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One mayoral contestant from each land mass might not be such a pointless endeavor for challengers, suggests Joseph Sabino Mistick at the Trib.
That idea presupposes there are a large number of people in the south who would be excited to vote for Controller Michael Lamb, but absent that possibility will go ahead and vote for incumbent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
Hmmm. Possibly. Just another reason that if we don't start seeing rich and publicly available polling data appearing by the early part of next year, I'm going to start vandalizing property.
He also writes:
Expect incumbent Ravenstahl to take credit for every good thing that has happened here since he became mayor. Couple this with blaming all the bad things on someone else and he has a pretty standard campaign strategy. (Trib, Joe Mistick)
But we are reminded today in an article lightly recapping Pennsyvlania Society festivities that this formulation leaves out the more-personally negative complement of any good strategy.
"Bill and I have been opponents now for six or seven years," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "Since the day I walked into office he was running against me." (P-G, Olson & Langley)
Expect a fair bit of this: "Peduto is a bitter and jealous man." Again it's been suggested that three challengers might make it harder for an incumbent to effectively go negative, but I don't know. We have noticed zero PA Society recaps mentioning Lamb, nor in order to draw a contrast did Lamb appear conspicuously in the community over the weekend. We shall see.
Meanwhile, Brian O'Neill at the P-G finds the mayor "never gotten over [the lease] defeat" and more importantly, "chronically unable to get five votes for anything".
It occurs to me. The only present Council member who was around back when Ravenstahl ascended is Bill Peduto. All the other names and faces have changed over the six years. Yet at each epoch in the archaeological record the Council has remained only halfway stocked with halfway, uncertain, situational Ravenstahl allies.
This mayor has made a lot of hay vilifying City Council. But at this late date, isn't this more or less the Ravenstahl Council? Love them or hate them, isn't this about the best Captain Ravenstahl has been able to manage?
Here's where showing, not telling, reveals a great deal:
ReplyDelete"At a kitchen studio near the Waldorf, city Councilman Bill Peduto ... mingled with guests including Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and state House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont, along with Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who hosted the event.
Further south, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl held court in a dimly lit lounge where guests clustered around low tables, some braving the damp night in visits to the rooftop bar."
Where's the love for Luke? And I have to ask, "What's a 'kitchen studio'"?
I assume a kitchen studio is a kitchen used for filming cooking shows with an audience.
ReplyDelete1. This feels like people who just really want Luke to lose trying hard to convince us it's a more open field than it is.
ReplyDelete2. What were the lighting and table height like in the kitchen studio?
3. I'm intrigued by the idea of an independent candidate in the general election. Is there any chance Peduto or Lamb would consider this?
Shame on both of them for their first public event of the campaign to be in New York and not Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any way for Jack Wagner to get into this without entering as an Independent. If he takes that approach, though, he may be quite effective.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone kidding themselves? This is like the news stations acting like the Presidential race wasn't over at 8 pm just to keep ratings up. This one was gone long ago - Luke will be mayor for another four years.
ReplyDelete3:40 - I think that's far from a done deal. No denying today, five months out, he's the odds-on favorite. I'd give him 3:2 odds. I will Karl Rove it and Megyn Kelly it right over to your Decision Desk though and check it out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.anony.ws/image/hrz
ReplyDeleteI think it's time we cut the strings on these two puppets.
HTML link to your picture above
DeleteAnon 201- good pic!!! Rofl!!! How did you get this picture, can I use it and did you stay up until 2 in the morning to make it?
ReplyDeleteNow that is funny. And so true.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:01 - Nice job, hot shot! Now, double points if you can explain to us. How is Rich Fitzgerald as unwholesome an influence as the Rich Lord Eleven?
ReplyDeleteRich has exactly the same MO. Rewarding his cronies and punishing his enemies with jobs contracts and appointments.
ReplyDeleteSomebody should try to get elected by rewarding their enemies and punishing their cronies.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you lost at sea over this "the network" talk: link.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough for Rich to keep up that image as a progressive when he makes Weinstein his man at ALCOSAN and Brimmeier his man at PAT
ReplyDelete