Run Ed run!
Former crusading District Attorney, Mayor of Philadelphia, and two-term governor of the Commonwealth; who better to challenge the seemingly weak, appeasing Barack Obama and give the Democratic party renewed vision and leadership?
What other Democratic politician is comfortable in both gay bars and deer camps?ˇ How many other career politicians can passionately discourse on both national infrastructure needs and the Eagle's prospects next Sunday? Or the Seventy-Sixers? Or the Hershey Bears? Or the Pittsburgh Penguins?ˇ
After decades of government service, he's never been indicted, never caught with his hand in the till, and isn't a millionaire. His warm, outgoing personality appeals to both men and women, Blacks and Hispanics, young and old. While governor of Pennsylvania, he's charmed Soccer Mom's and Mama Grizzlies, Angry White Males and Feminists, Free marketers and Progressives.
Rendell has the ability to understand and empathize with not only his base, but also his opponents. He can build consensus, but without caving. Like Bill Clinton, he can explain the most complex issue in simple English.ˇ Like Mike Huckabee, he can crack jokes and hold Oprah spellbound with the stories of his battle to drop inches from his waistline. He (mostly) balanced the budget, left taxes reasonable and kept Pennsylvania relatively solvent during the Great Recession.
Rendell retains close ties to the Clinton machine, including many of her wealthy supporters who have yet to warm up to the no-drama Obama White House. A Rendell presidency would allow Hillary another term as Secretary of State, giving the United States eight years of diplomatic continuity in our dealings with North Korea, Iran, China, and in the Middle-East. Clinton's many diplomatic initiatives would have the time to develop and come to fruition.
More than any other possible Democratic contender, Rendell could quickly pull together a powerful campaign team and the financing needed to begin a serious run for president.ˇ The Democratic base is fed-up with Barack's policies of appeasement. Independent voters, the vast "middle majority" who decide national elections, want to rally around a national leader who will stand firm on their beliefs.ˇ There's even a few old-school Roosevelt Republicans who might support a seasoned Democrat candidate who talked---and acted---like a principled adult.
For those of us who thought Obama was the new Abraham Lincoln, only to discover he's more a mix of Herbert Hoover and Neville Chamberlain, our anger needs be channeled into something positive: discovering a new Democratic standard-bearer who will honor the core values of the American people.
The current leadership vacuum in America is not limited to the Democratic Party; possible Republican candidates for president, while fun to watch on political talk shows or on reality TV series, aren't ready to unite the people of this country and lead us through what promises to be hard years of fiscal austerity and treacherous international situations.
At the very least, an aggressive Rendell run for the Democratic nomination might shake the Obama administrations complacency and trigger the return of the strong, visionary presidential aspirant we thought we elected in 2008.
Run Ed run!
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