The Larry Kane Report

It is depressing. There is no other way to describe that sinking feeling in the stomach every time I hear about it, all the times I broadcast it, and waiting for the next sudden burst of news. I never met Patrick McDonald, the police officer who died after a gunfight a few blocks from the Temple campus. I never met Richard Bowes, another officer who was wounded responding to the scene. Most of you have never met them, but in a way, you have.

Over the years, at all kinds of events, I remember their faces. They are the people, the men and women, who, daily, gut it out on the streets of the nation’s most extraordinary city, a city of contrasts. More and more the city becomes a mecca, as more and more, gun violence denies some of the citizens a chance at a life without fear.

You’ve met them. Some are young, others a bit older. They wear blue and they love the city. Their pay is never enough, but that’s not what keeps them going in the sometimes harrowing and always stressful task of keeping it safe for the rest of us who sometimes may forget just how important they are.

I have spent many a night thinking about them. These thoughts began in the sixties when I first reported the death of a police officer. The first one, the latest one. It is the same agonizing sense of community loss. This time there is an irony. The police department says Patrick McDonald had been working on a special project to get dangerous guns off the streets. He, like so many others, took a bullet for us, those he protected.

A long time ago, I was asked question at a school. The student said, “Is every violent death a news story? The answer is, of course, yes. Every life has a value. Every victim has a family. But quite often we overlook the fact that the death of a police officer doing his or her job, becomes not just an object of mourning for a few, but a shared sense of grief for an entire community. So it becomes a bigger story, because that person, in this case Patrick McDonald, represents the thousands who show up for roll call every day, knowing that the price for their service to the community could be very high.

In a courtroom, where I covered a murder trial years ago, a defense attorney said I was blatantly pro-cop in my reporting. I try hard to be fair. I always have. But when it comes to the police of Philadelphia and all of our communities, I have a different perspective. I think police officers are among the most amazing people I’ve ever covered. They are courageous, serving, powerfully tolerant of all people, and enormously gracious. Most of all, they treat each other like family.

Right now that big family is suffering. The family of Patrick McDonald is huge - thousands of police and firefighters who give us so much every day.

In death, our grief and compassion is clear. In life, we salute the police officers of our city and our nation, and in return for their dedication, respond with respect and a full measure of appreciation.

A final note. Those suburban lawmakers who are fighting stricter gun laws for Philadelphia only, should go into a cave and hide their shame.

Comments(106)

While the President and Congress negotiate the Mother of All Bailouts, let’s pause and remember how we got here.

It didn’t just start with the deregulation of the the Bush administration. The greed and horror stories and casino-like view of our investment community started back in the 1980’s, dipped a little bit after 9/11, and roared back into the scene in about 2004. Lest we forget: The Clinton years help spawn the runaway billionaires who took the money and climbed into the nearest hole. Both parties should accept the blame, and apologize.

What is so disturbing about all of this is the fact that on so many issues our government has been asleep at the wheel. It is not comforting to think that the leaders in DC will be able to manage this incredible bailout. But then again, the investment gurus don’t stand a chance. So, our only hope is the resiliency of the people. It is a hard time, but the people of America always stand out in their courage and wisdom. At least, I hope they do.

BACK IN PHILADELPHIA, interesting side show to this election campaign. Why are the candidates skipping the western part of the state? Does McCain think he’s got it won in western Pennsylvania? Has Obama conceded the Southwest? Trips there are less frequent than the campaign stops in eastern, Pennsylvania.

FORECASTS - Don’t take it to the bank, but I think we may see several big upsets in this election. Don’t look now, but Obama is edging up in North Carolina and Florida. McCain is also moving ahead in Missouri and Ohio. The upsets will offset each other, leaving one of two states to decide it all - Michigan and Colorado. You heard it here first. As I said, don’t take it to the bank.

BOO-BOO — Why do Eagles fans boo when they see well known TV faces doing promos on the big screen at the Linc? It makes me feel like Eagles fans don’t like the media. I mean, who doesn’t like the media?

SPEAKING OF MEDIA - Kudos for the Sunday INKY Currents section. it has become exciting and diverse and something to look forward to. I especially enjoy Bowden and Smerconish. They make you think, which some of you who write to this infamous blog, should do a lot more of.

FINAL NOTE –F AND M National Poll comes out this Thursday morning. I respect Terry Madonna’s polling and I expect that this McCain-Obama head to head survey will make big news.

FINAL FINAL NOTE — Was that an  Emmy telecast Sunday night, or a bad ‘b’ movie? The TV industry seemed to dwell on the past, rather than celebrating its creative future.

Comments(41)

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.

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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…………..

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