Santorum comes to Northeast Philadelphia

Santorum on Iraq:U.S. needs to hang in
By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer
U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum conducted a survey of employees at Crown Cork & Seal, the packaging products manufacturer on Roosevelt Boulevard.In an April 10 visit to the company, he asked workers about their views on Iraq. A few wanted American military troops to withdrawal immediately. Many more wanted to fight until the United States won unconditionally. Most called for an orderly withdrawal within a year.
Santorum, a Republican, wants the United States to stay until it can claim a clear victory. He knows it won’t be easy."Democracies are hard to build," he said.
Calling Islamic fascists a threat to America, he wants President George W. Bush to articulate the consequences of losing the war.Setting a timetable to withdraw is wrong, he thinks, because the enemy would simply wait until the troops leave to initiate violence.An American pullout, he believes, would also signal to its enemies that the country is not willing to fight. Such a scenario would threaten the peace, he said, in the United States, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Europe.
The insurgents are hoping that the American people convince the government to withdraw troops, in Santorum’s view.
"Don’t let the terrorists terrorize you," he told the crowd.
According to Santorum, most Iraqis oppose the tactics of the insurgents. He also pointed to high retention rates in the American military as a sign that the troops believe in their mission.The problem, he said, is that round-the-clock cable television news coverage of the war is forcing public officials to respond immediately rather than thinking through the issue."If the founding fathers had a twenty-four-hour news cycle," he said, "we would still be singing Hail to the Queen."
Crown Cork & Seal CEO John Conway introduced Santorum, who faces a likely general election challenge from State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr.Conway thanked the senator for supporting a bill that would limit asbestos-related lawsuits against companies that are sued — years after mergers — despite never having produced, installed or sold products containing asbestos.
On another hot-button issue, Santorum said calls to his offices are running strongly against granting amnesty to illegal immigrants.The senator, whose father came to America from northern Italy, said action needs to be taken now."
First, we have to secure the border," he said.
Next, he’d favor additional detention facilities, a fence at the border of highly populated areas, and a system to verify that businesses aren’t hiring illegal aliens.As for the 4 million or so immigrants who came here legally but overstayed their visas, Santorum would want a criminal background check before allowing them to re-enter the country permanently.On another issue, Santorum is pushing for passage of a bill that would limit non-economic damages in medical malpractice jury cases to $250,000 for each defendant. Medical bills and wages would still be paid in full.
The senator complained that frivolous lawsuits and high malpractice premiums are causing the closure of obstetrician wards and chasing young doctors and specialists out of Pennsylvania."
The governor (Ed Rendell) is on the wrong side of the issue," he said, "and my opponent is on the wrong side of the issue.oo
Santorum, meanwhile, is targeting Philadelphia — and the Northeast, in particular — as he looks ahead to a probable general election showdown with Casey
I’d be disappointed if I didn’t win five or six wards," he said. "Philadelphia will be a big part of the key to victory."
State Rep. John Taylor (R-177th dist.) and Vince Fenerty, executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, are co-chairing the campaign in the city.
While Philadelphia is overwhelmingly Democratic, Santorum has done well in the Northeast. His Philadelphia campaign team includes a bunch of Northeast residents — Kelly Preski, Joe DeFelice, Mick McKeown, Ed Dixon and Agnes "Chuckie" Tilley.
During a campaign event last week at Mayfair Caterers, Santorum was introduced by Scott Cummings, president of the Mayfair Civic Association and the incumbent’s voter registration coordinator in the Lower Northeast.
Santorum expects to win votes from union members. Among those in attendance at the catering hall was Wayne Miller, head of the local sprinkler fitters union.
Pennsylvania House Speaker John Perzel (R-172nd dist.), Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce president Al Taubenberger and Reynolds Baldwin, the Republican candidate in the 173rd Legislative District, joined Santorum in Mayfair.
Santorum, from western Pennsylvania, said he’s done "a heck of a lot" for Philadelphia. Among the accomplishments he cited was delivering federal funding to the Philadelphia Housing Authority for new construction, which created jobs for members of the building trade unions.
As the third-ranking Republican in the GOP-dominated Senate, Santorum acknowledges that he has a "big bull’s-eye painted on my back." He’s raised $16 million for the campaign and enlisted the help of 20,000 volunteers, adding that he plans to run the best grassroots campaign in state history.
Since February, his campaign has targeted likely voters in southeastern Pennsylvania through phone banks. ••Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com

Letters | SWANN WAS RIGHT ON PITTSBURGH ARENA

YOUR EDITORIAL on Lynn Swann "flip-flopping" for the Pittsburgh arena misrepresented the Republican gubernatorial candidate's position and what is best for the people of Pittsburgh.
Swann has been clear about his values, but being that the current administration has passed the legislation, he is realistic enough to recognize that gaming is something he'll inherit if elected. Assuming that, the Isle of Capri plan is an excellent opportunity. In fact, Lynn Swann was joined by 30 elected leaders who also endorsed it.
It's wrong to ask Pittsburgh to choose between losing the Penguins or building a new sports facility. Swann showed leadership - not naiveté - in promoting the best plan.
Ed Dixon, Philadelphia

“If These Wards Could Talk…”

From the Committee of Seventy...
Kicking, yelling, even the occasional right hook – no I’m not describing the playground at recess time – I’m talking about some of the behavior that surrounds the process of choosing Philadelphia's ward leaders.
The Committee of Seventy is pleased to host, “If These Wards Could Talk…”on Wednesday, May 11 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the Fels South Philadelphia Community Center located at 2407 S. Broad St. This event is free and open to the public.
The panel is composed of past and present ward leaders who will not only talk about the Party rules, the ward-leader election process and the responsibility of this position, but they will also share their personal stories and experiences, and if we’re lucky, possibly some war wounds.
Panelists Include:
Jimmy Tayoun - Former Leader of the 1st Ward and current editor of the Philadelphia Public Record
David Oh - Republican Leader of the 3rd Ward, who also ran for Council in 2003
Marian Tasco - Democratic Leader of the 50th Ward and Councilwoman for the 9th District
Priscilla Cohen – Newly appointed Republican Leader of the 30th Ward
The panel will be moderated by Dave Davies of the Philadelphia Daily News
There is some street parking and the closest SEPTA stops are Snyder and Oregon. If you have any questions please contact Anne Mahlum at amahlum@seventy.org or at 215-557-3600 ext. 103.

NATIONAL NEWS: Wall Street Journal Highlights Voter Fraud in Philadelphia

'A Rich History of Corruption'
WALL STREET JOURNAL
By JOHN FUND
April 13, 2006;
Page A13
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Over five years after the near meltdown of the Florida presidential recount, politicians are still arguing over how best to reform state election laws. Ground zero in that battle now is Pennsylvania, which features two close statewide races, for governor and U.S. senator.
Democrats claim anything that impedes or discourages someone from voting is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Republicans insist the state's rancid history of voter fraud requires preventive measures. The conflict of visions, to borrow Thomas Sowell's phrase, couldn't be more complete.
Take the bill the GOP-controlled Legislature passed, which would require voters show a form of official ID or a utility bill; another bill would end Philadelphia's bizarre practice of locating over 900 polling places in private venues, including bars, abandoned buildings and even the office of a local state senator. City officials admit their voter rolls are stuffed with phantoms. The city has about as many registered voters as it has adults, and is thus a rich breeding ground for fraud.
[Ed Rendell]
But Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell vetoed both bills last month, saying that in a time of voter apathy "the government should be doing everything it can to encourage greater participation." He warned that requiring an ID could disenfranchise the homeless, nursing-home residents and the poor. Mr. Rendell says there is no evidence people routinely impersonate others to vote. He also says requiring an ID at the polls doesn't combat absentee ballot fraud. True enough; election officials properly worry that some 25% of voters now don't show their face when voting. In 1998, Austin Murphy, a former Democratic congressman, pleaded guilty to fraudulently voting absentee ballots for nursing-home residents near Pittsburgh.
But Mr. Rendell's history doesn't inspire confidence that he takes fraud of any kind seriously. In 1994, Philadelphia Democrat Bill Stinson was booted from office as a state senator by a federal judge who found his campaign had rounded up 250 tainted absentee ballots. Mr. Rendell, then Philadelphia's mayor, had this reaction to the Stinson scandal: "I don't think it's anything that's immoral or grievous, but it clearly violates the election code." In 1997, Mr. Rendell admitted to the Journal's editorial board that Philadelphia judges had "a rich history of corruption" that called into question how fairly city laws are enforced.
Now governor, Mr. Rendell isn't eager to depart from business as usual. In 2004, a court had to order him to make changes in the deadlines for absentee military ballots so they would be counted. At the same time, his secretary of state asked prison wardens to post a document outlining how prisoners could vote absentee. When GOP Rep. Curt Weldon held a news conference to denounce illegal voting by prisoners, a TV camera crew captured voter operatives behind him carrying absentee ballots out of the prison.
Still, many liberals insist fraud isn't an issue in Pennsylvania. "Show us the fraud," said Elizabeth Milner, chairman of the state's League of Women Voters, urging a veto of voter ID. Well, Donna Hope of Philadelphia can show her, because in 2004 an organizer for Voting is Power, an offshoot of the Muslim American Society, registered her to vote despite her admission that she was a noncitizen. Although she was turned away from the polls for that reason that November, someone eventually voted in her name.
Ms. Hope, a citizen of Barbados, said the women registering her told her that if she "had been in the U.S. for seven years or more you can register to vote." Jocelyn Budd, the woman who is listed on Ms. Hope's registration form, recalls canvassing her street but not specifically registering her. "I heard that people were forging [registration] cards to meet goals, but I never falsified any information," she says.
As for the group that registered Ms. Hope, Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah of the Chicago Tribune reported in 2004 on internal Muslim American Society documents which showed it is the "public face" in the U.S. of the Muslim Brotherhood, an international group that has spawned violent organizations including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
MAS leaders say the documents obtained by the Tribune are either outdated or inaccurate. Shaker Elsayed, a top MAS leader, says that while the group was founded by Brotherhood members, it is independent. An MAS spokesperson denies the group has any connection to registration fraud.
Irregularities like these are representative of mushrooming fraud, and the general public clearly believes some safeguards are needed. Despite claims by NAACP chairman Julian Bond that voter ID laws represent "an onerous poll tax," polls show upward of 80% favor them. Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor and U.N. ambassador, believes that in an era when people have to show ID to rent a video or cash a check "requiring ID can help poor people." He notes that his native Georgia is deploying a mobile bus to issue free voter IDs.
But no antifraud laws will work if prosecutors and judges don't crack down on election irregularities. Several tell me they fear being accused of racism and aiding voter-suppression tactics if they pursue touchy fraud cases. One district attorney told the U.S. Government Accountability Office that he doesn't pursue phony voter registrations because they are "victimless and nonviolent crimes."
Even those few who are prosecuted often view the punishment as the cost of doing politics. Barbara Landers, a former Democratic state Senate aide, was convicted in 1994 on 30 counts of misleading absentee voters in the Stinson scandal. She was given a suspended sentence and fined only $1,000. Last month, she pleaded guilty to misappropriating up to $115,000 in state grants meant to help the needy. "If the book had been thrown at her for voter fraud, she might have been deterred from subsequent behavior," one Philadelphia prosecutor told me.The integrity of the ballot box is just as important to the credibility of elections as access to it. In not closing off opportunities for fraud and chaos, Pennsylvania is inviting trouble in its fall elections that could rival that of Florida in 2000

.Mr. Fund is a columnist for OpinionJournal.com.

Baldwin and McGeehan Spar over Voter Fraud

Candidate Baldwin plans to win with ideas
Reynolds Baldwin calls himself a "man of service." Now he wants to serve in the state House as the representative from the 173 district.
Born in Frankford, Baldwin, a Republican from the 6600 block of Tulip St., is an adjunct professor of American History at Bucks County Community College. His family owns the Baldwin Frankford Dairies and he has served Fishtown as a Minister at Siloam Methodist Church. He has sold real estate in Tacony and Frankford, while co-founding the Aramingo Development Co. And now, he challenges state Rep. Michael McGeehan (D) for the 173rd legislative district.
"I'm a little disgusted about the condition of the community," he said, about his decision to run for office. "I didn't see anyone doing a good job. Other areas are doing it better and I think the 173rd can do it better."
Baldwin admits that he has no easy answers. And, as he goes door-to-door, he sees the frustration on people's faces. His most "radical" idea: "Hhow about enforcing the laws we have.""
Gambling was legalized," he said, "because they said it was going towards property tax relief."
More than a year after the slot machines bill passed, the state legislature has yet to decide has how to use the gambling revenue.
"I'm not sure if I was in the legislature I would have voted for gambling," he said. "It's a tax on the poor.
"While Baldwin understands that it's "not smart" for Pennsylvania to lose money due to New Jersey and Delaware's legalized gambling, he questions whether it will remain honest.
"Anytime you have something generating that kind of money," he said, "the temptation for corruption is overwhelming."
As for the other hot topic the legislature is debating, Baldwin believes voter identification is absolutely necessary.
"I don't see how it is a burden on the voters because most people have some piece of identification," he said. "I don't see how it's an attempt to disenfranchise people. And it's well known that there is voter fraud in Philadelphia."
Meanwhile, his opponent says it will not only hurt voter turnout, but it will also make it more difficult to find people willing to work the polls.
"We want to encourage more people to vote, not less," McGeehan said. "This will suppress people from participating in the voting process. We have a problem recruiting people now. This will further exacerbate the problem of recruiting poll workers."
But Baldwin doesn't think making voting easier will increase voter turn out. As for the polling workers, he says they are "serious about their responsibility" and believes them to be "capable" of asking for identification.
Although he is running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic area, Baldwin feels confident about his chances to win.
"I'm just going to be myself and be sincere," he said. "I think the voters will pick up on that."