Monday, May 16, 2011

Election Imminent...

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23 comments:

  1. MHMay 16, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Be sure and vote. The odds that you'll make things worse are infinitesimally small.

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  2. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    ...unless you vote for the wrong candidate.

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  3. MHMay 16, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    But no. The odds are your vote is as inconsequential as it is ill-considered.

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  4. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    I've been considering how things can objectively get "worse". If Burgess, Harris and Kraus all successfully defend yet Dowd loses -- while a Fitzgerald victory buttresses progressive anxieties about losing Shields in Council -- both sides will be able to plausibly declare "victory". That's probably the worst case scenario in terms of ever again proceeding in a coherent direction. We'll call that the Full-On Korea.

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  5. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 11:41 AM

    Of course, a strong and logical argument can be made that a landslide in favor of city Progressives will MOST effectively stymie progress on every front. What we've seen over the last year is a demonstration that the mayor rules and that Council only has the ability to frustrate that rule, not to take command on its own.

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  6. MHMay 16, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    That's probably the worst case scenario in terms of ever again proceeding in a coherent direction.

    Unless "coherent" is taken in a very narrow sense, I don't think that sentence should have the word "again."

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  7. MHMay 16, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    Anyway, there is a segment of the population who think that deadlock until we get somebody better is the best possible thing that could happen.

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  8. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    Bram:

    From a progressive point of view, if Corey O'Connor wins in the 5th District that would also make things worse.

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  9. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Anon 11:52 - Yes, but that's a fait accompli. If Harris, Kraus, Dowd, Holliday AND Zurawski all win, there are a variety of nations lacking extradition treaties to which the Mayor might flee.

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  10. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Have we tried attracting young people with progressive city government? Maybe a progressive sweep is the answer.

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  11. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    Likewise if Pallus, Koch, Ceoffe, Burgess, O'Connor AND Flaherty all win, Bill Peduto will be forced to melt away into the mountainous region between Kelly's and Cappy's.

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  12. MHMay 16, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    You mean the busway?

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  13. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    MH - I mean the Lenzner-Lamar Expressway.

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  14. MariaMay 16, 2011 at 1:06 PM

    I'm sorry, but it just kills me that the voters in District 3 voted out Koch for Kraus and yet ACDC endorsed Koch. There is nothing more indicative of how screwed up the ACDC endorsements are than that.

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  15. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 3:46 PM

    Anon 11:52 speaks the truth. O'Connor didn't answer questionnaires for Bike Pittsburgh, Planned Parenthood or the LWV voters published last week in the Pittsburgh Courier. He also didn't stick around to speak at the Steel City Stonewall Dems. or the 14th Ward Dem. Club endorsements. The calculation has apparently been made--blowing off progressives is AOK for O'Connor. The "us against them" mentality prevails.

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  16. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    Anon 3:46: if a candidate blows you off now during the campaign, good luck getting his attention once he's won the office.

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  17. MHMay 16, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    I don't think not answering those questionnaires shows an Us vs. Them mentality so much as understanding the risks and benefits for the front runner.

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  18. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    Progressives are losers and are not a real voting block. They are a bunch of power hungry cry babies led by "take my ball and go home" champion himself - Bill Peduto. They are going to get crushed.

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  19. MHMay 16, 2011 at 8:48 PM

    It is actually fairly impressive that the progressives are strong enough too get random internet slurs directed at them as if they were driving things.

    Of course they aren't a real voting block. Various people have different issues with the mayor.

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  20. AnonymousMay 16, 2011 at 10:41 PM

    O'Connor's lack of respect to the voters is unbelievable. He thinks that he can ride to victory on his name alone. We attempted to give an inexperienced kid a chance once before (for mayor) and look what happened there. Let's not make the same mistake twice!

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  21. Bram ReichbaumMay 16, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    MH at 8:48 didn't quite say everything there is to say, but he obviously brought enough reality to silence the chattering classes. There are no elves and orcs in this contest, just men and women -- who above all else, desire power.

    Notable that the anonymous Internet haranguing of O'Connor failed to bubble forth until the very day prior to Election Day. One would think he would be vulnerable to the "overpriviledged empty suit" attack but I don't think anybody genuinely gets that impression from him. And to the extent that he skews conservative on some issues, I'm sure many District 5 voters like that.

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  22. MHMay 17, 2011 at 12:10 AM

    Orcs are just committee members corrupted by Melkor. You have to read The Silmarillion to get the background.

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  23. rich10eMay 17, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    early in the spring I said, look out for a possible Zurawsky upset...fahgedaboutit...he didnt work nearly as hard as he had to win....fitz gets blitzed,...better $$ in the private sector anyways..I can see Dowd going down, burgess winning, maybe even paullus...Koch/Kraus ennie meenie ....wagner, roberts, Matta in that order....

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