Ooh, Sam Katz is getting testy: In his latest post on his blog for Philadephia magazine, he rates the candidates. And he flunks them.
Well, first he gives them a B+ on defining themselves. But on definining your opponent -- which he calls the second task of a candidate -- he flunks them all. "No one seems to want to touch Knox," he says (this post was dated Friday, before things got ever so slightly more testy). And on defining the issues of the race -- the third task -- he flunks them again.
It's a good post, but I have one quibble. Katz becomes the latest pundit to put forward the idea that this race is boring Philadelphia because it's not smashmouth enough. In fact, he puts the words in our mouths: "the press has made its view clear: We’re bored as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!"
Um, ohhhkay. I realize I am far from objective here, but I would like to put forth the radical notion that it's actually OK to have a Philadephia election without blatant highway robbery.
Besides, we all know things are about to get weird.
I think this comment -- and I've heard ones like it before before -- actually means that political insiders are bored. They like the sideshow. Don't worry, hired guns of the city, and patrons thereof -- you'll get your thrills soon enough, I am sure.