Log in

View Full Version : rendell being rendell


saz
09-08-2010, 09:17 PM
i love this guy, as he really reminds me of alan grayson, ie a dem with a backbone, who calls out the republicans on their absolute craziness. i could be wrong, but while obama was busy trying to play nice-nice with the republicans and kissing their asses earlier this year regarding health insurance reform, i think rendell advised against it, saying that it would go nowhere.


Rendell Being Rendell, Calls Republicans 'Fruit Loops', 'Whackos' And 'Flat-Out Crazy'

Sam Stein l HuffPost Reporting
First Posted: 09- 8-10 02:07 PM | Updated: 09- 8-10 02:07 PM


In an unofficial start to the last stretch of the 2010 campaign season, top officials throughout the Democratic Party upped the rhetoric on Wednesday, spotlighting the crazier characters and policy positions that could land in Congress with GOP gains.

No one, however, brought as much gusto to the pitch as Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Penn.) Introducing DNC Chairman Tim Kaine at the University of Pennsylvania, the retiring Pennsylvania Democrat, known for his oratorical flair, warned about the government being taken over by "whackos." He called some of the more colorful characters in the Republican Party "fruit loops." He derided House Minority Leader John Boehner as "the tan guy," and said that some of the GOP's positions are "flat out crazy."

"I'm telling you," Rendell said. "If I'm an independent voter in [Rep.] Patrick Murphy's district, sure I'm worried about the deficit but I sure as heck am worried about people who want to do away with the 14th amendment. I'm sure as heck worried about people who don't think the president was born in the United States of America. I sure as heck am worried about people who think that workers are staying home because of unemployment benefits... they are nuts. They are flat-out crazy."

"We are going to turn the reins of the Congress over to these people who are more and more dominated by the whacko right?" he added.

Following Rendell on the stage, Kaine took a slightly less rowdy approach to his castigation of the GOP, choosing instead to go through a list of the more outlandish Senate candidates and their inflammatory positions.

In all, however, this appears to be the last push Democrats will make as the election looms. The policies passed by the Democratic Congress have not sold as well as planned with the American public. The president doesn't have the same political sway as he did just months ago. And the economy has yet to recover to a level that leaves the public comforted. The final resort to motivate voters rests in pointing out how much worse a change of power could be. Rendell himself hinted as much when he noted at the beginning of his remarks that if the Democratic Party "can bridge the enthusiasm gap, we can win."

White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod offered as much when he told the Huffington Post that a Republican-controlled Congress in 2010 could push policies worse than those that defined

"I saw that [Alaska GOP Senate candidate] Joe Miller said that he would abolish Social Security if he had the chance and he is not alone," said Axelrod. "This is akin to what [Nevada GOP Senate candidate] Sharron Angle has said in Nevada and also a number of these other Republicans. So, this could go one step beyond the policies of the Bush administration to something more extreme than we have seen."

RobMoney$
09-10-2010, 12:31 AM
I've been singing Governor Ed's praises on here for years.
You're exactly right when you characterize him as a "Dem with a backbone".
Not only is he willing to stand up to the G.O.P. madness, he's made a career of being a fiscally responsible Democrat.
He's an honest politician, believe it or not, who's willing to actually create revenue before he's concerned with spending.

I've met the man on a few occassions, and all I have to say is God Bless Gov. Ed!

saz
10-03-2010, 04:36 PM
Face the Nation, October 3, 2010

President Obama found himself trying to rally the liberal base that propelled him into the presidency, a base that seems to have lost much of its enthusiasm for the new president. Bob Schieffer spoke with three veteran office holders to talk about the opposition; Governor Ed Rendell, Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Bernard Sanders. Then; analysis from CBS News Consultant and Democratic Strategist Jamal Simmons. Also; Bob Schieffer comments on Eric Sevareid who brought what some today would consider a novel approach to news analysis.

Video link (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6923466n&tag=contentMain%3BcontentBody)

.

saz
10-05-2010, 09:09 PM
Rendell: Stay competitive, conserve natural resources

Published: Saturday, January 23, 2010
By Anne Pickering, Staff Writer
The Daily Local (http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2010/01/23/news/srv0000007402061.txt)


East Bradford — Against the backdrop of Aqua Pennsylvania's new 1.1 megawatt solar farm off North Creek Road, Gov. Ed Rendell called for renewed action to fight climate change, invest in renewable energy and conserve natural resources.

The governor's visit to Chester County coincided with the recent release of the Climate Change Action Plan. The report was developed by the state's Climate Change Advisory Committee and includes goals and recommendations on how the state can cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"Too many people think that protecting the environment and improving economic competitiveness is an either-or proposition. This is absolutely false," Rendell said. "As we emerge from the recession, we need to intensify our efforts to create good jobs and grow the economy."

Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation, behind Texas and California, in the production of green jobs and recently received $6 million in federal stimulus funding to train workers for such occupations. In the last six years, the Keystone State has invested nearly $900 million to create a renewable-energy economy.

In 2008, the state Legislature authorized the Climate Change Advisory Committee, an 18-member panel that includes representatives from the labor, utility, mining, business and environmental communities as well as elected and appointed state administrators.

In December, the committee released its Climate Change Action Plan, which includes 52 specific recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One key provision is a nonbinding goal of reducing global-warming pollution in Pennsylvania by 30 percent below 2000 levels by the year 2020.

Other recommendations include improving energy efficiency in building standards and increasing the number of acres of land that use no-till farming. For consumers, recommendations include turning off lights and appliances and adding insulation to save power.

The report was made available to the public during a 30-day period in November 2009 and drew a record 23,687 comments. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, about 99 percent of the comments favor the state moving ahead with a climate action plan.

Rendell said the state must increase its renewable energy portfolio to keep a competitive edge while attracting green companies.

The state's goal is for 18.5 percent of all electricity sold to retail customers by 2021 to be derived from alternative sources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass and waste coal. But after this goal was established in 2004, other states set higher goals. New Jersey's renewable energy portfolio calls for 22.5 percent of energy to be generated by alternative and renewable energy sources by 2021, and Illinois has a goal of 25 percent by 2025. And states that set higher goals for renewable energy are more attractive to alternative energy companies looking to expand, Rendell said.

"People ask me what I want to do in my last year as governor. One of the most important is strengthening our alternative energy portfolio standards," Rendell said.

Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone attended Friday's news conference in a tent next to Aqua Pennsylvania's Ingram's Mill solar farm.

The 4,800 solar panels on about four acres there make it the second largest solar installation in the state and will generate much of the energy needed to power the water treatment plant. Conergy, the company that built the solar farm, has an office in Malvern.

"It's great for Chester County having this solar farm, and it's good for business," said Cozzone.

Martin Indars, legislative director for state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, said the solar farm is a "wonderful example of energy production in Chester County. It's an environmental success and a economic success."

.