John Baer: By speaking out, is Rendell playing right into Corbett's hand?
I'M STARTING to wonder if Ed Rendell is secretly working for Tom Corbett. I mean, what if the tough-guy attorney general and Republican candidate for governor has something on His Edness that he's holding back in exchange for campaign help?
I'M STARTING to wonder if Ed Rendell is secretly working for Tom Corbett.
I mean, what if the tough-guy attorney general and Republican candidate for governor has something on His Edness that he's holding back in exchange for campaign help?
That might explain Ed's stepping into the race between Corbett and Dan Onorato at a time when Ed's job approval numbers are lowest of his incumbency; at a time when Corbett keeps tying Onorato to the Guv.
Ed's helping secure the knot.
It seems to me that Onorato has enough to cut through as a Democrat in a Republican year trailing in polls and fundraising than to also worry about separation from the Big Guy.
And separation would be good. Daily News/Franklin & Marshall College polls in August and September show Rendell's job-approval ratings at 30 percent and 35 percent, his all-time lows.
So, while Rendell gets ink and face time talking about the race, Onorato has to spend time saying he's not Rendell.
Corbett TV ads aimed at voter angst over spending and taxes link Onorato to Ed as in, If you want more of the same, Dan's your man.
One shows Ed and Dan together and calls Rendell Onorato's "role model."
Another hammers "wasteful spending" and features a billboard-size shot of Rendell as Corbett talks about $45 million for Capitol offices, $40,000 to move a statue from the governor's residence and $10 million for an Arlen Specter library.
It's effective, even though it twists the facts.
It suggests that authorized funding in the capital budget ($45 million for offices, $10 million for the library) actually was spent, and that move-the-statue money was tax dollars.
Neither is true. So this week, Rendell struck back at a news conference.
First, he talked about his administration saving money, including $21 million from reduced state-employee travel. Then, unprompted, he teed off on Corbett's ad, using words such as "reckless" and "disingenuous."
Ed said that of the $45 million authorized for office renovations $4 million had been spent and was "absolutely necessary"; that the $40,000 statue-relocation was from donations to the Governors Residence Preservation Committee and that the library project was scaled back to a state share of $1.9 million.
All valid points on the specifics of Corbett's ad, but here's the problem for Onorato: Because he is not now nor ever was part of state government, he's not responsible for state spending.
Politically, what does he gain from defending it?
The ad, however flawed, is effective for Corbett because it won't be answered by his opponent, and if Rendell (as he did) barks back, it reinforces Corbett's effort at a Rendell/Onorato link.
Why would Rendell play along?
And is anyone surprised that political ads stretch or stomp on the truth?
But once in, Ed's all in.
So the Guv also jumped on Corbett for telling the Harrisburg Patriot-News editorial board that it's "very hard to determine" what spending cuts to make "until you get in there and see the budget."
At a Capitol news conference, Ed responded: "Good Lord, you can see the budget online! You can see the last eight budgets online."
Again, a valid point, but Ed does Onorato no favors by trying to play when he's not on the roster.
The more Corbett can keep Ed in the discussion - in this case, with Ed's willing complicity - the more difficult for Onorato to get voters focused on his challenge to the favored Republican.
Ed's a big-foot figure in city, state and occasionally national politics.
But Ed's big foot in this race could help boot Onorato to the curb and drive Corbett into office - whatever the motive and whether that's Ed's intention or not.
Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.
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