Free Press – April 17, 2008

Dem Primary, PPL Springfield Township, Doonesbury

Dear Friends,

Good morning. As most of you know, we Meredith’s have been Republicans since Abraham Lincoln…until 2002 and today. Primary elections in Pennsylvania are determined by party affiliation. Unlike many states which allow voters to cast ballots in parties different from their own, our state restricts voting by our party registration.

In 2002, Mighty Betsy and I wanted to help Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell in his primary fight against Bob Casey. The only way we could vote for him was to change our registration from Republican to Democrat.

After the primary, we switched back to the GOP but not before Harry Fawkes, the Bucks County Chairman of the Republican Committee, observed, “Meredith was never a good Republican anyway.”

Well, we’ve done it again. M.B. and I are Barack Obama supporters and we can’t help him unless we belong to the Democratic Party. So we’re Democrats…at the moment. For those of you who will be voting in the Democratic primary on April 22, I have a question.

Are you a likely Philadelphia or Pittsburgh Democrat?

Tim Infield wrote an interesting piece on this subject in the Inquirer (April 11). “In Democratic politics, the contrasts between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are so sharp that they might decide the outcome of the state’s presidential primary,” Infield began.

“The Pittsburgh area, according to polls and politicos-in-the-know, is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton territory.

“The Philadelphia area is the Keystone State’s biggest stronghold for Sen. Barack Obama. The differences that 300 miles can make stem mainly from one thing: demographics.”

Younger voters, better-educated voters, more affluent voters, and black voters are for Obama, Infield wrote. Percentage wise, Philadelphia has more of all of these. Older women, white men…especially in manufacturing are trending for Clinton.

“A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed Clinton leading in Pennsylvania by a narrowing margin- 50 percent to 44 percent,” the article continued. “Clinton led in Allegheny County (the Pittsburgh area), 55 to 39 percent; Obama led, 55- 37 in Philadelphia and 43- 42 in the [four] suburbs.” Six weeks ago, Clinton’s lead in Pennsylvania was 16 percent…today, it’s less than six [percent].

I predict that Obama will actually beat Clinton on April 22. I believe this because of the remarkable change of party registrations (from Republican to Democratic) in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties. Who would have believed that Bucks and Montgomery Counties now have more registered Democrats than Republicans?

And speaking of Allegheny County, which surrounds the city of Pittsburgh, did you read the Associated Press story (April 4) about those two municipalities starting the merger process?

Good grief!

It would be like the four suburban counties merging with Philadelphia…or Quakertown consolidating with Richlandtown, Richland Township, Haycock, Milford and Trumbauersville. Obviously the world would stop turning if folks around here thought about doing something similar.

The story of Springfield Township asking for municipal help from Coopersburg and Quakertown to fight Pennsylvania Power Light’s plans to install a new power line is a case in point. Springfield wants PPL to follow Route 309 or the railroad right of way, instead of cutting a new swath through its open space.

Guess how Quakertown and Coopersburg responded? In essence these two boroughs said NIMBY…not in my back yard…‘you guys [in Springfield Township] are on your own.’ You can understand why attitudes like this make the 2,600 municipalities in Pennsylvania easy picking for developers, and the utilities, which serve them.

Item.

The Doonesbury cartoon (April 6) spoke perfectly to my unhappiness with my Republican Party. The first five panels show a radio announcer saying:

“Fun Fact, Okay? Since 1776, the United States has accumulated a national debt of $9 trillion…over half of which was incurred when a Bush was on watch! What a family legacy! If you throw in Reagan, fully 70 % of the national debt was created under just three Republican Presidents.

“What’s more, they didn’t even try to restrain spending! Out of 19 submitted budgets, only two were balanced!

“So here’s my question, Dude (the announcer asks the Easter Bunny sitting across from his desk), where did the myth of GOP fiscal responsibility come from?”

The Easter Bunny responds with a question: “How is this my department?”

“Don’t your figments [of imagination] all hang out together,” the announcer asks in conclusion?

Why am I so angry with the Republican Party?

For starters, Doonesbury has it right and I’d add these complaints as well: a failed policy in Iraq; no energy policy that weans America from a dependence upon Middle East oil; intolerance of people other than white, straight, married couples; stifling scientific advance in the name of religion; and on and on.

Let me close with something more fun.

Candace Phipps, one of our fellow singers, sent this email. “How efficient/ green do you think you are,” she wondered? “A recent study found the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol each year. That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon. It kind of makes you proud!!”

I thought you’d like to know.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith