So Lynn Swann won the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania Governor this weekend (surprise, surprise). I, like many men my age, idolized Swann as a child watching the acrobatic catches he so routinely made. Being that Swann has no political experience or background, Swann's selection by the Republican party as the person to go up against Ed Rendell seems to be a desperate attempt to fool the people of Pittsburgh into voting for their candidate.
Swann is as hardcore a conservative republican as they get. In the past weekend he said he would sign any law outlawing abortion as well as coming out against an increase in the minimum wage (apparently the state's competitive advantage is tied to the backs of the workers who can least afford it). That Swann would then talk about the "lip-service" that the Democratic Party gives to minorities that automatically vote for them, is laughable with so many minorities living below the poverty level and earning this minimum wage. The lip-service that Democrats pay minorities is a step up from the out and out ignorance that the Republicans generally give. While coming out against the minimum wage increase, he wants to cut business taxes. Maybe Swann has been a part of the elite too long to know, that you can't expect that favors that benefit businesses will trickle down to the employees. We've been down that road before.
Swann talks about Pennsylvania values in his vision for the state. His vision boils down to favoring businesses, improving education, and being against Roe V. Wade. Apparently Pennsylvania values have nothing to do with children being able to go to school without being shot. Apparently a living wage is also outside the values of Pennsylvanians. Health care reform? Nope - we apparently we don't value that either. Swann should be careful, the Pennsylvania he blasts in his vision is the same Pennsylvania that has had a Republican legislature for as long as I can remember.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County will probably be the key to the election. Rendell can count on overwhelming support from the Philadelphia area and the Swann will ironically count on support from the middle of the state (where flying the confederate flag isn't as embarrassing as it should be). This leaves Pittsburgh which generally votes Democrat - but can they vote against a football hero in a year where Pittsburgh is all about football?
Let's hope so.
Nicely written. It'd be
Nicely written. It'd be great to have more talk about these upcoming elections, especially here in the early going when so many tend to ignore what's happening. Even in a race that's apparently devoid of a primary (and if both parties have their way, this won't be the only race like that), people need all the lead time they can get to find out about the choices we'll be facing this year. Hopefully, people will be paying attention.
sad
that people will very likely vote for swann because they have his jersey. this is politics people! swann is a lame duck already. a lame duck candidacy.
and also, swann is pro-death penalty as is rendell. other than that, and the few issues mentioned on his site, what's there to know about this guy?
and stephanopoulos interviewed him and swann had almost nothing cognizant to say.
who to choose?
there are too many issues with either candidate to make either candidate ideal. And where is Mr. Swann on eminent domain? We have had members who have called and e-mailed his campaign to the same end result as contacting Rendell on this issue dear to us: nada, nothing, zilch. And the thing is this, do we need any more hard core ultra conservatives in this country? We seem to be becoming a country of political extremes - what ever happened to the middle of the road candidate that appeals to more of the populus?
And have we really heard Swann's voice, or just his handlers?
That is another issue of politics today: you tend to hear more of what the candidate's handlers/advisors want a candidate to say, as opposed to what the candidate might REALLY feel.
People shouldn't ignore the early statges of any upcoming election, lest they lose their voice altogether.
Do candidates today really represent the voice of the people or the ideology of king makers?
This guy says nothing
It would be sad if he won, as Albert said.
what ever happened to the
what ever happened to the middle of the road candidate that appeals to more of the populus?
the Repugs killed off that route
You should watch the
You should watch the interview he gave this weekend. The fact that he didn't realize that the Supreme Court wouldn't make the law in regards to abortion is an example of his lack of experience.
He has no answers. He does dance around the questions well.
VIDEO: Watch the complete "This Week" segment online!