying I’m amazed now that we have a gun nut entering the race with supposed Beltway approval, and we already literally have a Republican running in the Democratic Primary. Even a decade ago this wouldn’t fly. Here we are though.
Apocalypse Vibes 