Meehan to step down as U.S. Attorney, looking into Gubernatorial run.

[Keystone Phil]

Meehan stepping down to join a "private practice" = "I'm running for Governor." He'll be a very strong candidate, too. Santorum won't run. Toomey won't run. Meehan is my guy in 2010.

http://blog.pennlive.com/pennsyltucky/2008/07/pat_meehan_steps_down_and_into.html

By the way, I know Meehan is close to Specter but I don't know where they're getting the idea that he's a moderate.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Meehan stepping down to join a "private practice" = "I'm running for Governor." He'll be a very strong candidate, too. Santorum won't run. Toomey won't run. Meehan is my guy in 2010.

http://blog.pennlive.com/pennsyltucky/2008/07/pat_meehan_steps_down_and_into.html

By the way, I know Meehan is close to Specter but I don't know where they're getting the idea that he's a moderate.

     Knowing Pennsylvania's tendency to yo-yo between Republicans & Democrats, he'll probably win.

     But I'm curious. In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor. With that said, do you think that he would have much of a shot at winning if he has to face Casey?

[Brittain33]

     But I'm curious. In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor.

That would surprise me. Senator-for-life is nothing to sneeze at, and if he chose to run in 2018, he'd still be only 58 years old.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     But I'm curious. In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor.

That would surprise me. Senator-for-life is nothing to sneeze at, and if he chose to run in 2018, he'd still be only 58 years old.

     True, though as I recall (I don't closely follow Pennsylvania politics), he began running for Senate almost immediately after being elected Treasurer.

     You may be right though. Senator is a much more prestigious job than Treasurer. The difference between Governor & Senator in terms of power is not as clear.

     I imagine it would really come down to whether he would rather have an executive job or a legislative job. I don't know if we can tell that yet.

[Keystone Phil]

In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor. With that said, do you think that he would have much of a shot at winning if he has to face Casey?

First off, welcome to the forum. I could tell that you're a newcomer by simply bringing up Casey around me. As everyone here knows, I am certainly not a fan of his. 

Anyway, I used to believe that Casey would definitley be a candidate for Governor. He doesn't want his current job. Never really did. The party forced him into the race. Everyone knows that he's wanted to be Governor his entire political life.

He may actually do it since the Democratic candidates are so weak and he'd absolutely have a shot at winning. He'd probably be favored. Unfortunately for some of us, this state has a love for that last name (because of the love for his late father who was a great man).

     But I'm curious. In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor.

That would surprise me. Senator-for-life is nothing to sneeze at, and if he chose to run in 2018, he'd still be only 58 years old.

Why would that surprise anyone? Anyone that knows anything about Casey knows that he wants to be Governor above anything else. Senator for life? Please. That's probably the last thing Casey wants. Don't expect the guy to serve more than two terms there. Hell, plenty of people think that he won't run for a second term.

     True, though as I recall (I don't closely follow Pennsylvania politics), he began running for Senate almost immediately after being elected Treasurer.

Bingo

    

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That doesn't matter to him. All of these offices have been stepping stones.

    

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As you said early, you don't follow closely Pennsylvania politics. Truer words have never been spoken. 

Again, welcome to our forum. 

[Associate Justice PiT]

In his insatiable desire for status, I would not be surprised if Casey runs for governor. With that said, do you think that he would have much of a shot at winning if he has to face Casey?

First off, welcome to the forum. I could tell that you're a newcomer by simply bringing up Casey around me. As everyone here knows, I am certainly not a fan of his. 

Anyway, I used to believe that Casey would definitley be a candidate for Governor. He doesn't want his current job. Never really did. The party forced him into the race. Everyone knows that he's wanted to be Governor his entire political life.

He may actually do it since the Democratic candidates are so weak and he'd absolutely have a shot at winning. He'd probably be favored. Unfortunately for some of us, this state has a love for that last name (because of the love for his late father who was a great man).

     Thank you for welcoming me. Anyway, I knew that you weren't a fan of Casey, but I wanted the opinion of someone who lives in the state. I don't have the time to follow every politician, so I needed to know how accurate my characterization of him was.

     I'm worried about him though, after 2006. I was shocked that Casey won by 18% (I was expecting 10-13%). 2010 will almost assuredly be a better year for the GOP than 2006, though I'm still worried about the chances of any Republican against him.

     It's amazing though to think that California almost ended up with a dynasty like the Caseys or the Kennedys.

[Keystone Phil]

     I'm worried about him though, after 2006. I was shocked that Casey won by 18% (I was expecting 10-13%). 2010 will almost assuredly be a better year for the GOP than 2006, though I'm still worried about the chances of any Republican against him.

Well, 2006 was horrible. There's only so much we can do, honestly. I think the guy could be stopped somehow (even in a Senate run) but is it likely? No. That name is that powerful here. Plus, while he's unlikely to have any huge accomplishments, he's also unlikely to stir up any controversy. I guess people here are content with that. I know I won't just give up and let him win for the rest of his career but I also need to be realistic.

    

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

[Brittain33]

Why would that surprise anyone? Anyone that knows anything about Casey knows that he wants to be Governor above anything else. Senator for life? Please. That's probably the last thing Casey wants. Don't expect the guy to serve more than two terms there. Hell, plenty of people think that he won't run for a second term.

Ok, granted you know significantly more about Pennsylvania politics than I do, but wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for a variety of reasons? Do you think Casey could break the curse and keep the seat from flipping over to the Republicans in 2010; or actually unseat an incumbent governor in 2014? No one knows what the atmosphere will be like in the next mid-term elections, and it could be bad for Pennsylvania Democrats, depending on how Rendell goes out of office.

[Keystone Phil]

Why would that surprise anyone? Anyone that knows anything about Casey knows that he wants to be Governor above anything else. Senator for life? Please. That's probably the last thing Casey wants. Don't expect the guy to serve more than two terms there. Hell, plenty of people think that he won't run for a second term.

Ok, granted you know significantly more about Pennsylvania politics than I do, but wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for a variety of reasons? Do you think Casey could break the curse and keep the seat from flipping over to the Republicans in 2010; or actually unseat an incumbent governor in 2014? No one knows what the atmosphere will be like in the next mid-term elections, and it could be bad for Pennsylvania Democrats, depending on how Rendell goes out of office.

Why wait? This curse of party control switching every eight years is just silly. Really. Voters are going to reject their boy Bobby simply because "it's time" for a Republican? I wish it was true but it's not.

The only time I'd say Casey wouldn't be favored is if he's running against a somewhat popular incumbent in 2014 but is Casey dumb enough to do that in the first place? He's a very cautious guy. Now if the incumbent is vulnerable, yes, I could see him winning.

We don't know the atmosphere for the Dems in two years but that is very unlikely to stop a Casey. That name alone transcends national moods.

[Associate Justice PiT]

    

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

     I'm glad that Pete Wilson won against Kathleen Brown, though I wonder how strong the Browns would have been had she won.

     After all, Pat Brown ran for a third term, only to lose to Reagan by 15%. After that Jerry Brown became governor. He's a rather respected statesman now, though that's because most people don't remember when he was governor.

     His liberal policies were very controversial. He appointed a woman named Rose Bird to the California Supreme Court. She became the Chief Justice & was very unpopular. In fact, she got rid of the death penalty in California for a while.

     That's why Charles Manson is still around. He comes up periodically for parole, but he has no chance of ever being released.

     Anyway, when she came up for reconfirmation in 1986, she lost. Most justices win with 80% of the vote. However, she was targeted by powerful & rich conservative groups. They aired commercials featuring children who were orphaned by murderers that Bird prevented from receiving the death penalty.

     Kathleen Brown was basically Bob Casey. She had been on the board of education in Los Angeles for 4 years & Treasurer for 4 years. At that point, she decided to run because as a Brown, it was the next logical step for her. She lost badly, though that speaks more to the popularity of Governor Wilson than anything else. If he had Gray Davis's approval ratings, she would have won no problem.

Why would that surprise anyone? Anyone that knows anything about Casey knows that he wants to be Governor above anything else. Senator for life? Please. That's probably the last thing Casey wants. Don't expect the guy to serve more than two terms there. Hell, plenty of people think that he won't run for a second term.

Ok, granted you know significantly more about Pennsylvania politics than I do, but wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for a variety of reasons? Do you think Casey could break the curse and keep the seat from flipping over to the Republicans in 2010; or actually unseat an incumbent governor in 2014? No one knows what the atmosphere will be like in the next mid-term elections, and it could be bad for Pennsylvania Democrats, depending on how Rendell goes out of office.

Why wait? This curse of party control switching every eight years is just silly. Really. Voters are going to reject their boy Bobby simply because "it's time" for a Republican? I wish it was true but it's not.

The only time I'd say Casey wouldn't be favored is if he's running against a somewhat popular incumbent in 2014 but is Casey dumb enough to do that in the first place? He's a very cautious guy. Now if the incumbent is vulnerable, yes, I could see him winning.

We don't know the atmosphere for the Dems in two years but that is very unlikely to stop a Casey. That name alone transcends national moods.

     That's why I used the winking smiley when I referred to Meehan's chances being boosted by the curse. I agree that the popularity of the Casey name would make more of a difference than any voter fatigue that may be caused by 8 years of a Democrat.

[Keystone Phil]

     That's why I used the winking smiley when I referred to Meehan's chances being boosted by the curse.

Yeah, I never really argue in favor of "the curse." Meehan is a very strong candidate on his own.

[minionofmidas]

Oh, a Patrick Meehan. Who according to Wikipedia isn't even the Patrick Meehan.

When I saw the headline I thought of Marty Meehan, and thought "oh dear, Deval Patrick must be doing really bad".

Although the thread author's name should have alerted me that this would be about Pennsylvania.

[Хahar 🤔]

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

     Though nowadays that's more because of his status in the California Democratic Party than anything else. I don't know how many people vote for him because they have fond memories of when Pat Brown was governor.

[Хahar 🤔]

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

     Though nowadays that's more because of his status in the California Democratic Party than anything else. I don't know how many people vote for him because they have fond memories of when Pat Brown was governor.

He did win the Presidential primaries here every time he tried. In fact, his late entrance into the 1976 race changed California from an important state to an irrelevant one.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

     Though nowadays that's more because of his status in the California Democratic Party than anything else. I don't know how many people vote for him because they have fond memories of when Pat Brown was governor.

He did win the Presidential primaries here every time he tried. In fact, his late entrance into the 1976 race changed California from an important state to an irrelevant one.

     I don't deny that when he first entered politics, the Brown name was a huge boon to him (though I do wonder why Pat Brown lost so badly when he ran for a third term). However, my point is that today, I don't think that many people vote for him because of the fact that he is a Brown.

[Хahar 🤔]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

     Though nowadays that's more because of his status in the California Democratic Party than anything else. I don't know how many people vote for him because they have fond memories of when Pat Brown was governor.

He did win the Presidential primaries here every time he tried. In fact, his late entrance into the 1976 race changed California from an important state to an irrelevant one.

     I don't deny that when he first entered politics, the Brown name was a huge boon to him (though I do wonder why Pat Brown lost so badly when he ran for a third term). However, my point is that today, I don't think that many people vote for him because of the fact that he is a Brown.

Well, now his name can provide a boost to other Browns.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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Consider yourself lucky. I love the late Bob Casey but it really bothers me to see the type of dynasty he created; the dynasty that his one son takes advantage of when it's time to campaign and does little (if anything) else.

Oh, but Jerry Brown can win any election he wants out here.

     Though nowadays that's more because of his status in the California Democratic Party than anything else. I don't know how many people vote for him because they have fond memories of when Pat Brown was governor.

He did win the Presidential primaries here every time he tried. In fact, his late entrance into the 1976 race changed California from an important state to an irrelevant one.

     I don't deny that when he first entered politics, the Brown name was a huge boon to him (though I do wonder why Pat Brown lost so badly when he ran for a third term). However, my point is that today, I don't think that many people vote for him because of the fact that he is a Brown.

Well, now his name can provide a boost to other Browns.

     I suppose it could. Though until another Brown tries to run, we don't know how much of a boost it would be.

     I've heard his name floated to run for Governor again in 2010. If he does it, a Brown dynasty would become more viable in the future. Maybe if Kathleen Brown ever tries to run for anything again. Except she's probably too happy in her private sector job to consider it, especially after she failed to knock off a popular Republican in a very Republican year by coming in & demanding the Governor's mansion.