All is not well in the battleground state of Pennsylvania because the Governor, Ed Rendell, values criminals much more highly than the men and women fighting and dying abroad.
Earlier this year, Rendell fought a protracted battle in court to get Ralph Nader excluded from the ballot. The state was just too close, and Rendell not delivering Pennsylvania would mean certain political death for him. So off to the State Supreme Court he went where we he won an injunction to keep Nader’s name off the ballot.
Victory assured.
But something else happened while Rendell was playing politics. The ballots were held and not released. Why is that important, you ask? Why does this matter? Because the ballots that were held were the ones that were going to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most counties in Pennsylvania sent out their absentee ballots to soldiers weeks behind schedule because they had to wait for the court to rule on whether or not Nader’s name should appear at all, and obviously they couldn’t send out ballots with or without Nader’s name if the court ruled otherwise.
So, while Rendell was challenging Nader’s name on the ballot, the delay all but assured that the ballots from our soldiers overseas, who historically have voted 66% Republican, would not be able to get their ballots back on time to be counted for the election.
It gets better.
In petitioning Rendell to get the ballots counted, Rendell went to court and basically argued that he had no obligation to extend the ballot counting deadline for the absentee ballots that were sent out. He got a court to agree with him and he’s now running around the state saying a court order, which he argued for, says he can’t extend the deadline.
Now, as if disenfranchising our soldiers wasn’t bad enough, Rendell recently sent a memo to county wardens telling them to be sure that all prisoners voted.
That’s right, Rendell, while playing legal games to disenfranchise the military vote and keep Nader off the ballot, has a soft spot on his heart for the convicts of the county. Why? Because convicts vote Democrat (in the states that it’s allowed).
Now think about this. You know Ed Rendell is not going to get re-elected after a stunt like this. The people of Pennsylvania are going apoplectic over it, and it’s all over the news there. Unfortunately it’s only all over the news there, but it is. Now why would Rendell do this, unless he had a job lined up by a certain “other” office? What he’s done here has amounted to political suicide, and unless he’s just giving up his governorship in the interests of “taking one for the team,” something stinks.
If Kerry wins, and Rendell isn’t re-elected, is there any doubt where Rendell will be working?
Update
As if by some sick twist of fate, and by some strange consequence of my impeccable timing, WABC Radio has just announced (as of 2:04 PM) that Governor Rendell has apparently relented and will extend the deadline for the counting of military ballots by eight days. How about that…