Gov. Ed Rendell ain’t nothing but a HOUND dog, crying all the time.
But he ain’t never caught a PUMA and he ain’t no friend of mine.
Until now, I’ve had a good relationship with Rendell. But I’m with the PUMAs on this one.
Over the weekend, in response to PUMA, the leader of the pack of more than 100 anti-Barack Obama websites and coalitions, Rendell started his own group. The official Pennsylvania Democratic Party website now includes a call to join this group called HOUND that’s designed to “show the nation that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is united.”
As smart as Rendell and his pound are, they’re chasing their tails on this one.
What PUMA (Party Unity My A…) is to free political thought, HOUND (Hillary Obama United Not Divided) is to taking orders.
And sit, roll over and play dead are not in the PUMA vocabulary.
The Democratic Party is not obedience school. Many party members, particularly Pennsylvanians, still value independence. Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Molly Pitcher would understand.
Since state lawmakers are in the midst of hammering out a contentious state budget, you’d think that Rendell would have more important matters on his mind. But he made a dramatic showing of writing a HOUND credo and presenting it to the press. This declaration of disingenuous puppy relations isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. To make matters worse, he insults PUMA members, who are mostly women.
“While the PUMA may be more swift and athletic, the HOUND is smarter and more perceptive,” Rendell writes.
PUMA membership is actually brilliant.
As much as Hillary Rodham Clinton did for the movement, PUMA is about more than a single person. The heart and soul of the Democratic Party rides on the outcome of the August national convention and the November election. PUMA wants drastic changes in party rules and behavior.
PUMA members will vote their conscience, even if that means voting for Republican nominee John McCain, writing in Hillary’s name, voting for a third party candidate, or not voting at all.
Remember, it’s not over until the PUMA growls.
Rendell would have been better off leaving bad enough alone.
But he has now focused the nation’s attention on the Commonwealth. Once again, as we did in the weeks leading up to the April 22 primary, we will show the world that Democrats here are not as easily led as the party bosses want the world to believe.
Pennsylvania is still Hillary country. Northeastern Pennsylvania is still Hillary country. Scranton, where Hillary’s Rodham roots run deep, is particularly still Hillary country.
That’s why PUMA represents such a threat to Rendell, who is bucking for a cabinet position in the Obama administration, should he become the official nominee and beat McCain.
If Obama gets pounded in Pennsylvania the way he did during the primary, Rendell can say so long to a secretary’s job.
My guess is that Obama buddy and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey already lost his prestige in the campaign. White working-class voters laughed at his attempts to act like one of them and secure their votes for Obama in the primary. The blue-collar crowd is still laughing at Casey’s lace-curtain collar and elitist pedigree.
If Casey is a HOUND, he’s a snooty Afghan. And since some real liberals worry that Obama and Casey will get us deeper into the war in Afghanistan, that’s not something to bark about.
Rendell has made a bad mistake.
Today I’m interested in hearing from PUMAs, particularly Pennsylvania PUMAs, when I go on the air at 3. I plan to invite Rendell and state Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney to explain their concerns about PUMA. Maybe the woman known as River Daughter, a powerful PUMA originally from Pittsburgh who runs a powerful online forum, will call as well.
Pennsylvania is PUMA country. Even Penn State, my alma mater, presents to the world its wild Nittany Lion mascot, which is really a super puma. And, “Nice kitty, here kitty, kitty” will get you blitzed real quick.
Apparently you can’t teach an old dog new tricks in the Democratic Party dog and pony show.
Sue Henry
