I wanted to thank those who visit the Nest for their patience. Haven’t posted since Monday and that’s because a surgeon went digging and uprooted four wisdom teeth last week. A bottle of Vicadin, nearly a week’s worth of rest and several packets of Carnation Instant Breakfast later, the Nest is back and operating (with another bottle of Advil close by).
Up in Harrisburg, watch for the gun debate next week and this month. Gov. Ed Rendell appears determined to keep this issue poppin’ after the recent shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer. New legislation to regulate guns could become a serious negotiating chip during the upcoming budget battle this summer.
Also, expect the issue of leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private business, a move that the Rendell adminstration expects to generate upwards of $18 billion for infrastructure improvements statewide, to make some headlines. Two Spanish companies, an Australian outfit and an American company have made undisclosed offers, according to a published report here.
And as if to prove any speculation on Obama’s v.p. candidate is fodder for editorial columns, Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard speculates hereabout what an Obama-Rendell Democratic ticket would look like. Writes Barnes:
Yes, Rendell was the leading supporter of Clinton when she trounced Obama in the Pennsylvania presidential primary last month. But he’s a smart, tough, and respected politician who would no doubt embrace Obama eagerly, fully, and loyally.
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More often than not, vice presidential running mates have little effect on the outcome of the general election. But they can sometimes bring their own state. Rendell would, just as LBJ brought Texas in 1960. He would assure that Obama wins Pennsylvania against Republican John McCain in the general election.
This is critical. A Democratic presidential nominee cannot win without capturing Pennsylvania. It’s no more complicated than that. Obama starts from a weak position in the state. In losing the primary, he fared poorly among Catholics, working class women, and downscale white voters. Rendell would corral them for Obama, most of them anyway.
I’m not placing any bets on Rendell for the ticket even if Clinton somehow, someway, defies all odds and ends up the Democratic presidential nominee. Democrats in Pennsylvania outnumber their GOP counterparts by more than 1 million, and the last two statewide Democratic candidates - Rendell and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. - trounced their GOP rivals by nearly 60-40 percent in 2006. This is a state confidently in Democratic hands no matter what the voter polls are showing right now.
