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Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Don't bet on Rendell joining the cabinet

Posted: Friday, November 14, 2008 3:45 PM by Mark Murray

From NBC's Abby Livingston
For those speculating that Obama will choose Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to join his cabinet, you might want to think again.

Here's why: If Rendell is appointed, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor would be sworn in as governor. However, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll -- a Democrat -- passed away last week. As a result, the Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati will ascend to the lieutenant governor’s office.

The catch here? Scarnati is a Republican. So Obama picking Rendell would result in a Republican becoming Pennsylvania governor.

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While Ed Rendell would make a great Cabinet choice I think that he needs to stay put so that the repugnant ones don't get a freebie governorship they don't deserve!

Hey "AIG exec bailout is a fix" your moniker is so right on!  What the AIG execs need is to go to prison, straight to prison and not collect our bailout money first so they can go to expensive spas and waste our money on their excessive luxury.
Ed Rendell is a veteran and loyal. Wherever he is  placed his commitment will be there once again.

My condolences go to Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll's family.
I'm sure it's nice to be considered for an Obama cabinet post, but Eddie Rendell may not want to leave the job (and state) he LOVES.
Fine with me. Something definitely sleazy about Ed Rendell anyhow; he's always given me the creeps; not McCain-creepy, but he looks like someone you shouldn't ever trust. Hard to explain, but just don't care for the man! Better choices out there.
A GOP Governor would be a disaster, this is a good political call. The voters in the great state of Pennsylvania would not enjoy having to deal with a "do it yourselfer" governor.
??? The catch here? Scarnati is a Republican. So Obama picking Rendell would result in a Republican becoming Pennsylvania governor. ???

Can't have that. All Republicans are evil. And it's all about politics and power. I read so here.
Politics are indeed strange bedfellow.  Easier to lose a governor than to lose a Senator - strictly talking majorities here.  Although, I sense PA's constituency would be traumatized (much as we Missourians were) with Republican governorship over the past four years.  Some may know a little about House Minority WHIP Roy Blunt?  Well his son, Matt Blunt is leaving the office in shame after axing program after program.  We not so fondly refer to it here as "Blunt Trauma".  At any rate, he didn't seek a second term, if that tells you anything about how poorly he is regarded here.  The Dem candidate won (Jay Nixon) by a margin of over 18%.  If we could just pick the President!  the lead is down under 5,000 votes today - and we are still counting,...
So -- he can join when his term ends
Interesting issue based stuff for the State of Georgia and the Run-off Senate race.  Georgia has lost almost 100,000 jobs since January.  2nd highest in the country.  The automobile industry is large in Georgia (Ford, I believe).  And the Republicans want to FIGHT a bailout for this industry?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27718233/

The Senate race is important!  People should stay 'engaged'.
No word on one of Babs Boxers senior people getting arrested for child porn charges? The guy will have to go back to San Fransicko now to get a job. He'll fit right in with SF Mayor Newsom's office.
I think he should pick Palin to be on his cabinet. I like her, and wish she was VP, but since she lost, she should be Obama's Energy Secretary. She's a maverick and will tell it like it is to Obama and keep him on his toes...you betcha!
ED RENDELL IS A LOSER --- LET HIM STAY IN PA!
Michael Furlong:  Oh, please!!  Obama doesn't need any self-centered nitwits in his cabinet. You're sure not using your brain to think!
I doubt he was even in the mix to begin with.
   Rendell must of lost his "jingles", sometime back. He might of jumped on his bike, when the seat was off, when he was a little boy, you know what I mean.  Furthermore, if you were to listen to what he is really saying, you will find,that he is preaching.  He is "slave master", and you are "Dummy".  Must of been one of those "Flying Disk's", that got his "Brain's", and left a recording, with a Noun, Verb, and "Dummy"........
I'd be content if Rendell stayed in Pennsylvania. I was never quite sure if he could be trusted anyway in an Obama cabinet. He had been an uber-Hillary supporter. Once you choose up sides (I talking about you, Joe Lieberman), your loyalties become suspect.
Rendell is a competent and professional Governor that loves his state and they love him - he doesn't play second fiddle to anyone (and I am an Obama supporter).  Also, Rendell IMO does not possess the charcteristics that Obama would seek in a candidate - he is more of an old-school, retail politics type politican.  
Markets are pounded again. And King Barack just sits there. Times a wasting Obama! Just when are you going announce that your plans to raise taxes is a bad one, and your going to indefinitely mothball that plan?
No word on one of Babs Boxers senior people getting arrested for child porn charges? The guy will have to go back to San Fransicko now to get a job. He'll fit right in with SF Mayor Newsom's office.

Ryson Callers, San Jose CA

This terrible news. Where will Boxer get her porn from now?
Michael Furlong:  Oh, please!!  Obama doesn't need any self-centered nitwits in his cabinet. You're sure not using your brain to think!

Taiyo, Oregon

----------

Right. Obama has enough of those around with himself and his wife.
'Pat Huntington NY: '.... Other than being a brilliant writer for Saturday Night Live, what else has he done that qualifies him to be a US Senator other than ranting and raving on a Liberal radio show?...'

Pat, if you think about it....

The people of Alaska thought Ted Stevens was 'qualified' to be Senator

The people of Idaho thought Larry Craig was 'qualified' to be Senator

The people of NC thought Jesse Helms was 'qualified' to be Senator

In California, we thought 'Sleeping Sam' Hayakawa was 'qualified' to be Senator

People don't set the bar very high

Remember Nebraska Senator Roman Hruska ?
He said 'mediocre people need representation, too'
the 'Dumbest Roman of them all'

Sarah Palin should be put in charge of the Faith-Based Initiative.  That should put a nail in the coffin of that stinking corpse.

I am sure there are other programs in need of breaking where Sarah could help.
Some may know a little about House Minority WHIP Roy Blunt?  Well his son, Matt Blunt is leaving the office in shame after axing program after program.  We not so fondly refer to it here as "Blunt Trauma".  At any rate, he didn't seek a second term, if that tells you anything about how poorly he is regarded here.  The Dem candidate won (Jay Nixon) by a margin of over 18%.  If we could just pick the President!  the lead is down under 5,000 votes today - and we are still counting,...

Clara, I couldn't agree with you more about Matt Blunt.  Matt Blunt was to Missouri what Dan Quayle was to the VP in 1988, a man who was given a position that was way over his head.
And this is why I have such a problem with the children of popular politicians running for office (like Bush).  They haven't "earned" anything.
Haven't we learned that lesson the hard way already??  Does anyone not read history to realize that after John Quincy Adams became president, the US went into recession?  JQ Adams was the son of John Adams, our second president.
We are now seeing the same thing with Bush.  Bush Sr., while I didn't agree with him on many issues, was still a good and decent man who worked hard to get where he was.  Bush Jr. did not.
When will the voting public learn that simply because a person comes from a political background does not make them a great candidate?  There are exceptions, but those are rare.
On Obama winning Missouri, as much as I would love to see that, I would not count on it happening.  Even if it did, what does it matter now?  Obama has already won, more decisively than Bush did in either 2000 or 2004 or Clinton in 1992 or 1996.
And it doesn't matter what anyone says to that, you cannot change that fact.  A mandate, NO, but most definitely a majority.
As an Obama supporter I've yet to see any promonent African American names come up for his cabinet?
Rendell is a hard call.  He's tough, smart and aa true politican, but I cannot help questioning his loyalty.  On one hand, he was die hard for Hillary, but when it came time to get out the vote for Obama, he called all Democrats on the carpet.  Nonetheless, I think he will be most effective in PA. a big enough state representing a cross-section of America.  He already has a big job that he does well.

Obama/Biden 08-16  
Markets are pounded again. And King Barack just sits there. Times a wasting Obama! Just when are you going announce that your plans to raise taxes is a bad one, and your going to indefinitely mothball that plan?
Time To Act Is Now (Sent Friday, November 14, 2008 5:17 PM)

And when are you going to get off this idiotic rant and REALIZE that a President Elect cannot accomplish this UNTIL he becomes President?  Or is it simply a convenience for you to ridicule that which you OBVIOUSLY do not understand?  
And again, I ask you to PLEASE offer proof that Obama will raise YOUR taxes.  Unless you live in a household that makes over $250,000, you have absolutely nothing to worry about at this time.  Get off the "liberals raise taxes" soap box you are on and grow a brain.
While I don't think Rendell is the frontrunner, I think that if Obama felt he was the best for the job, he would not care.  Evidence?  Lacking in foreign affairs expertise, he selected Biden as a running mate, even though a Senator from Delaware really would not win any more EVs for his ticket.  He took whom he felt was the best.

In contrast, McCain took Palin in an attempt to put a woman on the ticket and win over disgruntled Clinton supporters.  His pick was not for talent, but for getting votes.  A horrible idea.  He also passed over many qualified Republican women simply because they would have been replaced by Democrats, thus forcing him to pick a rookie who was under an ethics investigation launched by her own Republican controlled congress.  He passed over talent for political reasons.

McCain would choose based on political gains, but I think Obama (thus far) has shown himself to be above that.
Dan St. Louis, MO

Here here! It's a shame that most of the, what did they call them, "low information" voters don't undestand that the one they elected: George W Bush is STILL the president and should be making these decisions. President Elect Obama is just that. He doesn't get sworn into office until Jan 20. Then "Mr. Time To Act Is Now" will see some results.
Yo ... Ed Rendell ... we want to keep him as our Governor in PA!!!  Nope, the guy isn't a slave master nor sleazy.  He's smart and at times tough, but he has had to be. PA is not an easy state.

How rough are the politics in PA?  If you are familar with the Phila. sport fans, then you will have a concept of how tough the politics are here.  And it like that across the whole state.

As Gov. Rendell said, Senator McCain and Gov. Palin were here so much that he was about to charge them state income tax.  He worked very hard to keep the state blue.  
As a Pennsylvanian, please take Rendell anywhere but here.  Hopefully, he'll take Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman and Deputy Sec. Richard Gold with him.  Pity the rest of the country, but hopefully they could tuck them away where they won't do too much damage.  PA taxpayers will still have to pay to clean up the Philly Dept. of Human Services mess, but maybe we can save our juvenile, child service and mental health system before they completely dimantle it. Put him in charge of gambling and jails - he and his croanies probably know most of the people involved.
He better not go anywhere. With the death of Katherine Baker Knoll, I don't want a Republican destroying this state. Rendell has done a pretty decent job since he took over.
Ed Rendell has been a disaster for Pennsylvania. Worst corruption since 1970s Gov. Milton Shapp. Trouble with Ed is he's half smart and not honest. It was Ed's idea to cherry pick the recount votes in Florida for Al Gore in 2000. We all know what happened then. Obama doesn'r need Ed Rendell shooting him in the back, or the foot.


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