It sucks to be Ed Rendell

Gov. Ed Rendell woke up with a hangover today.

Primary Election Day 2007 did not go well for the governor, who many regard as political genius.

Not only did Act 1, Rendell's tax-relief scheme, go down in flames, but the candidates Rendell endorsed in the May 15 primary, lost their respective races.

Rendell backed C. Darnell Jones for a Democratic nomination to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Jones came in a distant third with just 18 percent of the vote.

Rendell also backed state Rep. Dwight Evans for mayor of Philadelphia. Evans came in a distant fifth with just 8 percent of the vote.

Just more chinks in the armor of the once invincible governor. Good thing the Pennsylvania Constitution doesn't allow recall elections.

Back to Act 1, which was rejected by an overwhelming majority of voters. (The state reports that only 4 districts approved Act 1. A trade group for the state's school boards believes 9 districts approved it.)

Rendell, through his spokesman, hinted that voters were too stupid to understand that voting to raise their taxes was a good thing.

"The governor believes that voters ought to have local control over the mix of taxes that support their schools," Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo told the Associated Press. "The dollar-for-dollar exchange (under the tax shifts) was straightforward. Unfortunately, the interpretation, by the time it got to the voters, seemed to be much more complicated."

Rendell also attempted to blame Republican leaders in the Legislature for forcing him to sign Act 1 into law.

Excuse me?

Here's what Rendell said on June 27, 2006, when he went to an elderly woman's house (see photo above) to sign Act 1:

"This day is a major victory for Pennsylvanians who have fought for decades to have their property taxes cut. Every homeowner in Pennsylvania will not only get significant reduction, but they will finally get a say in future tax increases. This bill represents a victory of the possible over politics-as-usual."

That doesn't sound like anybody was twisting Rendell's arm to get him to sign Act 1, which he proclaimed as a historic tax cut for all Pennsylvanians.

Here's my interpretation of why Act 1 sank faster than the Titanic. Voters are not as stupid as Rendell thinks they are.

Pennsylvania residents want the elimination of all property taxes used to fund public education. Rendell gave them a shell game that increased taxes for two-thirds of Pennsylvania residents in return for a promise of a few hundred dollars back down the road.

The only proposal that has a chance of eliminating property taxes is the Commonwealth Caucus Plan, also known as the Plan for Pennsylvania's Future.

Voters have finally figured out Rendell and his empty promises. Unfortunately, that moment of realization came six months after Rendell was re-elected to another four years as governor.