Rendell "concerned" cause Obama didn't hand out street money

[RamboLiberal]

Fast Eddie - good for Obama - guess where you can stick your street money. Time to get this old pol crap out of the system.

Salena Zito at the Trib says Pennsylvania Dems will be largely without "street money" this election:

For the first time in any Pennsylvania general election, "street money" -- the cash apparatus used mainly by the Democratic Party to reward its supporters on Election Day -- is in danger of extinction. "It's a problem and a concern," said Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who distributed nearly $500,000 in his 2002 primary battle against fellow Democrat Bob Casey Jr., who lost that race but won a 2006 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

The Democratic Party in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are two of the last party machines that expect cash from candidates for city council races on up to the presidency. The cash is doled out by low-level party leaders to volunteers to get out votes. Those volunteers can reward reluctant voters with small amounts of cash or free lunches. Longtime Pittsburgh pol and Duquesne law professor Joe Sabino Mistick explains that the practice of handing out cash in city neighborhoods is perfectly legal.

Why no street money? Obama isn't playing ball:

Barack Obama did not distribute cash in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh during the state's April primary - and Democratic state party chairman T.J. Rooney said that decision was reflected in the turnout for Obama in both cities. Neither did Hillary Clinton's campaign. "Sen. Clinton has no street money," Rendell said at the time. "We barely have enough to communicate on basic media."

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/earlyreturns/

[PM Martin]

1. Seeing that Philadelphia is a Democratic stronghold

why would anyone have to pay volunteers to get people to vote?
Most people are voting for the Democratic candidates in the first place.

[sharp_stick]

3. You don't

they want you to pay people that "volunteer". I'll be happy to see the end of street money, it can't happen soon enough.

[oviedodem]

2. If that what it takes; then I AM GLAD HE DID NOT DO IT!!

[rcrush]

4. WTF

They pay people to vote? Since when? I'm glad Obama didnt do this.

[last1standing]

5. Rendell is a necessary evil at this point.

His corrupt style of politics is what we're trying to get away from in the Democratic party and Obama/Dean have shown us how to do that. I'm glad it was decided not to use "street money" because if Obama wins without it, it'll show how unnecessary it, and people like Rendell, are becoming.

[monmouth]

6. Rendell is so "Boss Tweedy"...Hahaha...n/t

[TeamJordan23]

7. I wouldn't mind seeing Murtha and Rendell leaving Penn politics. nm

[Jennicut]

8. I have disliked Rendell for a long, long time. He may be a Dem but he is a corrupt one

street money? WTF? taking voters on lunches? That is bad for democracy and Obama did a good thing by not doing this.

[eShirl]

9. I thought this was made illegal a long, long time ago.

[yourguide]

10. I'd like to thank Rendell for his "concern"

Someone get Rendell a pizza.

[David__77]

11. I like that Obama has charged for street signs, etc.

I think that people need to make a basic commitment. It builds the campaign, the party, and the progressive movement.

[krawhitham]

12. "Barack Obama did not distribute cash in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh during the state's primary"

And he got crushed, how far off were the polls?

[Overseas]

13. I'd like to congratulate the RNC for placing this article so well.

Cook it up and pitch it out there-- look at those back-room dealing democrats--

I'll bet the story is trash. But quite a gem because the GOP Got It Planted at just the right time to get in one more solid dollop of slime.

[ROh70]

14. New MSNBC show - Democratic Chicken Little Hour, starring Rachel Maddow and Ed Rendell.

Those two are some serious chicken-littlers.

[WinkyDink]

15. What about the term "perfectly legal" is baffling?

[genna]

16. I don't like the idea of this walk around money. Chris Matthews and Donna Brazille both mentioned

this during the primary.

Matthews was asking if this is the reason Philadelphia didn't turn out.

Brazille said it was a practice that was disappearing. She seemed to indicate: good riddance.


I have to say part of CHANGE means butting head with practices that FEEL CORRUPT ON ITS FACE. This one feels like a stinker.