VP idea: Ed Rendell? approve... disapprove?

please list your pros and cons.

I think Rendell is a very good governor who has to deal with a very stubborn Repub controled congress.
He is very popular in PA and secure PA as a blue state.

And he really hasn't accomplished that much. Granted, he has a Republican controlled legislature that is blocking him, but his list of accomplishments so far is a short one.

Give him some time, and perhaps he will be the one picking a running mate. ;)

or at least got them out of debt. Now could he do that with the whole country, is the question?

I don't think he's great VP material:

He was a swell mayor, but he's having a rockier time of it as governor -- and he hasn't been governor all that long.

He's close to the Democratic leadership -- not what I'd hope to see in a VP candidate.

He's another northeasterner, so he wouldn't give the ticket any geographical balance.

Rendell's strongest suit is his populist touch, but that isn't enough.

dealing with the Republicans in the State Legislature and gotten himself a baseball bat, LOL.

who dat?

I'm able to discern he's a governor of some sort. PA?

If I wanted a Jewish VP I would want Russ Feingold.

secures PA and could help give us Ohio. I say he is a winner.

a friend of mine said something like that.

I am a non PA resident but PA politics are important to me because my family is from their originally, I think their differences are resolved but I think Bob Casey had the union backing in the primaries, honestly that would have been a tough choice, being that Bob Casey is more liberal economically than Rendell but he also is pro life and against gun control, PA is funny, a few pro choice republicans such as Jim Greenwood and Arlen Specter yet a wide range of anti choice democrats, though I am strongly pro choice, old school dems who are pro life dont bother me as much as republicans who are. Rendell isnt a bad man, dont get me wrong but he has his problems with the unions. BTW on another note, you made a list at CU.

I lived in Philadelphia while he was mayor and he had lots of problems with the unions. He's very DLC and supported Liebarman, albeit quietly, during the primaries.

Rendell will also have "bimbo eruptions" if he is a VP nominee. And he is not particularly telegenic. And he suggested that Gore concede FL long before it was time. It'd be a bad bad idea.

Unions are very important to me, being a union member and coming from a strong union family. heh if I supported Lieberman I would have been quiet about it too.

I know during the primaries there was talk of Governor Rendell allegedly having an affair with Bill DeWeese's wife. (Bill DeWeese is the Minority Leader - Democrat - of the Pennsylvania House.) However, that was disproven by none other than Bill DeWeese himself.

Here's the story as I heard it: Representative DeWeese was in the Pennsylvania Hospitality Suite at the 2000 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. His ex-wife had just left him. She'd been canoodling with some guy and he found out about it. Unfortunately, he suspected the guy was Ed Rendell.

So, he literally started drowning his tears in his liquor. Before long, he was plastered. He told whoever was in the suite who would listen to him that Ed Rendell was sleeping with his wife. As it turned out, he had the wrong man. His ex was seeing somebody else. It didn't take long for that allegation to travel all over the state.

Needless to say, Bill DeWeese had to eat crow when the truth came out. I like Representative DeWeese -- who's an intelligent, articulate and dedicated public servant to the people of his district -- but he was dead wrong on this. At least he was man enough to apologize to Ed Rendell, and I respect him for that.

The city was in serious financial trouble. He managed to get several of the unions that represent union workers to make concessions on wages and benefits to get through the financial crisis. Some of those unions are still resentfull about that.

the church..Old Bishop Timlin and the Casey family were great friends and had a large family--no birth control. As far as the unions were concerned, he didn't have the unions tied up as you might think.

I was under the impression Rendell had problems with the unions. Sorry.

He still has work to do in Pennsylvania. Maybe in '06.

John, I worked on Governor Rendell's campaign in the Harrisburg office. On the day of the '02 Pennsylvania Democratic Primary, the Sheet Metal Workers Union was out at the polls for Rendell en masse statewide. A great bunch of folks.

However, the AFSME people were against Ed Rendell from the get-go. They supported Bob Casey, because AFSME management told their rank-and-file that Rendell would cut their jobs. My understanding is that his problems with the Philly unions came when he asked them to make concessions to get that city fiscally back on track -- short-term pain for long-term gain, so to speak. Everyone that I've ever spoken with from Philadelphia during the campaign said the same thing: He's a great guy who turned that city around. One gentleman opined to me that "Ed don't bullshit."

I signed up before we moved back to Northern Virginia to receive Governor Rendell's E-mail newsletter, so that I could keep up with his accomplishments (I'm the reverse of you: From Northern Virginia, moved to PA when husband was transferred there). Here's the link, in case you're interested:

http://www.state.pa.us/governor/site/default.asp

PA also has an outstanding cable source: The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). You can stream various legislative, news and information programs using Real Video.

http://www.pcntv.com/

I disapprove for one reason. During the 2000 election contest Ed Rendell was all over my TV set telling Gore to drop out. It was bad enough watching the Republicans do this without having to watch a Democrat. Ed Rendell does not deserve any loyalty from me. It made me so mad to watch Rendell stab Gore in the back that there is no way I would want Ed Rendell anywhere near the ticket, much less on it.

I remember Rendell on Chris Matthews show night after night bashing Gore with this other so-called democratic pollster with a ugly beard! DISGUSTING!

If they are accurate, which show Bush leading, then it might actually not be such a bad idea.

I blame him for the destruction of our country.

But not this year. Let him prove himself to be one of the great stars of our 2002 gubernatorial freshman class and let him build up the Pennsylvania Democratic Party (which he appears to be doing).

some national security/foriegn relations experience that he doesn't

first of all. Second, he's a tad unpolished, which is a good thing to us who like Rendell, but not for a national candidate in this climate. Third, he's Clinton minus Arkansas plus New York. Also not a bad thing for those of us who like him, but not good in this climate. Fourth, I want him here in PA.