Steve Rodich – 2/12/06

This page was last updated on February 12, 2006.

Swann lacks experience; Steve Rodich; Beaver County Times; February 12, 2006.

This is the second letter from a Democrat criticizing Lynn Swann for lack of government experience. The bottom line is, Lynn Swann’s popularity scares Democrats.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Did you notice during all the Steelers’ festivities, including the victory parade and program, how much exposure was given to Lynn Swan [sic]? Could it be because he is running for governor of Pennsylvania?

“I love the Steelers and have tremendous respect and admiration for Lynn Swan [sic] and his accomplishments on the football field. He is justifiably enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

[RWC] Mr. Rodich has so much “respect and admiration for Lynn Swan [sic]” that he can’t even spell his name correctly.

“He did not get there based on a desire or wish. He is there because of his experience and years of hard work. He played football for three years in high school, four years at University of Southern California and nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“He played on six AFC Championship teams and four Super Bowl teams. He was an All-Pro three times, scored 51 touchdowns with 5,462 total yards. He earned his place in Canton.

“What experience does he have relative to the governorship? Has he ever served as a local, county, state or federal elected official? Has he served on any community or state commissions or boards?

“The answer is ‘no.’ His experience on the football field has no correlation to government.

“What does this say about the Republican Party officials who have endorsed Swan [sic] -with zero governmental experience - instead of Bill Scranton, a proven individual who served as lieutenant governor for eight years?”

[RWC] I can guarantee this is the only context in which Mr. Rodich would refer to Bill Scranton as “a proven individual who served as lieutenant governor for eight years.”

“Is it about selecting the best person for the job? No, it is about selecting the best person to defeat the Democratic incumbent.

“So much for the concern for good government.”

[RWC] Does Mr. Rodich expect us to believe Democrats really believed Ed Rendell – former Democrat Party national chairman – was “the best person for the job?” Unfortunately, for every party, the guy who can beat the other party’s candidate will always win out over the guy who could govern best if they are not the same person.

“Republicans have had control of the state House of Representatives and the Senate for years. They also had the governorship for eight years prior to Rendell and look at the mess this state is in.”

[RWC] No argument from me on this point, but Democrats have done no better. At least Republicans have made some attempts – albeit minor – to reduce some business taxes. Overall, though, the results from PA Republicans differ little from those of PA Democrats.

“Now, they want to elect Lynn Swan [sic] as governor? Give me a break.”

[RWC] I don’t give much credit to the “no experience in government” BS. If we were to take it seriously, though, the experience would have to be relevant. That is, to run for governor you would need experience in an executive government position, like a mayor, county executive, et cetera.

Did Mr. Rodich oppose John Kerry for president? After all, Mr. Kerry had no government experience in an executive position. What about JFK when he became president? What about FDR before he became governor of New York? The same is true for Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and former PA governor Bob Casey. None of these men had executive government experience before they took over as governor or president for the first time.

As I noted above, I believe Mr. Rodich’s only real concern is Mr. Swann’s popularity.