Vol. 3 No.11 LACKAWANNA COUNTY’S ALTERNATIVE NEWS Apr. 23, 2008

OUR OPINION OF THE ELECTION RESULTS

Tuesday’s elections results were pretty much what we had anticipated. Though we favored neither Clinton nor Obama, nor did we endorse any candidates, we honestly feel that our overall insight into the election justifies our position. Let’s look at the overall picture:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton basically clobbered Sen. Obama, though the margin of victory was slightly below our anticipated low, double digit, prognostication. There really was no surprise here, since we firmly believe Clinton has the more astute political minds behind her, including her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton.

Too many people have been too quick to sell Hillary’s campaign down the river, forgetting that she has been involved in politics almost her entire adult life. As wife of then Ark. Gov. Bill Clinton, she was prominent in Arkansas politics and overcame many deficiencies in that tenure.

The Iran-Contra Arms deal, which included “illegal drugs” smuggled into Mena, Ark., an innocuous little airport situated in the middle of nowhere.

Allegedly brought in by the C.I.A., the drugs were directly responsible for several deaths of individual U.S. citizens, many of whom were innocent of any crime other than “observing” the drug drops. Many of these untimely deaths were attributed to “suicide”, though common sense dictates most of these “suicides” would have been impossible to commit under any circumstances.

One coroner, who obviously made some seriously wrong calls, was promoted by Gov. Clinton to a State post, though he should have been charged with filing false reports. Egregious and faulty death determinations were made, and documented, yet this man was promoted instead of censured.

Everyone familiar with politics knows full well that Arkansas is among our country’s most corrupt states, and special interests have long controlled the City of Hot Springs, once known as a second home to such notorious gangsters as Owney Madden and others. Little Rock is a hot bed of controversy and the Clinton’s ruled there for several years.

In addition, the notorious “Whitewater” scandal, involving Mrs. Clinton and questionable financial dealings was another “major” she faced, yet the Clinton’s emerged clear and went on to the Presidency. This was a true indication of just how powerful a force they could be.

Unquestionably, the Clinton White House years were an economic boon to the U.S., but they too were marred by controversy. Most of this stemmed from questionable dealings and fund-raising.

Contrary to the American perception of our leaders being “squeaky clean” politics is a down and dirty business, always has been and always will be.

Along comes Barack Obama, whose only claim to fame is his ability to deliver a Kennedy-esque speech to people who want to believe that change is good, and can come about. Wrong!

Obama was a fair-haired boy, tabbed by the Illinois Democratic machine as a hope for the future. Of all places, Illinois, and Chicago in particular, has long been controlled by seriously deficient Democratic bigwigs, and Obama was groomed to be their next great hope for the future. His record shows differently, despite his claims of being “up front” and “dedicated”. Sen. Obama, too young, and too inexperienced, was thrust into the limelight by a group of political strategists who felt the time was ripe for a young, black man, sans credentials, to move the Illinois machine back into the limelight. They gauged wrong, and should have waited another 4 to 8 years.

On the Pennsylvania level, Sen. Bob Casey, Lackawanna County Commissioners Corey O’Brien and Mike Washo, and remnants of the once-powerful Kennedy clan jumped on the Obama bandwagon. Serious miscalculation, since they were unable to deliver and now face their individual futures with serious “egg on their faces”. Casey, a nice enough guy, once again challenged Gov. Ed Rendell and wound up on the losing end. O’Brien ands Washo failed to deliver, offsetting any inroads they may have made by upsetting the previous Cordero-led administration. Again, serious miscalculation based on their own ego-building victory.

The Kennedy’s, once the most powerful factions in U.S. politics, have been beset by internal turmoil since the loss of both Jack and Bobby Kennedy. Sen. Ted Kennedy, once touted as our “next President”, has been prone to shoot himself in the foot at every turn. Yet, people still hope for another “Camelot”, a phrase coined by an over-zealous media seeking to gain favor.

Truth be told, the Kennedy years were tainted by father Joseph Kennedy’s ties to underworld figures and his campaign to gain the fame which he never could claim for himself. Young Jack was touted as the “golden boy”, a position reserved for his older brother Joe, lost in WWII. The myth was perpetuated based on the old “Boston Honey-Fitz” politics, a base gained when Joe Kennedy married Rose Fitzgerald, daughter of the Democratic boss of Boston politics.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania’s political leaders, to wit the Democratic party, have sought to combine the “old line” political power-base of the previously mentioned regimes, and only Gov. Rendell and a handful of his cronies have been able to pull it off. It boils down to the old saying, “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull----!” That still holds true, and one only has to look at local politics to see how well the old ploy works.

In the 115^th Congressional District, Frank Andrew Shimkus, an incumbent, was knocked off the ballot when he tried to “snooker” the electorate with a phony claim that he made an “innocent error” in filing his paperwork. Shimkus was caught in an out and out lie, yet chose to “bull--“ his way into a write-in campaign to defeat challenger Kevin Murphy, a former Scranton city councilman. Shimkus’s win in his previous election was questionable when the former newsman, and “minister”, gained the nod due to questionable “last-minute” entries into the campaign.

Murphy, who also carries some baggage, i.e. his “endorsement” by party officials and previous experiences, now must face Shimkus in the general election. Shimkus, running as a Republican (an untenable task in this area), will probably siphon off hundreds of votes from the Democrat and make the race interesting, to say the least. The Democratic machine will show its true colors in this upcoming election in November, and we’re betting a double-cross is in.

One of the more interesting aspects of this whole picture is the “photo op” emergence of Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, who seemed to dog every step Sen. Clinton made. No matter where Clinton was, Doherty was right there, including election night in Philadelphia, alongside Gov. Rendell. Is Doherty a political opportunist, or is he bucking for a bigger job with his Pavlovian salivating at the prospect of being seen with Clinton and Rendell at every turn. During Clinton’s “St. Patrick’s Day Parade” visit, it was so obvious that even the most naïve kid would have seen his pandering antics as a move to gain additional “media” play.

There can be little question that if anyone seeking to “move up” in Scranton doesn’t play the “party line”, their future is dismal, to say the least. Why the voters continue to let this fiasco go on is beyond us. Cronyism, nepotism, party line politics and the rest aside, we continue to hope that somewhere, someplace, a “REAL” individual will emerge and the “real” voters will come out of the woodwork.

One only need look at our present makeup; city council, plum jobs, authority boards, legal representation, and yes, even our media, to see that this city is still mired in the “old line” way of doing things and the rich will continue to get richer, while the poor continue to suffer at the hands of the very people we elect to represent us. Will it get better….we doubt it.

There is hope for this city, and this state, and certainly this country, once we, the people, decide to think for ourselves and to take a close look at just who is really in charge. Thinking for ourselves would go a long way towards bringing Democracy back into our system, but as long as the powers-that-be are allowed to play their game, the situation will not change.

Yes, one of the two, Clinton or Obama, will emerge as the Democratic candidate for Presidency. And yes, Sen. John McCain will be the Republican candidate, but let’s stop deluding ourselves. It is not because they represent the people, it is because they represent “party politics” and a belief which we want to perpetuate…..they are FOR the people. Show me an honest and sincere candidate, who really has the best interests of the public in mind, and I’ll show you a candidate who we can take pride in backing. Until that time, we will continue to go with the flow and can offer only our humble insight into what is really happening in our world.

Candidates, on the national, state and local levels, will continue to be held accountable for their actions, and their connective ties, and we will continue to seek, like Diogenes, “an honest man”!

I guess we truly are idealists, but without idealism, nothing would ever get done in the world.