The Larry Kane Report

I don’t have to tell you that we live in dangerous times with the fear of terrorism, finanial crises, deadlocks in negotiations with nuclear countries, and an overall inability to control events. In the backdrop of these challenges is a political climate that appears to offer little room for compromise.

In our history it has been leaders of compromise and moderation who have achieved the most. The opportunity of greatness presents itself to these leaders, and with rare exception, in times of crisis, the greats of America have chosen country over party.

The exceptions include the last four years of the Clinton presidency and the first six years of the presidency of George W. Bash. Bipartisanship has taken a back seat to vicious party line fights and rare efforts at compromise. When a politician puts country before party, the leader is offering a moment of courage in a sea of party line mediocrity.

Such a moment has been offered this week by two powerful Republican Senators, John Warner of Virginia and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Both have differred sharply from the party line that things are going very well in Iraq and have had the courage to come forward and challenge the President and the Defense Secretary to offer the truth instead of the fiction we’ve been getting for several years now. Respectful but direct, the two Republican leaders have made it clear that the White House needs to quickly evaluate a policy that has failed and is making our world more dangerous, not safer.

As Iraq erupts into a bloody civil war, these loyal and patriotic Republicans have sounded the alarm and in doing so without fear, are setting a standard of loyal opposition.

Warner, with his military expertise and his respect at the Pentagon, is an especially powerful voice.

No doubt it pains the White House that these two Senators are standing up for what they believe.

But then again, this is a democracy, not a monarchy.

The impact of their critiques should be felt after the mid-term elections.

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Did you know that there are 394,000 separate web items listed for Bob Casey-Rick Santorum. That is the most for any Senate race in the nation. Have you ever seen anything like this? There also could be a total of 25 million dollars spent on this contest between Republican Santorum and Democrat Casey. Unbelievable.

Why are we and why is the rest of the nation so drawn to this powerful struggle? At first glance, the two would seem very similar. Both have large families. Both are deeply religious and have views against abortion. The two have spent many years of their adult life in public service.

Those are where the similarities end.

I think voters and observers are obsessed with his race because the battle exemplifies the struggle that has been going on in Washington since George W. Bush became President.

Santorum has been viewed as the swashbluckling darling of American conservatism who has defied the odds in a so-called “blue” state to win two statewide elections. He is both a hero to some and a tempting political target to others. His name evokes passion on both sides of the aisle.

Bob Casey has a magic name in Pennsylvania and appeals to moderate voters of both parties as well as his Democratic base. He is not an extremist liberal, nor is he too conservative for most Democrats. He was the perfect candidate to take on Santorum.

The campaign adds have been brutal in tone. Independent groups not directly associated with the candidates are sending out negative messages. It is almost impossible to listen to the radio, watch TV and not hear or see a commercial for either side.

The backdrop of the campaign has seen some accusations filled with the politics of association. Casey charges Santorum gets too much money from lobbyists. Santorum says Casey is not on the job in Harrisburg often enough. Casey associates Santorum with President Bush. Santorum says Casey is a tool of the Democratic left.

Somewhere in the middle of this is the truth.

And that’s what we’ll try to get to on Monday morning (tomorrow) 8 to 9 a.m. on KYW Newsradio 1060 and it is LIVE. I’ll be joined by Newsradio bureau chiefs Tony Romeo and Mike Dunn for Breakfast with the Candidates . No commercials-just Rick Santorum and Bob Casey going to head to head on the issues. Their first debate was a verbal slugfest. My job as moderator will be to keep this under control. Your job is to listen and size them up.

THIS IS THE ONLY DEBATE WITH NO FIXED RULES - JUST A FREE AND OPEN DISCUSSION!
See you on the radio.

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Like all Phillies fans who can remember, I was saddened by the death of Johnny Callison, not for the baseball memories but for the man who represented them.

Over the years, Callison and i shared the same barber. I got to know him when I first came to Philadelphia, and knowing him was liking him. Ruggedly handsome and daringly frank, Johnny was a man before his time - a great hitter and great fielder who was born too early. Callison lamented about the era of his career and how his batting average and star appeal would have earned him millions in the free agent years starting in the nineties.

Unlike many Phillies who moved out when they moved on, Johnny Callison called the area home, settling down in Glenside with his wife and daughters. After baseball, he did not live a glamous life, but to him, raising his daughters with his beloved wife Diane was as good as getting to the big leagues. He had a variety of jobs and eventually tended bar until bad knees and bad health kept him down.

Through it all there was a wonderful dignity about this man from Bakersfield , California and his love for baseball. He devoured the game on TV, and although he might have envied the mildly talented players who maked millions today, he was a one and only - a player of high quality who played the game for the love of it, and played it hard.

There was a quality about him that was hard to define. Eleven years ago I did a feature on him for my Bulletin show on KYW TV. Watching the love of his daughters radiating to him in his Glenside backyard was a treat. Talking to him in his trophy-laden den made me feel really young again. He was a true baseball hero who was loved by Philadelphia fans.

One of the reasons he was loved so much was that he cared about the fans and the city and the community he lived in. People here in this community have a deep affection for those who settle here. To the fans, a dedication to the community is as much a part of idolatry as hitting a lot of home runs.

Johnny Callison hit home runs and was the kind of dramatic and talented hero that would have thrilled any generation.

It was wonderful to have met him over the years.  It was a thrill to watch him play.

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John McCain is doing some risky business. Blaming Bill Clinton for the current crisis with North Korea, he has fired the first volley for the 2008 race, but his sense of timing is strange.

What was McCain thinking, attacking a former President in the middle of an election cycle, and as his own nation faces a potential nuclear crisis? Was he trying to turn some voters toward Republican candidates? If he was trying to hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances in the 08 elections, his efforts seem early and misguided. The eventual leader of a party should show reasoned discretion when his own country is trying to figure out what to do. Clinton may have botched it up, but McCain might be better off asking direct questions about current military priorities than taking a blast at the past.

This is the same kind of blame game that I recently cited Bill Clinton, Condi Rice and Hillary Clinton for. I called it a Triangle of Blame, following their dissing match over who did the most or least to deal with Bin Laden and his killers. It is shameful and politically irresponsible for national leaders to live in yesterday’s world.

We expect more from our Senators, former Presidents and presidential hopefuls than the tired, old political rendering of alleged mistakes.

I like John McCain. There is a lot to like about his independence. But Americans are looking for solutions, not recrimination. Americans are looking for competence and a vision of the future. This blast at the past was not a good moment in John McCain’s quest for the presidency.

The voter’s current angst shows a desire for forward looking thinking.

McCain knows better.

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I am poll crazy. I love political polling, but I’ve learned over the decades to read deeply beyond the headlines. The “internal” poll figures tell you much about where people are headed. The “inside” of the poll gives you real direction.

The inside of the latest CBS News New York Times survey has a strong message to both Republicans and Democrats. The voters are unhappy with government. Seven in 10 Americans think most members of Congress have no clue about the everyday challenges of Americans. And get this figure: 69 percent believe most members of the Congress consider themselves above the law.
Many Americans feel a disconnect between their own lives and the the style and outlook of Congress.
Over 80 percent view the Foley scandal as an important issue for the country. Fifty four percent see the scandal as a “serious issue.” How does this breakdown for election day? Well it suggests an anti incumbent view, which could harm the Republican majority but it also suggests that Democrats, if they become the majority, have a lot of learning to do.

What about the outcome? A full 61 percent of all voters think Democrats will pick up a lot of seats.
The only real poll that counts is the voting tally of course but this CBS survey’s internal findings shows an angry electorate. An angry electorate means more uncertainty for individual candidates when the campaign winds down.

In my 45 years of watching surveys, I have never seen such a disenchanted electorate. This phenomenon may be more of a general disgust with the political arrogance of Washington. It tells me that the surprises on election day may be more numerous than we expect.

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