Gov. Rendell on Comcast Newsmakers

This past weekend Gov. Ed Rendell (ER) was on Comcast Newsmakers. You can watch the video on Pennsyltucky Politics. I've typed up my rough notes of the interview. For convenience I have used the Democratic presidential candidate's initials (BO for Barack Obama and HRC for Hillary Clinton). As always, I apologize in advance for any errors or misconceptions.

Gov Rendell on Comcast Newsmakers (2/23/08)

Host: Did not catch his name

Interviewers: Brett Lieberman of the Patriot News (and Pennsyltucky Politics) and Charlie Mahtesian of politico. Their voices are similar so I just indicated questions and not who asked them. My apologies. In a few cases a follow up question was asked and I just folded that answer into the larger one.

Gov. Rendell is in Washington D.C. for the National Governor’s Association Meeting.

Q: April 22nd is the state’s primary, will PA be consequential?

ER: I believe HRC will win in Texas and Ohio that will keep her candidacy very very viable. Those are the states we have to win in the fall, the large industrial states. Then the nation’s attention will move to Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania state legislature declined to move up primary.

Q: Daily drip drip of bad news for HRC, once had big lead, how can she turn it around.

ER: Campaign on both sides have had hills and valleys. HRC won Super Tuesday. Then it hit a valley. You’ve got to give Obama credit, not exactly a pushover. He is a wonderful candidate, getting people stirred up and appealing to their better instincts. HRC has staying power because she’s so smart. I believe she has won every single debate. No one has the grasp on the issues that she has. I’ve been doing this for 31 years, had close contact with every potential Democratic presidential candidate, no one comes close to her on knowledge, look at her plans for energy, healthcare, education, economy, no one else is even close. Especially large states with economic challenges need that kind of leadership. If she wins March 4th she’s back in the game big time.

Q: Obama has had 11 consecutive wins, what does HRC need to do?

ER: She needs to win Texas and Ohio, if she does she’s back as a strong contender, if not she will have to make some decisions. March 4th is a deciding day.

Q: What does she have to do differently?

ER: That’s fodder for the media, what changes needed. The only thing I would like to see her do more of, we’re both policy wonks, she gets involved in nuances of health care and education. Important stuff, should be how we decide how to vote for, but we don’t, we do it more on an instinctual level, do I like this person, will they represent me, she needs to let people know who she is as a person. People who know her like her. Even Republicans like her. She needs to drop her guard and let people see who she is and how she feels. She’s got to do more of that. Also press her plans. Her plans are extraordinary.

Q: Is it too late for her? She showed emotion before New Hampshire, is that why she won?

ER: It might be. A lot of us wish she had campaigned that way from the get go, in this business its never too late. Most of us wish it had been a little different.

Q: Are you frustrated with the Clinton campaign?

ER: Most of us who know her and care about her as a leader are frustrated. Campaign has not served her well in expressing who she is and what she would do and what she really cares about. Yes we are frustrated because only because we know her more than the average voter. She has such a great command of the issues. I wish she had done town meetings from the day she announced. If you listen to one of those meetings you go away you won’t believe it. You won’t believe someone running for office actually knows that much.

Q: You refer to yourself as a policy wonk. What is the key to your success as 2nd term as governor of the 6th largest state

ER: I’m a little happier than usual policy wonk, that allows me to convey things to people and listen a little bit more. I’m lucky that I can communicate ideas. No one in politics today is universally popular. My dad died when I was 14. He told me FDR most popular politician in his lifetime and a third of the people hate him. If people got to know HRC there would be a different result

Q: Maybe people know her too well. HRC unfavorable ratings. Compared to Santorum?

ER: Those people have formed an opinion but an uniformed opinion, based on a few things, relationship with Pres. Clinton. They don’t know how smart and funny and warm she is. People say she would be divisive, but ask McCain and Orin Hatch. She has worked very well with Republican senators, and is a leader in the senate because she can form those alliances. She’s anything but divisive. In fact she’s proven, on the ground in DC, that she can surmount divisiveness

Q: Would she be a stronger top of ticket than Obama?

ER: Yes, no doubt of this, but no attempt to denigrate BO, also good top of ticket. A statistic from Wisconsin, 81% of all Democrats voting said they would be satisfied with BO as top of ticket, 79% said satisfied with HRC, two terrific candidates. I think Sen. Clinton has the best ideas.

Q: You said whites not ready to vote for an African America, common thought but not often spoken on the record. You thought opponent Lynn Swann had a vote drag due to race.

ER: I was talking about a general election not a primary. BO more than any politician in my lifetime has taken strides with his personality and presentation to surmount that. Just as many people worried about a woman has head of military, two trailblazers both have handicaps, but look at BO ability to bring new people into the process, people who have never voted or registered before. Said that comment about white voters as I was leaving the Post Gazette editorial board interview about education budget when they asked about the primary. I think BO has diminished that effect more than any other African American candidate. He counterbalances it by having gotten new people to register and vote. Thinks BO would carry PA in the fall. So would HRC.

Q: Many who do know HRC, Democratic leaders, are worried about her being drag on the ticket.

ER: Relevant point. In terms of political life span we don’t know much about BO yet. This has been a tremendously polite primary, every one very polite, no attack ads, no negative ads, no 527s. It’s been a remarkably positive campaign. It won’t be once we have a putative nominee, not because McCain will run a negative campaign but because of 527s. But as these 527s come out and as more and more things are brought to people’s attention, who knows. Can you predict will come out if BO is the nominee? We can predict what will come out if HRC nominee, we know about her, we don’t know about BO. There’s good stuff we don’t know but we don’t know other stuff as will

Q: It’s hard when 40% of the people say will never vote for her

ER: If you win elective office, you get paid the same if you win by 50.3% as if you win by 68%. You still take the same oath of office. You can make a case that both of our candidates have potential liabilities going into the race. I admire McC but potential negatives because of health and age. Hard to find a perfect candidate, particularly with the job you guys do. If Jesus or Moses or Mohammed came back to life and wanted to campaign for political office, imagine what the press would say.

Q: next year you will be chair of the National Governor’s Association. What’s on the agenda?

ER: energy and renewables and how we get going. Tom Friedman spoke. We can win the battle and become primary producer of renewable energy but have to get on the stick now. We have called on President Bush and next president to have a program similar to Marshall Plan to produce clean and renewable energy and quickly and price efficiently and environmental friendly as possible. Great minds should work on this. Coal producers know it is impossible to site a traditional coal burning plant. Coal producers understand clean coal production is their future. We are not about to discard coal. Got to find a way to produce it cleanly. Still enough coal in the ground in America to take care of our energy needs for the next 200 years if we can find a way to produce it cleanly

Q: Must the Democratic nominee pick a governor as vp?

ER: That is one argument. If HRC she might pick a governor or someone with executive experience. Maybe someone like Evan Byah. If BO, temptation would be to take a governor, but BO potential weakness is the doesn’t have a lot of experience in foreign policy and terrorism though he has great ideas on both, maybe pick Biden, who is arguably reigning Democratic senator on terrorism. Also want a good campaigner. Sen. Clinton could look at a governor a little bit more.

Q: what does she need?

ER: Many people believe she has great experience. She has more leeway and could pick a good campaigner, who can help geographically. Every one would love the perfect vp candidate but it’s hard to find, you have to find what are their assets, downsides and make your best choice. Both HRC and BO are responsible and serious enough to pick a good candidate, someone who could themselves be president, more important that geographic balance or other factors.

Q: what does McCain need

ER: Sen McCain has a big problem. Does he pick a vp to appease the conservative wing of the party, find someone who is younger more vital, maybe Tom Ridge, perfect fit except he is pro choice, not extremely pro choice but pro choice, would that enrage conservative wing? Ridge a great asset, very popular in PA. Or does he pick someone more traditionally conservative. Sen McCain will pick someone who is ready to be president.

Q: Do you want to be vp nominee?

ER: I think I have demonstrated that I would be a terrible liability. If asked a question I answer it and tell the truth. I’ve been very fortunate, I always run as top of ticket, if I say something politically incorrect it only affects me. I’m willing to win or lose based on that. I hate to think comments would hurt running mate who is running for president. Believe politicians make a contract, I ran for second term, will finish term. Feel strongly about that. I finished 2 terms as DA, 2 terms as mayor. During those terms I was rumored to be running for several offices. I love what I do, even love dealing with legislature, really is exciting. Vp does what president asks him or her to do. Not the primary driver. I would be much happier finishing out term. If in 2011 if then president HRC or BO asks me to be secretary of transportation or energy, but not until 2011. If PA were a sep nation it would have 19th largest economy in the world. This is a big state. Being governor is an important, exciting and energizing job.