This ad blasting McCain's inability to count all his houses is a good start. But here's my five-point plan.

1. Give a speech specifically about McCain. Attack everything that voters think they know about him, every perceived strength. Begin by telling America, "If you think you're voting for John McCain who ran for President against George Bush in 2000, you're wrong." Detail every backtrack McCain has made, every position he's reversed himself on, every move he's made to cozy up with the Bush administration, the Republican-led congress, and the base of his party. Attribute it to a combination of ambition and delusion. Call him by his first name whenever possible.
2. When you refer to his attacks on you, say "John McCain is lying." "Apparently I'm a flip-flopper who's too stubborn to change his mind." "He can't win by attacking my real positions and my real record, so he invents one." Tilt him. Tilt him hard and watch him sputter.

This is an interesting article by a Philly writer.

----------

Loserville: Obama Is Channeling Kerry and Gore

by Dave Lindorff
(www.thiscantbehappening.net)

Well, it’s happened, and it’s no surprise.

Barack Obama, the prospective Democratic presidential candidate, has managed to turn a 5-8 point lead over prospective Republican opponent John McCain into a 5-point deficit—a double-digit slide—in just two and a half months following a campaign that had voters really excited over his candidacy.

How did he manage this feat (which is documented in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll)? Simple: he followed the tried-and-true strategy of Democratic centrist advisers who have increasingly dominated his campaign since the end of the primaries, and who have a proven track record of producing Democratic electoral disasters now for several decades.

Our friends and neighbors at Casino-Free Philadelphia, as part of a struggle they've shared with groups like NABR and other community organizations fighting casinos in the city, have just won a huge victory -- they've gotten Foxwoods to consider moving from the Philadelphia waterfront.

They visited Governor Rendell today and yesterday, as he prepared to meet with Mayor Nutter, Senator Fumo, and Representative Evans and the executives of Foxwoods. Casino-Free does it right, every time -- they continue to demonstrate that public pressure and accountability from ordinary neighbors can break down even the most established power blocks.

In their email that they sent out to supporters, Casino-Free Philadelphia reminded us that it isn't just the riverfront neighborhoods -- but every neighborhood that deserves the right to be free of gambling parlors and the problems they introduce. CFP has asked us to sign on to principles that the Governor, and the casino operators, must consider in any resiting plan:

1) The resiting process must be fair, transparent and inclusive. The process used by the PGCB was unfair, secret and exclusionary. Any effort to resite the casinos must be the opposite.

2) Casinos cannot be built in or near any neighborhood. Act 71's and the PGCB's lack of social standards in its decision-making resulted in untenable sites. Around-the-clock 5,000 slot parlors with multiple liquor licenses, attracting tens of thousands of cars each day are uses that are incompatible with neighborhoods.

3) Any resiting process must consider the "no casino" alternative. No one needs two casinos in Philadelphia. A cost-benefit analysis should be performed. Prior assumptions deserve to be revisited.

4) Casino companies are not to receive bailouts. They did not merely participate in a system riddled with mistakes but they actively tried to undermine the system. (Governor Rendell suggested today that no state money would be used.)

CFP will get this letter to Rendell, Nutter, Evans, and Fumo.

We have to celebrate this as a huge step forward -- and think hard about how we can use the media attention, the deep thinking on accountable use of our neighborhoods' and communities' land, and the organizing infrastructure to engage with housing issues and other land use issues in Philly.

We also need to step up and support groups like CFP and other neighborhood champions. Bread and Roses is honoring them this October with their Community Empowerment Award. But I'm not going to wait to donate more to one of the most effective groups I've ever seen in Philly.

There's a few articles popping up online about this victory -- read them, celebrate for a minute, and then -- on to Sugarhouse and no casinos in any neighborhoods!

Al Dia: http://www.pontealdia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=917&Itemid=1

KYW: http://www.kyw1060.com/Rendell-Says-Foxwoods-May-Bend-on-Waterfront-Site/2829622

Editorial in the Inky: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080821_Editorial__Riverfront_Casinos.html

At least since 1993, Philadelphians and others in our metropol have had access to free dial up internet via the Critical Path Project. Although the internet has perhaps outgrown the screeching whistles and pops of the telephone modem, thousands of low income people at least have access to 56K.

Critpath.org has its origins in a book that “Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Scientist” Buckminster Fuller wrote with his protégé Kiyoshi Kuromiya in Philadelphia in 1981. Bucky’s work is being feted at the Whitney in New York at the moment. Kiyoshi Kuromiya’s legacy lives on in Philadelphia as the Critpath Internet Project, The AIDS Library, and ACT UP Philly.

With all the drama surrounding the Department of Human Services these past couple years their programs have come under increased scrutiny. Critpath.org got much of its funding through DHS grants, essentially with the goal of getting some internet services into the hands of poor Philadelphians. That funding won’t be renewed through DHS, which definitely needs to focus on its business of serving families, but we’re hoping the Mayor and the City can find funding elsewhere to keep this backbone of Philadelphia’s social justice internet up and running.

I encourage blog readers to read our sign-on letter

see what others have said and what else you can do:

Fax Mayor Nutter:
http://www.hallwatch.org/profiles/mayor/nutter

or even come to a community meeting:

Date: Friday, September 5th

Time: 9:30am

Location: The Church of St. Luke and The Epiphany, 330 South 13th Street (Between Pine and Spruce Streets)

Sincerely,

Adam Feldman
Reference and Public Services Librarian
AIDS Library and Critical Path Project
Philadelphia FIGHT
1233 Locust Street, 2nd floor
Philadelphia PA 19107

Yesterday, in response to Brady's post about urban issues, YPP user ELP said that we needed to focus more on regionalism. I promptly told him his little la-de-da fantasy world had no place on the grizzled pages of YPP.

Then I read this:

What concerns could West Philadelphia and West Chester possibly have in common? Plenty, it turns out.

At least that seems to be the emerging view of both suburban leaders and Mayor Nutter, who are contemplating a new regional caucus of elected leaders that would grapple with problems that transcend municipal borders, including everything from air quality to economic development.

It is likely to be another six months before a caucus is created, and no details are available yet on what form such an organization might take. But Nutter has been actively courting suburban leaders, making visits to the county seats in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Chester Counties, and later hosting many of them at a Phillies game. The southern New Jersey counties are not likely to join initially, though they may well be invited in the future.

If Nutter can achieve this, more power to him. No, it will not end poverty, or tackle the biggest issues we have. But, it can accomplish a lot. To me, the biggest prize out there for regionalization is transit, and transit funding. Yes, I know we have SEPTA- but until we have our city leaders pushing together, it is hard for me to see Philly getting the federal funds it needs for real transit expansion, like a new light rail line. I saw the effects of regional cohesion up close in Minnesota, where the Twin Cities' Metro Council helped successfully push for new transit.

Anyway, this is cool. And next time I go and bet on the ponies, ELP, you are coming along.

Dave Davies reported in today's Daily News that Philly's Commerce Director, Andy Altman, was cited recently by the Washington D.C. Inspector General for an ethics violation during his time there. I haven't seen the report, and the details in the paper, with a back and forth over what really happened, don't shed a whole lot of light on whether there was really an issue. So, I am passing zero judgment over whether there is really an issue here for Altman.

However, there is something in the article that struck me as really odd. And throughout the course of the day, I have emailed a bunch of people, looked around, and everyone came to the same conclusion as me. Heck, even my bff's at Phillyblog seem to agree. Specifically, this:

Philadelphia ethics officials have challenged a finding by the inspector general of Washington, D.C., that a member of Mayor Nutter's Cabinet committed an "ethics violation" when he was a top development official in the nation's capital.

....

After the accusation appeared in the Washington paper The Examiner, Nutter's chief integrity officer, Joan Markman, and Philadelphia Inspector General Amy Kurland reviewed the allegations. They later wrote to Willoughby, calling them "simply unfair."

They said that Alschuler had worked as a consultant for the D.C. planning office, not as Altman's subordinate, and they said that the D.C. auditors hadn't interviewed Altman or Alschuler in the course of their review.

"The accusation unfairly and without basis sullies the sterling reputation of Mr. Altman," Markman and Kurland wrote.

Neither Altman nor Alschuler returned calls for comment. Administration spokesman Doug Oliver said that Altman's conduct was consistent with the highest ethical standards.

Is that kind of exchange really appropriate for our city ethics officials? I don't exactly know what Joan Markman's job description is as Chief Integrity Officer, so I will leave her out of it. But, I think I have at least some idea of what an Inspector General is supposed to do, and this is not it.

The mission of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is to enhance the public confidence in the integrity of the City government by rooting out corruption, fraud, misconduct, waste and mismanagement. The OIG is the watchdog for the taxpayers of the city. The OIG has jurisdiction to conduct investigations and audits over all departments, agencies, commissions and boards under the Mayor's jurisdiction, as well as in contracts with individuals or companies receiving City funds and doing business with the City. The OIG also provides investigative expertise to any agency or authority requesting assistance.

So, let me get this straight. The DC IG conducts an investigation of a now-Philadelphia official. Our own IG reads the findings, probably has a chat with Altman, but doesn't appear to actually conduct an investigation herself. (If she actually conducted an investigation, she certainly has not released it. And frankly, I am not entirely sure that would be totally useful, when it is about Washington, DC?) And then, for some reason, Kurland decides to turn into Altman's personal attorney, and defends him in a leaked letter to the DC Government? Huh?

Doug Oliver, the Mayor's press spokesperson did largely the same as Kurland:

Administration spokesman Doug Oliver said that Altman's conduct was consistent with the highest ethical standards.

Of course, Oliver's response makes sense, considering he is the Mayor's Press Secretary. The question is, why are Kurland and Markman acting like they are, too?

Kurland is in theory an independent investigator of city fraud. Yet, she is spending her time defending a high level Mayoral appointee? This is really disturbing to me, and makes it seem that the Inspector General is basically taking on a role as a mouthpiece for the administration, instead of an independent investigator. It is not, under any circumstances, her job to fight Andy Altman's battles in DC, whether they are legitimate or not. Did she conduct an investigation here? If not, then what is going on?

In the 1968 Presidential Election, the "problem of the cities" was a major topic. Of course, it was in part a code word for a racist agenda by some and an effort to quell massive civil unrest by the folks on our side. In the news, cities were breaking into violence and where they weren't it seemed like they could be. Still, cities were in the news and in the debate and people far outside of cities seemed to be talking about, maybe voting on the issue.

Today on WHYY's "It's Our City," editor of The Next American City, Diana Lind (who, I confess, is also a buddy of mine), raised the issue. Arguing that candidates are neglecting an important constituency by never dealing with cities directly.

Lind writes:

Back in the spring, when Pennsylvania’s primary seemed poised to shift the balance in the battle for the Democratic nomination, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter called on the candidates to debate “urban issues,” implying that the problems facing cities are of national concern. Prodded to demonstrate how they would improve cities, the candidates updated their Web sites to include urban agendas that called for stronger federal involvement in cities, better education for urban populations and greener cities.

But Nutter never got his debate in March, and now, just about ten weeks from November, it looks unlikely that cities like Philadelphia will get much more media attention before the election.

This void in national conversation has left me scratching my head. If the Brookings Institution puts the total urban/suburban population at a whopping 80 percent of the American populace, why does the country still refuse to see itself as a metropolitan nation.

I can't help but think that the argument that urban areas are a little too solidly blue is the key issue. It's also this darn electoral college. If it were a popular vote, candidates would be clamoring for us. In Pennsylvania, city voters have to contend with the T. In Chicago, there's a lotta land south of Chicago and in Wisconsin? Milwaukee, you can forget it. You're outnumbered and, in fact, outgunned.

Why do y'all think cities aren't getting their share of the Presidential air time?

No one has to tell you that our healthcare system is broken. We all know it. We already live it. We pay too much in premiums, we are denied care, and hundreds of thousands of us can't afford insurance at all.

Thankfully, there is a solution just within our grasp. Governor Rendell has proposed sweeping legislation to solve the healthcare crisis in Pennsylvania, insure more than 275,000 uninsured people, and give the state the power to keep down your premiums and costs to employers.

This plan - called PA ABC - passed the House this year, but is now stuck in the Senate, blocked by the Republican Party leadership.

We can pass healthcare reform this fall. It is within our grasp. But Governor Rendell needs your help.

Here's how you can help pass healthcare reform:

1. Call your State Senator and express your strong support of SB 1137 and HB 2005. (More information is below.)

1. The AP reports that three high school football players will stand trial in the beating death of an illegal immigrant man in central Pennsylvania. Helen Gym wrote last month about the shameful delay in bringing those charges, even though there was an eyewitness to the crime.

2. New day, old ways: the Daily News says that the Obama campaign will hand out street money for Election Day, unlike in the May primary. I like this part of the article:

"They told me there are going to be resources here," Brady said. "That's what we do in Philadelphia; we pay people to work. They understand that."

Craig Schirmer, Pennsylvania director for the Obama campaign, would not talk about street money. But he did say that the campaign would be working closely with the local Democratic apparatus.

"As a campaign, we really are enjoying working with Congressman Brady and Mayor Nutter and Congressman Fattah," he said.

3. I won't link anything that will ruin the result, but you can watch Jose Garces (chef-owner of Amada and the brand-new crazy-fantasy-land Distrito) face off with maybe the most annoying man ever, Bobby Flay, again on Thursday, August 21, at 9pm on the Food Network.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – At-Large Councilmembers Bill Green and Bill Greenlee today announced legislation that would require Philadelphia drivers to put down their cell phones when stepping behind the wheel.

“A distracted driver is a dangerous driver,” observed Councilman Bill Greenlee. “Experience shows that a driver using a cell phone to dial a number or to send a text message is not giving his or her full attention to the road and that puts us all at risk – drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike.”

On Friday, the second computer aide in the Vince Fumo case pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. For those not following along, these were the guys who were caught telling everyone in their offices to delete any emails with refernces to Fumo, because there was a federal investigation.

He had been tasked with leading a systematic effort - allegedly at Fumo's behest - to delete e-mails and other electronic evidence primarily from computers used by Fumo and his staff in his Harrisburg office, in hopes of thwarting a federal investigation of Fumo.

The indictment said Luchko sent a e-mail to Eister on the evening of January 25, 2004, after published reports that the feds were investigating Fumo.

The e-mail said Fumo wanted Eister "to check all of our machines in Harrisburg and the servers as well . . . He wants all the BlackBerries wiped."

....

Several months later, on June 14, 2004, at a weekly meeting of staffers in Fumo's Harrisburg office, Eister told them that they should delete all e-mails to and from Fumo and that he would be inspecting each person's computer to ensure that everyone was following the instruction.

It is not a shock that they are going down for obstruction of justice, and frankly, that is now probably the absolute minimum that Fumo is going to be convicted of. In fact, in federal cases like this, many times the convictions become for lying and trying to mislead the government in in its investigation (See Stewart, Martha; Libby, Scooter).

And for all the future criminals out there, if you are going to commit a crime, stop writing about it on email. Emails seem always to be 'found.'

For more information contact Fabricio at Jobs with Justice via www. phillyjwj.org or the Lava Space.

The City and DC 47, the city's white collar public employee union, have made a one-year deal.

There is a signing bonus of $1100, no permanent pay raise, and no increase in the city's contribution to the health and welfare fund.

DC 47 has agreed to study the cost of benefits and see if any savings can be achieved. Remember, pension and health care benefits were probably the most important item in the negotiations, and it looks like both sides have ended at a stalemate there.

Again, it's only one year deal, so, like most things in this year's city budget, this is another fight deferred till next year when the city's economic picture is more fully drawn.

From PhillyClout, we get a little more details on the reaction and what this means:

Scott today said: "while we do not embrace this contract, we accept this contract." She later said that the membership want a percentage raise and that they were originally looking for a two-year contract.

The health care committee has caused wide-spread speculation that Nutter may use the next year to push for a consolidation of the four union health-care plans into one city-run program. Former mayors John Street and Ed Rendell also tried to pull that off in their first union negotiations but failed. The unions, while agreeing to participate in the committee, oppose consolidating health care plans.

Has everyone been following the saga of Unysis? If you haven't the quick summary is that the company is supposed to relocate their headquarters from Blue Bell to Center City, but after signing leases and getting their name in the press for a couple weeks, they have now basically threatened to back out the deal. They will consider going elsewhere unless the city allows it to break out the Elmer's Glue and magic markers, and scrawl a big red "Unisys" sign on the side of 2 Liberty Place. Let us scribble and graffiti, suckers, or the jobs we promised are gone.

(See the proposed logo here.)

So, the hearings were held yesterday, and with so many people objecting to this, more will be heard. But, this is seriously one of the more ridiculous requests. Unisys is going to occupy less than 10 percent of the building, and no one else in there wants their damn sign:

"If we didn't get the signage, we'd have to re-evaluate how important visibility is to us in that decision," Kerr said of the move.

Unisys signed a lease in December to rent about three and a half floors - 7 percent of the building - for more than a decade.

Asked if the company would try to break that lease if the request for signs is denied, Kerr said: "I couldn't get into that."

Two Liberty Place's first major tenant, Cigna, opposes the signs.

"We feel that the signs on Two Liberty Place would mar and tarnish the building as well as the Philadelphia skyline," Cigna spokesman Chris Curran said.

Cigna has about 1,500 people working on 18 floors in the building. Curran estimated that, combined with the condo owners, that means 93 percent of the building's occupants don't want Unisys signs hanging outside.

Extortion really pisses me off. Obviously, we need more jobs in Philly, and certainly good paying ones. But, if the company is threatening to leave based on this, what are they going to demand in a year? Big tax breaks? That Mayor Nutter walks each employee to the train at the end of the day? And, of course, once we allow one company to scrawl on our skyline like a wobegone child, we know what is coming next.

A City with confidence would not roll over here. Here is to hoping that the City, through its zoning board, stands up for itself, for once.