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a-german-muffin t1_j5q0jjt wrote

Reply to comment by ConfiaEnElProceso in Former Philly Mayor John Street endorses Rebecca Rhynhart by ConfiaEnElProceso

Rhynhart needs an edge — she doesn't have union support (yet), so endorsements from name politicians are probably a necessity. Street might have baggage, but he's an institution in North Philly — and his backing is likely a big net positive for her in the 5th District and beyond.

Just getting Street won't be enough, though. We haven't heard other pols weigh in, but if she picks up another former mayor or two (Nutter/Rendell) or other officials, then it starts balancing out unions backing others in the race.

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ConfiaEnElProceso OP t1_j5q7j13 wrote

I understand the horse race elements in play here. Rhynhart has no established base like some council folks do from their old district or from the unions like Gym.

However, the only selling point she offers to differentiate herself is good governance and anticorruption. Without that she may as well be Domb or Brown. Not to mention the fact that getting in to bed with Street will surely have effects on her ability to govern. I doubt he's doing this out of the goodness of his heart.

I'm legitimately disappointed because I thought she might be a different type of politician who could do good things if she somehow snuck in amid this wide open field. This feels like the same old b.s.

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a-german-muffin t1_j5qiv2q wrote

I get your viewpoint, and I'm not saying what you're detailing is invalid — but you're also disconnected from a Street voter living in Sharswood or Mansion or Yorktown or any of a number of other North Philly neighborhoods. Those folks turned out hard for Street, especially in 2003—he racked up 90+ percent of the vote pretty much everywhere around Broad north of Poplar.

Will Street's endorsement potentially hurt her among the crowd like you, who only see her as the good governance/anticorruption candidate? Sure, potentially. But this isn't about you and voters like you — this is about selling her as a candidate to a sizeable base of voters. She might not look like them or be super connected to them, but Street most definitely is — and that can't be understated when it comes to the potentially tens of thousands of votes coming out of those wards.

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oliver_babish t1_j5ql75w wrote

I'm not sure that Street's results in a general election tell you that much about his continuing pull in a primary.

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a-german-muffin t1_j5qp59h wrote

The Street name's still got a lot of weight in North Philly — maybe more than you'd expect.

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oliver_babish t1_j5qpgft wrote

Oh, I'm not discounting that. (Especially if Sharif is on the same page.)

I just wouldn't look at that particular data point.

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ConfiaEnElProceso OP t1_j5qjqd8 wrote

And i get the horse race part of this. I'm not arguing against that. This is almost certainly good for her candidacy.

it is just disappointing. I think this means, if elected, she will be a shitty mayor. Maybe not as shitty as some of the other candidates, but more of the same b.s. Philly system mayors.

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a-german-muffin t1_j5qkok4 wrote

I think you're mistaking horse race for horse trading, which isn't terribly evident here, but even in that sense — what influence do you think Street can have that would so grossly pull down a potential Rhynhart administration? Dude's almost 80, his one kid in high-level politics is set — and Milton's not scoring any contracts any more.

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ConfiaEnElProceso OP t1_j5qnlcg wrote

No, by horse race aspects I'm referring to the coverage of who is pulling ahead or falling behind as opposed to substantive coverage of the issues. See here. In this case the horse race aspect is that this endorsement almost certainly helps her chances of winning.

One of the sleaziest, crooked politicians philly has seen recently is showing her the ropes of how city hall politics works. How does that inspire trust that she will clean up or reform the system? It's not complicated. it makes me think that all her reform talk is just b.s.

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a-german-muffin t1_j5qpr0j wrote

Hate to say it, but in a Democratic primary where there isn't a huge gap in terms of policy, endorsements and day-to-day politicking are going to have outsize effects — hell, look at Amen Brown's asking for a do-over; dude drove his campaign into the guardrail right off the start line.

Also, the notion that Street's endorsement is somehow showing Rhynhart the ropes manages to ignore her tenure as controller, which is just... weird. Endorsements are part of the process, and arguably a more important part in a wildly crowded field.

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ConfiaEnElProceso OP t1_j5qr929 wrote

Amen Brown was a clown, not a real candidate.

I'm not disagreeing about the possible impact of the endorsement. You seem to think I'm denying that. I don't know why. Politically this helps her. Period.

Maybe this just blowing smoke up Street's ass and it means nothing, but it gives me pause.

“He is providing expert advice from his experience on a daily basis to my campaign,” Rhynhart said. “Mayor Street is a huge asset to my campaign with the endorsement and then also, his time, energy, knowledge and constructive criticism.”

“I am going to be in meetings. I’ll go to the wards,” Street said. “I will be helping with public policy. I am going to do whatever I can.”

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a-german-muffin t1_j5r0bfe wrote

I think you’re vastly underestimating the value of the endorsement of a prominent Black leader for a white woman, especially in predominantly Black districts that could swing tens of thousands of votes.

If Street talking about the nuts-and-bolts of campaigning and working the North Philly wards in favor of Rhynhart (and Rhynhart using pretty basic campaign language to cement the value of his endorsement) gives you pause, then you may be reading way too much into it. Or you’re edging into purity test territory (and then I have some real bad news for you).

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ConfiaEnElProceso OP t1_j5r13f5 wrote

Jesus Christ, how many times can i say that i think this endorsement helps her politically before you understand that i agree with you???

We clearly disagree about the hypocrisy of running an anticorruption campaign while taking on a corrupt former mayor as an advisor. Fair enough.

Cheers.

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MRC1986 t1_j5rm7sh wrote

Illinoisans thought JB Pritzker would be some conservadem because he's a billionaire, and he's been the most progressive Governor in history of that state, as far as I'm aware.

Not that people can't betray their past ideals, but I don't think this is that much of a problem. Rhynhart needs support from Black voters. Does Mayor Street still hold sway with them? I guess more than I thought.

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