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Some Northeast residents who have signs on their lawns expressing support for John McCain have received letters in the mail accusing them of being racists.
McCain, a white Republican senator from Arizona, faces Democrat Barack Obama, a biracial senator from Illinois.
The printed letter reads, in part, "You white racist that sign is offensive. You make sure you vote for Mr. Barack Obama. Get use to a black house in Washington."
The letter tells the residents to move if they think blacks make the city look bad and that anyone supporting McCain is "a loser, a racist and a sinner."
"Mr. Barack Obama is the man. It is our time our city our country. So just move racist. Anyway your vote does not count. Obama got it!"
The letters have included different messages and have also been sent to people who do not have McCain signs on their lawns, mostly in the Burholme and Fox Chase areas. They have been mailed to various areas, including the 7200 block of Lawndale Ave., the 500 block of Hoffnagle St., the 400 block of Friendship St., the 800 block of Stanwood St. and the 400 block of Princeton Ave.
"It’s somebody trying to stir the pot," said Jim Hartnett, who received one of the letters.
Agnes "Chuckie" Tilley, Republican leader of the 35th Ward, is among those who are collecting the letters and forwarding them to the police department, the district attorney’s office and the U.S. Postal Service.
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Tony Lake, who served as President Bill Clinton’s national security adviser from 1993-97, was impressed the first time he met Obama in 2002. At the time, Obama was a member of the Illinois State Senate.
Lake was wowed by Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Last year, when Obama asked Lake to serve on his foreign policy team, he gladly accepted.
"He’s very, very smart," Lake said last week during a campaign visit to Pennsylvania. "In my judgment, he would make great policy decisions."
Lake thinks so highly of Obama that he supported him over former first lady Hillary Clinton.
McCain’s years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam should be honored, Lake said, but he doesn’t think the Arizona senator’s 26 years in office make him more qualified than Obama, who took office in 2005.
"The issue isn’t past experience," he said.
Instead, he thinks Obama would be a strong negotiator with countries that have strained relations with the United States. While acknowledging that the troop surge in Iraq has worked — McCain supported the buildup, Obama opposed it — Lake believes the Democrat has the right plan for the future. That is, a responsible withdrawal from Iraq in 2010 and a greater focus on the war on terror in Afghanistan.
Lake noted that Obama is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and described him as level-headed and someone with the temperament to be commander in chief.
As for anyone questioning Obama’s youth (he’s 47), Lake noted that the Illinois senator is a year older than Bill Clinton was when he ran for president in 1992.
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Matt Taubenberger, the Republican candidate in the 170th Legislative District, is calling Democratic opponent Brendan Boyle "desperate" for asking the state attorney general’s office to investigate whether he is campaigning during work hours.
Taubenberger is a part-time director of constituent services for state Rep. George Kenney.
The Boyle campaign took pictures of Taubenberger campaigning on five days from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2. The pictures show the candidate carrying lawn signs and knocking on doors.
A letter to the attorney general notes that Taubenberger held a news conference outside Northeast High School, was interviewed for a political endorsement at Jeanes Hospital and visited a firehouse in Fox Chase to meet McCain — all on weekday mornings. It also accuses Taubenberger of using a telephone and copy machine in Kenney’s office for political activity.
Taubenberger denies all of the accusations. He said he used vacation time for the morning events and showed an employee leave report to prove it. He said his hours aren’t always the same because he attends morning meetings and civic meetings at night.
The candidate routinely ended his day at 3:30 p.m. after a seven-and-a-half-hour shift. He also produced a letter from the House of Representatives human resources director advising him that his hours had been decreased to 18.75 per week, as of Aug. 13.
Taubenberger said the accusations were "ludicrous," "absurd" and a "smoke screen."
"He’s trying to muddy this up," he said of Boyle.
Taubenberger said Boyle was trying to change the subject from discrepancies in campaign finance reports between him and City Councilman Bill Greenlee.
The councilman, an at-large Democrat, listed exact dollar amounts on his report for money he paid Boyle to produce television commercials for his 2007 re-election effort. Boyle’s report rounded off the figures.
Taubenberger said Boyle’s report included "numbers that just don’t add up."
"There is no way you can estimate a donation," he said.
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In other news from the campaign, Boyle has announced a policy proposal that will help senior citizens pay for prescription drugs.
Boyle wants the state to purchase prescription drugs in bulk, not paying retail price. He would use the savings to enroll more senior citizens in the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) and the Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) programs.
The candidate pointed to states such as Illinois that have implemented successful bulk-purchasing programs.
On a related note, Boyle will hold a free living-will seminar on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. at his campaign office at 14230 Bustleton Ave. An attorney will be present to help individuals complete the form.
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Boyle last week picked up the endorsements of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Pennsylvania Million Mom March Chapters.
"Brendan Boyle will fight to keep families safe," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign. "He is a committed advocate who will work hard to ensure that dangerous guns are kept out of the hands of dangerous people."
The Brady Campaign is urging the Pennsylvania legislature to pass a limit on the bulk purchase of handguns and enact a requirement that gun owners report their lost or stolen handguns.
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State Rep. John Perzel (R-172nd dist.) is not commenting on a pending lawsuit against him from a losing candidate in April’s Republican primary in a Cumberland County House race.
Lowell Gates, who finished a close second in a seven-way race, claims that Perzel coordinated a series of recorded phone messages to voters that contained false information about him. Gates had vowed during the campaign not to vote for Perzel if he tried to regain the speaker’s post.
Rich Costello, Perzel’s Democratic opponent, condemned the alleged actions.
"This is just another example of how John Perzel is using his office to accumulate personal wealth and power, not serve his constituents," he said. "This is only the latest evidence in a long list of Mr. Perzel’s abuses of power. The claims made by Mr. Gates exemplify a disturbing pattern of underhanded tactics used by former Speaker Perzel."
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The Republican Leadership Council has endorsed John Farley, the GOP candidate in the 5th Senatorial District.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, co-chairwoman of the group, praised Farley for "upholding the core Republican values of fiscal conservatism and less government interference in individuals’ lives."
"When elected, John Farley will fight to bring these fundamental beliefs to the Pennsylvania state Senate," she said.
Farley is calling for smaller government, lower taxes for businesses and senior citizens, more police on the streets and term limits for state legislators. He is challenging Democratic Sen. Mike Stack.
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Marina Kats, the Republican candidate in the 13th Congressional District, is challenging Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz to two town hall meeting-style debates.
Kats wants one debate in the Northeast and the other in Montgomery County.
"I think the people of the 13th district deserve a chance to hear their candidates on the issues without sound bites, thirty-second attack ads or mud-slinging," she said. "Wouldn’t it be a nice refreshing change if candidates could simply sit down together with the people and talk about the issues we all care about like this horrible economy, health care and their children’s education."
The Schwartz campaign responded with the following statement:
"There will be plenty of opportunities this election for voters to compare the record and experiences of Congresswoman Schwartz and Marina Kats. Right now, Congresswoman Schwartz is focused on turning around our economy and protecting taxpayers.
"There will be public forums and, at them, Congresswoman Schwartz looks forward to hearing why after eight years Marina Kats continues to support the failed economic policies of George Bush that have hurt middle-class families in Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County."
John McDermott, of the Constitution Party, is also on the ballot.
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Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election.
Voter registration forms are available at the Philadelphia County Board of Elections, at 520 N. Delaware Ave., fifth floor. The telephone number is 215-686-1591.
Forms can be downloaded at the Committee of Seventy’s Web site at www.seventy.org
The Committee of Seventy’s Web site also includes information on polling locations.
The organization is seeking Election Day volunteers. Call 215-557-3600, Ext. 109.
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Marvin Barrish’s political radio show on WNJC (1360 AM) has been changed to Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m.
This weekend’s guests will include state Sen. Shirley Kitchen (D-3rd dist.). She faces a re-election fight from Republican Robert S. Nix.
Nancy Doerr, of the 15th Police District Advisory Council, will talk about a gun give-back program that will take place on Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Frankford Group Ministry and the Tacony Baptist Church.
Also, Sharon McIntyre will discuss an Oct. 18 fund-raiser for the families of slain police officers Isabel Nazario and Patrick McDonald.
The call-in numbers are 1-856-227-1360 or 1-856-232-7077. The show can also be accessed by visiting wnjc1360.com and clicking "listen now."
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The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 21 recently held a fund-raising breakfast for Dan McCaffery, an East Torresdale resident who will run in next year’s Democratic primary for district attorney.
McCaffery has been endorsed by the Building and Construction Trades Council of Philadelphia and Vicinity. Its president, Pat Gillespie, was in attendance.
The candidate was introduced by Joe Ashdale, business representative for Glaziers Local 252.
"We know that Dan McCaffery is an advocate for working families and will bring that passion for justice and equality to the office of district attorney," he said.
McCaffery is a Father Judge High School graduate and a former member of the U.S. Army. He attended Temple Law School and was an assistant district attorney from 1991-96. He now works for the law firm of Friedman Schuman. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com