Bird’s-Eye View

In case you missed it, the major engagement between Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration and the Senate Republican Caucus over insuring the uninsured goes to the latter:
The prospect of expanding subsidized health coverage to thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians before the end of the year died Wednesday, as Gov. Ed Rendell and Senate Republicans failed to […]

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If you’re Republican John McCain, Tuesday is the kind of day your campaign needs. You’re slipping farther behind your opponent, Democrat Barack Obama, in critical swing states like Pennsylvania and (GASP!) traditionally-Republican Virginia; a majority of voters want a new manager of the economy in the White House rather than someone from the current president’s […]

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Democrat Barack Obama came out as the frontrunner in the national race for president after three weeks of frightening developments on Wall Street and a massive federal bailout. Obama, though, cannot afford to sit back and cruise to Nov. 4 and expect to win. What’s a guy to do? Talk about an increasingly desperate Philadelphia Eagles season? Critique the […]

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A movie released in 2007, a remake of the classic 3:10 to Yuma, provided not only a superb, tense and well-acted contemporary western but a look at the human psyche. A humble, hobbled and poor rancher (played by Christian Bale of The Dark Knight fame) accepts a wealthy contract to deliver an infamous, deadly and […]

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1:02 p.m.: McCain ends by saying rural Pennsylvanians are not “bitter” and clinging to their guns and religions because they’re disenchanted with government and the economy:
“Judeo-Christian values they hold dear is the strength of America. They’re the reason why the people in Georgia today are looking to America.”
Gettin’ on the Straight Talk Express. Keep checking […]

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Maybe the heat’s getting to John McCain and Barack Obama, but this week they made two strategic mistakes which could haunt them when the humidity makes way for the cooler climes of the fall.
This is particularly true for Obama, who today responded to Iran’s missile tests by saying:
“What this underscores is the need for a […]

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Breathe a sigh of relief. Call off the search dogs. The kids can come out the play, again.
Late last night, Gov. Ed Rendell announced an agreement between his office and the Legislature over a budget that was more than $500 million less than what Rendell wanted. Here’s some details from his press release:
The Governor said […]

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Here’s something from the F&M poll that’s been underreported today:
“About seven in ten (66 percent) registered adults believe that the problems they are facing can be solved with the help of the government.”
As director of the F&M poll, G. Terry Madonna, said during an interview Thursday night: “You and I both know (free market policies) work […]

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June may be the cruelest month, not April, because all those voter polls really don’t tell us much about what’s going to happen in November. We’re four months out from the election, and anything - a foreign attack, a major scandal, Swift Boating - can change the playing field and equalize any advantage one candidate […]

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As Aerosmith once said, “I’m back in the saddle, again!” Had a couple of nice days off, and I see the political arena has gotten itself in a frenzy.
Some random thoughts:
Obama foregoes public financing
I spent a couple of days with close friends in York County. One of them - mother of two, college educated, someone I […]

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