Many of THOD's readers live outside of Philadelphia city limits and THOD is certainly aware of that.
However, for those of you that reside in Philadelphia, Monday is an important day for our fair city because it is the last day you can register to vote in the mayoral primary on May 15th.
As you've noticed and read over that past few months and weeks with our blog, many times I tend to take paint a picture of tomfoolery and ridiculousness when posting, because that's what I truly believe this forum should be about. The mundaneness of most days deserves an escape, and hopefully THOD provides just that in this arena.
But this contributor truly values the fact that I can make a very worthwhile decision in a little less than a month to decide who's going to be the next mayor of the country's 5th biggest city.
I watched the debate of the five democrats on-line on Sunday and based on what I saw, here's how I've broke it down so far.
Tom Knox: Although currently polling as the front-runner, his presentation and public speaking skills are severely lacking. I think like many people, I was intrigued by him being an "outsider" to the city and valued his skills as a businessman. Many drew a tangent to Knox to Mayor Bloomberg and his work in New York, but what many seem to forget is that Bloomberg's predecessor was arguably one of the best mayors in the history of this country. If elected, Knox would be following in one of the worst. At this point I think he would be the worst choice.
Bob Brady: I think that Bob Brady is a professional Philadelphian more than anybody I've ever seen. For better or for worse, if someone were to ask for a picture of a stereotypical Philadephian, Brady would fill out that portrait perfectly. Son of a cop, ward leader, married twice, union through and through, overweight, and thickly accented, I'm sure Brady res presents his congressional district well. Unfortunately though for Bob, that's likely the highest office he will hold. A true executive he is not.
Dwight Evans: I still really haven't figured this candidate out. He constantly touts his impact and success in bad neighborhoods, but at the end of the day his 25 years in the State Senate has had little to no impact on the gun laws in Philadelphia. The next mayor of Philadelphia has to have the power to handle Harrisburg. Yes, Evans has spent many years there, but for who and for what? If he were elected, I certainly don't think he would be the worst choice, but I don't know if he would be the best. I always try to personalize my vote, thinking specifically how a candidate can affect my life. I'm not sure at this point how Evans would impact me if he ran the city. I'm still in a wait and see mode with him.
Chakah Fattah: If you were to ask me today who was going to win the election, I would say Fattah without question. I think that in the next couple of weeks his numbers are going to surge and he will win going away. He wouldn't be the absolute worst choice being that he could put on a good face for Philadelphia when trotted out there in a national arena - but here's the thing, if he wins the election my next likely United States congressman will by none other than John F. Street. The possibility of that makes me want to put a for sale sign in front of my house immediately. In fact, if Fattah wins and Street runs, I am making the announcement right now that I will run for office. Fattah is a career politician who hails from Overbrook and believes that selling the airport and after-school programs will save the city. That's about all I'm sure of. A master of spin, I'm convinced that he would cut of his nose to spite his face. What I was completely unaware of that was uncovered during the debate is that he supports a new trial for Mumia. This initially shocked me, and also appalled me, but then I thought about it for a minute. Its a move to do nothing else but cater to his base. I do know this - he's not catering to me and won't get my vote, and in many ways I view him as a caffeine-free diet John Street.
Michael Nutter: After watching the debate I'm leaning towards Nutter more than any of the other candidates. I have several reasons why. He has the business and professional support, I think its a matter of time until the Knox supporters come to their senses and back Nutter. He has the Philadelphia track record, he's worked to lower the wage tax in the city, and put more cops on the street already. The smoke-free thing which everyone makes a big deal about I actually think is a wash. For every young professional and healthy 20 to 40 year old that loves the move so they can enjoy dinner in a Center City bar on a Tuesday without coming home smelling like a fraternity basement, there's the leather face in South Philly or Fishtown that despises Nutter for making them adjust their sweat/shirt suit and suck it down outside. They'd much rather be able to enjoy their fire at an automated poker machine in their corner bar. Positively, Nutter's "Emergency Plan" has teeth and is actionable, along with his plan to keep it clean when it comes to ethics reform. Like none of the other candidates, he know how the city of Philadelphia works because of his 15 years on council. I think that Michael Nutter would eat, sleep and drink being mayor better than anyone else. But - if Nutter is to win the election he needs to somehow steal Fattah's support, which will be his toughest challenge. We'll see.
So if you've read this far, you're either having an extremely mundane day or your actually interested in what is going on with Philadelphia politics. If its the later, do yourself a favor if you live in the city, register to vote. Register to vote because when the next mayor is introduced at at Citizens Bank Park, or is interviewed on MSNBC, you can say to the person sitting next to you who you supported.
However, for those of you that reside in Philadelphia, Monday is an important day for our fair city because it is the last day you can register to vote in the mayoral primary on May 15th.
As you've noticed and read over that past few months and weeks with our blog, many times I tend to take paint a picture of tomfoolery and ridiculousness when posting, because that's what I truly believe this forum should be about. The mundaneness of most days deserves an escape, and hopefully THOD provides just that in this arena.
But this contributor truly values the fact that I can make a very worthwhile decision in a little less than a month to decide who's going to be the next mayor of the country's 5th biggest city.
I watched the debate of the five democrats on-line on Sunday and based on what I saw, here's how I've broke it down so far.
Tom Knox: Although currently polling as the front-runner, his presentation and public speaking skills are severely lacking. I think like many people, I was intrigued by him being an "outsider" to the city and valued his skills as a businessman. Many drew a tangent to Knox to Mayor Bloomberg and his work in New York, but what many seem to forget is that Bloomberg's predecessor was arguably one of the best mayors in the history of this country. If elected, Knox would be following in one of the worst. At this point I think he would be the worst choice.
Bob Brady: I think that Bob Brady is a professional Philadelphian more than anybody I've ever seen. For better or for worse, if someone were to ask for a picture of a stereotypical Philadephian, Brady would fill out that portrait perfectly. Son of a cop, ward leader, married twice, union through and through, overweight, and thickly accented, I'm sure Brady res presents his congressional district well. Unfortunately though for Bob, that's likely the highest office he will hold. A true executive he is not.
Dwight Evans: I still really haven't figured this candidate out. He constantly touts his impact and success in bad neighborhoods, but at the end of the day his 25 years in the State Senate has had little to no impact on the gun laws in Philadelphia. The next mayor of Philadelphia has to have the power to handle Harrisburg. Yes, Evans has spent many years there, but for who and for what? If he were elected, I certainly don't think he would be the worst choice, but I don't know if he would be the best. I always try to personalize my vote, thinking specifically how a candidate can affect my life. I'm not sure at this point how Evans would impact me if he ran the city. I'm still in a wait and see mode with him.
Chakah Fattah: If you were to ask me today who was going to win the election, I would say Fattah without question. I think that in the next couple of weeks his numbers are going to surge and he will win going away. He wouldn't be the absolute worst choice being that he could put on a good face for Philadelphia when trotted out there in a national arena - but here's the thing, if he wins the election my next likely United States congressman will by none other than John F. Street. The possibility of that makes me want to put a for sale sign in front of my house immediately. In fact, if Fattah wins and Street runs, I am making the announcement right now that I will run for office. Fattah is a career politician who hails from Overbrook and believes that selling the airport and after-school programs will save the city. That's about all I'm sure of. A master of spin, I'm convinced that he would cut of his nose to spite his face. What I was completely unaware of that was uncovered during the debate is that he supports a new trial for Mumia. This initially shocked me, and also appalled me, but then I thought about it for a minute. Its a move to do nothing else but cater to his base. I do know this - he's not catering to me and won't get my vote, and in many ways I view him as a caffeine-free diet John Street.
Michael Nutter: After watching the debate I'm leaning towards Nutter more than any of the other candidates. I have several reasons why. He has the business and professional support, I think its a matter of time until the Knox supporters come to their senses and back Nutter. He has the Philadelphia track record, he's worked to lower the wage tax in the city, and put more cops on the street already. The smoke-free thing which everyone makes a big deal about I actually think is a wash. For every young professional and healthy 20 to 40 year old that loves the move so they can enjoy dinner in a Center City bar on a Tuesday without coming home smelling like a fraternity basement, there's the leather face in South Philly or Fishtown that despises Nutter for making them adjust their sweat/shirt suit and suck it down outside. They'd much rather be able to enjoy their fire at an automated poker machine in their corner bar. Positively, Nutter's "Emergency Plan" has teeth and is actionable, along with his plan to keep it clean when it comes to ethics reform. Like none of the other candidates, he know how the city of Philadelphia works because of his 15 years on council. I think that Michael Nutter would eat, sleep and drink being mayor better than anyone else. But - if Nutter is to win the election he needs to somehow steal Fattah's support, which will be his toughest challenge. We'll see.
So if you've read this far, you're either having an extremely mundane day or your actually interested in what is going on with Philadelphia politics. If its the later, do yourself a favor if you live in the city, register to vote. Register to vote because when the next mayor is introduced at at Citizens Bank Park, or is interviewed on MSNBC, you can say to the person sitting next to you who you supported.
1 comment:
Nutter is bad. How long did he have construction going on in Manayunk which left it looking like Baghdad? There's only 1 philadelphia guy I would vote for...Darryl Hall.
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