Swann Dive

I don’t want to make this blog all about politics, but I have to put my thoughts down about the upcoming Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election. As it stands right now, the state Republican Party has thrown its support behind former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann, forcing out of the race the other contenders, including former Lt. Governor Bill Scranton. Allegedly, their hope was to avoid a costly primary battle and focus their resources on unseating Governor Ed Rendell. The reality is, as I see it, they’ve now virtually guaranteed a second term for Rendell.

Swann, a complete political novice, has never run for office, but the state GOP seems to feel that a celebrity candidate worked in California and Minnesota, so why not PA? Well, first of all, a football player is probably not the best choice. Pennsylvania has two NFL teams, and while the Steelers may have finally gotten that “one for the thumb,” Swann hasn’t donned the black and gold for decades now. And, sorry Steelers fans, but the Philly region is more heavily populated metro area in Pennsylvania. For every Steelers fan who might be tempted to vote for Swann just ‘cause he used to catch passes from Terry Bradshaw, there’s probably two bitter Eagles fans who will now vote against him because our team choked last year. Not did we lose, but we had to put up with T.O.’s crap, so if you think you’re going to get a ring and a governor in the same year, think again.

The other problem is Swann himself. Take a look at his campaign website. It’s full of the usual platitudes about how he loves his family and his community, but it’s completely devoid of any real substantive ideas. Or perhaps that best. Polls put Rendell and Swann in a statistical dead heat until Swann made his appearance on This Week with George Stephannopolis. Then the governor surged ahead by 12 points. Maybe it’s best that Swann avoids the issues and just continues to talk about football.

It’s a shame. With all that’s happened in this past year, the people of Pennsylvania deserve a real and honest race. Instead, we’ve got an incumbent and an empty suit.