Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Wednesday: Shaping Up! ***




While a geographic analysis of the campaigns for mayor (the Seven Kingdoms of Yinzeros?) is indeed fairly interesting, we wonder whether the major split in this election isn't going to be demographic and cultural. Perhaps even the "culture wars".

Jack Wagner's status as war hero is going to mean something among this mature electorate from Brighton Heights all the way to Lincoln Place, and mean something for the other more mature candidates. Bill Peduto's emphasis on the potential of technology meanwhile is going to inspire young voters under 50 -- or indeed may attract Ravenstahl default-voters still enchanted by the rhetoric of Tomorrowland.

We are finding out more about misspending at the Police Bureau, but remember: this isn't an election about the past, or about the present, or about how the past turned into the present! Don't be hateful. This is an election about the future, which has nothing to with learning from history, or with demonstrating a personal history of reacting appropriately to what were then current events.

Blogger Thomas Waters has some thoughts on the City Council proceedings on the acquisition of a new Chief of Police. What is it about people who have computers?

Broken people movers, dingy carpets, and an understaffed and harried Airport hotel. Is this the way the D.C. and New England elites think and speak to each other about Pittsburgh thanks to its Airport? How many people are hanging up when told their only option is a connection in Pittsburgh? Could Rich Fitzgerald have planted a better article to illustrate the need to frack the airport for economic development out there?

Tom Corbett's bad poll numbers continue to dog him, with Joe Sestak seeming to be in the strongest starting position among Democrats. The Governor's refusal to implement a Medicaid expansion voted by two houses of Congress, campaigned on by a President and upheld by a conservative Supreme Court could be costly, especially if it can be shown the state will not be saddled with costs in out years any more than death panels.

*-UPDATE: Eight members of the PA Turnpike commission will be charged with conspiracy, commercial bribery, bid rigging, theft, conflict of interest and participating in a corrupt organization, including Joseph Bremneirermner of our very own Port Authority. Interviews for new corrupt officials will begin on Monday.

**-UPDATE: Ardent Ravenstahl partner Jim Ferlo basically admits to the City Paper that he didn't file papers with the Dept. of Elections in order to lead our City, but rather because he doesn't trust Pittsburgh to make a wise decision among its sincerely interested candidates without first manipulating "the dynamics".

***-UPDATE: Jim Ferlo withdraws. I guess the moral of the story is that if you know what running a campaign requires from vast experience, and you are getting on the ballot mainly to run interference for another candidate, then don't let Chris Potter zap you with his laser armbands.

29 comments:

  1. I don't understand why Peduto is attacking Wagner, unless it's all for show. Wagner's presence in the race can only help Peduto in the Southern neighborhoods, and won't hurt him in the East End.

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  2. MG - Neither Peduto nor Harris can just let people flout duly enacted (unanimously passed?) city law. Or are there other "attacks" I'm not seeing?

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  3. Every time I come back to Greater Pitt I'm struck by it's emptiness. Quiet and creepy. Even the airport in a similarly sized city like Milwaukee seems livelier, albeit equally dingy, if only because it wasn't overbuilt.

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  4. Considering the two front runners have worked for the city for years, this has to be a little about the past and their records. Particularly Lamb's part in not catching the police spending.
    I think Wagner could work a lot of votes among the older population. Not just the war hero aspect, but also as an "old-school yinzer" in contrast to Peduto the "elitist east-end yuppie". Now that Peduto isn't running as the lesser evil, I think the geographical biases will come back.

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  5. We'll have to wait and see if the other candidates highlight the "Peduto is an elitist" angle. It's entirely possible those yinzers won't even notice it on their own.

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  6. Anon @ 10:57, is that you Peggy Noonan?

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  7. Spent some time today in Brookline on business...the demographics are changing fast in working class neighborhoods...Peduto will suprise in the South!

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  8. I know Wagner is a vet, but hearing this "war hero" seems new . . . could someone with knowledge of his "heroics" please explain. Purple Heart? How? Where?

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  9. From Jack Quagmire's Wikipedia page:

    Wagner is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recipient of the Purple Heart and other military commendations for service in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968. "In the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam, Wagner's squad got caught in an ambush." Wagner was among three wounded, twelve others died.[9]

    Whether that constitutes being a "hero" is, of course, open to debate.

    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero

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  10. I wonder Fitz is a war hero now that Brimmier has been indicted?

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  11. Careful. Whomever you support, just say no to swift boating. Military records are public record so no need to speculate anonymously. Military awards and decorations are public record if you really want more information.

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  12. ^^^ Yes. Take it elsewhere.

    Of course, though we're not there yet, there is a point of diminishing returns for a politician evoking his or her war record. As Comet Senior Political Analyst Morton Reichbaum famously remarked of John McCain in explicit contrast to President John F. Kennedy, "Alright, great. He's a war hero. Does he have to make a career out of it?"

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  13. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/mayoral-candidates-to-debate-sunday-at-obama-academy-679394/

    Come out to meet AJ Richardson too.

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  14. John Kerry got a bronze star, a silver star and three purple hearts, yet his opponents questioned his military service and credentials. That's swift boating CB. Asking why a guy with one purple heart is being touted as a "war hero" is just healthy skepticism.

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  15. Thanks Mark. No Josh Wander.

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  16. As a veteran that has been awarded a bunch of medals for just getting up into a truck seat and doing my job as a military truck driver, I have an aversion to the automatic halo effect that seems to go along with inhabiting the same space as flying bombs and bullets. My experience of military leadership and observation of very courageous military veterans in action on the battlefields of civilian government service suggest that physical bravery does not = moral valor, much less honesty, integrity, professional competence, expertise, experience, diplomatic skills, administrative orderliness or leaderly mojo.

    Not that Wagner doesn't have these other qualities - I don't know enough about him and his history yet to judge, but it will indeed be his record of actions as elected official and his civilian performance for the good of our diverse communities that I'll be paying attention to in making my decision.

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  17. So it's not swift boating. My bad. I will rephrase. Just say no to preemptively casting aspersions on facts about a veteran's service without even bothering to obtain publicly available data first. Maybe he was not even a Marine?

    Just to be clear, I'm voting for Sophie. I'm just suggesting this is really really not a path any candidate wants to go down.

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  18. @CB

    Oh, yes, I'm totally anti-swiftboating of any sort, military or civilian - double yes to obtaining double-checked publicly available data for all such public criticisms and aspersions.

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  19. Who is Jim Ferlo referring to in his reference to "boastful and baseless candidacies?"

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  20. That's a textbook case of projection.

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  21. Yeah, maybe he WASNT a marine! Now we,re getting somewhere! ;-)

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  22. Josh gets an intro now and a date for debate in fall 's general election.

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  23. As the person who asked about Jack Wagner's military record vis a vis the "war hero" comment, sometimes a question is just a question. Was NOT trying to "swift boat" but as the child of a vet wanted to know a little more to see whether there was supporting documentation or whether this was just a campaign supporter embellishing his military record. Thank you all for the clarifications/comments!

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  24. I figured you'd eventually go there Mark, but obviously, it's your show, despite the forum being billed as an Obama student event.

    Of course, everybody in the audience is going to be like, "WTF? I thought this was a Democratic primary debate," but I imagine Josh gave you an earful. Way to debase the proceedings.

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  25. Crazy talk above.

    Not my show at all. It isn't even my D party.

    I am neutral. I can type fast with social media, but that is about it.

    Plus, it is my city, my son on stage, an after-school group I volunteer with every year for a dozen days, a school where I coach sports and some of the players on those teams are involved.

    It is a student event.

    I am sure that many in the audience (>200 predicted) will be doing -- as you say -- "WTF" -- but that reaction will stem from what is said by the candidates.

    Debase as you wish anonymous.

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  26. Great event Mark. Thanks for not introducing the Republican candidate.

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  27. It was a great event.

    Josh did get an introduction, into a group photo and even a few media mentions along the way.

    Video to be released soon enough.

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  28. Huh. Must have missed it. I was there about 20 minutes early but didn't stay to the end. I didn't see Josh in the Trib and PG's group photos, although the PG did give him quite a lot of space to say that it was all the same old same old. So I guess he didn't think the forum was all that.

    Who's running on the Libertarian ticket?

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  29. No Libertarian candidate yet for mayor. The date for passing in nomination papers is August 1, I think. But, I doubt there will be a Libertarian in the race. Time will tell.

    Any candidate not of the Ds nor Rs would garner some attention of the Ls in terms of investigation.

    Less miss information about other matters is welcomed.

    Watch for my version of the group photo without the heads chopped off.

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