ELECTIONS
Many people, including myself, were rather frustrated by the 2000 election results which gave President Bush the election over Al Gore on the basis of a highly disputed 500 or so vote margin in Florida, at the same time as Gore received over 500,000 votes more than Bush.I have joined a national effort to create an interstate compact to cast each participating state's electoral votes for the winner of the national popular vote. This agreement will take effect when states with a majority of the total electoral votes agree to abide by it.I have introduced House Bill 1028 to have Pennsylvania join this proposed interstate compact. Maryland has become the first state to ratify this compact, and it has passed at least one house of the legislatures of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, and California. See http://www.nationalpopularvote.com for further information about both the Pennsylvania bill and the national movement.Changing the rules of Presidential elections will undoubtedly change the campaign strategy of the Presidential candidates. In the 2004 election, there was a serious Presidential campaign conducted in only 17 of the 50 states. Making each vote count would nationalize the Presidential campaign and create a winner who more truly represented the American people.Had the proposed rules been in effect in 2000 and 2004, there would have been far greater get out the vote efforts in the other 33 states, and many more people would have been engaged in the campaign process. It is certainly possible that Bush would have received a majority of the total popular vote under these proposed rules, because his campaign would have more actively involved voters in safe Republican strongholds.Pennsylvania is currently favored by being one of the contested states, but it is not clear how long this will last. Pennsylvania now has 21 electoral votes, and we will decline to 19 or 20 electoral votes in 2012. The strong and long-term Democratic trend in Eastern Pennsylvania coupled with Pennsylvania's status of being a state with a clear Democratic Congressional majority that gave only 41% to well-funded incumbent Senator Rick Santorum--and Ed Rendell's record-setting 60% of the vote for a pro-choice, anti-NRA Democrat statewide--suggests that Pennsylvania is getting ever closer to becoming a safe Democratic state in national elections. This threatens to end general election Presidential campaigning in Pennsylvania over the long term.The interstate compact is designed to get around the fact that small states with as few as three electoral votes no matter how few people they have will be reluctant to get rid of the electoral college. It makes the votes of voters there far more important than the individual votes of Pennsylvanians.I doubt this proposed change could take effect for the 2008 elections. Realistically, we are looking at changing the rules for 2012 and thereafter. State action on this front is similar to state action on other fronts that led to federal election rules changes: giving the vote to women, blacks, and people aged 18, 19, and 20; easing voter registration requirements; regulating campaign contributions, and abolishing requirements for property ownership, poll taxes, and other similar devices that discriminated against low income people.
June 9, 2007
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=38333
*
Not voting is never a good idea, never a virtuous choice.To say that there is no difference between American political parties is a position that does not stand up under scrutiny.People who advocate that position should say what they are for, and look at the actual positions taken by elected officials in both parties. While there always will be people in Party A who agree with a position of a majority of Party B, it is rare that the vast majority of Party A agrees with the vast majority of Party A on issues of spending priorities, incidence of taxation, gun regulation, foreign policy, personal freedoms, etc.
October 1, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=336597#post336597
*
There is a lot of meanness in the national political dialogue, and that meanness is also present in phillyblog.Two legislators who won very narrow re-nomination victories in 2004--Bill Rieger and Marie Lederer--chose not to run again in 2006. Two new legislators--in all likelihood Tony Payton and Michael O'Brien--will be elected to succeed them. People contributing to this thread seem to be demanding that those who agree with their critics that they are be ready for retirement must face the voters and be defeated to prove that the political system is on the level. This is a strange and irrational standard.The Philadelphia political system--contrary to the cries of frustrated backers of Republican candidates or insurgent Democratic candidates--is not rigged. Elected officials go to countless meetings, return countless phone calls and emails, keep in touch with public desires, and achieve meaningful benefits for their constituencies. They win re-election--often unopposed--because active voters know what they have done and generally approve of their achievements.Certainly, primary election turnout is greater when there are more contested elections. There is little point in voting when there are few or no opposition candidates. But incumbents are far more threatened by low-turnout elections than high-turnout elections. The higher the turnout, the more the average citizen who is helped by an incumbent-- but is neither passionately for or passionately against the incumbent-- is likely to vote, and such votes tend to be disproportionately for the incumbent.Ed Rendell often has compared running against an incumbent to opening up a tailor shop competing with one already in existence. If people like the tailor they are going to, they will keep going there, unless the new tailor shop offers a compelling alternative. Few challengers really offer a compelling alternative to the incumbent.The Democratic Party--even in the minority--is increasingly dominating the issue agenda in Harrisburg. The Republican mantra of ever increasing tax cuts and putting ever more people in prison for ever longer periods of time is running thin as a staple of actually achieving public benefits. People are seeking genuine solutions to urgent public problems, and the Democratic Party and its candidates are likely to win more and more elections as a result.
July 2, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=275232#post275232
*
When I was student at the University of Pennsylvania in 1970, we massively increased student voting by working hard to register students. When the 18 old vote arrived in the fall of 1971, student voting skyrockected further because an organization was in place to take advantage of the change in law.Since then, student registration and voting atrophied over time, with an upsurge for the 2004 Presidential election. With a lot of effort, student voting can match or exceed the old totals and give students the voice in the direction of our country that they deserve. Students have every reason to be active voters, as they are going to be living with the governmental decisions that are made far longer than the average voter will.
June 28, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=273232#post273232
*
Ccontributions are an important form of public participation in politics. The stranglehold that special interests have on the legislative process in many subject areas--in Washington and all 50 state capitols--is due in large measure to the extraordinary difficulty of getting widespread participation in financing political campaigns. Part of the reason why individuals do not contribute is that they simply do not know how to.I have no illusions that listing the online contributions site of the House Democratic campaign committee or my campaign committee's mailing address is going to lead to a vast torrent of contributions. If a single person contributes $25, that would meet or exceed my expectations.But I think we all have to get over the squeamishness about asking for money or receiving solicitations for money. Ordinary people with political convictions who seek only the best interest of the community should be making their voices heard in the contribution process as well as online or in other forums. Otherwise, almost all the political contributions comes from special interests whose interests may be diametrically opposed to the interest of the vast majority of Americans.All too often, what we have now is a bizarre situation where the interests of a relative few are often treated by legislative bodies as extremely important, because of the money that is attached to them, while the interests of the overwhelming majority of the citizens are treated with indifference because they do not participate in the financing of campaigns. The financing of campaigns determines to a significant degree who is able to run for office in a credible way, who is able to rise to higher office, and what public policies are able to be pursued.Campaign contributions of over $50 must be publicly disclosed by the recipient committee under Pennsylvania law. Campaign contributions must come from individuals, unicorporated associations, partnerships, or political action committees--and not from any corporate entity: profit or non-profit, limited liabilty, or professional.Campaign contributions must be spent to advance the election of candidates. If a campaign solicitation was paid for, it must say who paid for it.Jerry Brown caused a mild commotion when he ran for President in 1992 and insisted on giving out his 800 number to make campaign contributions in public appearances including candidate debates. But now, even League of Women Voters sites often include information about contributions to candidates.I have absolutely no objection to anyone posting information about how to contribute to the House Republican Campaign Committee, or to any Republican candidate. I would caution modest expectations to anyone who makes such a post, but I believe that full participation by ordinary citizens in the political process is absolutely essential if it is to be improved.
June 25, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=271436#post271436
*
Nothing can so alienate a voter from the political system as backing a winning candidate.
Mark B. Cohen
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:fRKH2VLRb10J:www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mark_B._Cohen/+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
*
I think the difference between 2006 and 1994 is that people have gotten to know Santorum better. He is slick, he is personable; he is a better human being than his record would indicate. But his record and his wild statements create major obstacles for him. He has long tested the outer limits of acceptability for a Republican in Pennsylvania, and he has jumped off the cliff to please the right wing too many times. The maddening Democratic factionalism in Pennsylvania may yet elect him, but we have a good chance to defeat him precisely because he has made himself so well known.
July 31, 2005
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:ygKj5yekkzIJ:rowhouselogic.com/2005/07/+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=76
*
In election years, constituents choose their legislative officials. In redistricting years, legislative officials usually try to choose their future constituents.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:W1a0aEzCFKQJ:www.answers.com/topic/constituency+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=105
*
John Street got a significantly higher percentage of the white vote in 2003 than he did in 1999, enabling him to raise his victory margin from about 9,000 in 1999 to about 65,000 in 2003.In Philadelphia, the black percentage for a Democratic candidate is almost always over 90%. Without having the figures in front of me, it safe to say that Street did not match John Kerry in either percent of the black vote received or margin received in the black community. Kerry won Philadelphia by a staggering 400,000 votes.
June 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=265519#post265519
*
Because of methodological problems, I am not a big fan of candidates spending a lot of money on polling. A lot of the fluctuation of poll numbers is as inherent as the fluctuation of stock prices and stock price averages. For instance, without any money for a radio and television blitz, long-shot Ivan Itkin had a big surge at the end of the 1998 gubernatorial campaign as Democrats came home to him although they knew little about him.That being said, this year's gubernatorial contest is unique in that the Republicans have nominated the first African-American and the first professional football player ever to seek the Pennsylvania governorship. Democratic voters are more inclined to consider voting for Lynn Swann than they would be for a typical Republican candidate, and Republican voters are more inclined to consider not supporting Lynn Swann than they would be for a typical Republican candidate.My guess is that ultimately Rendell will win a landslide victory resembling or surpassing Governor Casey's 1990 landslide. His record on behalf of issues that concern Democrats who are willing to consider Swann is outstanding. Swann's lmiited public record gives him limited ability to hang on to potentially defecting Republicans.But, in the meantime, there are more soft supporters and undecided voters than we usually have, and this means that polls will continue to fluctuate more than they usually do.
April 9, 2006
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=3009#4513
*
The secret ballot guarantees that it is one's private opinion that counts. Open ballots are not truly free for those whose preferences defy the structures of power or friendship.
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:SisGTG0PwwYJ:www.absoluteastronomy.com/s/secret_ballot+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=181
*
What voter turnout is depends on many factors, of which polling place location is but one. An alternative explanation for New York's dramatically lower voter turnout that Philadelphia's is the presence of far more immigrants there. But the differences in voter turnout are so stark that I seriously doubt that there are enough immigrants to account for it.Philadelphia has fewer voters per polling place than do the vast number of localities in this Commonwealth. That is the Republican grievance. They look at the record high turnouts for Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ed Rendell, and John Kerry and they see the end of their dominance in U.S. Senate elections and the end of their dominance of the statewide courts and the end of their ability to win half of the gubernatorial elections.Pennsylvania Republicans are operating under the theory that Philadelphia's high voter turnout is caused by extremely convenient--by Republican locality standards--polling place locations. You might want to call up Republican House Majority Leader Sam Smith's office or Republican Senate Majority Leader Chip Brightbill's office and ask if they have any data relevant to this inquiry.Beyond published data, you might want to do some original research. I would bet you a steak dinner at any restaurant in Philadelphia that polling places outside of their home election divisions cast fewer votes on a percentage basis than polling places located within their home division. That is the testimony I have received from committee people and workers of both parties decade after decade during more than three decades of visiting polling places in my legislative district, and the numbers seem to bear it out.On Monday, newspapers will publish all polling places; you can look to find those polling places with multiple locations. The election commissioners can tell you which is the home division and what the total turnout is in each division as well as what the party registration is for each party. My guess is that you will find differences in turnout where there are locally contested offices, but a polling place in the 5th Ward located in its home division will have a higher turnout than a polling place in the 5th Ward of similar demographics not located in its home division. You can also make similar comparisons in the overwhelmingly black and nearby 14th Ward, for instance.
May 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249897#post249897
*
Friedman's statistic that New York has only one half the voting precincts of Philadelphia helps answer a question that I, as a native New Yorker, have occasionally wondered about: how come New York's voter turnout is so much lower on a percentage basis than is Philadelphia's?New York City Congress members traditionally win with far fewer votes than their counterparts in Philadelphia; New York's citywide vote totals are always higher than Philadelphia's, but no where near five times as large; they are sometimes not even twice as large.Of course, life goes on whether people vote in large numbers or not. But New York City schools get far less from the state of New York than do Philadelphia's schools from Pennsylvania on a per student basis. Although New York City has close to half the population of New York State while Philadelphia has only about an eighth of the population of Pennsylvania, there are other areas, such as at least some aspects of health care, where active New Yorkers see Philadelphia's funding as a model to be aspired to.In other words, voter turnout has something major to do with political power.Plans to reduce Philadelphia's percentage of the total statewide vote are something that Philadelphians should be concerned about. We do not have enough statewide power as it is: contributing factors towards Philadelphia's high crime rate are the state's stripping the city of the power to engage in various forms of gun regulation, and inadequate funding of mental health programs (a completely disproportionate number of prisoners have problems with mental illness.) Reducing Philadelphia's voting power by taking away a vote here and a vote there is an unnecessary long-range obstacle towards our city's comeback.
May 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249784#post249784
*
Many years ago, I had a campaign worker beaten up at a polling place in the 23rd Ward. That was absolutely outrageous, and fortunately that act has not been repeated against anyone else who has worked for me since. Back in 1968, Jim Tayoun, now publisher of The Public Record, launched a long tenure in public office when he was physically assualted early on election day by a prominent backer of his opponent.I think we have to itemize some kinds of threatening behavior, as well as make it clear that the threatening behavior is not limited to whatever we itemize.In my experience in Philadelphia, Democratic workers far outnumber Republican workers at the polls,by figures as high as 10 or 20 to 1, so it does not surprise me that people report being harassed by Democrats and not Republicans. In areas where there are far more Republican workers than Democratic workers, the Republicans do the harassing. Currently, those areas have more seats than the Democrats do.Voter intimidation is dumb as a political strategy, because it turns people off for good reason and encourages opposition votes. The more we are able to discourage it, the better off the political dialogue will be and the more confidence there will be in the political process. Both parties really ought to be small d democrats.
May 12, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249498#post249498
*
I carelessly overstated Swann's uniqueness as a candidate. He is the first professional football player to seek the Pennsylvania governorship. He is the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party for Governor. My good friend Dwight Evans was the first African-American to seriously seek a major party nomination for governor, coming in second place (with my support) to Mark Singel in 1994. In the course of the Evans gubernatorial campaign, I had numerous discussion with his top strategist, Paul Goldman, who had previously masterminded the successful campaign of Douglas Wilder for Governor of Virginia, about the impact of race in politics.I give Tom Ridge and Bob Jubelirer credit for developing the Swann candidacy. Swann may well be the only potential Republican candidate who has any chance at all of beating Rendell. But Rendell's three decades of work with the black community of Philadelphia--where two-thirds of Pennsylvania African-Americans live and many more come from--make Rendell the home team candidate there, and reinforce their natural inclination to vote for the Democratic party as the party by far the most supportive on issues of civil rights, economic opportunity, and social services to ameliorate social and ecoonomic problems.
April 9, 2006
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=3009#4517
*
The secret ballot guarantees that it is one's private opinion that counts. Open ballots are not truly free for those whose preferences defy the structures of power or friendship.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:kBq7s5CL1vUJ:www.search.com/reference/Secret_ballot+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=137
*
The question I am most concerned about is not whether Bush evaded the draft (of course he did), but whether Bush will be forcing millions of others to do likewise if he reinstates it. The picking of draft renewal advocate Zell Miller as keynote speaker, along with Miller's keynote praise of 1940 Republican Nominee Wendell Wilkie's support of a military draft, is not an encouraging sign for the future if Bush is re-elected.
September 10, 2004
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:uY8rBhn0sxQJ:www.ndnblog.org/cgi-bin/mt-comments.cgi%3Fentry_id%3D505+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=376
*
I believe that Allyson Schwartz will defeat Melissa Brown for Congress for a variety of reasons: qualifications, financial support, and the growing disenchantment with Bush and Bush Republicanism among moderate to conservative voters.
August 19, 2004
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=43650#post43650
*
Joe Lieberman's problem is that Democrats already have a candidate to vote for who supports the conduct of the war in Iraq: George Bush. Supporting Bush may help in getting a bill here or there out of committee in a Republican-controlled Senate, but it does not help in winning confidence from those who believe the Democratic Party should offer a clear alternative.
December 16, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:DNDl-hH1uBAJ:www.deanesmay.com/archives/005750.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=161
*
Nader has a right to run, this time betraying Greens as well as Democrats. But those who voters who really want real change should vote for the Democratic nominee. The Democratic Party is imperfect, but anyone who believe that Democratic compromises with political reality makes them no different from the Republicans is just plain wrong.
February 21, 2004
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:5QdzIFjnzCsJ:www.lt-smash.us/archives/002671.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=357
*
Either party can create more swing states by actively contesting them, or reduce the number of swing states by writing some off.
December 24, 2003
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:mPZPsn4__-oJ:www.swingstateproject.com/2003/11/presidential_pr.php+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=355
June 9, 2007
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=38333
*
Not voting is never a good idea, never a virtuous choice.To say that there is no difference between American political parties is a position that does not stand up under scrutiny.People who advocate that position should say what they are for, and look at the actual positions taken by elected officials in both parties. While there always will be people in Party A who agree with a position of a majority of Party B, it is rare that the vast majority of Party A agrees with the vast majority of Party A on issues of spending priorities, incidence of taxation, gun regulation, foreign policy, personal freedoms, etc.
October 1, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=336597#post336597
*
There is a lot of meanness in the national political dialogue, and that meanness is also present in phillyblog.Two legislators who won very narrow re-nomination victories in 2004--Bill Rieger and Marie Lederer--chose not to run again in 2006. Two new legislators--in all likelihood Tony Payton and Michael O'Brien--will be elected to succeed them. People contributing to this thread seem to be demanding that those who agree with their critics that they are be ready for retirement must face the voters and be defeated to prove that the political system is on the level. This is a strange and irrational standard.The Philadelphia political system--contrary to the cries of frustrated backers of Republican candidates or insurgent Democratic candidates--is not rigged. Elected officials go to countless meetings, return countless phone calls and emails, keep in touch with public desires, and achieve meaningful benefits for their constituencies. They win re-election--often unopposed--because active voters know what they have done and generally approve of their achievements.Certainly, primary election turnout is greater when there are more contested elections. There is little point in voting when there are few or no opposition candidates. But incumbents are far more threatened by low-turnout elections than high-turnout elections. The higher the turnout, the more the average citizen who is helped by an incumbent-- but is neither passionately for or passionately against the incumbent-- is likely to vote, and such votes tend to be disproportionately for the incumbent.Ed Rendell often has compared running against an incumbent to opening up a tailor shop competing with one already in existence. If people like the tailor they are going to, they will keep going there, unless the new tailor shop offers a compelling alternative. Few challengers really offer a compelling alternative to the incumbent.The Democratic Party--even in the minority--is increasingly dominating the issue agenda in Harrisburg. The Republican mantra of ever increasing tax cuts and putting ever more people in prison for ever longer periods of time is running thin as a staple of actually achieving public benefits. People are seeking genuine solutions to urgent public problems, and the Democratic Party and its candidates are likely to win more and more elections as a result.
July 2, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=275232#post275232
*
When I was student at the University of Pennsylvania in 1970, we massively increased student voting by working hard to register students. When the 18 old vote arrived in the fall of 1971, student voting skyrockected further because an organization was in place to take advantage of the change in law.Since then, student registration and voting atrophied over time, with an upsurge for the 2004 Presidential election. With a lot of effort, student voting can match or exceed the old totals and give students the voice in the direction of our country that they deserve. Students have every reason to be active voters, as they are going to be living with the governmental decisions that are made far longer than the average voter will.
June 28, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=273232#post273232
*
Ccontributions are an important form of public participation in politics. The stranglehold that special interests have on the legislative process in many subject areas--in Washington and all 50 state capitols--is due in large measure to the extraordinary difficulty of getting widespread participation in financing political campaigns. Part of the reason why individuals do not contribute is that they simply do not know how to.I have no illusions that listing the online contributions site of the House Democratic campaign committee or my campaign committee's mailing address is going to lead to a vast torrent of contributions. If a single person contributes $25, that would meet or exceed my expectations.But I think we all have to get over the squeamishness about asking for money or receiving solicitations for money. Ordinary people with political convictions who seek only the best interest of the community should be making their voices heard in the contribution process as well as online or in other forums. Otherwise, almost all the political contributions comes from special interests whose interests may be diametrically opposed to the interest of the vast majority of Americans.All too often, what we have now is a bizarre situation where the interests of a relative few are often treated by legislative bodies as extremely important, because of the money that is attached to them, while the interests of the overwhelming majority of the citizens are treated with indifference because they do not participate in the financing of campaigns. The financing of campaigns determines to a significant degree who is able to run for office in a credible way, who is able to rise to higher office, and what public policies are able to be pursued.Campaign contributions of over $50 must be publicly disclosed by the recipient committee under Pennsylvania law. Campaign contributions must come from individuals, unicorporated associations, partnerships, or political action committees--and not from any corporate entity: profit or non-profit, limited liabilty, or professional.Campaign contributions must be spent to advance the election of candidates. If a campaign solicitation was paid for, it must say who paid for it.Jerry Brown caused a mild commotion when he ran for President in 1992 and insisted on giving out his 800 number to make campaign contributions in public appearances including candidate debates. But now, even League of Women Voters sites often include information about contributions to candidates.I have absolutely no objection to anyone posting information about how to contribute to the House Republican Campaign Committee, or to any Republican candidate. I would caution modest expectations to anyone who makes such a post, but I believe that full participation by ordinary citizens in the political process is absolutely essential if it is to be improved.
June 25, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=271436#post271436
*
Nothing can so alienate a voter from the political system as backing a winning candidate.
Mark B. Cohen
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:fRKH2VLRb10J:www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mark_B._Cohen/+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
*
I think the difference between 2006 and 1994 is that people have gotten to know Santorum better. He is slick, he is personable; he is a better human being than his record would indicate. But his record and his wild statements create major obstacles for him. He has long tested the outer limits of acceptability for a Republican in Pennsylvania, and he has jumped off the cliff to please the right wing too many times. The maddening Democratic factionalism in Pennsylvania may yet elect him, but we have a good chance to defeat him precisely because he has made himself so well known.
July 31, 2005
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:ygKj5yekkzIJ:rowhouselogic.com/2005/07/+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=76
*
In election years, constituents choose their legislative officials. In redistricting years, legislative officials usually try to choose their future constituents.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:W1a0aEzCFKQJ:www.answers.com/topic/constituency+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=105
*
John Street got a significantly higher percentage of the white vote in 2003 than he did in 1999, enabling him to raise his victory margin from about 9,000 in 1999 to about 65,000 in 2003.In Philadelphia, the black percentage for a Democratic candidate is almost always over 90%. Without having the figures in front of me, it safe to say that Street did not match John Kerry in either percent of the black vote received or margin received in the black community. Kerry won Philadelphia by a staggering 400,000 votes.
June 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=265519#post265519
*
Because of methodological problems, I am not a big fan of candidates spending a lot of money on polling. A lot of the fluctuation of poll numbers is as inherent as the fluctuation of stock prices and stock price averages. For instance, without any money for a radio and television blitz, long-shot Ivan Itkin had a big surge at the end of the 1998 gubernatorial campaign as Democrats came home to him although they knew little about him.That being said, this year's gubernatorial contest is unique in that the Republicans have nominated the first African-American and the first professional football player ever to seek the Pennsylvania governorship. Democratic voters are more inclined to consider voting for Lynn Swann than they would be for a typical Republican candidate, and Republican voters are more inclined to consider not supporting Lynn Swann than they would be for a typical Republican candidate.My guess is that ultimately Rendell will win a landslide victory resembling or surpassing Governor Casey's 1990 landslide. His record on behalf of issues that concern Democrats who are willing to consider Swann is outstanding. Swann's lmiited public record gives him limited ability to hang on to potentially defecting Republicans.But, in the meantime, there are more soft supporters and undecided voters than we usually have, and this means that polls will continue to fluctuate more than they usually do.
April 9, 2006
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=3009#4513
*
The secret ballot guarantees that it is one's private opinion that counts. Open ballots are not truly free for those whose preferences defy the structures of power or friendship.
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:SisGTG0PwwYJ:www.absoluteastronomy.com/s/secret_ballot+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=181
*
What voter turnout is depends on many factors, of which polling place location is but one. An alternative explanation for New York's dramatically lower voter turnout that Philadelphia's is the presence of far more immigrants there. But the differences in voter turnout are so stark that I seriously doubt that there are enough immigrants to account for it.Philadelphia has fewer voters per polling place than do the vast number of localities in this Commonwealth. That is the Republican grievance. They look at the record high turnouts for Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ed Rendell, and John Kerry and they see the end of their dominance in U.S. Senate elections and the end of their dominance of the statewide courts and the end of their ability to win half of the gubernatorial elections.Pennsylvania Republicans are operating under the theory that Philadelphia's high voter turnout is caused by extremely convenient--by Republican locality standards--polling place locations. You might want to call up Republican House Majority Leader Sam Smith's office or Republican Senate Majority Leader Chip Brightbill's office and ask if they have any data relevant to this inquiry.Beyond published data, you might want to do some original research. I would bet you a steak dinner at any restaurant in Philadelphia that polling places outside of their home election divisions cast fewer votes on a percentage basis than polling places located within their home division. That is the testimony I have received from committee people and workers of both parties decade after decade during more than three decades of visiting polling places in my legislative district, and the numbers seem to bear it out.On Monday, newspapers will publish all polling places; you can look to find those polling places with multiple locations. The election commissioners can tell you which is the home division and what the total turnout is in each division as well as what the party registration is for each party. My guess is that you will find differences in turnout where there are locally contested offices, but a polling place in the 5th Ward located in its home division will have a higher turnout than a polling place in the 5th Ward of similar demographics not located in its home division. You can also make similar comparisons in the overwhelmingly black and nearby 14th Ward, for instance.
May 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249897#post249897
*
Friedman's statistic that New York has only one half the voting precincts of Philadelphia helps answer a question that I, as a native New Yorker, have occasionally wondered about: how come New York's voter turnout is so much lower on a percentage basis than is Philadelphia's?New York City Congress members traditionally win with far fewer votes than their counterparts in Philadelphia; New York's citywide vote totals are always higher than Philadelphia's, but no where near five times as large; they are sometimes not even twice as large.Of course, life goes on whether people vote in large numbers or not. But New York City schools get far less from the state of New York than do Philadelphia's schools from Pennsylvania on a per student basis. Although New York City has close to half the population of New York State while Philadelphia has only about an eighth of the population of Pennsylvania, there are other areas, such as at least some aspects of health care, where active New Yorkers see Philadelphia's funding as a model to be aspired to.In other words, voter turnout has something major to do with political power.Plans to reduce Philadelphia's percentage of the total statewide vote are something that Philadelphians should be concerned about. We do not have enough statewide power as it is: contributing factors towards Philadelphia's high crime rate are the state's stripping the city of the power to engage in various forms of gun regulation, and inadequate funding of mental health programs (a completely disproportionate number of prisoners have problems with mental illness.) Reducing Philadelphia's voting power by taking away a vote here and a vote there is an unnecessary long-range obstacle towards our city's comeback.
May 14, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249784#post249784
*
Many years ago, I had a campaign worker beaten up at a polling place in the 23rd Ward. That was absolutely outrageous, and fortunately that act has not been repeated against anyone else who has worked for me since. Back in 1968, Jim Tayoun, now publisher of The Public Record, launched a long tenure in public office when he was physically assualted early on election day by a prominent backer of his opponent.I think we have to itemize some kinds of threatening behavior, as well as make it clear that the threatening behavior is not limited to whatever we itemize.In my experience in Philadelphia, Democratic workers far outnumber Republican workers at the polls,by figures as high as 10 or 20 to 1, so it does not surprise me that people report being harassed by Democrats and not Republicans. In areas where there are far more Republican workers than Democratic workers, the Republicans do the harassing. Currently, those areas have more seats than the Democrats do.Voter intimidation is dumb as a political strategy, because it turns people off for good reason and encourages opposition votes. The more we are able to discourage it, the better off the political dialogue will be and the more confidence there will be in the political process. Both parties really ought to be small d democrats.
May 12, 2006
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=249498#post249498
*
I carelessly overstated Swann's uniqueness as a candidate. He is the first professional football player to seek the Pennsylvania governorship. He is the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party for Governor. My good friend Dwight Evans was the first African-American to seriously seek a major party nomination for governor, coming in second place (with my support) to Mark Singel in 1994. In the course of the Evans gubernatorial campaign, I had numerous discussion with his top strategist, Paul Goldman, who had previously masterminded the successful campaign of Douglas Wilder for Governor of Virginia, about the impact of race in politics.I give Tom Ridge and Bob Jubelirer credit for developing the Swann candidacy. Swann may well be the only potential Republican candidate who has any chance at all of beating Rendell. But Rendell's three decades of work with the black community of Philadelphia--where two-thirds of Pennsylvania African-Americans live and many more come from--make Rendell the home team candidate there, and reinforce their natural inclination to vote for the Democratic party as the party by far the most supportive on issues of civil rights, economic opportunity, and social services to ameliorate social and ecoonomic problems.
April 9, 2006
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=3009#4517
*
The secret ballot guarantees that it is one's private opinion that counts. Open ballots are not truly free for those whose preferences defy the structures of power or friendship.
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:kBq7s5CL1vUJ:www.search.com/reference/Secret_ballot+%22MARK+B+COHEN%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=137
*
The question I am most concerned about is not whether Bush evaded the draft (of course he did), but whether Bush will be forcing millions of others to do likewise if he reinstates it. The picking of draft renewal advocate Zell Miller as keynote speaker, along with Miller's keynote praise of 1940 Republican Nominee Wendell Wilkie's support of a military draft, is not an encouraging sign for the future if Bush is re-elected.
September 10, 2004
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:uY8rBhn0sxQJ:www.ndnblog.org/cgi-bin/mt-comments.cgi%3Fentry_id%3D505+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=376
*
I believe that Allyson Schwartz will defeat Melissa Brown for Congress for a variety of reasons: qualifications, financial support, and the growing disenchantment with Bush and Bush Republicanism among moderate to conservative voters.
August 19, 2004
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?p=43650#post43650
*
Joe Lieberman's problem is that Democrats already have a candidate to vote for who supports the conduct of the war in Iraq: George Bush. Supporting Bush may help in getting a bill here or there out of committee in a Republican-controlled Senate, but it does not help in winning confidence from those who believe the Democratic Party should offer a clear alternative.
December 16, 2003
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:DNDl-hH1uBAJ:www.deanesmay.com/archives/005750.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=161
*
Nader has a right to run, this time betraying Greens as well as Democrats. But those who voters who really want real change should vote for the Democratic nominee. The Democratic Party is imperfect, but anyone who believe that Democratic compromises with political reality makes them no different from the Republicans is just plain wrong.
February 21, 2004
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:5QdzIFjnzCsJ:www.lt-smash.us/archives/002671.html+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=357
*
Either party can create more swing states by actively contesting them, or reduce the number of swing states by writing some off.
December 24, 2003
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:mPZPsn4__-oJ:www.swingstateproject.com/2003/11/presidential_pr.php+%22mark+b+cohen%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=355
posted by Comment on Pennsylvania Legislation at 9:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home