Wednesday, May 31, 2006

As Sam Said To Dave...


Hold on, I'm coming!

I couldn't get that old song out of my brain whilst reading news reports of former Gov. Tom Ridge's five-city swing Tuesday with this year's Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann.

It was all smiles and handshakes, with Ridge and Swann showing the pearly whites, but let us not kid ourselves. Much like the 7th Cavalry, Ridge charged in to give a boost to a Swann candidacy that is sagging, especially at the Republican base.

Many of those county chairs who got on the Swann bandwagon early on are now having buyer's remorse, to use a phrase I stole from a GOP strategist.

Ridge's purpose in this trip was to boost the base, calm the party activist types and (maybe most importantly) help Swann raise money.

The next deadline for campaign spending and fund-raising reports is June 16th. The chattering class and the pols will be looking at how well or poorly Swann has done in getting his hands on some cash.

Among those most concerned: GOP leaders in the Philadelphia area, who are worried that a weak Swann candidacy will result in the Rendell/Casey ticket swamping other Republican officeholders, many of whom have competitive races for Congressional and state legislative seats. Hear them fret in this Daily News piece by Bob Warner.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO SEE LYNN SWANN AS A SERIOUS CANDIDATE. I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY PREVIOUS POLITICAL EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAS HAD.

EVEN THO' I READ THAT HE IS PRO-LIFE, I CAN'T IMAGINE VOTING FOR SUCH A NOvICE.

I THINK THAT ED RENDELL HAS ALOT OF TRAITS THAT MAKE HIM A DECENT GOV.

MR. SWANN IS WASTING HIS TIME AND I GUESS HE IS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB FOR THE GOP.

10:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Swann is indeed a sacrificial lamb, but only as the (forgive me) swan song of the PA Republican State Committee.

They have abandoned their base.

Their base, in the mid-state, and up north, will vote for Russ Diamond.

Diamond is not connected to gambling, not connected to big monied interests, and has a plan for reform.

My question is, where are the Reform Demoncrats? They were sadly lacking in the last Primary.

10:39 AM  

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