Sit back, drink some coffee, and peer in my addled mind...Masterpiece Theater and the resurgence of Investigative JournalismI think we all knew this mayoral election would get ugly. Linda Thompson is a self-proclaimed
passionate person. I think LT is trying to re-brand her image; to me, passionate in her sense is another way of saying that she
brings the drama. As of today, there is no doubt that the ongoing mayoral election drama has fired up the Pennlive forums and also rekindled investigative journalism from local TV stations and the Patriot News. Kudos to the Fourth Estate, now stay awake...
Pennlive PosionI've never commented on Pennlive's forums. Some of the folks that do comment are thoughtful and measured. Those people are in the minority. Simply put, anonymity often brings out the worst in people, and no where is that truer than in the
nasty, brutish, and short comments found in Pennlive's front-line trenches, er...forums, particularly as they relate to this year's historic open mayoral election. Some of the English found on these forums is downright garbled, ignorant, lazy, cruel, and classless (Not like my blog...um...because I'm sunny and clever...right? Bastards.)
The devil is in the details...Linda Thompson has often commented that her records are open and that she stands by them.
Well, it certainly seems like people are starting to take notice and question the growing discrepancies between what Linda says, what Linda does, and what Linda said she did. Today's Patriot News story:
Harrisburg mayoral candidate Linda Thompson tells more about her finances further attempts to twist open this prickly pickle jar. The story asks questions, but LT's answers just leave me with more questions. I am staying tuned for more.
Were there really any swing voters at the debate?I attended Wednesday's debate at the Zembo shrine with Ms. Girlfriend and a GOP friend. Frankly, I thought LT's performance was better. Clearly, she is the more experienced candidate (remember that I said this when you read later thoughts below) and she knows how to work a room. Mindlin is about as exciting as listening to a bathtub drain water. LT, as the better candidate, says just enough to cater to all interests. I think that she rightly tailors what she says based on her audience, and that is just smart politics. The attending audience was for the most part respectful of both candidates, but it is clear that LT brought her own cheering section that made up the majority of those present.
Bazinga!Nevin nettled Thompson from the get-go. I can honestly state that Mindlin started the mud slinging by getting defensive over
negative comments Thompson made at the previous debate about Nevin's reasons for running. This was probably not a smart move and I am sure it alienated folks there, but, again, how many swing voters were actually there at the debate? Maybe he sought to unbalance Thompson early and put her on the defensive. Bottom line: It did not work.
LT is far more nimble with the one-liners and she definitely won the zinger contest. Nevin missed many opportunities to zing her back with satisfaction. At one point, Mindlin was told that he should live on the hill (Allison Hill) after he mentioned that four at large city council members lived in, or near, his uptown neighborhood. The original point being that Allison Hill lacks real city representation on council (a fair point by the way). After being chided for not living up on the hill himself by Thompson, I wish that Nevin had pointed out that
LT doesn't live on the hill either. There were loads of little retorts that Nevin could have made. While the "zing game" makes for good political theater, especially for a candidate's supporters, we're all better off discussing real problems facing Harrisburg.
The Ghost of Ayn RandMindlin comes across as professorial. On Wednesday, for whatever reason, Mindlin, at times, spoke to this majority Democratic audience using phrases like "self-determination" and "picking oneself up by their bootstraps." I get what he was trying to say, but did he think he was at book club meeting discussing the merits of Ayn Rand's
The Fountainhead? Such comments are a poor choice for any candidate trying to make his way in a one party Democratic town. To me at least, it is indicative of being politically tone deaf. It doesn't matter if he was right or wrong, those words automatically ear-muffed most listeners in the room to anything good Mindlin had to say, and that is the last thing any candidate should want.
Oh crap...In particular, those words, and other tidbits of Republican sloganism spewed by Mindlin, had a very detrimental effect on Ms. Girlfriend. She is the more liberal half of this couple (not by much) and Mindlin's meanderings greatly
reduced the likelihood of her voting for him. This shocked me at first; later it annoyed me. Perhaps I am just more utilitarian in who gets my vote (as I am supporting Mindlin). Ultimately, it should not matter: it is her vote and she is entitled to use it as she pleases (I will be hiding her glasses in spite.)
Demobots: programmed to vote blue or snooze through the electionI was less shocked to learn that there are many Democrats in Harrisburg that are echoing Ms. Girlfriend's sentiments on Nevin. I've been getting earfuls from Democrats that loathe Thompson personally and will not be voting for her. In the same breath, these same life-long Democrats refuse to vote for a Republican. It's as if they are just hard wired in such a way that pushing the scary
"Mindlin-Republican button" will violate their programming (or kill a puppy somewhere). I am still amazed at the power of party politics, even as such partisan pigeonholing wanes.
Think it throughI completely agree that Nevin sometimes sounds like Republican dorkmeister; but right now, and at the local level, I think Mindlin will be the better mayor.
A major question Democrats should ask is: How much damage can Nevin the GOP slogan shiller do at the local level? Mindlin is NOT a right wing zealot. Though I sense that he has trouble empathizing with any other viewpoint outside of his personal experiences.
A better question is this: Which candidate with interact better with our solidly Democratic City Council? The easy answer should be fellow Democrat LT, but I don't think that is right. In any event, Republican Mindlin will still have a Democratic City Council with which to contend.
Also, notice earlier that I did not say that Mindlin is the better candidate, even though he did knock on my door and Thompson DID NOT (by the way, too late Linda...so bitter). The main difference between these two people is clear to me at least: Nevin will make for a better manager of the major problems facing this city--problems that are so large that any tough decisions he will make may well lead him to becoming a one term mayor.
Thompson, on the other hand, did some serious buck passing on her incinerator vote, and admitted as much on Wednesday. I would have preferred that she admit messing up on the vote. Rather, she claimed that as a freshmen member of council that she relied on the expertise of those who knew better. I'd argue that her alliance with Harrisburg Authority board chairman James Ellison (her campaign manager) is simply an extension of LT deferring to the expertise of other people. The more she trumpets herself as
"doer, who lives it," the more she looks insecure and vulnerable to me. I wonder, and worry, about the influence that Ellison will have on a Mayor Thompson, should she win. Will Ellison's law firm be getting the lion's share of the city bond work? His firm has already given her campaign money. If any watchdogs eyeball a possible Thompson Administration, Ellison quid-pro-quos should be at the top of the watch list.
LT: Turning out to be Reed-Lite?I voted for Linda Thompson in the primary because I felt that Mayor Reed's many years in office left him too corrupt and too compromised to govern in a city beset by BIG problems. As the Klieg lights are being focused on Thompson's finances, Loveship failures, and ethics form questions, I am beginning to question her ability to handle details, her ability to provide transparency (something she rallied against Reed for), and her ability to even back up her own resume as a proven leader. She is looking like a mini-version of Reed right now, and the last thing I want is another Reed.
When all is said and done, I'll be voting for Mindlin because this city needs a manager and a problem solver, even one that occasionally sounds like a hackneyed echo of Ronald Regan's Greatest Hits. Honestly Nevin, watch a Michael Moore movie. Get with it. And please know that I think LT is right on KOZs (you should have zinged her about Rendell's endorsement, after all, his Edness helped with the foolish Midtown KOZ).
In the end...For those who are on the fence, that is your choice. Personally, not voting to me is akin to cowardice.
But, who the hell am I to tell you how to vote. I may feel superior for picking the lesser of two evils, but in the end I really know that voting is all about:
- Yelling at people trying to hand me their literature (seriously, eff off!);
- Signing in at my polling place;
- Making cranky jokes with my neighbors;
- Getting into the booth, shutting the curtain;
- Holding my nose;
- And pressing a series of buttons for candidates that can never live up to my standards.
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