Energy on the campaign trail

During Texas Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens’ speech at the Franklin Institute last Thursday, The Inquirer reports, he picked up a marker and began to write on a white board. He wrote the words Oil, Coal, and then the letters “N” and “G,” which stand for natural gas. In his speech, the paper quoted him as saying that natural gas is “abundant, it’s cheaper, it’s cleaner.”

“No question,” he said, “Pennsylvania is going to be …

April 27, 2009 at 10:41 pm | Comments (0)

Gov. Rendell has more Twitter followers than me… but it’s not even him!

Kudos to Capitol Idea’s John Micek for discovering a …

April 27, 2009 at 1:12 pm | Comments (0)

Wagner jockeying for Governor

Jack Wagner has made an art out of doing little as our Commonwealth’s Auditor General. Wagner has outsourced his job to newspapers to track down the fraud and waste that has run rampant during Gov. Ed Rendell’s two terms. Whether it has been PHEAA wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on junkets and conventions at plush resorts or the current bonus scandal that is unfolding in Harrisburg, Jack Wagner has turned the other cheek …

April 27, 2009 at 11:26 am | Comments (2)

Big names aided Torsella’s first fundraising haul

Gov. Ed Rendell is on the list. So is Susan Rice, the Ambassador to the United Nations. Ditto Rhonda Cohen, the wife of Comcast executive and political bigwig David Cohen. Big-money names from Philly like Ken Jarin, Arthur Makadon and Peter Buttenweiser all make appearances. Restaurateur Stephen Starr is thrown in for good measure.

All gave money to Democrat Joe Torsella’s nascent Senate campaign.

Torsella has never held elected office, losing in his only …

April 27, 2009 at 5:35 am | Comments (5)

Rendell gave Torsella $500

Gov. Ed Rendell contributed $500 to the Senate campaign of Democrat Joe Torsella last month, according to campaign finance data released Thursday.

For weeks, party insiders had been saying that Torsella, the former National Constitution Center CEO and Rendell ally, would not be seeking the nomination unless he felt he was doing so with Rendell’s support. Asked in a recent interview with pa2010.com whether or not he had the Governor’s backing, Torsella declined to answer, …

April 23, 2009 at 8:06 pm | Comments (2)

On Meehan, Corbett and Risperdal

As Philadelphians, we are always interested in hearing what is in store for Gov. Ed Rendell, our former two-term mayor. Today, like any other day in Philadelphia, the talk is of corruption.

And, as usual, weeding out corrupt politicians starts with Pat Meehan. Meehan sent a letter to likely opponent Tom Corbett , arguing that the Attorney General’s office should take over a high profile lawsuit between Jannsen Pharmaceuticals and the state. He contends that …

April 23, 2009 at 7:00 am | Comments (0)

The universal challenge: Fundraising in a recession

PHILADELPHIA—From the most high-profile political favorite to the lowliest underdog, there’s one thing every candidate for office has in common, one reality they all have to confront: They’re asking for money at a terrible time.

As candidates lay the groundwork for the 2010 elections, they are confronted with the harshest economic climate in decades, one that by almost all accounts makes fundraising more difficult. How much more difficult is a matter of some dispute—many of …

April 22, 2009 at 6:30 am | Comments (0)

Earth Day is Tomorrow!

With Earth Day on Wednesday, be sure to visit …

April 21, 2009 at 10:33 am | Comments (0)

Governor Rendell Announces $74 Million in Recovery Funds for Job Training, Youth Employment

HARRISBURG – Unemployed workers and youth seeking summer jobs will get a boost from approximately $74 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.

“As Pennsylvanians continue to feel the effects of the national economy, it is imperative that we expand job retraining opportunities for unemployed workers and young people,” Governor Rendell said. “Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians were unemployed and looking for work in March. They need the …

April 20, 2009 at 3:15 pm | Comments (0)

In case you missed Rendell’s gun debate

Gov. Ed Rendell yesterday had what was my most accounts a pretty heated debate with the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre on CBS Face the Nation.

Here’s the video, in case you missed it. Rendell’s a little more animated on gun control than he is when he talks about, say, his passion for infrastructure renewal. Makes sense. I’m still working out some kinks when it comes to embedding different kinds of videos, so if this doesn’t work, you can also see the video here.

April 20, 2009 at 8:40 am | Comments (0)