Category: Mon Valley Miscellany, Pointless Digressions, Politics || By

Yesterday, Alert Reader Glenn was worried that filming post-apocalyptic movies like "The Road" in the city will give people a bad impression. Alert Reader R.M. has the solution:

I would simply tell anyone who comments that Huey Street isn't really in McKeesport. It's in Greater Allegheny. After all, PR must always be the primary consideration.

PR is always my primary consideration, at least during the day.

If it isn't, my boss will fire me, and I'll have to go back to Kennywood and wipe bird droppings off of trash cans again, and I don't think I can still fit into my uniform.

. . .

Speaking of Kennywood: Daily News ironman Pat Cloonan is reporting that the sale of Kennywood to a Spanish company isn't a done deal. Some of the Henninger and McSwigan heirs are balking:

"I'd rather it continue in the family," said Jean McCague, whose father, Andrew B. McSwigan --- son of Andrew S. McSwigan --- was Kennywood's president for nearly 40 years, until 1963.

"I am very much opposed to the sale," Andrew S. McSwigan's granddaughter Kay Matthews said. "It's just kind of getting rammed down people's throats."

It's probably not enough to stall the sale, but it's interesting. More in tonight's paper.

. . .

And Speaking of Penn State Greater Allegheny: U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle came to speak at Penn State's Metropolitan White Oak campus and said that although he's a Democratic Party superdelegate, he's not made up his mind which candidate he's supporting.

But the student body has made its choice, according to a Penn State press release:

In a mock primary conducted on March 3-4, the clear winner was Barack Obama, one of the contenders for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Senator Obama received 47 votes, followed by Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, tied at 21. The remaining votes went to Governor Mike Huckabee (8) and Ralph Nader (6), plus 4 for a local student.

The mock ballot required students to choose among Clinton, Huckabee, McCain, and Obama, and thus was not conducted as the Pennsylvania primary will be in April, with voters only able to vote for candidates from the party in which they are registered.

Personally, I want to know more about the local student that pulled four votes. That's more than Ron Paul is likely to get in McKeesport.

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Teamster, Warthog, Moleman: Is Chad Hermann of Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman supporting Barack Obama? I can never tell.

(Me, sarcastic? Naw.)

Last week, Bram Reichbaum of The Pittsburgh Comet called Hermann out about his complaints over the media coverage Obama has received.

"1. Less posts about media bias," Reichbaum wrote. "2. Less posts making fun of Obama for being well-liked. 3. More posts about why it is exactly you prefer Clinton to Obama."

Hermann responded with a comment on Reichbaum's blog that basically called Americans stupid (the "not-quite-as-bright-as-you-think nation") and by reprinting an effusive email of praise that he'd received.

I actually appreciate the fact that Hermann is willing to take time to peer behind the carefully constructed facade of the Obama campaign and point out when the man who would be emperor isn't wearing any clothes.

It's just that I sometimes get this uncomfortable vision of Prof. Hermann clad in whaling garb, stalking the decks of a enormous wooden sailing ship that's propelled across the stormy seas entirely by his own hot air.

But that's just me. I could be wrong.

. . .

Self-Indulgence Apology: The preceding item was of interest to about five people. Sorry. I had to vent some of my own hot air.

. . .

Obama-Rama: Hey, Bram, likability isn't everything in a president. After all, Nixon and Hoover weren't likable, and they turned out fine, didn't they?

Also, it's true that Obama speaks mostly in platitudes ... unlike other politicians, who speak only in well-constructed, logical, hard-hitting policy statements.

You remember Kennedy's stirring speech at the Berlin Wall entitled, "Soviet Containment in a Post-Nuclear Construct," which came with 14 pages of footnotes and a 30-minute slide presentation that brought Germans to their feet, cheering.

And then there was FDR's brilliant line in his first inaugural address, "The only thing we have to fear is failure to properly insure all commercial bank deposits and insufficient oversight of commodities trading."

. . .

Glenshire Woods: Closer to home, Mayor Brewster is prepared to personally lobby the Canadian owners of the Glenshire Woods Personal Care Home to keep the facility open, according to the Daily News.

The Post-Gazette says the parent company wants to close the senior care center, located just off O'neil Boulevard near Renzie Park, because of rising costs and to avoid costly capital improvements that are necessary.

With the demographics of the Mon-Yough area trending toward "dead," it's hard to fathom that a personal care home could be unprofitable. I wonder why they didn't try to sell the facility.