The Larry Kane Report

The Guardian Angels have a decent record of assisting police in nabbing big city criminals, but if you think they will make a big dent in underground anxiety in the Subway and the El, you might want to think again.

It is Septa’s responsibility to keep a safe environment on public transit. We pay some of the highest fares in the nation and Septa has only two subway lines. I’ll tell what the problem is: transit police spend most of their time walking outside of stations, not inside. When was the last time you saw a Septa cop on a platform, or in a train. I mean, again, there are TWO subway lines, one of them, the El, is a subway surface line! That should be an easy terrain to cover.

The problems on the trains are simple fear. People are afraid. As long as people are afraid, they will not ride, preferring instead to take busses, which are fine, but slower. The second problem is that the people who govern Septa, for the most part, don’t ride it. I challenge them to walk with me through the subway concourses in the early evening. They’ll get the picture.

For those of you, narrow minded as you may be, who suggest I’ve never seen the inside of a subway or El station, get a life! I use Septa all the time. The price is right . I get free transit on the Septa city division, and it costs me a buck on regional rail. I’m of age, as they say. But I traveled Septa before my discount took effect. I have to say the regional rails are the best kept secret in the area, and the city lines are not bad. BUT SEPTA NEEDS TO CLEAN UP THE STATIONS AND GET THE SAFETY ISSUE STRAIGHTENED OUT.

As I said before, the best thing about the I-95 mess, is that it got people to ride Septa. But if they have a bad experience, they will not be back.

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We have been fed so much exaggeration about the situation in Iraq. And it is now apparent that the recent optimism falls into the category of deliberate deception. How can we believe the Generals and the White House when the Iraqi Army faces possible defeat from the Al-Sadr militias.

More and more, this is looking like Vietnam, where our allies (the government in Iraq)  are infiltrated by our enemies (Shiite militias). The problem is not the war itself, but the great lies that we are receiving about the state of safety in Iraq.

We need a major force of at least 150,000 troops to protect our interests in the Middle East. They should be withdrawn from the civil bloodshed in Iraq, and placed in Kuwait and the territory of our other allies. Our military presence is critical in the Gulf.  If Iraqis cannot keep the peace or are not willing to, it is time for the U.S. to deploy these troops elsewhere in the region.

Some notes on campaign 08. Gutsy move by Bob Casey to endorse Barack Obama. He didn’t have to do it. Aside from his family’s dislike of the Clintons, who refused to let the late Bob Casey speak at the 1992 convention, the young Bob Casey genuinely has affection for Obama. They are good friends.

Ed Rendell is setting a record for national TV appearances by a Pa. Governor. Rendell is becoming a national figure, enhancing his already large profile, and placing himself in position to take high profile positions when he leaves office in early 2010.

Keep an eye on State Rep. Josh Shapiro of Pa. The Deputy Speaker of the Pa. House is becoming a major force in state government. He is supporting Obama this year, but the Clinton campaign would love to have him on board.

Warning to readers. Someone is logging in with my name and offering semi-ridiculous and vacuous comments. The “real” Larry Kane will not submit stupid and angry blog postings.

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There needs to be an immediate investigation by every investigative arm of local government to find out how a man died at the hands of teenage attackers at the 13th and Market Subway station. But there is a bigger story. The murder is a stain on Philadelphia’s image. But the killing underscores a bigger problem.

Septa, the transit authority , needs to get to work NOW. While regional rail centers are decent,  the El and the Subway line is a portrait of grim life in underground Philadelphia. Most stations are dimly-lit, lonely and scary, and not protected as well as they should be.

The reason most Philadelphians don’t know about conditions underground  is that they don’t use the subway lines!

Septa police must be more present. You can’t find them at Market East. They do nothing to protect people from the derelicts who take over Suburban Station at night. The homeless are one problem.  The filth and trash that fills most Subway and El stations is a disgrace. The stations are unsanitary and rarely cleaned. Our system makes the New York subway look like like the Orient-Express!

While suburban regional rail stations are picturesque , although dirty, the Philadelphia subway stations look like scenes from horror movies.

The best thing about Philadelphia mass transit is the people who ride it, for the most part lawful and caring.  It’s a system that gets you anywhere, but until Septa spruces up the subway stations, gets better lighting, and provides emergency help EVERYWHERE, who not shut the subways down, and everybody can take a bus!

This murder case will resonate. For all the great that is happening in Philadelphia, the conditions underground must be remedied .

My advice: clean up the stations. Put security IN the stations, not outside where most Septa police hang out.

Most of all, brighten them up. This town deserves much better.

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You’ve got to hand it to James Carville. The Ragin Cajun, as they used to call him knows how to make a mountain out of a mole hill, or as he might say, “go after the enemy till there’s nothing left.” He didn’t say that. I just thought that he might say it that way.

Carville became an icon after he helped elect Governor Bob Casey in 1986 with a guile and cunning rarely seen in politics. He’s a smart guy. He came into his own when he helped elect the 42nd President, William Jefferson Clinton. Carville is a take no prisoners kind of guy. I’ve seen him at work, and especially during the famous Bob Casey campaign, when his profanity-laden remarks were enough to make you try and keep his language away from babies and the faint-of-heart. As an analyst and Democratic provocateur, there is no one better.

I do believe that if the Kerry campaign had a true and passionate hired hand like Carville doing his magic in 2004, that Kerry would have won the campaign.

You see, Carville is just what the Dems need, a verbal assassin with the conviction to fight hard to the finish. There are no cotillion dances for James Carville. He will beat you, and after he beats you, he will try to crush you again.

There is one aspect of Carville that is amazing. He is fiercely loyal to his candidates.

In his most recent action. his passion got the best of him.

After New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama, Carville decided to try and level Richardson. He called him a Judas, referring him to Judas who sold out Christ, and he noted that this only fitting on Easter weekend. Carville believes that Richardson owes the Clintons for giving him two Cabinet positions.

In reality, Richardson was a star before the Clintons arrived on the scene.

If Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, she and Carville will need Richardson in their battle against John McCain.

Richardson, I am told, will not have anything to do with Carville.

Does that mean the Clintons would dump Carville, for awhile. And will he call them Judas’s for their lack of loyalty.

Frankly, I would want to have James Carville on my side. But he certainly has burned a bridge, wouldn’t you say?

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How much do endorsements mean? At this stage of the Clinton-Obama march to the nomination, it depends on whose endorsing and why. Certainly, Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Barack Obama is significant in that Richardson, a respected member of the party. might influence other super delegates. Ed Rendell’s and Michael Nutter’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton have helped her, big time, in Pennsylvania. The blessing of big time politicians can add an aura to a campaign’s momentum.

With that in mind, two major endorsements are missing in the Pa. Primary.

Joe Biden ran for President, and impressed millions of voters with his candor and intelligence. So far, the Delaware Democrat, has not committed. Biden has a lot of impact in Pennsylvania, and HIS blessing could go a long way.

The second silent voice is that of Pa. Senator Bob Casey. History would have it that the Senator’s father, Governor Robert Casey,  was snubbed by the Clinton forces who refused to allow him a few minutes at the podium at the 1992 convention in New York. The family has never forgotten that.

It is unlikely that Casey will endorse Hillary Clinton. So far he has not indicated he will endorse anyone before the Democratic National Convention. Of course, he will support the nominee of the party in the General Election.

Both men could have an impact. Biden could help one or the other in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Scranton could help in the Northeast and the center of ths state. where his following is powerful.

There is no doubt that both campaigns are trying hard to get these two endorsements.

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