Source:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6932966.htm"During Street's term as mayor, his personality has become a recurring issue. Street, according to his critics, has alienated potential allies on Council, slowing approval of his anti-blight program among other things. His disregard of legislative leaders in Harrisburg makes it tougher for the city to advance its agenda there, and may have contributed to state takeovers of the Parking Authority and Convention Center.
But, like so much else in Philadelphia, perceptions of Street's personality are refracted through the prism of race.
Just 25 percent of white voters in the recent CBS poll held a favorable view of the mayor, but 76 percent of African American respondents viewed him positively.
"The level of racially polarized voting is nowhere as high as it is in Philadelphia," said David Bositis, a scholar with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, an urban affairs think-tank in Washington."
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Source:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6912164.htm"OVERCOMING campaign stumbles and a weak approval rating, Mayor Street leads rival Sam Katz by 8 percentage points among likely voters, according to the Daily News/Fox Philadelphia Keystone Poll.
The poll found Democrat Street with 42 percent, Republican Katz with 34 percent, Socialist Workers candidate John Staggs with 2 percent, and 21 percent undecided in this year's mayoral race.
snip
The new poll shows Street with more crossover racial appeal than Katz, winning 19 percent of the white vote, while Katz gets only 9 percent of the African-American vote.
snip
The poll shows Street getting higher marks for his job performance in almost every category - including crime-fighting, improving neighborhoods and improving the city's image - than he showed in the March Keystone poll. But still fewer than half the voters surveyed - 42 percent - said he deserves re-election.
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Source:
http://www.northeasttimes.com/index.htmlIs the City of Brotherly Love a hotbed of racism? Ladies and gentlemen of Philadelphia, it just may be.
When the administration of an inept black mayor (Wilson Goode) allows members of a radical back-to-nature group (MOVE) to repeatedly thumb their noses at the law, and then, after his administration drops a bomb on the block and destroys an entire neighborhood, including 11 human beings (yes, even MOVE members are human beings), that same mayor gets re-elected largely because the city’s black voters voted black, yes, Philadelphia is racist.
But is Philadelphia’s Republican Party racist? Only if you’re Mayor John Street and you need political hay in a tough re-election battle with Sam Katz.
The mayor is in a tizzy over the GOP’s recent mailing urging voters to “Take Back Philly” by electing Mr. Katz on Nov. 4. Mr. Street says the mailing injects race into the campaign and goes too far.
How does it do that, Mr. Mayor?
The phrase “Take Back Philly” contains not a single shred of racism.
And even if it does contain a subliminal racist message (only Dr. Sigmund Freud could say for sure), it’s not nearly as racist as your infamous declaration to the NAACP last year: “Let me tell you, the brothers and sisters are running the city. Oh, yes. The brothers and sisters are running this city. Running it! Don’t you let nobody fool you, we are in charge of the City of Brotherly Love. We are in charge! We are in charge!”
Mr. Mayor, tell us how you really feel.
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Street's numbers are horrible here. The big problems that I see is that he has alienated white voters in the NE and South parts of the city.
They do not like the man. They bristled when he said "the bruthas and the sistas are in charge". The editoril I enclosed above shows the level of antipathy that many voters in NE Philadelphia have toward him. They are motivated to vote him out.
The editorial above does make an interesting parallel. In 1983 W Wilson Goode eked out a win against Frank Rizzo, the last time the race was really close. Race played a role in that election. For some reason race flares in Philadelphia like a roaring flame.
This is better than the poll that had Katz ahead by 6 points and suggests that the two are running evenly. The problem for Street is that people simply don't like him. The City is in better shape but he has alienated a lot of people in the city. And that is going to be a problem.
Ultimately it will come down to who gets their people out. I think that if Katz is going to win it will be this year. I had originally thought that Katz had an edge, but it seems like Street has recovered somewhat.
Philadelphia is 4-1 Democratic. If anything that will save Street, but if he does win, I predict a win of around 1,000 to 10,000 votes. However, right now, part of me thinks that Katz will win. It's just too hazy right now, although Street's negative make me want to say Katz will eke out a win even though I still feel conflicted.
If the race turns on whether Phialdelphia is a better place then Street wins. If the race turns on whether people like Street or not Katz wins.
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