On the Dem party bosses who think working-class is a costume …
The “Smartless” and “This Past Weekend” podcasts. The “no thoughts just vibes” movement. Casual shitposting. Bad grammar and typos as rich-dude aura.
Being stupid — or acting stupid — seems to excite powerful kingmakers in politics these days.
Democrats in the Lehigh Valley and Carbon County are being subjected to a barrage of political ads for Bob Brooks, Carol Obando-Derstine, Lamont McClure and Ryan Crosswell.
But of the four, only Brooks is being pushed by Democratic leadership in Washington DC and Gov. Josh Shapiro as a kind of lefty Joe the Plumber.
Something feels off about that. I’ve been hovering around Democratic circles in Northampton County for about 10 years, and I don’t know a soul who supports or really seems to know Brooks, although I know they’re out there, and I’ve been getting more and more texts from them every day.
Credit: BobBrooksforCongress.com
All the people trying to shove Brooks down our throats—Shapiro, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene, even Bernie Sanders—possess elite educational pedigrees themselves, unlike Brooks. Ranging from the Choate School to University of Chicago and Georgetown Law, they’re not remotely working-class themselves, and they’ve demonstrated little interest in this corner of Pennsylvania. Which makes the Brooks candidacy feel like concocted ick.
Our democracy is rapidly deteriorating. Washington DC is awash in staggering corruption. We’re in a hot-cold war. The economy remains in turmoil.
To this crisis, here’s what “he’s just like you Bob” brings, according to his campaign website. He’s had “a lot of jobs – bartender, landscaper, baseball coach, Teamster.”
That’s working-class glaze. We all respect hard work, but if landscaper and dishwasher (which I myself did “professionally” for years) are supposed to win my vote, you better work harder, peoples. And I don’t know if I would count baseball coach as a job, OK? But that’s just me.
Who wouldn’t respect Brooks’ history as a firefighter or union leader? No one. But sorry, not enough for Congress.
Brooks’ dishwasher/landscaper resume is actually similar to half the 20-year-old men I know. What’s Brooks going to do the next time our country has to confront China? Threaten to mow President Xi Jinping’s lawn?
These are serious times and we need serious candidates, not stylized wish fulfillment.
Many of the Lehigh Valley communities for whom working-class is a reality want to see their children vaulted the heck out of the working-class. Who can blame them? They actually value rigorous education and moral character—and social justice. Not dishwasher drag.
Educators, health-care and social workers, creative classes, tech folks—many of them worked hard to get where they are so they didn’t have to wash dishes for a living. They want a political message of aspiration, not a races to the bottom.
Former Northampton County Exec Lamont McClure has more friends in Saucon Valley than Brooks, Crosswell or Obando-Derstine, but beyond our part of town, McClure has strong support in urban areas of Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown.
McClure doesn’t try to dress down. In his off-the-shelf sport jackets and slightly ruddy face, he often comes across like a high school football coach.
Lamont McClure: Screen grab from Jan. 22, 2026 PBS “Meet The Candidate” broadcast
I remember when I was elected to Saucon Valley school board along with five other Democrats, and McClure privately expressed his relief that no Saucon children were going to have books banned in our district. Elections matter. He was right. There haven’t been books banned or publicly (and stupidly) denigrated, as we saw in Nazareth a few years ago.
The crazies have been held at bay, and if they ever do show up, we will meet with head-on with rational arguments.
As someone who sometimes writes books, I admired McClure’s sentiment and felt flattered by it. It was obviously sincere. The dude may wear cheap suits, but he cares about education. That’s what I care about, too.
That some of his anti-Brooks campaign material reflects the deeper concerns of McClure’s base of support (issues like crime, MAGA vibes, racism) should surprise no one. McClure is nothing if not protective of his friends. He pulls no punches.
This is a tough primary for local Dems. Two of the most intelligent people I know in my personal life are McClure fans. Unlike anyone I know, I like Crosswell a lot … and I also like Lamont. Several local officials in Saucon Valley have endorsed McClure.
I didn’t endorse anyone, but I donated to Crosswell and McClure because, very simply, I think they’re more qualified for Congress than their competitors during our country’s current state of crisis, and sorry, but what Shapiro and Sanders and other far away Democrats think doesn’t matter to me. What my neighbors and loved ones think does.