Friday, August 31, 2007

The 60% Solution: 3 out of 5 Wins It

One of the best kept secrets in Delaware County is that the majority votes for Democrats in the big races. Even though the Republicans have held onto a registration and local political majority, they consistently lose the biggest races.

Let's take a look:
What do Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ed Rendell, John Kerry, Bob Casey, Joe Sestak and Greg Vitali have in common? 3 out of 5 Delco Voters picked them when given the choice.

There are 5 seats on Delaware County Council. The current five GOP council members, and their 2007 candidates (aka "The Three Stooges") ALL supported George Bush, Rick Santorum and Curt Weldon. Does they sound like people that represent the values and the voters of Delaware County?

Shouldn't the voters have THREE Democrats out of FIVE seats? Particularly, since Innelli, O'Keefe and Landau ALL supported the Democrats that the Delco voters have consistently selected. Currently, the majority of the voters have ZERO representation on Council. (And, yes, when the GOP took over Council 30 years ago, they changed the Charter to remove the guarantee of minority party representation).

What do the voters want?:

1) More open government and less patronage.

2) Responsible Budgets, not bloated, no-bid contracts to GOP cronies.

3) County-wide Health Department.

4) Fair employment, without regard to party, for civil service jobs. (And, no strong-arming employees to work the polls.)

5) Council members that reflect the same political principles as the majority of voters in the "even-numbered" elections.

It is critical that Delco Voters elect the ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC TICKET: Innelli, O'Keefe and Landau for County Council and Frank Daly and Mike Farrell for Court of Common Pleas.

In the weeks to come, I will profile each of the Five County-wide Democrats on the ticket, some of the local races, and explain how the GOP's "Three Stooges" would continue the current misrepresentation on County Council.

8 comments:

whynotus said...

if only the democrats would work as a team and recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses--maximize their strengths to compensate for each persons weaknesses. I applaud David for his hard work so far, but John Ann, Mike and Frank have to get it in gear. Now that Labor Day is upon us, the time is now.

Pat Biswanger said...

I doubt very much that you'll see David Landau working as a team with the other Democrats. For one thing, his ego won't permit that. For another, he knows a losing strategy when he sees one.

People in Delaware County are generally capable of making a distinction that you are not, David: between local and national government.

People here are generally happy with the way the County is run, and they have no desire to upset the applecart.

People have not been satisfied with the Republican ticket on the national level, so they don't vote for it.

And guess what: I am one of them! I voted for Gore and Kerry (I disliked and distrusted George Bush from the get-go), and, at the rate things are going, I may be voting for Clinton.

But does that mean I'll vote for a Democratic County Council? Not on your life.

David Diano said...

WhyNotUS-
Landau is good at making noise and getting public's attention that there is a County Council race. His team skills have improved since the primary and he has appeared with the other candidates and shared (not hogged) the spotlight.

The GOP candidates are pretty quiet too, and we'll be hearing more from John Ann, Mike and Frank after Labor Day when people are paying attention.

Maybe this blog, will get some attention too. :-)

Sestak needs to get off his ass and make some MORE noise as well. (Yeah, I said it.) My suggestion: HE should throw a huge fund raiser for the Delco candidates and invite his big donors. His re-election will be assured if the Dems sweep the County-wide races.

I encourage Sestak supporters that want to help Joe in 2008 to bust their asses helping out the Dems take over County Council in 2007 and continue the momentum from 2006.

Pat-
The only losing strategy for Landau would be to pursue a lone-wolf campaign. This election will be won or lost as a ticket.

If voters want change, electing Landau won't change anything unless Innelli and O'Keefe are elected as well. If voters don't want change, none of them will be elected.

The voters in Delco are becoming more savvy to the fact that local and national ARE connected. After they voted for Sestak and Casey, what party do the voters want spending the Federal money that comes in?

While I expect you to vote for Andy, how can you have supported Gore/Kerry and not like the three Dem candidates? Which party would implement the philosophies/priorities of the national Dem candidates?

For supporters of Gore/Kerry/Clinton/Sestak/Rendell, a DEMOCRATIC County Council will fight for their beliefs.

Pat Biswanger said...

While I expect you to vote for Andy, how can you have supported Gore/Kerry and not like the three Dem candidates? Which party would implement the philosophies/priorities of the national Dem candidates?

Spoken like a true idealogue, David!

As it happens, I voted for Gore and Kerry because they were the lesser of two evils, not because they were, either of them, particularly wonderful.

David Diano said...

Pat-
You are in luck.

This year you don't have to vote for evil at all.

You can vote for THREE DEMOCRATS to reform/transform County Council, with a clear conscience!

:-)

whynotus said...

Pat--

I guess if you're a republican like yourself who thinks your boy Andy Lewis is getting elected, you're happy—clearly he sold out to the machine to get the endorsement—how much did it cost his daddy this time?

A news flash for you and your ilk, the rest of us are not under the republican oligarchy. I hope the rest of your buddies are as short sighted as you so that it will be that much easier for Innelli, O’Keefe and Landau to get the majority.

Ask yourself this question, why do you think Joe Breslin, Rose Izzo and Rick Lacey ran this time and secured a substantial number of votes in the primary? Surprise, even the Republicans are not happy with this Crowd. As to your boy Andy, no matter how hard he tries to play himself as a new kind of republican, he will be judged by the company he keeps--Chris Fizzano Cannon—she’s from Middletown and is Reilly's hand-picked successor and long-time protege; Tom McGarrigle is Puppio Lite—he’s from Springfield, an incumbent commissioner and beholden to Charlie Sexton--enough said.

Pat, I know you; you’re a nice, smart lady—take my advice and stop drinking the Kool Aid, sit back and enjoy the fall. We're bringing the heat this time, and you republicans are all out of asbestos underwear. Game on.

Pat Biswanger said...

Whynotus, you'd be a lot more convincing if you didn't post anonymously. It's hard to see someone as a courageous warrior taking on the system if he's not even willing to put his name out there. And it's all too easy to take potshots when you're hiding behind a pseudonym and won't be accountable.

whynotus said...

Thanks Pat. Your response is a real cop-out, and a feeble attempt to discredit and bully--you address none of the issues and the ridiculous positions you have taken with david are not defended. I must say I am disappointed.
Anyway, to set this straight, I never said I was at battle with anyone (if I gave you that impression, my apologies). I am not sure why you republicans feel the need to refer to people as warriors or combatants. Must be republican thing about war and making war wiht people and for reasons that are incomprehensible to the average person. Anyway, I'll keep watching the blog and writing as I please.