Lynn Swann, governor?

[Faithless]

The Swann move would appear to bear the fingerprints of Karl Rove. When Rove hitched his consultant's wagon to George W. Bush he knew that the Texan had solid name identification in coming from one of America's two leading political dynastic families, the other being the Kennedys, which Schwarzenegger married into.

Swann has delivered that same tired line that the Rove-Bush team has exhausted. He declares that the Democratic Party has been taking African Americans for granted. What Swann and the Republicans do not wish to hear is why African Americans vote against them in such large numbers.

Lynn Swann Candidacy Reminscent of Schwarzenegger

By Bill Hare | 01/15/2006 09:20:06 PM EST

As America turns its attention toward the upcoming Super Bowl with competition intensifying among the NFL's premier teams, a Hall of Famer who sparked four Pittsburgh Steeler title wins is trading in his college football analyst's hat for an attempt to win the Pennsylvania governor's chair.

Last week former superstar wide receiver Lynn Swann announced for governor with an exploratory committee being formed on his behalf as he simultaneously tests the waters by campaigning throughout the Keystone State. Swann hopes the effort will culminate with the unseating of Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell.

The name identification factor and superstar label are reminiscent of a similar name exploitation plunge that bodybuilder turned film action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger took in California, which resulted in the recall of Governor Gray Davis and Schwarzenegger's election.

The Swann move would appear to bear the fingerprints of Karl Rove. When Rove hitched his consultant's wagon to George W. Bush he knew that the Texan had solid name identification in coming from one of America's two leading political dynastic families, the other being the Kennedys, which Schwarzenegger married into.

Rove huddled with Schwarzenegger in Washington and urged him to run for governor in California, realizing that his celebrity status gave him an advantage over other potential candidates who would have to be built up over time.

Those who know Pennsylvania are aware of the magical hold that the Pittsburgh Steelers register in the minds and hearts of the citizenry. As a player Swann as a wide receiver helped comprise the speed and finesse elements of a well-oiled gridiron machine molded into a winner by coach Chuck Noll.

The team's hallmark was its Steel Curtain defense, an element that played well among the blue collar set. Rove was well aware of these aforementioned factors.

While running as a candidate of the most blatantly elitist government for the rich administration in American history, spin control remains in place with a candidate such as Swann being ideal under the circumstances. Take a journey to Swann's recently installed Swann for Governor website and one can spot immediately the blue collar flavor of the campaigning as he declares himself the candidate who will stand up for the people of Pennsylvania.

The rationale is that all the while voters will think of the old days and the Steel Curtain identification, hard working, bootstraps lifting Pennsylvania stock.

Swann holds an advantage over Schwarzenegger in that he comes across as humble and non-elitist, bearing none of the bloated ego, spoiled manner of California's governor. Also, the fact that Swann is an African American is an element that Rove and the Republican upper affinity hope will resonate with voters.

Add to this Swann's success story of a young man from the San Francisco suburb of Foster City who honed his physical skills to become an All-American wide receiver at the University of Southern California, helping the Trojans win a national championship, then matriculate to the NFL and become a part of a Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty.

Swann has delivered that same tired line that the Rove-Bush team has exhausted. He declares that the Democratic Party has been taking African Americans for granted. What Swann and the Republicans do not wish to hear is why African Americans vote against them in such large numbers.

African Americans observed as tax cuts skewed in favor of the rich were passed while their own communities, schools and medical care were short-shrifted. They remember when then Texas Governor George W. Bush coldly distanced himself from a young African American woman after her father had been dragged to his death by hateful racists.

Bush would do nothing to promote anti-hate crime legislation in Texas, reportedly petrified that it would also include such protection for homosexuals. He refused to even ask the young woman to sit down during her office visit and treated her with cold rudeness.

Then there was the way that Bush saved his candidacy in 2000 in the infamous South Carolina Republican primary, when Senator John McCain was smeared with impunity and support was summoned from racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, sexist Bob Jones University, that bastion of racial segregation.

The message was crystal clear - the Bush campaign was plunging into the mud and votes were being desperately sought from Ku Klux Klan style redneck elements. All the while Bush wore the self-proclaimed mantle of compassionate conservative.

When Bush was ensconced in Washington he used his leadership position and bully pulpit to inject himself into an affirmative action case in the federal courts. As Howard Dean said when running for president in 2004, in "playing the race card" Bush should receive a "one way bus ticket back to Crawford, Texas." Once again, African Americans were paying attention.

The message should go forth to Lynn Swann that African Americans as well as many of the rest of the citizenry are tired of the Rove-Bush divide and conquer style of hypocritical and divisive politics. A successful career as a professional football player, which was then extended into a later role as an ABC Television grid analyst, have placed Swann in the category addressed strongly by Bush in the form of tax cuts.

In the process Swann has acquired blinders to turn off the reality of what is occurring specifically among his African American brothers and sisters and throughout society in general.

The Cheney-Bush stranglehold on the political process has been achieved through rigged elections, and this is a key area wherein the Swann candidacy is concerned. Think back to the 2004 presidential election in bellwether Ohio. Ohio's African American Secretary of State Ken Blackwell used his position to create a voting pattern within the state that egregiously discriminated against his own people.

While prosperous white voting districts had plenty of polling stations, making it comfortable to show up and vote Republican, African Americans were compelled to stand in long lines in a cold, driving rain. The pattern was blatant, as was its brutal intent, to seek the exclusion of African American voters.

So Swann will be promoted as a populist man of the people eager to assist, as Schwarzenegger had been in California, as the Bushies advance his candidacy. Meanwhile a deluge of negative ads will be run against Governor Ed Rendell.

Karl Rove was bitterly disappointed over losing Pennsylvania to Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, despite Herculean Republican efforts and whopping advertising and organizational funds.

Rove relishes a submissive Republican in office, a star name with political knowledge that is scant at best, ala Schwarzenegger in California. The Diebold machine strategy coupled with administrative chicanery can be turned loose and elections can be rigged in favor of Republicans.

The Republicans, after all, are the Party of Lincoln. How pleased Lincoln would be if he were alive today to see and smell the fetid results of the Cheney-Bush ruling Junta.

[haplesshobo]

Chottamatte,

I don't know where you get your sources from, but I would be more willing to believe them if they were more fair and balanced than this example. Its a trobuling trend in America where it seems more and more people are turning to sources that merely confirm their beliefs, instead of challenging them. We're seeing that with FoxNews, and how it panders to the Right.

The Governator has made many mistakes as Governor. But, its simply parinoid and ludicrous to make the accusation that Karl Rove controls Arnold S. Arnold S. is a different type of republican than Geore Bush, with a different agenda than Bush.

As for Lynn Swan, it would probably have been more helpful if he had played for Phil Eagles rather than Pittsburg Steelers. Philly is the biggest city, with the most voters, in Penn. Swan doesn't necessairly need to win Philly, but he has do well enough where he doesn't get blown away by Philly votes that would overwhelm his support from other parts of the state. And, since Pittsburg Steelers are the rivals for Phil Eagles, I don't see how well his football career would help him with Philly voters.

[Faithless]

helplesshobo,

I don't know what you mean by "where I get my sources", since I posted something that seemed valid in at least indicating that Lynn Swann was indeed running for a governorship.

http://www.swannforgovernor.com/

As for whether he's a crackpot like Arnie, I think only the press on him in the coming months will tell.

I think you maybe reacting to the article indicating that a Karl Rove like effort is out to promote him. And yes, I would believe that.

Lynn's got name recognition. Some of his republican allies believe that --

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive...06dnews-01.asp

And since he's got those ill-fated conservative beliefs, so much the better for them.

And according to this article, he's got a good chance of getting the republican spot over some dude named Scranton.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...governor_x.htm

The question is, even if he does win the top repub spot, does he have enough to beat the current governor, Ed Rendell?

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005...ember%2012.htm

We'll see. But as far as the Rove like effort to push him into the Penn gov seat, the shit-talking against he potential dem counterpart starts here --

www .swannblog .com

[haplesshobo]

Chottamatte,

Its a disappointment that you are stooping to the level of Martino with the name calling, especially since that same poster mocked and ridiculed your previous posts before.

The article you posted was simply more than something that indicated Swann was going to run for governor. I wouldn't have disagreed if the article's thrust was that Swann's personal popularity was driving his campaign.

Instead, what I'm questioning about the original article as how it seems that the writer had an agenda beyond simply reporting Swann was going to run for governor. The article seemed more of an attack on the Republican Party and George Bush rather than about Swann. I also think that the writer is way off when he writes that Rove wants Swann because he views Swann as a submissive candidate that he can control, just like Rove has supposedly controlled Arnold. As I pointed out, Arnold has different agenda than Bush, and is more liberal on social issuses. How exactly is Arnold being controlled and manipulated?

I don't disagree that Swann will get support from the Republican Party, just like Arnold got support too. But, they weren't getting this support simply because they could be manipulated by somebody like Rove. Instead, they represented the best shot for the Republican Party to win in a primarily Democratic state. If Ben Affleck is the best chance for the Democratic Party to win Virginia, then they'll support him just like they would back somebody more anonymous if that person is their best bet of victory.

To me, that article was a partisan article, with no attempt at being balanced or reflective. This is what I mean when I questioned your sources. I see this as part of a larger, more trobuling trend in America where it seems people are increasingly turning to sources that only confirm their own views, instead of challenging them.

[Faithless]

Dear HelplessHobo,

It seems you have a problem with screen names, as well, even when they are spelled right-there in front of your face. You've done it twice, sweety.

I think Martino may have realized something about the previous poster and her attempts at mockery and redicule that I had failed to realize until recently -- namely that said poster spends most of her time on this board being argumentative -- if nothing else -- coming from the arrogant stand point of having the truth tucked inside her pocket.

You have a keen eye in realizing that the writer of the article has a particular bent when it comes to Swann's potential governorship. That being said, what is wrong with him having an opinion? It certainly makes for more interesting look at Swann than a simple byline of facts.

The opinions are already out there -- left and right. You find the "right" one, since you are dearly looking for balance. Chances are -- you will find one that fits with your own political views.

[haplesshobo]

Chottomatte,

Sorry about misspelling your name, but I wasn't doing it just for the sake of namecalling. I'm not a good speller. I was actually commenting how Martino had mocked your posts before, and that why would you want to follow the same tack as somebody like that.

I'm simply pointing that the original article was coming from such a extremist point of view that I tended to write off most of the things in it as it corrupted all the analysis in the article. And, that its dangerous when people only read partisan articles like that no matter if the articles are skewed to the far right or far left. I think its trobuling when people on the right only watch FOXNews or listein to Rush Limbaughbecause they think all the other media is tilted to the left, just like I think its trobuling when people on the left tend to get their news from partisan left articles like this. It tends to become an echo chamber of groupthink. I don't want to read something merely because I agree with it. I want to read something that is well written, with interesting ideas.

I don't understand why balanced and truly analytical is now considered to be something wrong. It didn't have to be a simple byline of the facts. It could have been a analytical piece from somebody like Ronald Brownstein, who is probably more to the left and center than right, which would have examined and analyzed the issuses without the corruption of the analysis.

After all, isn't every analytical piece a opinion, where the writer is interpreting the facts before him. But, one could have still analyzed Swann running for governor, without all the cheap shots that Rove only wanted Swann to run because Rove could then control Swann fromt the White House. Those cheap shots had nothing to do with any analysis, but served merely as an attack on Swann, Arnold, and Rove.

[lethal]

Swann has almost no chance of defeating the sitting Gov., Ed Rendell (D). Swann may not even make it out of the Republican primary.

Unlike in CA, Rendell is currently popular while Davis was very unpopular.

[Faithless]

Originally Posted by lethal

Swann has almost no chance of defeating the sitting Gov., Ed Rendell (D). Swann may not even make it out of the Republican primary.

Unlike in CA, Rendell is currently popular while Davis was very unpopular.

Re: Swann. He might. I read somewhere that he got an endorsement from a republican group over there.

And it seems the right-wing has glommed (sp?) onto this idea that he is anti-tax and pro-life, etc.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/...s/13230353.htm

He calls himself conservative and pro-life, says he's out to cut business taxes, cap government spending and ditch the property tax.
But when asked how exactly he makes up for $8 billion to $9 billion the property tax provides, he says he has a plan he's "in the process of flushing out."

Rendel. Maybe, unless people are feeling this way (convincing arguments, by the way):

The Worst Governor in the United States

January 16, 2006 - If you want a glimpse into a Hillary Clinton administration, look no further than Pennsylvania, where Gov. Edward G. Rendell has taxed and regulated the state to death.

Rendell, the former Philadelphia mayor, Democratic National Committee chairman and longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton, has completed three full years as Pennsylvania governor. It’s no coincidence that Pennsylvania ranks at the bottom of just about every category of economic growth.

During Rendell’s tenure, state spending has grown to an astronomical $24.3 billion a year. And what are Pennsylvania taxpayers getting for their money? The state's economy is bleeding. The Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute gave Rendell and "F" for his economic policies.

Pennsylvania taxpayers, especially the elderly, are losing their homes because they can't afford burdensome property taxes. Rendell has made property tax relief his primary goal in each of his first three years as governor but failed to deliver on his promise three years in a row.

Pennsylvania roads are crumbling or choked with traffic. Thousands of young people are leaving the state for better opportunities elsewhere, while tons of garbage from surrounding states flows into Pennsylvania. Corruption, greed and incompetence seem to be the three words most frequently associated with Pennsylvania government.

Rendell promised a "new Pennsylvania" when he took office in 2003. Many voters fell for Rendell's empty promises.

Pennsylvania was the No. 2 importer of out-of-state garbage when Rendell took office. Today, Pennsylvania is the nation's No. 1 importer of trash. Rendell has turned Pennsylvania into the nation's dumping ground.

Pennsylvania continues to have the worst roads in the country, according to annual surveys of truckers. The state's bridges are falling down. Rendell's own transportation department says the state needs to spend $500 million in each of the next 20 years to repair deteriorating bridges. And let's not forget that Rendell siphoned $530 million in federal highway funds to keep buses and trains running in Philadelphia (and keep those Democratic-voting transit workers happy).

Rendell campaigned on a platform to overhaul education in Pennsylvania. He's had three education secretaries in three years. It's hard to develop a plan to improve schools when your Education Department is a revolving door.

Rendell signed a $1 billion increase in the state income tax in his first year. He pushed through casino gambling in his second year even though two-thirds of the state's residents oppose gambling. Rendell sold the slots bill as a way to fund public education. The companion legislation to fund the schools, Act 72, was rejected by four-fifths of the state’s 501 school districts. Even if the school districts had approved Act 72, it's obvious that gambling revenues would not bring in enough to fund the state's public schools.

So why will Pennsylvania soon be home to 61,000 slot machines? One might ask Rendell to explain why he has collected millions in campaign contributions from the gambling industry. What is the gambling industry getting for its money? Who has the governor's ear? Pennsylvania taxpayers or casino owners?

Rendell is sitting on a $12 million war chest as he prepares to take on one of two GOP challengers, former NFL great Lynn Swann or former Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton.

Rendell didn't do too much damage in his third year as governor. The only tax increase he could get approved was the $52 emergency services tax that almost all communities now take from the paychecks of workers.

But let's not forget Rendell's biggest achievement of 2005. He signed into law the infamous 16 percent to 54 percent pay raises for legislators, judges and other state politicians, including the governor. Rendell had an opportunity to side with the state's beleaguered taxpayers and veto the pay hike. He signed it anyway and praised the pay raise. It wasn't until Pennsylvanians started booing Rendell at county fairs that he realized he had stepped in manure.

Rendell did find time in December to veto legislation that would have saved Pennsylvania businesses and workers $1.1 billion over the next five years. Why did Rendell oppose the tax cuts? He said the legislation would reduce the amount of money the state had to spend. Duh. That's the idea of a tax cut. Less money for government to waste.

Rendell has also failed to curb "for-profit" insurance giants from raising rates by 20 percent to 30 percent every year. Two bills before the state Legislature are stuck in committee because the insurance lobby doesn't want them passed. Rendell and his insurance secretary, who is supposed to be looking out for Pennsylvania taxpayers, have been silent on this issue for three years.

Rendell promised to increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage, which has been at $5.15 since 1996. Three years into his term, he has failed to deliver on that promise. He even announced that he would never sign the pay raise unless it included an increase in the minimum wage. He signed the pay raise anyway.

Rendell has pardoned more criminals in his first three years as governor than any other Pennsylvania governor has done over the same time frame.

If you're a Pennsylvania resident who still feels the need to re-elect Rendell, look at it this way: A vote for Rendell is a vote for higher taxes, under-funded schools, skyrocketing health insurance, more out-of-state garbage, crumbling roads and bridges, state-supported gambling and more pardons for criminals.

And here's a final reason Rendell (who moonlights for cable TV's Comcast as a commentator for Eagles football games) doesn't deserve re-election. He promised the Eagles would return to the Super Bowl in 2006 and win it all. So much for Rendell keeping his promises.

[Martino]

Originally Posted by haplesshobo

Chottamatte,

Its a disappointment that you are stooping to the level of Martino with the name calling, especially since that same poster mocked and ridiculed your previous posts before.

Which posts?

Originally Posted by haplesshobo

Sorry about misspelling your name, but I wasn't doing it just for the sake of namecalling. I'm not a good speller. I was actually commenting how Martino had mocked your posts before, and that why would you want to follow the same tack as somebody like that.

Which posts?

[Faithless]

Man, I forget what the earlier arguments were about here, since they were queer, but anyways Swanny was dropped by the good voters of Penn.

I guess Heath Shuler ran, too, and got elected "... for a congressional seat from North Carolina", receiving "... nearly 54 percent of the vote to defeat Republican incumbent Charles Taylor".

Swann fails in bid to become Pennsylvania governor

Wed Nov 8, 2006 4:54pm ET27

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann has failed in his bid to become the first African-American governor of Pennsylvania.

A three-times Pro Bowl receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers known for his acrobatic catches and playing his best in the biggest games, Swann was soundly beaten by Democratic governor Ed Rendell.

...

The 54-year-old Swann, a Republican, received about 40 percent of the vote.

...

[haplesshobo]

Swann had no chance this year in the democratic tidalwive that swept all those Republicans out of office. I was flipping through the channels, and Rendell was being pretty complimentary about Swann. Although, its much easier to be so gracious when you've won. Rendell complimented Swann for not running a ugly campaign, where Swann could have tried to use issues like gay marriages as a wedge issue.

Originally Posted by Faithless

I guess Heath Shuler ran, too, and got elected "... for a congressional seat from North Carolina", receiving "... nearly 54 percent of the vote to defeat Republican incumbent Charles Taylor".

See, this is what I was talking about. Heath Shuler is also an ex-jock, with no political experience either. (Although, I would also disagree with the original article that Gov. S. had no political knowledge before running for office. Its been an open secret for many years that Gov. S was fascinated by politics, and always considered running. He had been involved with the Republican Party for years, back when the father Bush was president, and he helped spearhead a proposition in CA that passed. But, hey, we're not going to let facts get in the way of cheap political points) But, I'm not going to call Shluler 'submissive' or try to portray Rahm Emanuel as some shadowy puppermaster controlling him. Both political parties are going out to reach out to anybody who they think has a shot of winning.