Gov. Shapiro’s Silence Strategy | News, sports, jobs

Gov. Josh Shapiro won the election on the issue “come into play.” But since taking office, he has been on the sidelines during game-changing plays – not just a bench warmer, but a silent one.

From energy to education, from elections to scandals at the highest levels, Shapiro, for all his talk, has embraced a strategy of silence.

That silence was on full display this week, when Democratic county election officials voted to openly violate two Supreme Court orders allowing them to count (and now re-count) undated ballots in the tight election between Republican Sen. Dave McCormick. and the incumbent Democrat, U.S. Senator Bob Casey.

Days after news of the violation broke — first locally and then nationally — Shapiro has not said a word about the election law violation that occurred under his watch. Media outlets from the left and right have condemned the open disregard for the rule of law. But Shapiro remains silent, despite his rhetoric about protecting democracy.

His silence is all the more astonishing given his former role as Pennsylvania’s attorney general — the highest law enforcement official in the Commonwealth. In that role, he went to court, ostensibly to fight for election integrity.

But now that two very clear rulings from a Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court offend his partisan ideology, Shapiro’s silence is deafening.

Unfortunately, silence is not new for Shapiro. Just over a year ago, a scandal erupted in his government after his then-Legislative Affairs Minister Mike Vereb resigned after being accused of sexual harassment.

The story of Vereb’s resignation flooded the news, but it would be eight days before Shapiro spoke about it publicly. Worse still, there are still questions about whether Shapiro was aware of the allegations months earlier when they were first made. But Shapiro’s answer: silence.

This cacophony of silence also exceeds Shapiro’s campaign promises.

Who can forget his famous statement on national television? “every child of God” deserves good education. This came just months after his campaign platform included support for school choice.

But despite his pretense as an advocate for school choice, Shapiro didn’t even participate when it came time to play the game. Not only was he silent on school choice in both his first and second state budget speeches, but when he was handed school choice as part of a budget deal, he vetoed it.

On energy production, Shapiro remained silent for more than two years about his true position on Pennsylvania joining the controversial Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGG), a carbon tax and trading program. It wasn’t until he filed suit to remain in RGGI that Pennsylvanians finally learned his real position. On this subject: forget it “come into play.” Shapiro wouldn’t even say which team he was rooting for.

And despite his campaign talk about accelerating the reduction of the CNIT corporate tax rate in Pennsylvania, his budget plans remain mum here as well.

There is a pattern in Shapiro’s silence in particular. On issues where he feels he is winning, he will capture any stage, camera or spotlight. Just think of I-95 (and its endless references to it).

But on issues that could put him in a bad light – the Vereb scandal, issues that could work against his political interests – Dave McCormick’s victory, or issues that could earn him criticism from constituencies he is eager to please – RGGI and the energy industry, CNIT and Pa. corporations, or school choice and teachers union, Shapiro’s game strategy is silence.

It’s rare to accuse a politician of saying too little. And it’s true that Shapiro uses a lot of words. But when it comes to participating in the game, Shapiro prefers silence to actuality “getting things done.”

Matthew J. Brouillette is president and CEO of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, an independent, nonpartisan, 501(c)(6) membership organization committed to improving the economic climate and educational opportunities in Pennsylvania.