Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell commented after the Drexel Debates in Philadelphia on October 30, 2007 that MSNBC/NBC and the two hosts Tim Russert and Brian Williams wasted our time and we still don't know where anyone stands on issues.
He thinks that everyone tuned out of the debate after the first thirty minutes when Hillary Clinton was being attacked. 'If anyone was watching this debate in the last half hour I'd be really surprised'
He says this was a 'Gotcha Debate' and 80 percent of the questions went to either Hillary Clinton and the other two candidates.
From Wikipedia:
2008 Presidential election
Rendell's political savvy and problem-solving abilities along with an easy-going personality and speaking style put him on the long list of possible future Presidential candidates. However, he recently said that he is 'not really' interested in running for either President or Vice President in 2008 [9]. 'I like to be my own boss,' said Rendell. [10]On February 25, 2007, Rendell appeared on Fox News Sunday and dismissed any speculation that he might run for the presidency or the vice presidency and outright denied any wish to be the vice-presidential running mate of the eventual Democratic nominee. Nevertheless, he is drawing considerable attention. His service as district attorney and Mayor demonstrated a law enforcement focus that could be a positive campaign asset, as could his military service. On MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews has repeatedly compared former New York City mayor and current 2008 Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's overtly successful mayoral tenure in NYC to Rendell's largely successful run as Philadelphia's mayor. Both Giuliani and Rendell have previously been dubbed 'America's Mayor.'
In early 2005, Rendell made statements that seemed to support President George W. Bush's Social Security privatization proposal. Rendell addressed this issue in later speeches, saying that he opposes social security privatization, and that his previous comments were meant to show admiration for President Bush for taking on a politically risky subject. Nevertheless, Rendell's initial statements have cost him support among Democrats who are against Social Security privatization.
Governor Rendell is a close friend of former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, leading some to speculate that he may not run since Senator Clinton is in the race for President. He has also been suggested as a possible Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in a future Democratic administration, and has hinted that he would be amenable to appointment as Secretary of Transportation.
On August 30, 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that while Hillary Clinton and other high-profile Democratic politicians were returning contributions from tainted political fundraiser Norman Hsu, Rendell said he intended to keep the $40,000 he had received from Hsu's fund-raising network. The newspaper also noted that last year Hsu hosted a 10-course dinner for Rendell at Per Se in New York City, where meals cost $250 per person.
Ed Rendell announced that his re-election campaign in 2006 would be the last one of his career.
