Democratic National Convention

DENVER-The chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee lashed out at County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel today for comments he made during the Democratic convention here this week, calling them a "partisan rant" that necessitated his resignation from the county election board.

In an address to the state delegation Wednesday, reported by PolitickerPa.com, Hoeffel, a former Congressman, celebrated the county's new Democratic majority.

"We know, and the Republicans know, that Republicans will never again have a majority in Montgomery County," Hoeffel said.

County GOP chairman Bob Kerns called those comments "inappropriate for an elected official."

"These are not idle comments from an elected official, these are ominous remarks from the man who oversees elections in Montgomery County," Kerns said in a statement. "Voters of all parties should be leery of such bombast from someone who has an obligation to conduct fair and scandal-free elections. Hoeffel owes Montgomery County voters an apology for such reckless remarks."

In a brief phone interview this afternoon, Hoeffel waved off the criticism.

"I was speaking as an elected Democrat to the Democratic delegation of the convention," he said. "My comments were totally appropriate and not at all connected with my duties as chairman of the Montgomery County election board.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was hoping to attend U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) acceptance speech at the Democratic convention Thursday night.

But he had to leave Denver early when a city official accused his administration of having "a culture of deception and corruption," The Tribune-Review reported.

Though Ravenstahl has not commented, he reportedly spent Thursdy consulting with advisors.

DENVER--Gov. Ed Rendell praised U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech here in an interview Thursday night with Keystone Politics.

"I thought that Sen. Obama was just brilliant tonight," Rendell said. "He laid out his plans for this country, and I think their good sound plans that will help regenerate the middle class in this country, help restore the American dream, put people back on track and put our economy back on track.

"I think he'll make a great president," Rendell added. 

See the video fo the interview below:

Check back next week to view my Convention Sketchpads from the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

DENVER--In 18 years representing Philadelphia, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah has never been seriously challenged in his overwhelmingly Democratic 2nd Congressional District.

This year, with a young political activist who only recently entered the race opposing him, he sees no reason why things should be any different.

"I'm going to be spending every day campaigning for Barack Obama and Joe Biden," Fattah told PolitickerPa.com this morning after the state delegation breakfast. "I'm not going to be spending any time worrying about my own election," he added.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey: Getty Images PhotoDENVER--Tuesday was a special evening for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), as he delivered a speech at the Democratic convention 16 years after his late father, former Gov. Robert Casey, was denied a speaking slot at the party's 1992 convention because of his views on abortion.

This morning, Casey told PolitickerPa.com that the speech was a special moment for him.

"It's a great honor to speak at any convention under any circumstances, espcially in light of 1992," he said.

"I think no matter what the circumstance or the history, he would be proud," Casey added of his father.

DENVER--This week's Democratic convention here has sure been different for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter than previous ones he's attended.

"Basically, no one cared that I went," he told The Inquirer of past conventions.

But Nutter's political persona has been rising on the national stage, thanks in part to his popularity in Philadelphia and his fervent campaigning for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) before the Pennsylvania primary.

In a brief interview with PolitickerPa.com this morning, Nutter said he intended to use that new clout to help his city.

"The thing about political capital," he said, "it's value is not in just having it, but spending it. My job is to represent the city of Philadelphia ... and make sure that people are thinking of Philadelphia from a national and international perspective, more than they have in the past."

DENVER--With its swaths of blue-collar voters, Bucks County could prove to be the most challenging area in critical the Philadelphia suburbs for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) come November.

But John Cordisco, chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, told PolitickerPa.com this morning that recent polling shows Obama leading U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by a few points, and that Independent voters could push Obama over the top.

"I think we've seen a very strong trend .. that people are more apt to support the Democratic Party in these times, and that bodes well," Cordisco said. "People really want change."