The PA Primary - Democratic Underground

H2O Man

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Sat Mar-29-08 11:54 AM
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The PA Primary

I think the primary contest in Pennsylvania is fascinating. No single state is representative of the entire nation, of course, but there are dynamics at play that make the state of special interest in April. Even as a New York State resident, with all that is going on here, I’ve been focused on Pennsylvania, and thought that Senator Bob Casey, Jr.’s endorsement of Barack Obama was important.

My admittedly limited knowledge of PA politics comes from a few sources. First, I have an aunt and uncle who are "typical" Irish-Catholic PA democrats. Both had careers as professors at universities. Both were politically involved: my aunt is a "Kennedy democrat", and my uncle was recognized by President Carter in 1978 for being an outstanding science teacher. They were also neighbors and friends of the Casey family.

I also find the insights of MSNBC’s Chris Matthews interesting. I think his book "Life’s a Campaign" is a valuable tool in understanding not only PA politics, but also some of the friction between him and some neoconservatives that are engaged in efforts to discredit him. In 1974, after working for Ralph Nader, Matthews ran in the democratic primary against Rep. Joshua Eilberg. It was noteworthy, because Matthews ran on a "money-free" campaign, and in the wake of Watergate, he was attempting to confront corruption in politics. Matthews lost, but Eilberg would soon be exposed as one of the more greedy and dishonest crooks in PA politics. (His extended family still goes to great lengths to try to discredit Matthews.)

In the 2004 presidential race, some older DUers may recall me writing about an incident of a break-in at the headquarters of a group campaigning for Senator Kerry. Although there was money in clear sight, the burglars only took the computer hard-drives. I spoke on the phone to the person running the Kerry campaign in the state, and found that it was not an isolated incident.

As a result of these limited influences, I tend to see Pennsylvania as being a state with "old school" democratic extended families, with tensions from generational changes as well as from heirloom grudges and even some corruption. (Luckily, in New York, one rarely encounters these things!)

Senator Casey was from an Irish Catholic family, and his grandfather and great grandfather had been coal miners. His father had the opportunity to go to college, and could have had a career as a professional athlete. But he choose public service. He was the governor from 1987 to 1995.

A few things stand out in his career. One is that he was progressive in promoting an "activist government." He worked to provide medical insurance to uninsured children. He also expanded many health care services for women. Yet he was conservative on the issue of abortion, and is remembered for the Planned Parenthood v Casey case in the US Supreme Court.

Casey was at times on good terms and at times in competition with another PA politician, Ed Rendell. Both men were a blend of liberal and conservative values, something that is necessary to succeed in state-wide politics in Pennsylvania. Each had significant cross-over appeal to republicans in the state.

In 1991, after Senator John Heinz died, Casey replaced him with Harris Wofford. Many DUers remember Wofford served in the Kennedy administration. He was, for those too young to remember, the person who convinced candidate Kennedy to place a call to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s wife, when Martin was incarcerated shortly before the 1960 election. This move convinced enough black Americans to vote for JFK that it made the difference in that very close election.

Casey was concerned that Wofford was "too liberal" for the state, and many did not think Wofford would survive the special election that fall. He was opposed by conservative Dick Thornburgh. However, James Carville helped Wofford pull off the upset victory.

When Casey and Wofford split on the issue of abortion, the division in the democrats allowed Rick Santorum to win the US Senate seat. One person who was considered as then Governor Rendell. He had been the District Attorney in Philadelphia from 1977 to 1986. Although he lost in the democratic primary to Robert Casey Sr., in 1986, he was widely recognized as a possible player in national politics. In fact, in 1980, he had actually been nominated to replace Walter Mondale as VP when President Carter was running for re-election (Rendell got 28 votes). And in 2004, he was among those on Senator Kerry’s "short list" for consideration on his ticket. Governor Rendell has had ties to the Clinton family for many years.

However, NY Senator Chuck Shumer would ask Robert Casey, Jr., to run against Santorum, who had become the 3rd most powerful republican in the Senate. In fact, many thought that Santorum had the potential to run for the White House. (I think most liberal and progressive democrats found Santorum to be one of the most effensive slimes in the republican ranks.)

Bob Casey Jr., had served in PA state government, including as Treasurer. He had also run against Ed Rendell in the 2002 democratic primary. He did well in the conservative rural counties, but lost in the cities. In the 2006 democratic primary for the Senate, he was opposed by two good liberals (an attorney and a professor). Both claimed that Bob was too conservative for the state; however, he won 85% of the primary vote, and then defeated Santorum. In the Senate, he has served on committees dealing with foreign relations, agriculture, banking, and housing.

Governor Rendell has been joined by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in endorsing Senator Clinton. Both are good, solid democrats. Rendell would likely be placed in a Clinton administration, were she to be our nominee. Mayor Nutter is the type of progressive democrat who might then become governor, and who has a future in national politics.

Senator Casey has endorsed Senator Obama. Both he and Harris Wofford, who was at Casey’s swearing-in ceremony in January, believe that Barack Obama is uniquely able to provide the leadership our nation requires to recover from the severe damage done by the Bush-Cheney administration. Those who know Bob Casey, Jr., believe that he will also become a national leader in the future.

Who will win the Pennsylvania primary? Senator Clinton is almost certain to. However, the recent shift – Senator Casey’s endorsement – could help to make it a closer-than-expected contest. Hopefully, both campaigns will focus on what is positive, and help convince the American public, which is watching closely, that our party offers our nation the best path into the future.