Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Jim O'Toole): A lot of people vote for President or any other office on a kind of visceral level. ... In particular, how might Governor Palin play in Pennsylvania?"Well, first of all, let me say that it should be embarrassing to the Republican ticket that Jim Davis, Senator McCain's campaign manager, said this election's not about issues.
"Good Lord, with all the challenges facing America, the deterioration of the American economy, it has to be about issues. With 47-48 million Americans without health care, it has to be about issues.
"They don't want to talk about issues because they know, when the truth comes out about issues, the American people's support of Senator Obama is going to be overwhelming. So they try to make it about 'tax and spend' and all that stuff, and at the same time, they try to attack Senator Obama personally.
"Let me give you an example. They say that Senator Obama is too inexperienced to be President, but Governor Palin, because of her executive experience, as the mayor of a small, 9,000 person, town and as Governor of Alaska for twenty months, has that executive experience.
"Well, I refer you to a campaign document that they put out when Tim Kaine, the Governor of Virginia, was being considered for Vice President. They attacked Governor Kaine's inexperience. They said he was unfit to be president because he had only been mayor of the 105th largest city in the country - Richmond. So they derided Richmond because it was the 105th largest city. I think Governor Palin was mayor of the 50,000th largest city in America. They derided Governor Kane because he's been Governor of Virginia for less than - more than - two years. Virginia is one of the twenty most populous states in the union. Governor Palin has only been Governor for twenty months of a state that is in the bottom ten in terms of population. So if it's fair game for him to say that Governor Kaine was not qualified, given his credentials, then clearly Governor Palin is unqualified. She doesn't have the experience to be President and it's their words. You all received that press briefing or should look it up and juxtapose it with Governor Palin's experience.
"They try to obscure the facts about Governor Palin.
"'She's a reformer. She's against earmarks.' Well, no, she isn't. When she was mayor of that little town, she hired lobbyists and got plenty of earmarks.
"'She's a reformer. She was against the bridge to nowhere.' Well, not exactly. She was for the bridge to nowhere at first.
"'She's a tax cutter and budget balancer.' Well, she left her little town in greater debt than when she became mayor. So she's not exactly a budget balancer.
"You could go on and on and on. Make no mistake. I know her from the National Governors' Association. I like her. She's a good person. I think she has tremendous potential, but she in no way, shape or form is ready to be President of the United States.
"That's something you gotta' get across to the American people. We gotta' get across the true picture of the things Governor Palin has done and what she hasn't done.
"She's a reformer, yet she's being investigated on charges that she used her power as Governor to have - to try to order a Cabinet secretary to fire someone who went through a messy divorce with a relative of hers.
"Can you guys imagine in Pennsylvania, if I did the same thing, you'd be calling for my impeachment.
"So, I think you gotta' keep trying to get the facts across. And even a visceral attack dog like we are talking about, dissipates."
Blogger's Note: Rendell fires staffer Chuck Ardo at least once every other week.
28 comments:
Wait. We can impeach Rendell? Well, how do we start?
Wait. We can impeach Rendell? Well, how do we start?
Mr. Rendell> Did you not replsce all of the previous cabinet members including the posistion you gave to Donald Cuningham.I believe all Pa. Governors replace the Pa. State Police Commisinor
Mr. Rendell> Did you not replsce all of the previous cabinet members including the posistion you gave to Donald Cuningham.I believe all Pa. Governors replace the Pa. State Police Commisinor
Can't wait to see how the neo-lunatics attack Rendell for speaking the truth. I'll bet there'll be a "Fast Eddie" or "have another cheesesteak" thrown in there because this election is not about issues. And Mr. O'Hare, what's your point about Rendell firing a staffer? That he has a hot temper? I admit, it's a humorous juxtaposition, but don't compare that trait with positions, beliefs, decisions and vendettas that affect an entire state. Or in the case of women, an entire gender.
Ed Rendell is an ethical oil slick who has no standing on issues of good government. Fast Eddie, Special Ed, Cheessteak Eddie. All distract from the mess he's made of this state while businesses run away as fast as they can. He's been an unmitigated disaster.
Palin's speech in which she says the invasion of Iraq is the nation's "task from God" can be viewed on CNN.com today, it's linked from a story about her 20-year membership in the Pentacostal Church.
PS: Palin's "Iraq crusade" speech was made in June, 2008.
"And Mr. O'Hare, what's your point about Rendell firing a staffer? That he has a hot temper? I admit, it's a humorous juxtaposition,"
It was done for humor and bc Rendell fires people all the time. I admire Rendell.
I would have commented earlier but the county's wonderful screening system is blocking comments again. Rendell and Obama should just say right out, yes, she's kinda hot but she, like Bush, is clueless about running a country unless maybe it's Bolivia or something of the like. The country elected Bush because they figured he was a good old boy and what the heck, how much damage could he do.
Well needless to say, alot. Now they want to do the same. Put nice guy McCain(who by the way barely made it out of the naval academy) and a soccer mom into the White House. Amazing! Are these people taking stupid pills or what??
"Anonymous said...
Mr. Rendell> Did you not replsce all of the previous cabinet members including the posistion you gave to Donald Cuningham.I believe all Pa. Governors replace the Pa. State Police Commisinor"
1. Mr. Rendell did not fire ANY Cabinet Secretaries, they served and then moved on to other positions for one reason or another. Very rarely does any person serving in a Cabinet position, stay for the entire 2 terms of a sitting Governor.
2. Ms. Palin is accused of having her Cabinet Secretary fire an EMPLOYEE because of a relative's divorce - that is an altogether different scenario. Which is illegal, if proven - but that will be the difficult part.
Sarah Palin:
a. Was the Mayor of a town about the size of Hellertown, and she started her term as mayor with a town that had no debt and she left her town in millions of dollars in debt, yet she is touted as a fiscal conservative. What does George Costanza say? "If you believe it Jerry, it's not a lie." The wingers believe that if they say it enough, the American public will believe it.
b. Is Governor of an area SMALLER than the Lehigh Valley. Would you vote for any one of our Valley leaders to be a heart's beat away from the Presidency, right now, with no other experience? Charlie, Don, Stoffa, any of the Mayors? of course not.
c. Has inquired about banning books at the local library. Inquired?!!? What kind of person inquires about book banning? Hitler? Stalin?
I tell you Bernie, if any of those things concerned any politician in the Lehigh Valley you would have crucified them.
She's hot and she read a very well written speech, very well. I will give her that.
BUT, I will not give her my vote.
It's funny to see the dust being picked through to indict Sarah Palin, when the Liberal Lion who left a Pennsylvanian to die in his submerged car is worshiped by the left. If Sarah Palin had aborted her latest offspring and bragged about it, she'd likely be a hero. Instead she's a nutty baby cultist and Ted Kennedy is a god. Sick.
It has to do with her not even being remotely qualified, which she is not..Everytime the right wing feel their candidate is being
justifiably challenged they resort to name calling. I agree with the two REPUBLICAN strategists who were caught on an open mike. She is a gimmick, period..
The question is who's baby is it? You will be reading more about that soon. Those family value Republicans just can't help themselves can they.
I like how rape victims in her town had to pay for their own rape kits. Check that fact out. While O'Hare stares at her legs, some of us are trying to get real information about her.
Congratulations 8:35 PM you just won today's Worst Person in The World Award!
We can't wait to hear back from you on your big scoop!
Anon 8:35,
Factcheck.org has an excellent analysis of all the stories swirling around about Governor Palin. Sliming Palin discounts all of the more vicious stories.
If you are still asking wuestions about the baby, you're hopeless.
With the VP nod given to Palin by John McCain, Senator McCain's new label should be "reckless". She remains silent to all of us, sticking to a script written from the play book of the Republicans which know how to shift the focus from issues to personalities. By keeping the American voter in the dark about his VP selection, he is as reckless a politician as he was a pilot. He well may stick us with a President Palin who speaks to us in tounges and sends our citizens off to fight in faraway places for what she believes are voices she hears from above. Senator, let us talk to her.
Franly, I bet annon 8:35 has already received an offer from Fox Noise or WAEB.
palin makes rendell look like the ineffectual sleazeball he is. he couldn't carry her rifle on his best day (he'd likely get hurt).
Palin is a face and a pair of legs on an ultra right wing talking point. How about all those per diems she took while in her own home.
Never mind, as O'Hare says he likes, her shes differnet. She has the Stoffa factor, incompetent but oh so lovable.
Anon 10:59,
Here's the problem. When you set out to slime someone, you should have your facts right. According to that conservative rag, The New York Times, that is the common practice in Alaska, especially given the distances between homes and jobs.
What she really did was reduce her commuting costs 80% below that of her predecessor. She sold the state plane, flew coach and drove herself to work.
If you want to criticize her conservative views, that's fine, at least if you can manage to get your facts right. But all of these slime attempts are just making her look better and Dems look pretty desperate.
Just a note. Better double check on the plane, Alaska still owns it. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt the lovefest.
Better double check on the plane, Alaska still owns it
Wrong again. Like I said, if you want to slime her, get your facts right. The plane did not sell on ebay, but it was sold in Aug '07 for $2.1 MM.
Once again, these desparate attempts to muddy her with easily refutable claims just makes you look like an idiot.
I know who I absolutely would not want to be my President - and that is Ed Rendell.
Eddie has a history of harassing women:
This is from Newsmax.com and it shows what a classy guy our Governor is:
In April 1994, Rendell was profiled in Philadelphia magazine by reporter Lisa DePaulo, who spent an afternoon traveling with him to New York to meet Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
By DePaulo's account, Rendell started the trip by explaining to her that he and Bill Clinton had much in common. Then he attempted to prove his point.
"I probably shouldn't say this, because it might not be taken right," DePaulo quoted Rendell as saying, "but Clinton and I are very much alike."
The mayor pointed out that Clinton and he are both "gregarious and fun," both have big hearts, like junk food, love politics and are married to successful women. Then Rendell added with a laugh, "You can draw some other conclusions."
Based on what? Perhaps on Rendell's raunchy behavior toward the reporter, culminating in his attempt to bed her.
According to DePaulo, when something she was wearing set off the metal detector at New York's City Hall, Rendell squawked as guards looked on, "Take it off, Lis! Take everything off."
Later on, Rendell attempted to debunk rumors of his own Clintonesque recklessness:
"When all this b---s--t popped up during my campaigns about me using my power position to abuse women," Rendell told DePaulo, "that's not true. I've never done anything to hurt women -- or men."
"There's got to be a statute of limitations on this stuff," Rendell added, ostensibly referring to the then-new charges by Arkansas state troopers that Bill Clinton used them to help stock his harem.
After making excuses for both Clinton and himself, Rendell decided the moment was right to explore his prospects for a less professional relationship with the reporter.
Rendell said he'd heard "something very interesting about me," DePaulo reported. Then the mayor proceeded to describe, "in raw and alliterative terms, how he presumes I am in bed. All of which he says I 'should find flattering.'"
DePaulo was offended enough to blow the whistle on Rendell's thinly veiled proposition, which she recounted as follows:
"It was cute, for example, at the train station -- after I noticed he'd forgotten his bag in the car -- when he gave me a little hug and said, 'Lis, you're a lifesaver. I owe you one.'"
"It was still pretty cute a few minutes later on the train platform: 'Anything your heart desires. No task is too menial, too trivial or too abject.' Later in the train, it's a little less cute as he's going through his itinerary: 'They didn't schedule any time for me to do whatever you ask me to. Remember, I owe you one.'"
"Even the following morning, he's still on this rant: He hopes to squeeze in a workout at the Plaza Hotel, he tells me. 'Or,' he adds, 'you can get your favor then.'"
I'll try to get my hands on a copy of that. It certainly is not flattering.
Bernie --
I've heard this account. It's in a book called "Prayer for a City" about his time as Mayor of Philadelphia. The book gives an overall positive portrayal of Rendell but it contains the following unsettling stories:
He asked a female reporter what color panties she was wearing.
He once grabbed another female reporter by the throat.
Our Governor, ladies and gentlemen!
Oh, yeah. He also once grabbed a reporter's tape recorder from him when he didn't like a line of questioning. I think it was Brett Lieberman but I'm not sure.
JS, Don't know why you removed your comment, but I'll look for it this weekend.
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