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Birds of a feather? Well, they only have left wings
Nope. No way.
Those "Kerry & Specter for Working Families" signs that began popping up in eastern Pennsylvania last week were not disingenuous attempts by the senator to link himself with Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democrat presidential nominee.
Actually, it was a disingenuous attempt by Republican political consultant Roger Stone to link Specter to Kerry. Stone's former business partner is a guy named Craig Snyder.
That Snyder happens to be a one-time Specter aide just happens to be a curious coincidence, we're certain.
When Philadelphia newspapers began investigating who was responsible for implying Kerry had endorsed Specter when he obviously has not, the Specter campaign graciously asked Stone to desist.
This failed to placate Specter's Democrat opponent, U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel of Montgomery County. "This is campaign trickery," Hoeffel told the Philadelphia Daily News.
You'd think a four-term incumbent ahead in the polls wouldn't need to resort to such tactics.
We would never say that Catherine Baker Knoll is too elderly or ineffectual to perform her duties as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor.
Why would we? We have Democrat Senate leader Robert Mellow to do it for us.
The Harrisburg Patriot-News reported that Mellow, of Lackawanna County, recently screamed at Knoll, "You're too old! You're incompetent!" Mellow and Knoll's office both denied the remarks were made, but several senators and officials confirmed the outburst.
Hint to Mellow: Next time you castigate Knoll, don't do it in front of witnesses on the Senate floor.
Mellow apparently was frustrated following a Republican maneuver that prevented Democrats from offering amendments to a bill to rewrite parts of the state's new gambling law.
As for the 74-year-old Knoll, the Patriot-News reported that she once again publicly referred to Gov. Edward G. Rendell as the late actor Edward G. Robinson, famous for his portrayal of gangsters. Knoll made the slip while reading a proclamation to a Latino group from the governor.
SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO GO WHERE EVERYBODY BOOS YOUR NAME. Actor Ted Danson appeared at a John Kerry rally last week at Carnegie Mellon University to prop up the Massachusetts senator's bid for the White House.
So why did the 1972 CMU grad, who starred in the noteworthy TV comedy "Cheers" and the less-than-noteworthy TV comedy "Becker" get resoundingly booed by the partisan Democrat crowd?
He had the audacity to note in his remarks that his father was a Republican.
"No, no, he was a good Republican," Danson insisted over the chorus of catcalls.
How quickly people can turn on someone. Folks, was this any way to treat Sam Malone?
PEDUTO'S PARTY. Don't have any plans for Saturday, Oct. 30? Then you may want to stop by Bill Peduto's Halloween party and help the city councilman celebrate his 40th birthday.
The event will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Lawrenceville. Don't be surprised to see Mayor Tom Murphy come dressed as the Invisible Man. Given the mayor's increasing reclusiveness, he won't even need to buy a costume.
SECOND TIME AROUND. Latrobe Printing and Publishing Co.'s plan to purchase the Daily News of McKeesport represents a return of sorts for one of the principals in the deal.
Christopher P. Miles is president of the privately owned Latrobe firm, which publishes the Latrobe Bulletin newspaper. Miles served as chief financial officer of the Daily News while he was married to Patricia K. Mansfield, publisher of the McKeesport paper. According to Allegheny County Court documents, the couple's divorce was finalized in July 1999, ending a four-year marriage.
Completion of the newspaper sale, anticipated Nov. 1, will end the Mansfield family's nearly eight decades of ownership of the McKeesport newspaper. The family connection dates back to 1925 when the late W.D. Mansfield, a state senator, became publisher and part-owner.
Miles and two partners, William Anderson, of Ebensburg, and George R. "Scoop" Sample, of Huntingdon, purchased the Latrobe Bulletin in 1999 from Thomas M. Whiteman II.
Financial details of the Daily News deal were not disclosed.
FALSE ALARM. Westmoreland County district court administrator Paul Kuntz recently was caught, mistakenly, in the political cross hairs of this bitter election season.
Seems a court employee complained anonymously to President Judge Daniel Ackerman that a campaign sign for P. Scott Conner, Republican candidate for the state House, was posted in Kuntz's yard. According to a memorandum Kuntz subsequently forwarded to all judges, district justices and court employees, the sign is actually on his neighbor's property, over which Kuntz has no control.
"In this political season, all court employees are reminded of the prohibition against displaying political signs or otherwise endorsing a political candidate," Kuntz's memorandum continues.
SWITCHING SIDES. A former staffer for beleaguered state Rep. Larry Roberts, of Fayette County, has started campaigning for her boss' political enemy.
Donna Vorrasi, who was employed in Roberts' Connellsville office until April, is working on the campaign to elect Tim Mahoney to the state House seat Roberts now fills. Allegations from Mahoney, a Uniontown businessman, prompted an investigation into whether Roberts forged nominating petitions and hired a dupe candidate during this year's primary election.
Mahoney is one of three independent candidates running against Roberts on Nov. 2.
Vorrasi recently testified before a state grand jury, which is reviewing Mahoney's allegations. She describes Mahoney as a generous man who is concerned with helping people.
-- compiled by Tribune-Review staff
