Leftovers: Bill Clinton Slums It

• Bill Clinton hit Bristol’s Mill Street yesterday, stumping for democrat Patrick Murphy. He also called Murphy’s opponent, Mike Fitzpatrick, a “mangy dog” in a really, really weird metaphor that I can’t figure out. [Bucks County Courier Times]

• The American Highway Users alliance did a report on the safest cities to evacuate from, and — surprise! — Philadelphia got an F, much like almost every other city. (Only Kansas City got an A.) Gee, what shocker. It’s hard to evacuate from cities with a million plus people in them. Who knew. [KYW 1060]

• Stop the presses! Dan Savage said something wild! Those alt-weekly editors/sex columnists! Who knew they’d say outrageous things? (Okay, okay, saying Carl Romanelli should be drug behind a car is a little out there.) [DP's The Spin]

• The infamous “Smiling Bank Robber” has been caught after robbing an Upper Darby bank. He said he moved to the suburbs because he had run out of banks to rob in Philadelphia. Guhwha? [KYW 1060]

• Berks County judges and their staffs may soon have to face random drug tests. Ha! [AP/NBC 10]

Leftovers: Crying Green (And Red) Tears

• Green Party gubernatorial candidate Carl Romanelli — whose attempt to get on the ballot was bankrolled by Republicans — has been thrown off the ballot by a state judge for failing to have the correct number of signatures. He’s not going away, though. Romanelli is planning to fight for his right for a third-place finish until 2010, at least. [AP/Philly.com]

• Media fight: It’s Jay Glazer versus Les Bowen! Glazer says, “Jevon Kearse’s career is over! The sky is falling!” and Bowen retorts with, “That exclusive Fox story yesterday about the severity of Jevon Kearse’s left-knee injury contained some details that hadn’t been disclosed previously, but the overall conclusion that the injury was worse than reported was not entirely true.” Snappy comeback! [Fox Sports, Inky via NBC 10 Eagles Blog]

• Next Pennsylvania stop for the smoking ban lobby? None other than Pittsburgh, which is considering it. Sigh. Pretty soon all of Pennsylvania won’t be able to breathe noxious fumes in the steel plant or coal mine (yes, yes) all day and then breathe noxious fumes in the bar all night. [Inky Fishbowl]

• Pennsylvania’s gambling board is going to take time out from being arrested to approve the casinos planned for Pennsylvania’s racetracks later this week. The towns with tracks are pumped. Says Bensalem’s William McCauley: “We know who’s going to be on the property. We’re not going to end up with… another mall or a shopping center-slash-housing development.” Because, really, a housing development is so much more destructive than a casino! [AP/Courier Post]

• The turnpike service plazas are getting more bathrooms! Hooray! [AP/Philly.com]

Rick Santorum: For More Candidates, Except When He’s Not

Out in Harrisburg, representatives of the Republicans, Democrats and Greens are still bickering over whether third-party Green candidate Carl Romanelli should stay on the ballot. Romanelli, who would theoretically take away votes from Bob Casey, has taken lots of money from Republicans, who helped him get on the ballot.

Rick Santorum, of course, would like Romanelli on the ballot. It’d give him a chance to win. But, oh no, that’s not what Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis told USA Today on Tuesday:

Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis admits that the campaign advised contributors to help Romanelli qualify for the ballot. “We encouraged those who inquired to help with the Green Party effort,” she says. “We welcome Carl Romanelli’s entry into the race because at least he’s expressed a real interest in being up front and honest about where he is on the issues.”

Okay! Open access! More candidates! Hooray democracy! Unless… unless, of course, you’re a Republican running against Rick Santorum in the primary. Way back in March, from a Daily News article:

Scott Migli, executive director of the Republican State Committee, said more than 1,000 of [Republican Senate candidate John] Featherman’s 2,021 signatures, filed last week, were questionable.

Featherman violated a number of rules, Migli said. Some of the signers appeared to be registered Democrats and not all of the people distributing petitions were registered Republicans.

And the fact that he submitted slightly more than the required 2,000 names “threw up a red flag,” Migli said. Usually people try to get thousands more, to protect against any problematic signatures.

So, the state Republicans are for open elections with as many candidates as possible. But only when it helps them, of course.

Politics as usual.

Third candidates could tilt number of races [USA Today]
March 16: A million tears: Non-wacky Republican drops out

Dubya And The Greens, What A Combo

As we roll into crunch time in election season, campaigns are pulling out all the stops. In Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the Green party is using sneaky tactics and Republican money to attempt to get Carl Romanelli on the ballot.

In brief: Republicans are supporting Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli’s attempts to get on the ballot in the hopes it would take votes away from Bob Casey. The Democrats are challenging Romanelli’s petition — which needed 67,000+ signatures, because Republicans and Democrats can agree that they’d like to keep their stranglehold on politics, thank you very much — in the hopes he’ll get kicked off the ballot because of people signing “Mickey Mouse.”

Today, a letter writer in the Daily News attacks Casey’s camp for challenging the signatures thusly:

Sad case of Casey vs. Romanelli

IWAS ONE of the 100,000 Pennsylvanians who signed the “Romanelli petition” in an attempt to get him on the ballot for the November election, and I am revolted by Bob Casey’s efforts to block his candidacy.

I think it is appalling when the first real action of a Senate candidate is trying to remove another candidate from the ballot, as has been the case with Bob Casey Jr. Not only has Casey remained silent on the issues, but now attempts to silence another voice seeking to join in the democratic process.

One hundred thousand Pennsylvanians have signed petitions to get Mr. Romanelli on the ballot, and Casey would just as soon see that they are cheated out of their efforts. This is the move of a career politician and someone who does not have the best interests of Pennsylvanians in mind.

Edward Smith, Flourtown

Ahh, yes, Edward Smith of Flourtown. Who, after a quick search, appears to be the only Edward Smith in the phone book in Flourtown. And, who, after another quick search, appears to have donated to this presidential candidate in 2004 (take a wild guess):

I’m hope Mr. Romanelli isn’t counting on Ed Smith’s vote come November.

Sad case of Casey vs. Romanelli [Daily News]
Search: Edward Smith [Fundrace.org]
Santorum, the Green Party, and some very strange bedfellows [Attytood]
July 18: Honk if you like Cookies

This, Clearly, Is Why Brian Tierney Bought The Paper

A news story in yesterday’s Inquirer noted that Rick Santorum is helping a challenger get on the ballot for Senate. The strategy is obvious: Santorum helps potential Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli get on the ballot; in return, Romanelli takes votes away from Santorum’s opponent, Bob Casey.

Okay, a fairly natural political story, except this one led Inquirer columnist Tom Ferrick to write a song parody:

If I Only Had A Green

In the polls I am trailin’
My backers are a wailin’
“Rick, what does it mean?”
But the case is prima facie
I could beat Bobby Casey
If I only had a Green.

Oh, I love this Romanelli
Though his politics are smelly
To my backers and to me.
But, hey, let’s not quibble
If the votes that he will nibble
Are the liberal bourgeoisie.

And they say newspapers are dead.

If I Only Had A Green [Tom Ferrick's Poliblog]
Santorum team aiding a Casey rival [Inquirer]