The Larry Kane Report

What a day Wednesday was. Temperatures in the seventies, sunny skies, and crowds of people on the streets of Center City Philadelphia. And then….

It was at the corner of Broad and Chestnut. It happened. It happens all the time, and one day, there will be tragic results.

People are crossing Broad Street headed West. The traffic light has the clear “walk sign.” A cab, trying to turn right on to Broad Street from Chesnut, roars around the corner, and screeches to a stop before a shocked crowd of pedestrians. The driver is obviously in a hurry. I make a gesture, as in “stop” , with my right hand, but the cab keeps moving. The taxi narrowly misses people trying to make it across. The margin between a close call and tragedy on the streets is mere inches.

Look familiar?

Taxicabs are a problem in Philadelphia. A few are clean. Many are filthy, and filled with the air of smoke and dirt. Seat belts are often dislodged. So you can forget safety. The drivers, some of them, make New York cabbies look childlike. Many cab drivers ignore traffic lights. I occasionally take a cab, although I prefer rail lines and city buses. Riding in a Philadelphia cab can be dangerous. Walking in Center City near a taxicab could be fatal.

Yet, there is little or no enforcement by the city. If there was, our cabs would be clean, and our visitors would we well taken care of. Instead, the taxicabs of the city often reflect a derogatory image of a great city.

Cab safety and the well being of pedestrians should be a priority of the City of Philadelphia. If a seat belt is missing or broken in a taxicab, the driver should be grounded - the car taken off the street.

A final note, there are drivers who run clean and efficient operations. I only wish them well. But right now a lack of enforcement and a gross lack of proper and safe driving is giving out town a bad rep, or should I say, a bad rap.

QUESTIONS ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS:

Where was government oversight all of these years?

When will the high paid bozos who destroyed their companies be held accountable for highly questionable and greedy investments?

Will the government BAILOUT the stockholders who lost millions?

Will the government bail YOU out of you miss a couple of payments and find the Sheriff trying to evict you?

Where is the President?

Where is the Vice President?

Why is the Treasury Secretary a product of the failed system?

Who will pay in the end?

Does Merrill Lynch still have a “bull” as its icon?

Comments(175)

Message to campaign managers, surrogates, and high-priced consultants. Get your acts together. The voters are tired, angry, restless, fatigued from commercials and in a state of high anxiety over this election. Why?

If you haven’t figured this out, you should all resign and go back to your roots - elect some tax collectors and council members, because that’s what this election is all about - retail politics with answers.

This is my gut, and based on no polling. So, on this perspective, the margin of error is ???

The election, now extremely close, will be decided by the candidate who defines the issues in the next severel weeks. So far, this charade has been all about personality - - tough John McCain, super-personable Barack Obama, veteran warhorse Joe Biden, and of course, Sarah Palin and her Reaganesque style.

Personality will not win this election. The following will.

Each candidate must define . with specificity., how they will deal with Iran. No generalities. We want the beef.

Obama and McCain should announce some of the people who will be in their cabinets and who their prime choices are for Supreme Court. Isn’t it about time we got some previews here!

The deficit is a time bomb of disaster for this country. So, while boih candidates talk about tax cuts and all that political schmooz, how about the REAL story on cutting the deficit. That big credit card of the federal government is about to run its limit. Give us a break. Give us some answers.

What’s the real story on health care? There is no real story. Both candidates have generic answers.

Energy? Without a mandate to Detroit and elsewhere, we’ll have none in a few years, unless you want to start burning cardboard to keep yourself warm.

The war against science. Will it continue?

Russia? Will the real diplomat please stand up in this election!

And who has the real plan to get the terrorists who attacked us? In the unfinished business category, that would get my top ranking.

The voters are tired about hearing of Cindy’s jewels, Michelle’s dresses, John’s alleged temper, Barack’s Grecian columns. Sarah’s glasses. and all that good gossip that averts the real deal. Notice that I have avoided Joe Biden here. That’s a simple omission. He’s the only one getting down to business and trying to stick with the facts.

The time for cosmetics is over. The voters know it. It is time to talk issues. The issue talker will win this election.

Comments(55)

Let us not carried away by Palin power. She’s really thrilled some Americans, but there’s no spot ready yet for her sculpted face on Mount Rushmore.

Lost in all the Palin fever is Delaware Joe. Although he has never run a town of six thousand, and although he doesn’t hunt ( I don’t think so), Biden is one of the most down-home politicians in America. Sarah Barracuda is currently on a roll, but America doesn’t know Joe like we know Joe. Once the Palin fever simmers down, Joe will be a great asset.

Back to Palin.

I watched her, in person, on stage at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. In many ways, she is Reaganesque. Palin knows how to speak people-speak. She’s real and snappy. But the question remains: can she handle the ebbs and flows of a razor sharp campaign?  I think the answer is possibly yes. The first polls show she has had a positive impact on  the McCain campaign, but two things are clear: Palin has already drawn evangelicals back to McCain. But her presence is also sending Hillary fans right into the Obama camp. The Palin factor works both ways. In the end, Americans will make the choice. Those of us in the media will just report the facts. But there is one thing that disturbs me about both conventions.

Targeting the media is nothing new. We took it on the chin last week when some of the media extremists went after Palin before she even got out of the block. That overkill was met by a barrrage of attacks on the media. Message to politicians: It’s a fraudulent line of attack. While it may have temporary impact, the American people understand our role. In the end, we get more respect than the fabricating, fear-mongering politicians who seek to rally all of you against the “scary media.” Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson should be ashamed of attacking the press. At least Sarah Palin did it with some humor. And John McCain held back. Hillary Clinton has attacked us from time to time, but she knows what’s right. And Bill Clinton loves to bash media when he says something he’s sorry that he said and we have the gumption to report it.

As far as Governor Palin, she will soon learn that the media does its job, regardless of threats from the left, the right or the center. That’s just the way it is.

And, by the way, the night of the big media attacks was last Wednesday, I was very proud to be in the land of the free doing my job, and ignoring the attacks on the press. It is not true that I put my credentials in my pocket on the way out of the Excel Center! I walked into the dark of the night, fearless, into the streets of St. Paul, along with colleagues, in search of the one thing missing from both conventions, the genuine truth, and the most important thing of all - healthy and nutritious late night snacks.

Speaking of food: Denver was supposed to the home of all organic convention food. That was bogus. Ironically, the best food was in St. Paul. The Republican concessions were better than the Democrat concession stands. Also, it is true. I am the only person who asked for a Coke at the Pepsi center in Denver where all they serve is…………..

Comments(168)

Yes, I am here - just very busy trying to find truth and the American . I’m sitting with Rick DeMichele, head of the Camden County Republican party. Rick is wearing a bizarre RED WHITE AND BLUE  Dr. Seusse hat. The amazing thing is that Rick likes it. Next to me is Brad Segall, the great suburban bureau chief for KYW Newsradio. It is not that I need the attention, but I am reporting here for 1060, CN 8, this blog, a video blog, and I am taking it in.

Here’s what I see. The Republicans like Sarah as in Palin. She was very strong last night, but there is a difference between what you feel here and what happens outside. I thought she was very clear and entertaining, but will she play in Cherry Hill, Abington, the Great Northeast and Lower Merion? You tell me.

This much I know: Republicans run smoother conventions. The soles of my shoes will tell you that. GOP conventions are mostly white. Renee Amoore, of King of Prussia, is the only black woman to speak at this convention. I think Renee should have been tapped for VP. She has more executive experience than Barack and Sarah. Besides, she has a pleasant, non-irritating sense of humor.

In New Jersey, GOP stalwarts are angry at Rob Andrews for deciding to run to keep his seat. So, it’s a crime to change your mind? Rick, the man with the crazy hat, says I should delete this paragraph.

Hottest item at the convention - umbrellas. They give them out to you, then the secret service confiscates them.I think the Secret Service sells umbrellas on the side to finance its annual picnic!

Just kidding.

The anarchists here are professional idiots. They have no cause - just making trouble. They smash windows, upset bus routes and hate the media. Everybody hates the media here. I am hiding my credentials, although  Rick treats me well. Behind my back - that’s another story.

Frankly, for better or worse, this is the way we do it in America. It is mostly peaceful, and very excitingv and in the next eight weeks, we’ll see what Barack and McCain are all about, whether Sarah can deal with controversy. We know Joe Biden. He’ll be tough, and I wonder whether John McCain may someday regret that he didn’t choose Tom Ridge?

We’ll see.

Comments(140)

First of all, I have to say that St. Paul , Minnesota is one of the beautiful medium-sized cities in America- tree lined streets, beautiful gardens, vital neighborhoods and non mall environments, and a beautiful convention center, the Excel energy center.

The place will not be humming on day one of the GOP convention because of the Gustav threat and the reality that this is not an appropriate time for celebration. But as the GOP watches the hurricane’s path, there is a real problem facing the John McCain campaign. It is imperative that McCain have his chance to speak to the convention. The convention prime time speech, especially with eight weeks left, is critical. This is a dilemma. It is also a dilemma for the GOP. Caring is one thing. Overdoing it might seem not very genuine, and possibly exploiting a disastrous situation. In that regard, this is a dangerous tightrope walk, a political journey into the unknown. The Republicans want redemption from the Katrina catastrophe. Ironically, when Katrina was happening three years ago, George Bush was presenting a birthday cake to John McCain.

I might add that some Republicans, angry over the choice of Sarah Palin as the Veep choice, are deeply concerned that she won’t play well in those purple states, like New Mexico, Colorado and North Carolina that Obama hopes to win. This is purely subjective. Palin may turn out to be one of the most refreshing new faces of 2008, but the Obama campaign will have a touch theme - do you want to trust a 72 year old President taking office with a first term Governor with no foreign policy experience.

On that score, our sources report that Governor Palin will soon receive a private briefing on foreign affairs from Secretary of State Condi Rice.

Also, a notable to watch for at the GOP Convention. Pat Meehan, former US Attorney, will be making the rounds as he eyes the Governor’s race in 2010.

I’ll be back.

Comments(170)