Clout   

 

Clout: Ask, and you shall wish you didn't 06/13/2008

POLITICAL consultant Ken Sny-der this week became the owner of a townhouse at Front and Christian streets. All because of his religion.

 

Clout: Would 'dream ticket' awaken the country? 06/06/2008

BEFORE a marriage, there must be courtship. Before a "dream ticket," there must be joint campaigning. And while the smart money says there's no way that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate - creating the dream ticket - you never know how a courtship will turn out.

 

Clout: O say, you can see Timmy Kelly on CBS 3 05/09/2008

LITTLE Timmy Kelly isn't so little anymore. The blind Bustleton kid with cerebral palsy who can sing his heart out (and has, for the Philadelphia Eagles, for President Bush, for Gov. Rendell) has been a nice little local story since 2001 when he sang a rousing "Star-Spangled Banner" at the first home game of the Camden Riversharks as a tiny 8-year-old.

 

Clout: How Johnny Doc helped defeat Johnny Doc 05/02/2008

THERE ARE a few bones left from last week's primary election, so let's gnaw on 'em. The election day surprise was labor leader John Dougherty's loss in the Democratic primary battle to replace outgoing state Sen. Vince Fumo. The winner, lawyer Larry Farnese, had been trailing in even his own polls. Unmentioned was who got Farnese to enter the Senate race.

 

Clout: A tame day for smashmouth democracy 04/23/2008

By GAR JOSEPH , clout@phillynews.com

Another Election Day, another day of misleading ballots, dirty tricks and smashmouth democracy. And that was the race for president!

 

Clout: 26 facets reflect a gem of a primary 04/21/2008

Here's Clout's preview of tomorrow's primary election from A to Z: A is for American-flag lapel pin. Now that it's a hot issue, who will be the first legislator to introduce a bill making flag-pin wearing mandatory?

 

Clout: Barack still plays hard-to-get with Obama Girl 04/18/2008

WHEN VOTING for president, Clout has a motto: "Look for the pin before you go in." Before we enter the voting booth, we check a candidate's lapel. If there's a little American flag pin on it, he or she has our vote.

 

Clout: Hey, Colbert: These are the ones to talk to 04/11/2008

COMEDIAN Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" comes to Philadelphia next week for satiric reports on the Pennsylvania primary.

 

Gar Joseph | Brady will use the lift if he's elevated to mayor 02/22/2007

MAYORAL candidate Bob Brady wants you to get this straight: He is not afraid of elevators. Does he hate elevators? Yes. But if he were afraid of them (clautophobia), he wouldn't use them.

 

Gar Joseph | Turn your radio on: Mary Mason's coming back 01/19/2007

IN AN ACT of civic vandalism, WHAT (1340-AM), the "Voice of the African-American community," was silenced on Jan. 11. Led by morning host Mary Mason, the station was a daily town meeting on politics, on crime, on education, on racism, on a dozen other issues that affect black Philadelphians.