Did anyone see Gov. Ed Rendell on "Inside Politics" today?

[Penndems]

He was just terrific! :)

Here's a transcript of Judy Woodruff's interview with him:
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WOODRUFF: Senator John Kerry is focusing on Pennsylvania today as he pushes his health care plan. The state, with 21 electoral votes, is one of the battlegrounds where the race for the White House is expected to be decided. Pennsylvania went with Al Gore in the 2000 election, but just barely, with Gore beating President Bush by just five percentage points.

With me now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell.

Governor, so where does Pennsylvania stand right now? The polls have Kerry-Bush neck and neck. What do you think?

GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, I think that if the election were held today, John Kerry would win based on two factors. I think Democratic turnout is going to be much higher than usual, number one. And number two, I think Ralph Nader's percentage come Elections Day is going to go way down.

WOODRUFF: Well, he's got, what, 5 percent of the polls right now? Which is a big chunk.

RENDELL: Right. Not a chance. He didn't come close to that in Pennsylvania four years ago, and he won't come close to that again.

WOODRUFF: Governor, President Bush has been to Pennsylvania, what is it, something like 27 times since he was inaugurated?

RENDELL: I think he's broken the 30 mark, Judy. He's broken the 30 mark.

WOODRUFF: Are you sure he's not going to be able to win your state over into the Republican column?

RENDELL: Well, look, the president has been here and so have his cabinet members. And to be honest, we've enjoyed having his cabinet members come here because they usually bring a check with them. But nothing is in the bag. And this is as fluid an election as I have ever seen.

But if you look at 2000, you look at the Gore votes in Pennsylvania, it's hard to see where John Kerry is going to get less votes than Al Gore, where the margin is going to be much reduced. John Kerry's war record and his ties with veterans are going to work very well in southwestern Pennsylvania, which has been a traditional Democratic area. But, as you know, President Bush did very well in 2000.

I think Kerry's going to do better than Al Gore there. And in the southeast, remember President Bush ran as a compassionate conservative who was not going to crack down on the social values that a lot of moderate Republicans in the southeast care about.

I think any veneer that there's a compassion behind the conservatism is pretty much gone. So I think John Kerry is going to outstrip Al Gore even in the southeast.

WOODRUFF: You mean -- oh, I see what you mean. Governor, you talk to Democrats all over the country on a regular basis. You know there's talk, questions right now about why Senator Kerry isn't doing better against President Bush in the public opinion polls, when the president has been through such a difficult time with events in Iraq, the 9/11 Commission, and so forth.

How well is Senator Kerry doing?

RENDELL: Well, I think under the circumstances he's doing very well, Judy. What has produced this close race and the tightening of the race is $60 million of negative commercials. It is always what our biggest worry was, that post our primaries, the Bush campaign would use its incredible accumulated campaign war chest to try to define our candidate. And that's gone on to the tune of $60 million.

WOODRUFF: But isn't he handicapped, though, by having a very similar position on the war to President Bush's position?

RENDELL: Not really. People who are against the war are going to vote for John Kerry. People who think the administration -- who might have been for the war initially, like I was. I believe we should have gone to war to rid the world of a terrible tyrant. But people who were for the war originally are so turned off by the administration's handling of the post end of hostility events that they're going to vote for John Kerry.

WOODRUFF: Spoken optimistically by the governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell. Governor, good to see you.

RENDELL: Thanks, Judy.

WOODRUFF: Thanks very much. We appreciate it.

[PDittie]

1. He's solid

Any chance he runs for Senate against Man on Dog Santorum?

[Penndems]

2. Not that I've heard

Barbara Hafer, who's currently the Treasurer of Pennsylvania, is planning a run against Sanitarium. She switched to the Democratic Party shortly before Ed Rendell was elected Governor.