Public officials at the highest level of government must become more public.
Until they do, the people will continue to lose faith in their ability and willingness to uphold the public trust.
I don’t mean that top-ranking elected officials should make more public appearances. I mean they should respond more publicly than they do to public requests for information.
I’m particularly concerned about two Democrats - U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (11th Congressional District) and U.S. Rep. Chris Carney (10th Congressional District) - who are running for re-election.
Kanjorski has recently broken records for public appearances and press releases issued in his name. Carney remains more aloof, although he holds regular town meetings and uses the media when he wants to make a point.
Both men endorsed New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as their party’s nominee for president, although Carney waited until the last minute before pledging his support.
A long-time ally of the Clintons, Kanjorski was there from the beginning.
But now that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the presumptive nominee to face Republican John McCain in November, neither Kanjorski not Carney has publicly endorsed him as their man.
Only one explanation exists for their timidity.
Fear shapes their hesitancy to embrace a liberal Democrat when they know that their constituents and they themselves disagree with Obama on too many issues.
Although the abortion impasses didn’t stop Scranton’s U.S. “pro-life” Sen. Bob Casey from picking up his political pompoms and joining the Obama cheerleading squad, Kanjorski and Carney are worried about doing the same.
Leadership wanes in the face of serious opposition.
And Kanjorski and Carney both face serious conservative contenders in seriously conservative districts.
Chris Hackett is challenging Carney. Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is facing off with Kanjorski. Hackett has less of a chance at unseating Carney but Barletta has a good shot at taking Kanjorski’s job.
Last time the two candidates competed, Barletta lost by only 22,000 votes.
And while Barletta’s star has risen nationally because of his hard line against immigration, Kanjorski’s reputation gets worse as each critical YouTube video appears or FOX news report about pork is aired.
Most telling is that both Kanjorski and Carney have refused for weeks to respond to my emails asking when and if they will publicly endorse Obama.
Both men have press secretaries who have failed to get their boss to answer the question.
Rebecca Gale, Carney’s press aide, sometimes responds to me but brushed off my most recent inquiry without even addressing the question. She said she would check to see when Carney would be free to come on “Corbett” and talk about the race.
That was last week and I haven’t heard from her since.
Abigail McDonough, Kanjorski’s press secretary, several weeks ago simply stopped responding to my emails. During the past year we have spoken on the phone and emailed regularly. Kanjorski appeared on “Corbett” whenever he wished and once called without advance notice.
Our conversations were amicable and respectful.
But then I began inquiring about Kanjorski’s bizarre videos. In one, he admitted that Democrats misled the American public about stopping the war so they could win congressional elections. Another showcased him refusing to apologize for those remarks.
Kanjorski looked like he was slipping.
A FOX news report portrayed him as a political thug.
Meanwhile, Barletta and Hackett are willing to talk about anything.
Although Carney looks more and more like a Capitol Hill opportunist, Kanjorski is particularly losing credibility through his silence and political hustling. If I can recognize their slick manipulation, and I’m a Democrat, who knows how Republicans and independents view their cavalier abuse of power.
Both men could lose in November, although Kanjorski seems more vulnerable.
Just last week Kanjorski even brought in a high-power Democratic operative to run his campaign. The guy’s a Wilkes-Barre native so it will be interesting to see if he talks with us. Or will he just play the game, disrespect the people, and do as he’s told?
Using the people for your own ends is wrong. Being accountable to the people is right.
In this case, Kanjorski and Carney are just plain wrong.
Sue Henry
