November 3, 2003
WHAT'S AN ALPHA DOG A SON OF?:
Gore Stumps For Street; Katz Rides Truman Train (The Associated Press, Nov 3, 2003)
In a day fraught with symbolism, former Vice President Al Gore toured the city with Democratic incumbent John Street, and Republican challenger Sam Katz made like Harry Truman on a whistlestop tour -- on Truman's actual campaign train. [...]Although Katz, a businessman making his third run for the job, has been flagging in pre-election polls, he predicted that his get-out-the-vote operation would make the difference on Election Day.
He also promised to unify a city fractured by race. Philadelphia is almost evenly divided between whites and blacks, and both groups tend to vote along racial lines. Katz is white; Street is black.
"I intend to be the mayor of everybody in Philadelphia, for everybody in Philadelphia," Katz said. [...]
Gore said the FBI bug found in Street's office last month fits a pattern of Republicans meddling in elections, citing the 2000 presidential race, which was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the recall election in California, which was bankrolled by a wealthy Republican congressman.
One of the most vile things that Democrats have taken to doing, because they dislike the trend of election results over the past decade, is to seek to delegitimize the American electoral system itself. Bad enough the effect it has here, far worse is that their charge is seized upon by our enemies abroad to show that American power is being exercised by illegitimate leadership or to justify the lack of democracy in those other lands. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 3, 2003 1:48 PM
It's the whine of the loser-- when you know that your actions are making it difficult to impossible to win, complain that the game is rigged against you.
Wasn' t in in Philadelphia in 2000 that there were districts with 100% turnout, with all votes going to Algore? (Note also how vote fraud in states Algore won should call into question his supposedly winning the so-called popular vote. Two can play that game.)
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at November 3, 2003 3:14 PMIf the FBI investigation actually turns up something, then Pennsylvania Democrats are looking at swapping local gains for future bad publicity about corruption in the Phialdephia city government in upcoming months.
Given how much of a one-party city Philly is, this may not matter there as far as control goes, assuming Street wins re-election. Marion Barry proved that given the right demographics, a politican can get away with almost anything if the voters believe their legal problems are the result of either racism and/or the Gestapo tactics of the federal government (personalized in the image of John Ashcroft nowadays).
But the sight of the mayor hobnobbing with state and national Democratic candidates next year, if the scandal stories and indictments are out there, probably won't sit well with suburban and outlying area voters in the Keystone State. And if the Democrats lose Pennsylvania as far as the presidential race goes, they're toast.
Posted by: John at November 3, 2003 7:06 PMStreet is going to win, even though the last election was a razor thin victory for Street. I can't speak to the legitimacy of the investigation into Street but the whole thing going public has helped Street because the black community in Philly is rallying around Street. It reinforces the victimization of the black man, rightly or wrongly. Street will probably look back at this as a big help.
I heard on NPR's Morning Edition Gore and Street demonizing the Bush Administration. What's funny is that Street and Bush have appeared together many times and he seems to be one of Bush's favorite democratic mayors.
Posted by: pchuck at November 3, 2003 7:49 PM