Red Reps 12: Babette Josephs, Philly’s Socialist Democrat

Red Reps 11 here.

Babette Josephs

First elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1984, Babette Josephs represents the 182nd Legislative District, which encompasses Center City and South Philadelphia. A senior female Democratic legislator, she has served as the Democratic chairwoman of the House State Government Committee since 2001.

Josephs is responsible for a number of laws and initiatives, including adding to the state Hate Crimes law crimes against a person for his/her sexual orientation. Josephs authored the law that guarantees confidentiality of HIV records. She also helped to pass a law providing for automatic recounts in close state election races.

Josephs has been honored repeatedly for her legislative advocacy and action, receiving such acknowledgement from Smokefree PA, Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition, Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations, Project Vote Smart and Pennsylvania National Organization for Women.

Her current efforts are aimed at increasing state funding for public libraries and the arts, as well as securing adequate and permanent funding for public transit, improving access to health care for low-income working adults, increasing the minimum wage, allowing stem cell research and ending discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals in health care, housing and employment.

Josephs has also been a proud member of the thoroughly discredited  and now re-branded ACORN.

In 2009, a bill introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature to investigate the activities of ACORN, was stalled in the powerful State Government Committee.

The chairman of that committee was State Representative Babette Josephs.

The revelation of Chairman Joseph’s ACORN ties came in a April 3, 2008 hearing of the House State Government Committee. The hearing took place at 9:05 in the morning in room 205 of the Ryan Office Building in the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the upcoming (April 22nd) Pennsylvania primary election preparations with Governor Ed Rendell’s Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pedro Cortes. As Cortes was being questioned by Committee members, there was this exchange, released in the official Committee transcript, between Berks County (Reading) Representative Carl Mantz, a Republican, and Chairman Josephs:

REPRESENTATIVE MANTZ: Yes. In my own county, there have been news reports in my county, Berks County, Lehigh County, in my district and also Philadelphia, about allegations respecting the activities of the ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. And allegations have been made that ACORN and its employees have submitted fraudulent voter registrations. Number one , I guess my question is, is it legal for Pennsylvania, in this state, to compensate individuals or voters, each voter registration that a person — I understand that that’s apparently — I don’t believe that’s — I see Al Masland has left, and I apologize. I’m not as familiar with the statute in that respect.

CHAIR JOSEPHS: Mr. Mantz, we can get the answer to you, but I would like to say that I am a member of ACORN, and they do not do that.

Babette Josephs has also been a member of the US’s largest Marxist organization, and long time ACORN ally,  Democratic Socialists of America.

The January 1990 issue if D.S.A.’s Democratic Left, contained a page 7 list of Democratic Socialists of America members then holding elected public office in the US.

Babette Josephs, Pennsylvania State Rep., Philadelphia, appeared on that list.

Being a member of a Marxist organization is one thing.

Being a Marxist while standing for election on a Democratic ticket is another.

Would Babette Josephs ever have been elected had she stood on a D.S.A. ticket?

Red Reps 13 here

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