Rendell, Casey call for "change" at Democratic National Convention
Pittsburgh Business Times - by Kim Lyons
As Democrats gather in Denver to officially nominate Barack Obama as their presidential candidate, Pennsylvania is well-represented, with both Gov. Ed Rendell and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. telling delegates Tuesday night that Obama will bring much-needed change.
The fact that Pennsylvania figures prominently at the convention isn't surprising, said political analyst G. Terry Madonna, who is attending the convention.
“The way to think about Pennsylvania is that it’s a top five state,” Madonna said. “Its 21 electoral votes make it extremely important.”
Both Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, have targeted the Keystone State, said Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.
Rendell spoke at about 7:40 p.m. Pittsburgh time. He may have lost a prime time speaking spot after commenting to reporters that press coverage of Obama had been “embarrassing,” Madonna said.
Rendell told delegates that Republicans had broken their promises on renewable energy.
When George W. Bush was elected, Rendell said, “the price of gas at the pump was about $1.50 a gallon. Today, it’s $4 a gallon. Back then, it cost about $900 to heat your home through the winter. This winter, it’s more likely to be $2,500. Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil just announced the largest quarterly profit in history. That’s not just an outrage. It’s obscene.”
McCain, Rendell said, “has never believed in renewable energy, and he won’t make it part of America’s future.”
Pennsylvania is setting the standard on renewable energy, Rendell added, requiring utilities to produce 20 percent of electricity from clean, renewable sources. “If we can do it in Pennsylvania, we can do it in Ohio and Florida and Texas and New York and California. We can. And with Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House, we will.”
Rendell was an early supporter of Obama’s former rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton. He campaigned heavily for Clinton prior to the Pennsylvania primary in April, a primary that Clinton won by 10 percentage points.
Casey, on the other hand, was an early backer of Obama. He took the stage at about 9:20 p.m. Pittsburgh time. He said he was a proud supporter of the Illinois senator.
“I traveled with Barack by bus and train across our state, from Pittsburgh to Paoli, from Johnstown to Downingtown,” Casey said. “He was equally at home talking football with Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris as he was with talking jobs with the folks on the shop floor of the Erie Bolt Company, or talking sports with the guys at the bar at Sharky’s in Latrobe.”
But Pennsylvania has been “hit hard by the Bush-Cheney economy, an economy that favors the powerful and leaves everyone else to fend for themselves,” Casey said. “We’re ready to fight back, and we’re ready for a president who will fight for us.”
Obama will bring “the change we need,” Casey said, echoing a phrase repeated more than once by Tuesday night’s convention speakers.
The crowd responded to Casey’s observation that there were four more months in Bush’s presidency with a chant of “four more months.”
Madonna predicted Tuesday afternoon that Casey’s anti-abortion stance, which is at odds with the Democratic party platform, would likely not be an issue during his speech.
But Casey did address the issue, although briefly. “Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion,” he said. “But the fact that I’m speaking here tonight is testament to Barack’s ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him.”
klyons@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3827
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