The Larry Kane Report

The Governor of New York has been taken down by hiring a $5000.00 call girl for room service in a Washington Hotel. The slimy details are out: the wiretap, the train ride, the request “for services,” and all the rest of the stuff. The details are less important than the constant failings associated with the arrogance of power. That it happened to one of America’s legendary fighters for justice and morality is the part that is stunning.

In these parts, Spitzer was but a legend. The battler against Wall Street, the record industry, and, prostitution rings, was rocketed into office by his record of clean government, and consistent struggles against all kinds of crime. To the people of New York, he was a crusader in the image of Teddy Roosevelt. In this election year, he was oft-mentioned as a Vice Presidential choice. That, of course, is out of the question.

I have watched many politicians, people I thought were too smart to be crooks, wind up in prison. There is arrogance and an ego about power that makes people in power feel immune from ever getting in trouble for personal excesses. Most of them are trapped in financial or corruption scandals. A few have been known to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person. Others just lose control.

I don’t know Spitzer, although I met him briefly at a Democratic Convention.

His case is a textbook story of a moralizing politician caught in the same abyss that he searches for in his hunts for corrupt people, first as an Attorney General, and then as a Governor.

Watching the tape, first I felt sorry for the wife, and of course, the kids. I felt less sorry for the Governor, who took his ride on the wild side, and paid a high price for it.

A lot of politicians are genuine and self deprecating. Others are obsessed with virtues and cleanliness on the public scene. We get contact lectures from these politicians on how to live OUR lives. This should be a warning to political moralizers that they should look in the mirror before looking into the way we live our lives. 

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There’s a battle going in Pennsylvania, and it is not the one you’re thinking about. The primary is six weeks away, but the first test in Pennsylvania is exactly two weeks from today. For months now the Obama and Clinton campaigns have been in the trenches trying to get Republicans and Independents to switch their registration by the deadline of March 24. Obama’s campaign claims over 50- thousand converts. But that would presume they will vote for their candidate. The Clinton campaign, knowing that the suburban counties could make a difference, have revved up their vote registration crossover campaign in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware. The Obama campaign has been there for months and is also targeting Berks County and the city of Reading.

Six weeks till the election. Two weeks until a vital deadline that could make a difference.

Other notes: Local political insiders are incensed at the comparison between Pennsylvania and Ohio. There is one difference in the two states, the big swath of voters in eastern Pennsylvania that have voted overwhelmingly in two statewide battles for Ed Rendell. This is a different type of voter, especially in the suburbs, a more independent voter who tends to be liberal to moderate. The “Rendellian” voters are a great catch for Clinton, who is endorsed by Rendell. The question is whether the Clinton-Obama showdown brings out a record turnout in the suburbs, and whether these voters will follow the same patterns that they did in the Governor races of 2002 and 2006. The big variable: the two candidates, both projecting a combination of charisma, character, and with it, controversy. If Rendell were running, it would be a slam dunk in the suburbs. But he is not. And the suburban vote will make a difference if it gets close.

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Watch out! That’s the inside word from both the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to elected officials who have endorsed either candidate. The message is simple: don’t curb your enthusiasm, but watch what you say and how you say it about the opponent.

Attacks on Obama by surrogates for Clinton failed in South Carolina and other states. Conversely, Obama surrogates have discovered that hard hitting attacks on Senator Clinton have brought voters to her side. It is an emotionally-charged election, and both campaigns are looking ahead to when  the nominee is actually selected.

The threat is very clear to the Democratic Party. Clinton  and Obama are doing a pretty good job themselves of blasting each other’s records. At least, the campaigns can control that.  But people who endorse the candidates are being urged to stay positive, for fear that emotions may run away in the Pa. Primary.

On the sidelines, John McCain. He has the luxury of planning for the general election, while watching the Democrats tear each other apart.

The greatest danger to the Democrats is the fact that Super delegates, one way or another, will determine this election. If they do, and ignore away from the popular vote, and voter determination of elected delegates,  there could be a voter revolt in the Democratic party that would make winning impossible in November.

One thing that is missing is a clear-cut plan by the national party, a series of guidelines on how to fairly pick the nominee if there is a deadlock going into the summer.

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Get ready for motorcades and traffic jams. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will be working here so much they might have to pay local wage taxes. After Mississippi Next Tuesday, the battle is on. Here’s what to expect. The Obama campaign which has narrowed the race to four points in the latest survey will keep asking Republicans to switch registration. So far, 50,000 Republicans have switched so they can vote in the Democratic Primary.

Here’s The Inside Strategy:

Clinton’s local team will try to mirror the Ed Rendell strength in the suburbs. Once again, without a clear, decisive big victory, the delegate count will remain the same. LOOK FOR MORE RUNNINGS OF THE “WHO DO YOU TRUST AT 3 A.M.”  COMMERCIALS, from the Clinton campaign.

On the Obama side: The Senator will go negative for the first time in his campaign commercials, He will demand that Clinton release her income tax returns, and that she detail what he calls her costly health care plan.

Restaurants will be busy.Watch both sides wine and dine those super delegates to try and gain momentum. An important note – a competitive primary in Pa. will mean a giant turnout, and that could affect tough races like the one between Vince Fumo and John Dougherty for the Pa. senate.

Are you ready for the “brawl for it all?”

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It will be described as the “big gamble” when historians write the story of the dramatic Democratic battle for President in 2008. Hillary Clinton, who still will be behind Barack Obama on Wednesday morning, is trying to prolong the fight. She needs to win big to gain on Obama in the delegate count. Even Clinton insiders admit that there is no chance of a large win in either Texas or Ohio, which would leave her very close to where she is now. Realizing that a larger margin of victory is the only way to increase her delegate base, the Senator launched a series of campaign ads, known as the 3 a.m. spots. In them, a little girls is resting in bed, and the announcer warns that the viewer should consider who they would want to answer the White House phone during a crisis in the middle of the night. The implication is clear: your children are at risk if Hillary Clinton is not the President.

The gamble is huge. Will Clinton spread enough anxiety about Barack Obama being elected President, or will the voters of Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island view this spot as an act of desperation? The commercial is only being used in Texas, but it is being played around the country.

We’ll find out Tuesday night.

Another note  – Howard Dean verbally attacked John McCain Sunday, questioning his ethics. Dean should leave the attacks up to the candidates. He started to look foolish this week when he suggested that party big-wigs (he’s the biggest), reverse course and let Florida voters vote AGAIN. This would change the rules during which party officials nullified the primaries in Michigan and Florida because they were held too early.

What’s up here? You just can’t change the rules after you’ve made them.

Dean has tried hard to make the Democrats more progressive, but this caper could really set the party back.

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