Rendell Blog

Swann/Scranton/Piccola

2005-01-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

According to GrassrootsPA.com, US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan has made it clear she is not interested in running, this reduces the field back to three: Swann, Scranton, and Piccola. At this moment the frontrunner still has to be Scranton, but certainly Swann if he gets his act together could really pull ahead.

This race at the moment is anyones for the taking, look for a handicap of each of the candidates in the next few days.

Santorum Site Up For Senate

2004-12-31T13:59:00.000-05:00

In a story only slightly related to the gubernatorial race, Rick Santorum launched his senate site today. Pretty much indicates he will not make the run for Governor, which has been the early rumor this summer, but now that is a dead one. Just shows how these rumors go.

Mac McCawley Drops Out

2004-12-26T01:39:00.000-05:00

Mac McCawley today announced he would be dropping out of the Gubernatorial race. Rendell Blog would like to wish him well and hope he stays active in the political scene, his drop out notice is listed below:

I'd like to thank everyone who has called and offered help, support, and advice over the past few months as I set up and kicked off the campaign. I have spoken with hundreds of you on the phone and by email and truly enjoyed the experience. I will try to contact as many of you as possible personally in the next few weeks.

I'm sorry to announce that I am suspending my campaigning for at least a few months. The reasons I'm doing this is:

- The response has been less than what I feel is necessary to continue. There are too many distractions (Swann, mystery candidates, continuing questions on Congressman Toomey's potential run) that are preventing any serious attention from being paid to an outsider like me.

- An extremely hostile response by nearly all party officials. Most were rude, condescending, or just plain unpleasant. Phone calls were not returned, email's ignored. I was hoping for professional behavior, nothing more. Congressman Toomey and his staff, however, were fantastic!

- Questions raised by my employer on my long term commitment. I can not risk my job at this point with a daughter in college and other financial obligations. Fund raising totaled $0.00

Amen Mac! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Rendell Blog.

Vote in our weekly poll!

2004-12-24T19:01:00.000-05:00

Rendell Blog will be offering a weekly poll from now on, and this first poll will be the traditional who is likely to win the GOP Gubernatorial race question. So go ahead and vote for your favorite and get your friends to do so too. The voting ends next Friday at midnight.

Charlie Dent: Possible Gubernatorial Run?

2004-12-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

Sources inside the Harrisburg capitol reported that rumors are brewing that newly elected Congressman Charlie Dent may be setting his sites a little higher. Though very much in the begining phase, one staffer from a Senator's office has reported that Dent has been making the rounds to see where his colleagues fall for the GOP primary.

A Dent entry into the race would be a major blow to Senator Piccola as he would likely undercut alot of the institutional support that Piccola would otherwise recieve.

Such a jump after being newly elected to Congress would probably be frowned upon, by most and overall is unlikely but again the rumors swirl. Dent showed much political adeptness by jumping into the race for retiring Rep. Toomey's seat and showing significant fundraising prowess in the process.

Look for more as it develops.

EXCLUSIVE: Lehigh Valley Candidate Considering Gubernatorial Run

2004-12-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

Rendell Blog has learned that another GOP governor candidate may come from the Lehigh Valley. We are working to confirm the possibility at the moment, but once we do look for it to break here first!

Possible Candidate, Glen Meakem, Will Not Run - GrassrootsPA

2004-12-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

Grassroots PA is reporting that possible GOP Gubernatorial hopeful, Glen Meakem (founder of FreeMarkets) is not going to run for Governor. Glen was all the hubub around GrassrootsPA as a possilbe conservative savior, but the entrance of Lynn Swann has sucked all the life out of his efforts.

He reportedly has not ruled out a run in 2010 (but how bout a run for mayor of Pittsburgh, we could use it). Meakem started a Fortune 500 company and has the money certainly to put together a legitimate challenge, though that does not neccesarily guarantee sucess. If he ran as a solid conservative it certainly would have allowed the money and the grassroots to coalese, though too little is known about him to make any serious considerations.

Glen Meakem's Recent Donations:

MEAKEM, GLEN MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$5,000	Freemarkets Inc
MEAKEM, DIANE B MRS SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Bush, George W
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Santorum, Rick
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Santorum, Rick
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Specter, Arlen
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Bush, George W
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$2,000	Republican National Cmte
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,100	Hart, Melissa
MEAKEM, DIANE SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Santorum, Rick
MEAKEM, DIANE B SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Santorum, Rick
MEAKEM, GLEN SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Martinez, Mel
MEAKEM, GLEN SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Murtha, John P
MEAKEM, GLEN SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Coors, Peter
MEAKEM, GLEN SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Republican Federal Cmte of Pennsylvania
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Specter, Arlen
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Americans for a Republican Majority
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Americans for a Republican Majority
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Hart, Melissa
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	Hart, Melissa
MEAKEM, GLEN T MR SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$1,000	America's Foundation
MEAKEM, GLEN T SEWICKLEY,PA 15143	$500	Specter, Arlen

Rendell Comes Out AGAINST Gas Tax

2004-12-21T13:54:00.000-05:00

In a clear campaign effort, Gov. Rendell condemned any attempt to raise the gas tax, which would be highly unpopular. The Governor, who has up to now not met a tax hike he didn't love, has finally put his foot down, which is a good thing because the irresponsible Republican leadership was ready to run with this massive tax raise.

Rendell knows that his fiscal credentials are his biggest liability, and is going to try to use fights like these to bolster himself as being "responsible" with the tax dollars of the people of this state, though nothing could be farther from the truth. When is the GOP going to actually realize that Republicans win when they fight for smaller government and lower taxes... GOP Gubernatorial platform anyone?

Another Possible Entrant Into The Fight...

2004-12-19T18:21:00.000-05:00

According to Edico's the 9's there is a new possible entrant into the ugly fight that should prove to be the GOP 2006 gubernatorial battle.

…The nine’s is not referring to cannibalism when it says that it is a well known fact among the democrats and republicans that there is much truth to the statement that democrats eat their own…and before any one cries partisanship foul…this tidbit is about republicans practicing their own methods of in party snacking…it appears that right and righter sides are marking their territory and backing, preening, and coronating their own primary candidates for a run against Einstein Eddy…the Ridgites are putting their mighty weight on Lynn Swann while the Santormites are wrapping their arms around Mary Beth Buchanan…once again the nine’s finds it self reminding all of the kids in the sandbox to play fair…no stealing other kids shovels, crushing carefully crafted sandcastles or throwing sand in each others eyes…based on their own personal experiences the Dem’s will remind you that distemper shots will be administered if necessary…

According to Edico's the 9's there is a new possible entrant into the ugly fight that should prove to be the GOP 2006 gubernatorial battle. Mary Beth Buchanan is the Western PA District US Attorney. Now things are getting interesting, as Santorum continues to burn bridges with the conservative community it will be very interesting to see who comes out as the more conservative candidate Buchanan or Swann. If I were advising either in this primary I would say run to the right like nothing else, because that's how you'll win the primary.

This flurry of entrants shows that Scranton's supposed lock is gone and look for him to hold off on running to 2010 when he things he will have a better shot. Piccola is the only sure thing at the moment, outside of that you could have a very small field or far more likely a large ugly field as is currently developing.

SEPTA and PAT : Rendell's Promises

2004-12-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

Ed Rendell has come out of Harrisburg with another proclamation to save SEPTA (the Philadelphia area mass transit group), but again he is promising the kind of big spending, short term, solutions and not anything that will make SEPTA stable again.

If the state does not remedy SEPTA's $62 million deficit by Jan. 23, it could spark a series of cost-cutting measures the SEPTA board approved last week. Those measures are raising fares by an overall 38 percent, severing 20 percent of weekday service, and laying off an estimated 500 employees. On March 1, the cash fare will rise to $3, a token to $2, to mend a $920 million budget.

Heaven forbid that SEPTA have to adjust its operating situation to meet the actual demand and the real mass transit situation. Now, there is a legitimate place for government involvement in mass transit but any governor and indeed anyone in government must realise the difference between totally underwriting all the costs and supplying the start up capital and some fund to continue maintenance.

We need people who realize the proper role of government and are willing to make tough decisions with our bloated transportation budget.

Fiscal Irresponsibility Again

2004-12-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

The Post-Gazette again points out the wonderful fiscal irresponsibility of the Rendell administration and the liberal Republicans who lead the state house and senate.

In his mid-year budget update, Masch said the state's total tax revenue is $176 million over-estimate through the first five months of this budget year, meaning the state will get through the current fiscal year, which runs to the end of June.
But he warned that the 2005-06 general fund revenue won't meet projected expenses without cutbacks and more "efficient spending," particularly in the Department of Public Welfare

Even the good news of the increased income is not enough to overcome the budgetary disaster that the Republican Majority and Rendell have wrought. Any governor is going to have to deal with a huge financial disaster and will need above all else to have fiscal discipline.

Rendell Tax Count

2004-12-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

I've decided as a running part of this blog that we should keep track of how many different taxes and by how much Ed Rendell wants to raise them. So here she goes:

1. Real Estate Transfer Tax - Amt to Raise Undisclosed
2. Driver Record Fee - $7
More to come...

If you know of other taxes/fees Ed Rendell has promised to raise let us know at Blog@RendellBlog.com

Toomey's Chances?

2004-12-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I was at an event in Washington, DC which had many of the conservative movement in attendance. Again, almost like clock work when discussing the President's record one of the most frequently mentioned beefs with the President was hit hatchet job on Rep. Toomey. The talk turned to presidential hopefuls in 2008 and alogn with Mark Sanford, Ernie Fletcher, and others Pat Toomey's name came up. People noted he'd be a great candidate for the movement but he just doesn't have the executive expierence. They noted that he needs to be governor first. Now this is not to say that Pat is calculating all this, he most certainly is not, but if he were to run for Governor, which as has been noted before is not enitrely likely, he would be well positioned for 2008 or more likely 2012.... just a little food for thought.

Rendell Ignores da' Burgh

2004-12-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

According to Edico's the nines:

...in a random act of silliness or rapid oxygen loss to the brain ...either way, the nine's wonders if perhaps Governor Rendell really does not think he has to worry about one Allegheny County vote in 2006...because overlooking Pittsburgh amenities in favor of his voter slash supporter rich eastern base does not further endear him to those of us who live in the west...today Einstein Eddy generously offered as a prize in a bet with Utah Governor Olene Walker, a trip to Philadelphia if Pitt, that is in the University of Pittsburgh, beat Utah in the much anticipated Fiesta Bowl game...what Ed, is a trip to Pittsburgh less appealing than Philadelphia?...or are we just chopped liver in the west??? Even Catherine Baker Knoll would not have made such glaring blunderous slight to the City of Pittsburgh...bad form...

Has Slick Eddie lost some sanity here? Probably not. The fact is, as I have discussed many times, Ed Rendell can win with his huge margin in Philly plus the Lehigh Valley and downtown Pittsburgh. Unless a Republican can cut into one or preferably two to three of those power bases then Rendell can coast to victory.

Baer: Rendell Understands Big Picture

2004-12-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

In another one of his very minimally insightful articles, John Baer lays out why Rendell deserves to be re-elected.

State Stores are open on Sunday. Slot machines are coming. Next month, we're the first state to export live animals since mad cow disease showed up in America a year ago.

If this is the best case for Rendell, then any Republican should be able to beat him, but sadly the Republican Party has shown so little backbone standing up to Rendell that unless the person is Lynn Swann or Pat Toomey, the GOP stands very little hope. Rendell will win a landslide in Philadelphia (unless Swann is on the ticket) and will clean up in the Lehigh Valley (unless Toomey is on the ticket) and in Pittsburgh (unless either is on the ticket) that victory will be nearly impossible.

Yes, taxes are up (the hikes on income, cell phones, cigs and more top $1 billion), he got far less in new programs than he sought, and his relations with legislative leaders could be sponsored by the World Wrestling Federation.

But the big picture on the first half of his first term suggests there'll be a second.

Again Baer is right in his major analysis that Rendell will win, but more for the fact that incumbant Governor's in Pennsylvania just don't lose than for anything he's done. His record is nearly abysmal: tax hikes, further PennDot problems, economic free fall of Pittsburgh, etc and yet he will get up there and talk about education, which may be his magic bullet. He will bankrolled and backed by the PSEA (state teachers union) which will again work to make sure kids don't count and strengthen their grip on our education system with no regard for the children. The PSEA and their local affiliates are probably the worst unions in the state, which is saying alot, because they are both vicious and politically adept. Question their place at the trough, and all of a sudden you are "anti-child" and a "bigot." So Rendell will pay lipservice to reform and yet not-so-secretly be in bed with the very organization that has largely destroyed public education, but the "soccer moms" will buy it hook, line, and sinker.

Fast Eddie has had an abysmal term, and has proven his worth as a slick dealer and an inept executive, but the Republican State Committee has proven to be worse, and that's why he will win. Bob Asher and all the Republican power brokers have lost touch with reality and will likely send another sacrificial lamb (can you say Mike Fisher) to the slaughter.

Pennsylvania needs serious help, but the liberal Republicans and the corrupt Governor have become so good at masking the real problems that this state will send back one of the worst Governors in recent memory. Blame Bob Asher, blame the RSC, but also blame all of the Republican Party grassroots who put up with it. Its time we put an end to it.

2004-12-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

The talk continues...

Toomey: "No Decision Yet"

2004-12-15T20:58:00.000-05:00

According to GrassrootsPA, Rep. Toomey is still considering a Gubernatorial run. Sources familiar with Toomey had been saying earlier that the Congressman was unlikely to run but was still considering it, but in the past few days the positioning of the Toomey camp to the run has warmed up considerably.

A Allentown Morning Call article today seemed to even further this though noting that while Rep. Toomey is considering starting a Bank, there also has been a lot more talk coming from his camp about state based issues. Moreover, other sources within the Toomey camp noted that several of the Republican insiders have grown significantly warmer to the Toomey for Governor idea, due to the lack of serious challengers to Rendell.

What do the RendellBlog readers think? Toomey '06?

York Daily Record : More on Swann

2004-12-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well Lynn Swann's media people are already showing quite the talent, by keeping his story alive in the papers. Today in the York Daily Record another story ran that is basically a rehash of what's been said so far, but it does note a lot of the hurdles Swann is going to face. Though I do think they downplay what effect a Steeler running might have, Pennsylvania may not be a celebrity culture but it is a football culture.

Though Madonna stressed how tough it is to beat an incumbent governor, he added, "Perhaps the only way to have a chance is with an unconventional candidate who has appeal outside of the normal political channels."

Bingo.

RendellBlog Exclusive: Toomey Run?

2004-12-14T20:57:00.000-05:00

RendellBlog has learned a little bit more about a possible Toomey Run for Governor. According to a few different sources Rep. Toomey's stance on running has not changed of late and is still leaning towards not running.

Rep. Toomey is supposedly still eyeing a run for senate in 2010, but there's still a lot of time between now and then so things could change. Watch out for more updates as they become available.

Larry Ceisler: Governor Swann?

2004-12-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Larry Ceisler writes a great piece about a possible Lynn Swann for Governor article up on PoliticsPA.com. Great quote from it:

The Swann candidacy is a long shot, but so is Piccola and Scranton. One has to think about this strategically. If you are Rick Santorum, who would you want running with you in 06 of the three above mentioned names? If Lynn Swann is as poised on the political playing field as he was on the gridiron, then the answer is simple. And though Franco and Rocky could not be his running mates this time, we will see plenty of his former team mates on the surrogate trail. If not anything else, PA should be putting a lot of material out on EBay during this campaign.

If nothing else the race would be one of the most memorable of recent time and he would pose a serious threat to Fast Eddie, but we still don't know where he stands on the issues.

Toomey for Governor?

2004-12-14T13:00:00.000-05:00

Toomey... for Governor?
The rumors have begun to swirl about Rep. Toomey throwing his hat into the ring, which would definitely clear out the primary field on the right, but would likely leave a long and extended and probably expensive battle again between the Republican right and left.

Grassroots PA has obtained a letter available at their site that seems to hint at Pat's interest in running for Governor, because it talks about "changing his venue of interest" since leaving the House and working to solve the problems of Pennsylvania. More to come on this story as soon as it becomes available... Though if Rep. Toomey is going to run he should be making that announcement soon so as to try to clear a lot of the primary hurdles.

Question to readers: Does anyone know if Rep. Toomey attended the Pennsylvania Society meetings in New York this week? Could be a little bit of an indication.

As always if you know anything about this or other stories e-mail blog@rendellblog.com, all sources confidential.

Rendell's Gifts

2004-12-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

Gift #1: As one of his first initial acts as Governor, he had the state purchase a Cadillac for him to drive around in, then ...

Gift #2: ... proceeded in his first budget to raise taxes and fees on hard-working Pennsylvanians and businesses by a staggering $1 billion, including ...

Gift #3: ... a brutal 10 percent increase in the state's income tax (he originally wanted a 30 percent increase). As a result, Gov. Rendell is forcing Pennsylvanians to put millions more of their hard-earned dollars into state coffers for pet projects like ...

Gift #4: ... A $30 million grant to help build a skyscraper in center city Philadelphia for his friends at corporate giant Comcast, while also trying to ...

Gift #5: ... Raise fees by a whopping $110 million on everything from emissions stickers to tires to personal driving records. With so much spending and a considerable wish list to tax more, it's no wonder ...

Gift #6: ... Unemployment in Pennsylvania continues to rise and the manufacturing sector has lost jobs nearly every month since Gov. Rendell took office, so ...

Gift #7: ... To reward manufacturers for their trouble, Gov. Rendell has sought a crushing round of higher taxes on manufactures for emissions that are permitted under state and federal law. Such a fate could soon befall the small business sector, thanks to ...

Gift #8: ... Gov. Rendell's consistent efforts to create roadblocks for small business growth. Small businesses employ more than half of all Pennsylvania workers, yet unlike large corporations like Comcast, their concerns are ignored, much like ...

Gift #9: ... the brave servicemen and women of our state who nearly didn't have enough time to cast their absentee ballots in the November presidential election because Gov. Rendell took the families of two Pennsylvania servicemen to court to fight their efforts to extend Pennsylvania's deadline for overseas absentee ballots, while ...

Gift #10: ... paying college fraternity brother and John Kerry operative Mark Aronchick $75,000 in taxpayer money to represent the state in the case, while later ...

Gift #11: ... vetoing Republican-authored legislation designed to eliminate the ability of state officials to have an ownership stake in one of Pennsylvania's new slot machine venues, as well as prevent organized crime from entering our state. But he may not have actually vetoed the legislation because ...

Gift #12: ... somehow, unbelievably, Gov. Rendell vetoed an earlier version of the bill that no longer exists. This unexplainable gaffe is the latest in a long series of miscues and sloppy work done by Gov. Rendell since he first took office almost two years ago.

"Unfortunately, the Rendell Administration doesn't have a return policy for these items," said Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Alan Novak. "Some of these 'gifts' are new and others are old, but they just keep taking from Pennsylvania taxpayers."

Calling A Few Good Men (& Women)

2004-12-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

Interested in being involved in getting rid of Ed Rendell and being invovled in a major blog community? If so drop me a line at blog@rendellblog.com to become part of our blogging team, so we can make sure always to keep our content fresh and Fast Eddie reeling.

Rendell Blog Makes The Nine's

2004-12-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well in only a few short hours since we launched we've already made Edico's Nines

...here comes the second blog of the campaign season...as reported by GrassrootsPA...this blog covers the ins and outs of the Rendell pursuit of his second term for Governor... www.rendellblog.blogspot.com this comes on the heels of the pro Michael Nutter blog reported weeks ago...a note to all as well, this is not a supportive Rendell blog...unless of course you consider calling his policy's fiscally irresponsible and anti-business complimentary...ladies and gentlemen fasten your seatbelts, it is going to be a bumpy blog ride...Let the Blog Wars begin...

Indeed, let the blog wars begin!

GOP Overview

2004-12-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

Included below is a quick overview of all the likely GOP candidates, look for a longer "possible" candidate list within the next few days. Also if you would like to syndicate this site or just keep track of it you can use our Feedburner service (located in left column all the way at the bottom).

Likely Republican Candidates
1. Sen. Piccola - 99.9% likely to run
Piccola has made no bones about his interest in running for Governor and has begun to try to conslidate the big donors and power brokers behind him. The problem is that not only has he little to no statewide name ID but that he excites no one. He got an F from the Commonwealth Foundation and is one of the most uber-liberal Republicans, and thus don't expect much support from the Toomey wing of the party, but may be able to tap into the $$$, which you will need to beat Rendell.

2. Bill Scranton - 75% likely to run
Scranton has some statewide name ID, but again much like Piccola excites just about no one. To top it all of too, there are rumors circulating around that Scranton backed the Natural Law Party candidate for President in 2000. (If anyone has verifable proof of this please send to blog@rendellblog.com). Scranton is also from the least advantageous part of the state for a statewide run, Scranton. A Republican candidate needs to do well in the Lehigh Valley and Pittsburgh to beat Rendell, and it just doesn't appear Scranton is positioned to do that, though he, even more than Piccola, will be able to tap into the $$$.

3. Mac McCawley - 75% likely to run
Mac is a political newcomer with an impressive resume and he comes from the Toomey wing of the party, but he will have a definite uphill climb with 0% name ID and also no name ID among the GOP party donors. Also like Scranton, McCawley also comes from the North Eastern PA area that is going to do little for their hopes of knocking off Rendell.

4. Lynn Swann - 50% likely to run
Swann is the most interesting of the pack. He has tremendous name ID and could decimate Rendell in Pittsburgh, which would be largely advantageous. He also would have a large pool of donors to draw on and wouldn't have to spend nearly as much raising his name identification. He is a political newcomer though and has in the past donated to John Kerry (1995-6). No one knows where he stands on the issues, but if he were to position himself to the right of Scranton and Piccola, then he would be the immediate front runner and likely winner of this race that could do the most damage to Rendell.

Grassroots PA Covers The Launch

2004-12-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

GrassrootsPA, home to our favorite Chris Lilik, covered the launch of Rendell Blog and hopefully our future success. at ousting "Fast" Eddie Rendell.

Welcome

2004-12-13T10:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome to RendellBlog! We will be covering the ins and outs of the 2006 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial race from a conservative point of view. Pennsylvania has suffered long enough under politicians who think they know how to run our lives. Young Pennsylvanians have to flee the state because of the fiscally irresponsible, anti-business policies of the Rendell administration, and its time for that to change.

Have good information on the race drop us an e-mail at blog@rendellblog.com! We'll try to be the eyes and ears of this campaign. Look for interviews, news, exclusive scoops, etc on the race right here.