Pa. Gov's Style Will Keep Him Off National Ticket

Outspoken Rendell calls 'em as he sees 'em
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2008 7:20 PM CDT
Pa. Gov's Style Will Keep Him Off National Ticket
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., has a word with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Ed Rendell's incredible bluntness and honesty are worth celebrating, but those same qualities make the Pennsylvania governor unacceptable as a Democratic vice presidential candidate, Buzz Bissinger writes in the New Republic. Pairing him with Barack Obama might be “a fascinating marriage of the idealist and the schmoozing fixer,” but Rendell’s style is way beyond the pale of national politics.

Bissinger catalogs a selection of the ex-Philadelphia mayor's unfiltered moments and observes, "Whatever the subject, Rendell is not shy about exposing uncomfortable truths." But "like many people, his greatest strength is also his greatest weakness." He won't make a national ticket, but still, Rendell is “the most refreshing politician in the country.” (More Ed Rendell stories.)

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