Monday, March 2, 2009

Do You Feel Doomed To Repeat Anything?*

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat has an observation worthy of almost full reproduction:

I was thinking random thoughts while walking by the Greyhound Bus Terminal, when it occurred to me that we haven't talked about the whole LED Billboard kerfluffle in awhile. It further occurred to me that we haven't talked about contracts, take home cars, Ron Burkle, street paving, media blackouts, purges, community benefits agreements, tax breaks for non-profits that contribute to the Pittsburgh Promise, Pat Ford, interdepartmental mergers, ethics boards, vacant "interim" positions, operating efficiencies, getting arrested outside Heinz Field, more purges, city sponsored campaign advertising, casinos, missing meetings, demotions, and Dennis Regan in awhile either.

That's a pretty thorough and useful accounting. Don't forget cost-recovery for police officer secondary employment.

I will add that as a reader of blogs, it sure seems like the public is familiar with a lot of these topics. Some of them seem to us like ever-present, why-won't-you-drop-it-already old saws. That's a dangerous dynamic, because the fact of the matter is that the actual professional media covers news as it breaks and then largely moves right on -- hardly ever looking back.

Not that that's an easy job. If my educated hunch is correct, one day there will appear one article in which many of the above topics are briefly listed -- under an appropriate headline like Ravenstahl administration has had its hiccups or Ravenstahl says missteps come with the job -- in which each scandal will get half-a-paragraph's worth of reexamination and perspective. You'd better be in town that day, or you'll miss it.

In a political race it is the challengers' job to make issues out of issues, but there are certain things of which the public deserves to be fully and deeply cognizant regardless. Barack Obama did not have to inform his audiences of a war being fought in Iraq, originally waged to halt Saddam's weapons programs and what have you. The news media continually relayed to the public the several stories of the incumbent administration because to do so was vital in itself. Obama, Clinton, Romney and McCain then offered their own thoughts on how they might have handled things differently, and the democratic process took it from there.

For example, one can't really make an argument that the mayor's own personal hand-selected development, redevelopment, planning, zoning, public housing and parking czar having left the city in scandal to be "investigated" by the state, then blasting the mayor for corruption, and then apparently having his silence bought by the administration isn't something that the voting public deserves to understand as well as possible regardless of the course of the positive conversation about Pittsburgh's future.

And that's just the cheapest example. Frankly the purges, vacant "interim" positions, casinos and demotions all sound like great avenues of exploration. And I really like the formulation "city sponsored campaign advertising". Might as well throw this in.

*-UPDATE: I should add that none of us have delved into this Sunday joint yet, which might have been headlined City's economic situation very very complicated (P-G, Rich Lord)

Tangentially Useful: Busman's Holiday.

34 comments:

  1. I still get a chuckle out of Dennis. That guy is a tard.

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  2. Its all there for you in convenient wikipedia form. Just search for Luke Steelerstahl on wikipedia.com and then enjoy reading of his "Allegations of Corruption"

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  3. I think there is a serious question about whether Pat Dowd himself should address the litany of the Mayor’s behavioral lapses, or someone else should do it. I agree that blog readers have seen these issues before, and I believe that average voters have seen most of them at least once on the TV news. But since nothing ever came of them, I suspect most voters discount them as relevant concerns. So I think we do need to get them out there into the general populace. But if Pat Dowd does it, does he risk seeming petty and vindictive? He already may have a problem with some African American voters concerning his role in the firing of John Thompson. But if Pat Dowd is not the source of the list of ethical lapses against Ravenstahl, will he seem tough enough? (Devil’s advocate mode) After all, Ravenstahl was a college ball player and is friends with Roethlisberger (he rode in his car in the parade). Do we really want a teacher running the City? (/devil’s advocate mode).

    I’m not sure either candidate is the best man available for the job, but between the two … if we could get Obama to come and give a speech for Dowd …

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  4. "if we could get Obama to come and give a speech for Dowd …"

    Geez Ed, is that all you think it'll take? We have a better shot waiting for Luke to misspend the stimulus money, and having the President follow through on his threat and make an example out of him. But that probably wouldn't develop until past Election Day.

    By the way ... when are the Steelers going to the White House? Is Ravenstahl actually invited? I know he informed the President of his intentions to arrive, but Barack has got to realize the kid just wants a lousy campaign photo he can use. I doubt he's very much into it. He may not want to risk a picture taken with Luke altogether. I wouldn't be surprised if the White House quietly discourages him from making the trip.

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  5. As challenger to the Mayor, I believe it's incumbent upon Dowd to point these things out. As Bram seemed to be getting at in the original post, you can't assume that the Pittsburgh voter is fully cognizant of the Mayor's long list of indiscretions, poor judgement, and overall incompetence/ineffectiveness/shitty governing.

    Pointing these things out would not be mud-slinging or running a dirty campaign and thus make Dowd look petty or vindictive; rather, recounting the Mayor's shortcomings would amount to Dowd saying "This is why I'm running for mayor. This is why you should vote for me and not him."

    Campaigning on the Ravenstahl administration "hiccups" and "missteps" is a must for Dowd. It's the strongest argument he can make in his own favor, since his public record as an elected official is rather short and unspectacular (with all apologies to bike paths or bike lanes or whatever).

    And let's be honest: Dowd is going to have to rely heavily on the "At least he's not Luke" vote if he wants to win this thing. The key to bringing out the "At least he's not Luke" vote is reminding everyone why they don't want to re-elect Luke.

    Or the papers could add a new daily feature documenting the hiccups and missteps. Maybe they could call it "Ravenstahl Follies" or "Keystone Mayors" or "Can You Believe This Guy Is Mayor?" or "The Bathroom Stahl" or "As If You Needed Another Reason."

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  6. Dowd has to go negative on Luke and expose the big and little issues. Perhaps Dowd needs to closely examine the goings on in his district. Is there a problem with the Lawrenceville Corporation already? It appears that the Ms. Ford is no longer listed on the staff pages. Just seems a little odd or simply an ommission.

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  7. if we could get Obama to come and give a speech for Dowd

    Ed - let me know if you want me to email you the number to Obama's blackberry. I'm sure campaigning for a Pittsburgh mayoral candidate falls somewhere between the stimulus bill and missile defense negotiations with Russia.

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  8. This may not be as big a problem as one would think. African American voters are more concerned with the fact that Ravenstahl has appointed no black cabinet members, has not reached out to the black community, supported Hillary way before Obama (he did so very blatantly to the black community), and basically continues to ignore the black community as a whole and takes these votes for granted. While the issue regarding John Thompson's departure from Pittsburgh is an important one in the black community for Dowd, the issues that surround Luke are bigger and more relevant to the African American voters

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  9. "After all, Ravenstahl was a college ball player and is friends with Roethlisberger (he rode in his car in the parade)"

    I think Ravenstahl's Super Bowl behavior (name change, taking body guards but not his wife, Snoop, and car ride with Ben) was jump the shark territory for Lil Mayor Luke with a lot of previous 'give the kid a chance' folks.

    "I know he informed the President of his intentions to arrive, but Barack has got to realize the kid just wants a lousy campaign photo he can use. I doubt he's very much into it. He may not want to risk a picture taken with Luke altogether. I wouldn't be surprised if the White House quietly discourages him from making the trip."

    "...supported Hillary way before Obama (he did so very blatantly to the black community)"

    Dan and Ed were early supporters of Hillary too (perhaps earlier than Luke) and it hasn't hurt them a bit because after she dropped out they immediately got behind Obama.

    Name one thing Luke did to help get Obama elected.

    Worse still, he actually stood up/no showed Obama more than once. Dan and Ed weren't booed at the last Pittsburgh Obama rally. Luke was.

    It isn't just that Obama doesn't have a lot of time for a mayor of Pittsburgh, I'm betting his people will never have much time for this mayor of Pittsburgh.

    Luke failed to get behind a popular Democratic nominee. He really screwed himself on this. Honestly, I can't understand his motivations on this. It was political suicide. I keep wondering if something happened behind the scenes with Luke and Obama's people during the runup to the election.

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  10. What you don't realize is that the behind the scenes powerplayers love Ravenstahl because he is a weak mayor.

    People don't work for Luke Ravenstahl. Luke has to ask the local "adults" in politics for help. In turn, they tell him what to do; they tell him what to say; they tell him who gets what contracts. Luke gets to hang out with Snoop Dogg, go to Europe (after begging) and party in NYC with Burkle's beauties.

    Everyone gets what they want. The donors get sweetheart deals. Luke gets Tiger, Ben and Mario.

    Luke will either get indicted or end up as your future County Exec or Senator.

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  11. To paraphrase the Simpsons "Why can't he be both (be senator and indicted) like Vince Fumo"?

    IMHO, one of the great all time lines.
    Marge: "I wanted Bart to be Chief Justice, not a stripper"
    Homer: "Why can't he be both, like the late Chief Justice Earl Warren?"

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  12. And see, I agree with most of the above comments; I want it to be true that Pat Dowd could go negative on Ravenstahl without be received negatively by the average voter and that Pat Dowd is willing and thinks it is important to go negative on Ravenstahl. And by negative I mean simply a recounting of what the Mayor has done that is questionable, not name calling like saying “I won’t hold my opponent’s youth and inexperience against him" (although …).

    I want those things to be true but I worry that the people who answer to the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and their supporters will pull out all the stops. If Dowd mounts a serious threat to Mayor Ravenstahl, there is nearly a million dollars that can be spent in a cheap market to shore up support for the Mayor. There will be buses at senior centers and rides to the polling places provided by union volunteers. Pat Dowd can not do what Mark DeSantis did, start late and run an honorable campaign. The campaign you can be most proud of is the one where you win. But I am worried Dowd will go only half way, and his opponents won’t.

    I will disagree with Anon 10:42 pm, the Mayor has appointed Nate Harper and Darryl Jones to Public Safety Bureau positions (maybe we can quibble about how senior those positions are).

    Hey, I mentioned Obama giving a speech for Dowd because I am sure Dowd would like to have Obama’s numbers in the ‘burgh. Its part of that not just going half way thing I mentioned above. Obama should come here anyway to meet Larry Davis and snub Ravenstahl.

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  13. "if we could get Obama to come and give a speech for Dowd …"

    That would never ever happen.

    1. Obama wouldn't get involved in that race

    2. Obama wouldn't be backing Patrick Dowd.

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  14. Do you really think he would back Luke after he chose to support Hillary?

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  15. I just checked the official White House website. The very first message we are shown is, "President Obama pledges to ensure money is spent on America’s priorities, not lining contractors’ pockets."

    Mayor Ravenstahl, meanwhile, issues rules about contracting procedures so vague that they cannot be described, and will not anyways go into effect for two months. Then he goes out and buys the Cadillac of Garbage Cans with his name on them via a NO-BID CONTRACT.

    Matt - I don't think Obama would be backing Ravenstahl, either.

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  16. Obama wouldn't be backing Patrick Dowd.

    LOL, Why not? I don't think he would be supporting Luke. There is too much potential for embarrassment.

    Besides, I thought he was a Hillary fan?

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  17. luke ravenstahl is a doofus. i think he is an embarrassment to the city for his actions and should reap the consequences.

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  18. Bram-

    You may want to check out what the "blogger" who runs the Pittsburgh Left "blog" is posting about you.

    Clearly, this "blog" was set up and is run by the hacks behind the Ravenstahl campaign. Do you think it was a coincidence that Matt H introduced it to the Pittsburgh blogosphere?

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  19. Wow, thanks Anon 1:08. Record corrected. Surprised it took this long for someone to go that route.

    Now I have the conundrum of whether or not to add this new "blog" to my blogroll. If the anonymous author would just be frank about supporting Ravenstahl, I'd include it in a heartbeat; we need more of those. But he/she/it's playing around like he/she/it's really a bigtime lefty progressive, a Peduto fanatic, and currently undecided -- all the while bashing Patrick Dowd four times per sentence.

    Why do you suppose fans of Luke can't just sign their names to their blogs (and comments) and tell us why they support him? Is it because the real answer is always, "Because he's paying me?"

    Think about it -- in the three years Ravenstahl has been in office, there's been exactly ONE DEFENDER of his in cyberspace -- a Committee member and former City employee who has since grown notably Luke-warm (ha-ha) to the point of near-neutrality over the years. That's a remarkable record of no one ever stepping up for him.

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  20. "Do you think it was a coincidence that Matt H introduced it to the Pittsburgh blogosphere?"

    I received an E-mail from the author of this blog a couple of weeks ago making mention that they were joining the blogging community.

    I have no idea who runs that blog and I have attempted to find out only to be responded to that we have mutual friends.

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  21. From www.gabbonesso.com. You do the math.

    Top News Story…

    Thank GOD! Thank BeJesus! Lynn Freaking Cullen is back on the air! Hooray! Sadly, there are only four neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area who will be able to receive the signal and actually hear her program, but I digress… Good for Lynn! I heard that she had to use some of her own money to pay for the air time. Granted, I heard that from Phineas (the shark) but he’s met Lynn. They hooked up in a bar bathroom once! I’m pretty confident that he’s right. I find it really amusing that the Gay Community is rejoicing Lynn’s return to the airwaves. You know? Mostly because Lynn doesn’t agree with Gay Marriage. True story. She said it. On stage. In Novemeber. In front of witnesses. Whatever… Why would gay people care about gay marriage? I’m also surprised because Lynn Cullen uses the word, “dyke” very loosely. She claims that it’s okay for her to do it because she’s “the original fag hag” (her words, not mine). So yeah. That’s fun. Oh, and the other reason I’m confused as to why the gay community cares so much about Lynn’s return to the airwaves is because Lynn Cullen NEVER had a regular gay correspondent (like some other Talk Show Hosts I know…), Lynn Cullen NEVER went out of her way to get someone hired to her station who was queer or queer-ish (like some other Talk Show Hosts I know…) and Lynn Cullen (in her own words) is furious when identified as being gay. “It’s dykes like you who make people think I’m lesbian!”(she said that to a colleague in front of several other colleagues backstage at a performance).

    So… Well done Gay Community! You have an ally and advocate back on the air! Bravo!

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  22. "Why do you suppose fans of Luke can't just sign their names to their blogs (and comments) and tell us why they support him? Is it because the real answer is always, "Because he's paying me?""

    Why doesn't everyone just sign their names? Don't just point out the Luke supporters on this one. People paid by other politicians don't sign their name when they support their people.

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  23. I have no idea who runs that blog and I have attempted to find out only to be responded to that we have mutual friends.

    Dude, you lie like a rug.

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  24. There have been more than one. First, Matt H, of course, but don't overlook the Luke supporter with the blog in Paris. And, then again, there is the P-G, OnQ, NYTimes, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Monday Night Football's crew too. Marty Griffin has a Facebook page now too. Is he a blogger and Luke supporter?

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  25. "Dude, you lie like a rug."

    No, I don't. I am not pimping around other blogs or helping Luke supporters create blogs.

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  26. "...but don't overlook the Luke supporter with the blog in Paris..."

    You can't be talking about I Luve Luke, can you?

    The extremely funny SATIRICAL site.

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  27. I have no idea who runs that blog and I have attempted to find out only to be responded to that we have mutual friends.

    Yea, mutual "friends of Luke Ravenstahl."

    Come on Matt. Stop with the lies. You are ruining what little credibility you had built up to this point.

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  28. You are ruining what little credibility you had built up to this point.

    Are you suggesting he had any? He's just a wolf in a sheep costume now. Don't turn you back on him. And I am one of his "friends".

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  29. I would not consider promoting Nate Harper to Chief of Police or bringing in Darryl Jones from Aliquippa, PA as moving towards diversity when they are both being led around by the very white male public safety director that was
    brought in from Johnstown.

    Wasn't there any better candidates
    in this city or from any larger area of PA? I mean honestly, come on now? Aren't there any black male Pittsburgh Firefighters that could fill the position of Fire Chief?

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  30. I just don't understand Nate Harper. I understand he might be a good cop. But he appears uncomfortable in his role. The last chief was better in this regard.

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  31. Nate is a good cop, not a good public speaker.

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  32. "Yea, mutual "friends of Luke Ravenstahl."

    Come on Matt. Stop with the lies. You are ruining what little credibility you had built up to this point."

    What are you talking about? I already said I don't know who runs that site. I have tried to find out to no avail. The author admits we have mutual friends but he won't disclose those friends. He/she claimed it would "take the fun out of it"

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  33. that site is run by tony ceoffe.

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  34. My guess is it's run by the same folks who operate this gem:

    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?sid=1b0f74df8601d46703a203d4df813f63&id=14212269&hiq=joe%2Cday#/group.php?gid=52041954899

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