The death knell of Rendell's credibility

When I hear Ed Rendell say things like this, I can't help but wonder just what in the world happened to the guy I so enthusiastically voted for twice to run Pennsylvania. I backed him because he did such a magnificent job as a two-term mayor of Philadelphia, mostly, but that success has not translated into his stewardship of our state.

Quite frankly, I'm not all that impressed with what he has done as governor. He's brought legalized gambling to our state. Ho Boy! Quite frankly, if state Republicans had come up with any sort of formidable candidate in '06 to run against him, I would have considered voting that way, but Lynn Swann was a total joke of a candidate who has accomplished zero in elected office. (I'm still amazed that Republicans thought that just because Swann won Super Bowls as a Pittsburgh Steeler that he would be somehow miraculously be embraced by Pennsylvanians and swept into office. Morons.)

Anyway, Rendell has unabashedly backed HRC to be president, which is certainly his right, but, judging by the footage above, he's been drinking the Hillary Kool-Aid. Fox News, doing a good job of covering Democrats? What a transparent, idiotic attempt to make Obama look bad. Fox has not only done a horrific job "reporting" on Obama (Anyone remember the bogus Madrassa story?), but it's been none-too-kind to the Clintons, either.

Perhaps Rendell has been spending too much time on Philadelphia sports talk shows, and not enough time watching the actual news to really know what's been going on. Whatever the cause of it is irrelevant, though; at any rate, his credibility is all but shot with me.

So far, so good...

I've waited a long time for this night - Rick Santorum has been routed in his bid for re-election to the Senate - he just conceited (okay, just kidding - "conceded") to Bob Casey Jr. Slick Rick's no dummy, though - his speech tonight was very conciliatory in the vein of Al Gore's concession speech following the 2000 election; after all, Santorum wants a political future. I would not at all be surprised to see him run for governor some day, but if he does, he'll have to modify his tone - at present he's on the very far right, and Pennsylvania has many Democrats skeptical of him at best. Thankfully, I won't be living here by the time Ed Rendell's second term is over.

Was this even a race? Ed Rendell gave Lynn Swann a 70s Pittsburgh Steelers-like blowout today, and that was no surprise at all. When you have zero experience holding elected office, it's a tall order running for governor of one of the biggest states in America. I've said it before and I'll say it again - we don't need our own Jesse Ventura - we need real ideas & experience, and Swann had precious little of both. He's a nice guy, but Swann is no governor.

How much joy can a guy handle in one night? Katherine Harris (above) got her ass kicked in her Florida Senate race, getting slaughtered at the polls to Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Sweet - she can go back to her country club life in Florida. Her appearance on MSNBC yesterday had me laughing - "You're all going to be surprised tomorrow," she boasted. Yea, we're all surprised, Harris - surprised that nearly one million people in Florida voted for you. Now that's scary. Your time is up, Katherine, and I couldn't be more delighted. Like many Democrats, I will never forgive or forget the 2000 election. Speaking to that election one more time, how in the world could a sitting Florida Secretary of State co-chair Bush's 2000 Florida presidential election effort? Apalling, and one more reason we need to fix our electoral process.

There are still several U.S. House races I'm following, but so far, it looks like Pennsylvania may contribute to the cause of trying to take the House.

Lots more coming your way...

Lots and lots coming at you today - at least two book reviews, and a whole host of other stuff, so stay tuned. It's like Super Bowl weekend for me - the mid-terms. I've been asking myself why I'm so amped about the coming election.

Okay, the answer's pretty obvious on many levels: the impending defeats of Lynn Swann and Rick Santorum, along with many successful U.S. House races, but also because it's our democracy's last chance to repudiate the policies of this disastrous administration. The '08 race will sort of indicate how the country views Bush too, but less so because he'll be on his way out. By then, he'll be in full-blown lame duck status. This election reflects Bush in power - his party ruling every branch of government. And, it's our chance to stick up our middle finger at him and say, "We've had enough, Mr. President."

My only regret about this election, whichever way it goes, is that I didn't have more time to spend volunteering. I'll never forget 2004 and the wonderful feeling it gave me to get out there and try to make a difference. Here's a few snaps to reminisce:

This is from the Love Park rally where John Kerry appeared with President Clinton; it was the president's first public appearance since his heart procedure in the summer of '04. It was an amazing event - I carried this sign around and it got lots of laughs and even a bit of media attention. I was interviewed by a French newspaper, and I found it on the Web a few days later, and also a Czech paper as well. I guess I wasn't interesting enough for the Inky.

(And for you persnickety curmudgeons out there, yes, Bill Clinton could be secretary of state if was offered the job and he chose to accept it; the SoS is fifth in line for the presidency.)

This is me on election night - exhausted and and exhilarated, but it soon turned to exasperation. But, it was a great ride. I slept less than three hours the night before, so I look a little more refreshed than I felt. I took off the last seven days before the election and helped the Bucks County HQ for Kerry campaign non-stop. The weekend before the '04 election set my personal record for most Red Bulls consumed in a two-day period, a record that stood until my two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals this past June.

Anyway, volunteering is fun, empowering and totally worthwhile. So, wherever we're living in '08, you'd better be ready, Vandra! (She's already expressed lots of enthusiasm for getting out there with me, though.)

My early favorite for the Democratic nominee? Al Gore. This past week's gaffe aside, I'd like to see Kerry step aside. I wouldn't mind seeing a fresh face emerge from the party vis-à-vis Clinton in '92, so we'll see. Two people I really hope don't vie for the Democratic top spot in '08: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I don't believe Obama is ready, yet, but you never know; and Clinton is a much too polarizing figure. Few things drive religious zealots to the polls like a Clinton candidacy, and the press would dig and dig and dig if Hillary made it to the general election, to say nothing of the GOP talking heads. If Hillary got the nomination, I think Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Lielly, Matt Drudge and Ann Coulter would party in the streets for days - their favorite target would be in the spotlight, and they'd all be working overtime on fear and smear to discredit her.

I believe Hillary would make a wonderful president (I really do), but I think I can speak for most Democrats when I say that we not only want a nominee who stands for our party's traditional values and more in '08, but we want a nominee who can win. I'm not at all certain that Hillary is that person, but we'll see. One thing's for sure - I will be out there campaigning for whoever the nominee is. There's lots of damage that needs to be undone, starting noon on January 20, 2009.

So, at this early stage, run Gore, run!

But, first thing's first - it's time for the mid-term pregame show on your favorite blog.

Rendell visits KU, touts education as priority

Ed Rendell paid a visit to KU last Monday, and I had a chance to go see him. I came away mostly impressed.

Rendell touched on a variety of issues, including jobs, Pennsylvania competing for industry and property taxes, but stressed education.

"Before I took office, Pennsylvania wasn't devoting one dime to pre-K education," said Rendell. "I'm happy to say that we now have $55 million [this year] going toward that, and 60 percent of kids are now in full-day Kindergarten."

The governor wasted no time getting to the oft-discussed No Child Left Behind Act.

"There is some good in No Child Left Behind," said Rendell. "I think we need to test every year, because if we only test every three or four years, it may be too late by the time we discover there is a problem. However, [the federal government] gives us no money for remediation."

Rendell brought down the house with a swipe at Bush and his NCLB program: "I think President Bush misread the Bible. It says 'teach thy children well,' but I think he thought it said 'test thy children well.'"

The governor, like any smart politician, had plenty of statistics in his pocket about education to talk at a major university, and he wasn't shy in touting them, citing that the state now provides funding for 184,000 students for after-school tutoring.

After talking education, it didn't take him long to tell the audience why he thinks education is so important.

"During yesteryear, [Pennsylvania] used to have to compete with West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey to attract big business and manufacturing firms, but that was it" he said. "Now, we are competing with Singapore, Korea, China and Germany, and we aren't doing a good job at competing."

Rendell had some pretty damning statistics to back up his points. Last year, the U.S. finished 19th in math aptitude, and 21st in science. Yikes.

"And," said Rendell, hammering home the point, "last year was the first year every that the U.S. patent office had more than 50 percent of its applications coming from foreign companies."

The incumbent governor mentioned a few other statistics that may be of interest to Pennsylvania voters. For instance, when he became governor:

-He was handed a $1 billion deficit from outgoing governor Mark Schweiker

-Pennsylvania has lost $1.5 billion in federal funding since he has been governor

-He compared and contrasted our plight in Pennsylvania with the war in Iraq, which is costing the federal government over $2 billion a week

Not surprisingly, Rendell also mentioned property taxes. This is an issue I know little about, but what he had to say was mildly encouraging.

"For 50 years, every [Pennsylvania] governor promised property tax relief, and I'm the first one to do it," said Rendell.

According to the governor, homeowners who earn less than $44k per year will get a refund on their property taxes - a refund check between $250-975 - this year.

"The property tax relief is great for seniors, and a start for everyone else," said Rendell, stating that the state has cut property taxes by $1 billion this year.

No matter the issue, Rendell's implication was always the same: "I can do more if I had a Democratic House," he said, referring to the Republican controlled Pennsylvania Legislature.

Next Tuesday, perhaps Rendell will get his wish.

I like Rendell, and I voted for him vs. Mike Fischer four years ago, but to be honest, he doesn't strike me as someone who has totally kicked butt in Harrisburg. He's done a good but not great job. I'm a Democrat, so of course I'm more inclined to vote for him, but he's getting my vote as much for my belief in traditional Democratic Party values as for who he's running against; Fischer had no ideas of his own in '02, and this year it's Lynn Swann, who has never held elected office, ever. I'm not one to be inclined to vote for career politicians, but experience does count. Pennsylvania has too much at stake over the next four years to elect a Jesse Ventura.

Honestly, considering his credentials, Swann would not have been courted by the Republicans to oppose Rendell if he had the exact same qualifications as a WHITE candidate. Question that if you will, belittle me if you must, but it's the brutal truth. Swann's candidacy is a clumsy attempt by the Republican Party to court the black vote.

On the under card at the event was Lois Murphy, who is running for Jim Gerlach's seat in Pennsylvania's 6th District. She ran hard last time and is poised to take the seat this time, but not without a fight from Gerlach and the GOP slime machine.

She alluded to Gerlach and the GOP's dirty bullshit tricks in her remarks. "People from [Gerlach's] campaign are calling my supporters, over and over, asking them to vote for me, and people are saying I'm not voting for her if she keeps calling me," she said.

Sounds awfully Karl Rovian, doesn't it?

(Quick aside: Think the phone calling mentioned above is unrealistic? Think again. Allen Raymond, a former GOP consultant, pleaded guilty to dirty tricks during the New Hampshire Senate race in 2002.

A quick experpt from a Washington Post article about it:

Raymond was the first to be sentenced of three men charged after the revelation that Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont were peppered with more than 800 computer-generated calls over a period of 90 minutes on the morning of Nov. 5, 2002.

Firefighters in Manchester, who were offering rides to the polls independently of the two parties, were also targeted, prosecutors said. Police later determined that an Idaho-based firm called Milo Enterprises had been engaged by GOP Marketplace to make automated hang-up calls.

Read the complete Washington Post article Here.)

Anyway, predictably, Lois Murphy's words were not kind about the current leadership in Congress.

"This Congress is not working on one issue that you care about," said Murphy. I found myself nodding in agreement. "They also aren't addressing health care in any meaningful way."

Of course, the Iraq War came up, too.

"Isn't it funny how my opponent Jim Gerlach and Republican Senators are all saying 'we need a change of direction in Iraq' while Congress is in recess,'" said Murphy. "Where were they when Congress was in session? They just talk about it on the campaign trail."

At the end of their remarks, there was a brief question and answer session, where Rendell answered a host of questions on immigration, education, and a few programs I honestly don't know too much about. But, my ears perked up when he was asked a question by a KU student about rising tuition costs.

Rendell bragged that he's been largely been able to hold the line on tuition increases at Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education public universities over the last three years to 1%, 1% and 2%. Embarrassingly enough, he referred to the "13 SSHE schools." Oops - there's 14, governor. Hey, we all make mistakes, like your agreeing to do a sports show for Comcast Sportsnight.

Puleeze Ed, stay in Harrisburg and govern. Hopefully, for four more years.

Murphy has some sage ideas on higher education. She mentioned how the Republicans this past year cut $12.7 billion from the college student loan program. She wants it restored. Murphy outlined three things she would do for higher education - 1. Increase Pell Grant funding, 2. Implement a tax deduction of $10k per year, and 3. Cut the interest rates in half for student loans.

On immigration, Rendell and Murphy both had strong views as well.

"Look, this country was built on immigration, and I haven't forgotten that," said Rendell. "We need a uniform federal policy; it should not be different from state to state. I would like to see a guest worker statute."

Murphy had more to add on immigration, too.

"We haven't enforced the laws on the books," said Murphy, citing the increase in illegal aliens since Bush took office from seven million to 11 million.

"In 1999, there were over 400 sanctions against employers who were hiring illegals," continued Murphy. "In 2005, there were four."

I don't know how accurate those stats are, but they are pretty damning, even if the actual numbers are close to that.

It was good to see the candidates stop at KU, but what I really loved was how packed the room was. I love how the younger generation (sheesh, I really sound old now) seems to be getting very involved in politics. And just in the nick of time - it seems the press dubs every election "the most important election of our lifetime."

I guess that's because every successive election is more important than the last.

This one is no different.

Get out and vote!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 is primary day for voters in Pa. It's time to get out and support candidates of change. Those candidates are Ed Rendell for governor and Bob Casey Jr. for U.S. Senate. Take a look at the pictures and you'll soon see why I feel that way. Their respective opponets, Republicans Lynn Swann and incumbent Senator Rick Santorum, align themselves with the failed policies of the Bush administration. And it's time to soundly and roundly reject this administration, and the best way to do that is the voting booth.

I don't support Rendell and Casey strictly because they are Democrats, but that has a large part to do with it. I support them because they can and I hope they will be effective agents of change here in Pennsylvania and in Congress. Rendell can help Democrats capture the White House in 2008 and hopefully part of Congress in '06 and '08; and Casey can help overthrow the out-of-touch Republican Congress. I'm confident they both will.

Both candidates are not without warts. Rendell hasn't done much in the way of property tax relief, and that's being charitable. He can, should and must do more. The fact that the legislature is ruled by Republicans doesn't help, but an effective governor much reach across the aisle and compromise and help his constituents. If anything, it's again the lesser of two evils. Sure, Swann was and is a likable guy going back to his football days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, for starters, here's a guy who hasn't even bothered to vote in elections. Get more on that story Here, and it's from the Philadelphia Inquirer, not some campaign Website. And his campaign manager's explaination of it was even worse than Swann not voting. To make matters worse, Swann could have just about the best positions on just about everything, but seeing the picture above of him with the president completely turns me off. (It also underscores the fact that if he's foolish enough to align himself with this immensely unpopular president, his candidacy probably is and should be doomed.)

Casey is a pro-lifer, and that's the biggest thing that turns me off about him. But, Santorum is even more of an ardent pro-lifer, so that subject's a wash. Moving on to other topics - Casey is the clear winner. Again, just look at the picture of Slick Rick with Bush above, and you see all you need to see. From his homophobic comments, to his brown nosing the president's decision to slap tarriffs on imported steel to his criticism of Clinton's decision to intervene in Kosovo and his taking part in blocking most Clinton's judicial nominees in the Senate long before Democrats did it to Bush, Santorum's been on the wrong side of many issues, and it's time for him and his fellow Republicans to be relieved of their control in the Senate.

Okay, I'm off my soap box. Whatever your opinion, get out there and vote - it's the right thing to do, and the single biggest thing you can do to bring about change in our country and in your respective state.

Registered but don't know where to go to vote? No matter where you're livin', click Here to find out where to go to click that lever.

-For Pennsylvanians- Not registered to vote? Make sure you register for the hyper-critical fall elections by clicking Here.

By voting, getting informed and even becoming involved in your local, state and national campaigns, you can make a difference and help all of us take back our country, no matter your political persuasion.

Go Big Blue.