Between the Lines: Bobby O

This may become a mini-series on thoughts about the candidates. 

 

O'Connor's campaign has a major strategic flaw.  He is running the same campaign that he ran in 2001 and he is pretending he is running against the same man.  To some degree all of the candidates are running against Papa Murph, but Bobby O's efforts to ignore the other candidates are almost laughable.  With the handout 7 day pill dispensers and old style politicking, Bob's message is that he will bring different leadership.  It reminds me of when they brought Majors back to Pitt:  Back the Future.  At best, his campaign harkens to days gone by.

 

At worst, the campaign is sending a message of either laziness, incompetence, or worse.  What does it say about a campaign that places signs in yards that didn't want them, or gets them out ahead of the legal deadline?  "He'll cheat to win!"

 

The campaign's explanation, that they used their 2001 voter list only reinforces my first point - this is a man with a plan stuck in the past.  Even more, the explanation does not provide comfort for those who are concerned about how he would govern the city.  He claims that he would appoint the best and most professional managers for each post but he failed to do so on his own campaign?  Bob you make me cringe.

 

When cornered, he is also likely to throw out some grandiose promises.  I will reopen all of the pools and it won't cost us a dime.  We'll get someone else to pay for it.  Bob must have been drinking Les Ludwig's "alternative funding" kool-aid.™