Meanwhile, Trump claims PA election will be ‘rigged’
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
In a week that we should be celebrating the legacy of a Chester County legend — James C. Kennedy, the long-time Mayor of South Coatesville who passed away Thursday at the age of 99 — we are forced to deal with the specter of a presidential candidate who claims the commonwealth’s elections are likely to be rigged.
And while it might be tempting to give in and speak to the pathetic and misguided first, it seems entirely more fitting to talk about the life and legacy of Mayor Kennedy — one of the most impressive individuals I have ever met in more than 30 years as a journalist.
As a young man, he became politically involved after concerns a friend of his would be lynched in 1938 at the Coatesville jail (allegedly for daring to kiss a white girl, so the story goes), he went on to help found the NCAAP of Coatesville and then served as the first African-American on the Coatesville Area School District Board of Education, ultimately becoming board president. He served five terms as Mayor of South Coatesville and touched countless lives, always seeking to guide and share his deep wisdom with younger would-be leaders.
I spent a lot of time speaking with folks the last couple of days — and the stories all seem to take the same shape and feel: a man with warmth, humor and passion about public service. Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell’s was along those lines.
At the time when Kennedy was America’s oldest Mayor, Maxwell became one of the youngest in the country. Maxwell tells a story about when he first met Kennedy and how the veteran elected official took time out to tell his story, offer guidance and, as usual, light up the room with his charm and humor.
I was lucky enough to have a few brief, yet memorable encounters with Mayor Kennedy during my days in politics. Then in his early 90s, he had the energy and passion of a much younger man, was exceptionally gracious and supportive of my political efforts, even when they were less than spectacular.
In this time of cynical anger and mistrust, its easy to write off all elected officials and public servants as “corrupt” or “self-serving.”
Mayor Kennedy was proof that there are people who care, who fight daily for the average folks, who make a direct impact on who we are as a people. If today’s young people want to look for inspiration on how to make things better, they need look no further than the legacy of James C. Kennedy.
It is because of the work of Kennedy and and folks as dedicated as he was that African-Americans have a true voice in Chester County, a wide range of elected officials in both parties and no longer have to face the overt racism so common here throughout much of the 20th Century.
We all live in a better Chester County because of his impact and he will be missed.
* * *
And then there’s Donald J. Trump.
The GOP presidential nominee — he of the plummeting poll numbers, reckless comments and mind-bogglingly poor organization — claimed Friday that he would win Pennsylvania unless he is “cheated” out of the win.
Let us consider the facts on the ground:
1. Current polling has Trump down anywhere between 6 and 15 points in Pennsylvania, with an average deficit of 10 points. Trump’s falling poll numbers also appear to be hurting down ballot candidates, such as U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, who now finds himself tied or trailing in most polls against Democrat Katie McGinty.
2. Democrats have won Pennsylvania in every presidential election since 1988. Statewide candidates continue to fare well, including last year – a year when typical Democratic turnout is weakest, yet Democrats swept the Supreme Court judicial races.
3. Trump’s state organization is virtually nonexistent, instead depending on local and state party assets, as opposed to an already deeply staffed and visible campaign effort by Democrat Hillary Clinton. There is a full Clinton infrastructure for everything from voter outreach to media relations. Trump does not appear to have that.
Those three facts alone would suggest that Trump stands little chance of winning Pennsylvania — frankly, among the GOP contenders, only Ohio Gov. John Kasich might have run well enough to carry the commonwealth in a general election — and should at this point be more concerned about keeping it from being a blow out, if only to protect down-ballot candidates, maintain campaign morale and keep campaign contributions flowing.
Instead, Trump is continuing his argument that the election will be rigged — hinting none-too-subtly, that it is minority areas in Pennsylvania that will conspire to “steal” the election from him.
Aside from being pathetic and childish, if there is any indication of “cheating” — it appears that it would be coming from the Trump campaign itself.
On Trump’s Website, he seeks “election observers” to volunteer to “monitor” certain polling locations to challenge whether specific voters are eligible to vote. Such voter intimidation tactics are illegal under the Voting Rights Act and a specific consent decree the national Republican Party agreed to a generation ago.
The GOP nominee appears to be violating the spirit, if not the actual law, of a consent decree that the Republican National Committee agreed to in 1982 (and the U.S. Supreme Court just upheld) outlawing such efforts.
Attacking the integrity of our elections — and then taking action to subvert same — is flat out unacceptable.
So, I have to ask: will Chester County Republicans condone this behavior? Will we see “election monitors” in West Chester’s Ward 2E, or in Coatesville, Valley or at Lincoln University on Nov. 8?
It’s a question that needs to be asked and answered.
