Ed Rendell Is on the Wrong Side of the Class War

[Chef Eric]

By Jonathan Valania 11/29/2012

Like pretty much everybody not named Tom Corbett, I like Ed Rendell. A lot. How could you not? He’s big, hairy, loud, part grizzly, part cheesesteak, publicly questions the testicular fortitude of entire nations, brought the city back from the brink of death, etc.

Plus, he’s a jedi when it comes to the dark arts of retail politics: shaking babies, kissing hands, slapping backs while guffawing on cue, shaking down donors, settling scores, holding grudges, and, most importantly, making you believe in your heart of hearts that he is on your side, even when he’s not. Like right now.

In addition to his current duties as professional-liberal-even-Joe-Sixpack-can-love on MSNBC, Ballard Spahr court jester, and corporate consigliere at Greenhill & Co investment bank, Rendell is currently co-chairing the steering committee of something called The CEO Campaign to Fix the Debt—a blue-chip cabal of 130-plus plutocrats who have anted up a $43 million kitty to fund a multimedia stealth campaign/public relations offensive to convince the turkeys to vote for Thanksgiving.

Fix the Debt is pushing for radical alterations to the tax code to legalize a hundred-plus billion dollar corporate tax dodge and pass the buck onto the middle/working/underclass in the form of deep cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, all the while masquerading as a selfless crusade to save the nation from going over the [cue thunder and lightning] financial cliff. Bless their blackened hearts.

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/11/29/ed-rendell-fix-the-debt-ceo/
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I hadn't realized how closely Rendell had aligned himself with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. I find this absolutely disgusting.

http://www.fixthedebt.org/who-we-are

[Curmudgeoness]

1. I suppose it is possible for everyone in Philly to like Rendell

but I could hardly stand him. From the day he became governor, and I had my first close look at him, I was appalled at most of his wild ideas and his demeanor which was crude. Also, since I live on the western side of the state, I swear that he didn't realize that we were part of the state. He totally ignored us during his whole governorship. I had just moved back to PA and could not believe that this is what passes as a Democrat. From many of his actions and ideas, I thought he was a Republican. But he was labelled a "liberal".

But I was a huge Casey fan.

Since many of his proposals sounded like Republican/wealthy elite sorts of schemes, I am not the least bit surprised that he is mixed up with fixthedebt.org. Never the less, I am disapppointed. I hate to see anyone who calls themself a Democrat go to the dark side.

[John2]

2. I notice

the media certainly likes to use him and Harold Ford Jr too for Democratic views. I suppose they just pick the ones that agree with Republican views while they think the others are the extreme Left and out of the main stream of America. Right now, neither are elected officials and don't speak for anybody in the Democratic Party. I would say this especially to Harold Ford Jr out of Tennessee, that you don't speak for most African Americans,Hispanics,Asians or Progressive whites. Those are the people who elected this President, and they don't agree with you on Social Security or Medicare. So I don't know why the media ask your views or even if it matters? So put faces on who you call the Left.

Most of those people do not consider earned benefits as entitlements. So why don't we start calling them what they really are. These are benefits, that are paid into. I know your Daddy was rich, but you need to understand the middle class and working poor. That is what I have to say to Harold Ford Jr.

[hrmjustin]

3. I see him as part of the DLC part of the party.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

4. I'm embarrassed to admit that I used to think he was a good Democrat, but seeing him on the

JoJo Starbucks's show, I've come to see how far right he is compared to what I consider a good Dem.

[Number9Dream]

5. Not surprised in the Lehigh Valley

When Rendell was first campaigning for Governor, he repeatedly said that property tax reform would be his "number one priority". Gov. Rendell gave us the school district optional Act 72, and the rejected Act 1... two crappy pieces of legislation that produced no property tax relief. Also, Rendell was vocally supportive of Bush's Iraq quagmire. I'm not surprised he'd support cuts to Social Security, and so on.