Press release: Response to John Hanger and Rachel Tabachnick On March 18th Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Max Myers

got his first class in Politics 101. He was scheduled to declare his candidacy for governor at the Wm. Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia and in the capitol rotunda when two teachers entered his political classroom. The first was John Hanger, who felt it important to misrepresent Maxs positions in a press release. He threw down the gauntlet and challenged Max to a debate. To that end, Max says, I would like to commend John Hanger for having the culture of politics embedded so deeply in his character. Does Pennsylvania really need a governor that misrepresents, attacks and challenges their opponent on the day that they are declaring? I had hoped for a higher respect level. The second teacher was Rachel Tabachnick with the Political Research Associates. She released a report connecting Max with what she construed to be a dangerous religious movement. Her intent was to reveal Max as something other than what he claims to be. To this, Max responded: Abortion and gay marriage are social issues that divide our population and focus on toxic partisan politics. I choose to lead this campaign by example and believe that the time has come for Pennsylvanians of all positions to treat each other with consideration and respect. Prolife and prochoice have become divisive labels that cause people to stop listening to one another. I believe that the key to productive conversation about this issue is to bring people together in honor and respect. The best way to respect both the life of the baby and the rights of the woman is for both sides to work together to attack the root of the problem, not the politics of the issue. The bottom line is that I want to move the dialog to the "why behind the number of unwanted pregnancies we see in our society. In reality, we can uphold the law of the land while focusing our attention on the cause of the situation, not the response to the situation. The same is true of gay marriage. It is time for the LGBT community to be given the same respect that we give to all other people groups. In that vein, I will support legislation that gives equal access and equal treatment under the law. William Penn established that all Pennsylvanians are to be treated with honor and respect; I want to reestablish this powerful value for all of Pennsylvania and specifically for the LGBT community.

Prolife and Womens Rights groups have much to contribute to one another. Similarly, traditional values and LGBT groups have much to offer each other. Max simply wants to be able to build bridges between all groups. He realizes that it may seem like entering into the enemy territory, but this is where the problem begins. People who hold values that dont exactly reflect ours are not our enemies. If fact, Max believes that they are more like each other than what they would like to believe. In response to a reference that Rachel made about a book on church leadership he published, Max says, If you are going to believe in God, you might as well believe in one that can actually do something. It was an interesting day of class for Max in Politics 101. He says that he learned two lessons. First, dont ever treat another person the way that you were treated today. Secondly, this is exactly why Pennsylvania needs a governor like Max.