Monday, January 22, 2007

Mayor pledges clean campaign

Where is this 'pledge' exactly? Is it a headline, or a real promise? And, what if the promise is broken? Then what?
Ravenstahl pledges clean campaign - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
If the pledge can't be put into the news article, I'm not sure how we can expect the thing to be followed.

To promise a clean campaign is much like a redd up campaign.

The League of Women Voters is as spicy as ginger. The pledge that they offer is not that bold as they are not that bold. Expect pledge breakers to be scolded with a frownie after lunch.

I can't rant in a negative way because the pledge is a nice step, and because I'm slated to speak to the League of Women Voter's meeting this weekend on How To Run for Public Office.

I'd like a pledge with the media. I'd like a pledge with the parties. I'd like a pledge with the unions. When the fur flies, the ones on the stump can generally shrug and say that it wasn't his fault. Michael Diven and Wayne Fontana were negative as hell. They didn't sign such a pledge, but if they had, they just give an excuse that the money flowed from other political sources, not their direct campaigns.

By the way, the League of Women Voters as well as the non-partisan watchdog thingie org that came out in 2005 spring were asked to engage in elections beyond the mayor's race primary. But, they choose to stick to the knitting, go after the headline and not rock the boat in other races in our region.

What statements would you like to see in a pledge?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The mayor should REDD UP his office by ridding itself of the O'Connor holdovers. The office staff should never be the story.