As you probably know by now, Joe Hoeffel is no longer running for lt. gov. His old pal Ed Rendell apparently requested that he withdraw from the race. Colin at the Garnet Donkey and Albert have both said what I would have wanted to say. I couldn't figure out how to word it properly so just read their postings.
Valerie McDonald Roberts, still in the race (note to Val: if Ed calls, don't answer the phone), issued a very classy press release. Read it in it's entirety here. This is the last paragraph (italics mine):
I commend Joe for his years of public service and thank him for his commitment to the people of Pennsylvania. I look forward to his continuing participation in public service and as an elected official within the state. I hope that we can continue to partner together in bringing compassion and common sense to the voters of Pennsylvania. I also wish to commend his supporters for their activism and we hope that they stay involved because we need everyone's voice to bring the reform and change Pennsylvania needs at this crucial time.
For me the italicized part is very important because if I had carried around a petition for Joe and found out a day later that my work had gone for naught I'd be pretty darn ticked. It's reason #45 why I don't carry around petitions. The political powerbrokers generally consider people who carry around petitions to be expendable cannon fodder. Not that I have strong feelings about it, mind you.
Since I had a hard time finding the right words to describe the situation I looked through some anthologies for something that did. I found a poem, "Bill and Joe" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, about two men at various points in their lifelong friendship. One stanza stood out and I thought of Joe Hoeffel.
The weary idol takes his stand,
Holds out his bruised and aching hand,
While gaping thousands come and go, --
How vain in seems, this empty show!
Till all at once his pulses thrill; --
'Tis poor old Joe's "God bless you, Bill!"
I think Joe Hoeffel has been poorly treated by his old friend Ed today.
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9 comments:
Ed offered him something don't be fooled. Secretary of a state Dept after the election? Full support for senatorial run in 2010? Full support to be our next governor? Joe isn't going to go unrewarded for graciously ducking out.
That shouldn't make the petition carriers happy, but I won't feel bad for Joe b/c his list of options is quite long.
LV,
If such an offer were to be made, it should have been made much earlier, the timing of this was terrible. Nor do I think someone who has been in politics as long as Joe Hoeffel has would place much faith in such an offer. The sands can shift very quickly and any offer that could not be fulfilled within 24 hours is, by and large, untrustworthy and useless. Honestly, full support for a senate race in 2010? support for the next gov. race? Anything can happen between now and then. No one can make such a guarantee and no one with any sense would believe it.
It's possible Ed made Joe an offer, but I think it's more likely Ed and the PA Dems, which includes people from western PA, got polling that showed Joe would win and the wPA Dems got antsy and demanded someone from their side of the state. Something obviously changed for Ed to give Joe the green light and then ask him to drop out. I don't think even Ed is that mercurial. Read the quotes from Rendell during the press conference yesterday and see if you don't agree.
Ed probably called Joe and explained the situation and Joe, being the class act that he is, graciously dropped out. I honestly don't think it was much more than backroom political strategy about what's the best way to keep Dems in the gov's mansion.
I'd also point out that Rendell has NOT tried to clear the field for CBK. She's still got opposition from Valerie Roberts, who has won Allegheny county wide.
a complete smack in the face for a guy who has worked his ass off. rendell could've said, 2 weeks ago, Joe, sit this one out. but he gave him a lukewarm go ahead and joe got out to campaign and his volunteers fanned out across the state. ed made him look like a complete fool.
Albert,
I worry a lot about the people out volunteering on the campaign, especially if it is their first campaign. If the first time out is a disaster a fair number of people will stop there.
I don't think Joe would have engaged people to work for him knowing that it would be such a short run. I think he wanted the job. If Rendell knew there would have been a problem he should have said so much earlier on. Or at least let things run for another week or two to give the volunteers a taste of victory. But to stop it the day after petitions are filed was just the worst timing possible.
Whether he had promises or not, I really think Joe's got to get some communication out, and fast, to his volunteers and supporters. It looks like Joehoeffelandfriends.com is still down, and I havent' gotten an email from them since the "You did it, yippee! Joe's in the race" note.
They can do a lot of damage control if they talk to people quickly.
I really do hope they've got something good in mind for Joe. That's what I was hoping this gig was going to be - his prep for the Governor's race.
Well, dropping out won't stop me from volunteering if Joe runs again. He's just a good guy - exactly the kind of person you want in government.
I firmly believe something changed for Rendell to have reversed field so fast. Maybe he gave Joe the go-ahead because he didn't think Joe could win. It looks the polls proved him wrong and then the gov had to backpedal in a hurry.
Keep in mind CBK is only the LtGov
because there were so many other candidates in 2002. I don't think she's that popular outside of wPA
and if the blogs/netroots get behind Roberts, CBK can be beaten.
Have you had a chance to look at Valerie's website? I didn't realize she had so much experience as an elected official. It would be a bonus for Rendell to have a African American woman from the west to run against Swann!
Couldn't agree more about checking out Roberts. Her resume is impressive as is her winning county-wide election. Unlike Philadelphia Co, Allegheny Co isn't just the city of Pittsburgh. It contains lots of Republicans and fewer minorities than Pgh proper.
She's got plenty of relevent experience for being ltgov and her views are decidely progressive.
Plus, she has 3 names, just like CBK. :)
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