I’ve got a new recipe for you, although not for your oven.
It’s called Chicken Cherelle, and it’s for your political pot.
Cherelle Parker can’t hear calls for more debates. (Photo: CBS News)
The dish is named for Cherelle Parker, the entitled and privileged Democratic candidate for mayor, and while I normally shun words like “entitled” and “privileged,” in this case she has earned them. She owns them.
Because she has the privilege of a 7-1 registration edge, she feels entitled to the Mayor’s throne chair in Room 215, City Hall.
The last thing we need is another egomaniac as mayor. We see how the current one worked out.
We also don’t need someone who plays the race card, as Parker did during the primary campaign. She basically called Jeff Brown a racist, when the owner of ShopRite has been lauded for hiring minorities and ex-cons.
The 51-year-old Parker, in effect, declared herself the mayoral winner, and refused to debate the Republican candidate, David Oh, 62, who stands ready to debate any time, and anywhere. She finally got shamed into one lousy radio debate on KYW NewsRadio. That will be Oct. 26, very late in a campaign that will end on Nov. 7.
Her refusal to meet Oh on a TV stage is wrong in so many ways — especially since she took part in debates during the primary, because she wasn’t the front-runner then. She needed the exposure. Her hypocrisy simply reeks.
Even the Inquirer — which will endorse her unless I am very mistaken — has editorialized that Philadelphia voters are entitled to hear the candidates’ ideas side by side. Parker waves that off.
As previously reported, she already has begun a policy of castrating the press.
Her hubris mimics sh**heel Mayor Jim Kenney, who refused to debate Republican Billy Ciancaglini on the trumped-up charge that Billy C was connected to the Proud Boys. Proof? A photo taken during a street demonstration had Ciancaglini and some Proud Boys in the same frame.
The smear was deliberate and it was BS, and the Democrat-complacent Philadelphia media let him skate, rather than campaigning to shame Kenney into debates.
The vaunted Inquirer did print an op-ed (from a conservative journalist ) criticizing Kenney, but took no editorial position that I could find.
Is Parker that afraid of a 5-6 bespectacled Asian? How can we trust her to make the tough decisions as a mayor when Chicken Cherelle is too cowardly to face an under-funded opponent?
David Oh causes fear in his opponent? (Photo: CBS News)
With a 7-1 edge, how afraid can she be? How badly could she screw up a debate to actually lose the election?
I don’t know, maybe she’s afraid Oh will bring up her drunk driving conviction, which she tried to lie her way out of, and then lost on appeal.
Or maybe why she is backing the 76ers arena when the Chinatown neighbors are against it? Is she that much in the pocket of the unions? I am 110% pro-union, but that does not mean everything they want is justified. (She has not said a definitely “yes,” but her fudging leads me to conclude that’s where she is.) A former Councilman and a lawyer, Oh opposes the current plan. He has a reputation as a defender of many minority communities.
She also ducks the question of school vouchers, even though a majority of Black parents — and the school district is majority Black — prefer charter schools.
Or maybe she’s afraid she will be challenged on her “pro-cop” stance. On June 8, 2020, she was one of a group of Council members who sent a letter to Kenney saying “many of our most vulnerable citizens feel less safe, not more so, in the presence of police” and therefore wanted Kenney to cut planned increases to the police budget.
Oh opposes Parker’s ideas about “stop and frisk,” he complains that D.A. Larry Krasner does not enforce the law, and would restore cooperation with ICE to remove foreign felons.
While Parker has the reputation of being a control freak, she actually told NBC 10’s Lauren Mayk she did not want to discuss what she would do if elected.
What?
I guess she never heard of the “vision thing.” Oh will talk your arm off about his plans. You can see them at DavidOh.com
I give Parker credit for defeating Helen Gym in the primary, as I regarded Gym as the greatest threat to normalcy in Philadelphia since Larry Krasner, Jim Kenney and Carson Wentz.
I endorsed Parker in the primary as the most likely person to stop the Gym progressive steamroller in its tracks.
I did so even after Parker ignored several invitations from me to sit for an interview, as other candidates had done.
I ignored her disrespect then, when I endorsed her, as I ignore it now when I endorse David Oh, who is more of a reformer than a Republican.
After the election, Kenney said he had voted for Parker, not Gym. I don’t believe him because he and Gym are progressive soulmates. During the campaign, Kenney endorsed no candidate, and my sources say none of them wanted an endorsement from Mr. Damaged Goods. He is Midas in reverse — everything he touches turns to crap.
Some of the Leftist la-de-das are burbling that Philadelphia’s 100th mayor will be historic because she will be a Black female.
A male Asian would also be historic.
Gym would have been a catastrophe — and she was the Democrat that Oh could have beaten because Gym was so loathed by moderate Democrats.
Parker is posing as a moderate Democrat. A vote for her is a vote for the Democratic machine.
Democrats have controlled City Hall since 1952. After a burst of reform energy, the wheels began to fall off. We are now in a world of hurt — high crime, high poverty, low educational attainment, high drug deaths.
Even liberal (sane) Democrats admit one-party rule is bad for democracy.
It’s time for a change.
I’m so sorry Stu. I’ve had several interactions with David Oh, and found him to be smart and articulate. Hence, he will never be mayor of Philadelphia – other than not being a machine Democrat. But I sure do hope he gives her a run for her money. It is unfortunate that Philly is on the same slow downslide trajectory that it has been before we moved.
The refusal (or even reluctance) of candidates that perceive they have a large lead over their opponent(s) has been going on for a long, long time. Look at how a certain Republican presidential candidate has been refusing to join in the fun in their current nominating process. While I believe in debates, and I believe in choosing from candidates in a side by side format, I also understand that it’s just plain smart politics to avoid them. You can criticize her for that, as is your right, it’s what a smart pol would be expected to do.
It is smart politics but bad for democracy.
Many incumbents do skip the primary, but very few skip the general.
Stu, In Texas, the default for municipal elections is that they are non-partisan. In some municipalities, the only candidates who are relevant belong to the same major party. In Philly, it’s the Democratic Party. Nonetheless, every registered voter gets a say in both the primary and general elections. This means that the votes of those registered to minor parties (like Republicans in Philly) and those unaffiliated with any party (the fastest growing group of voters) count in the primary elections just as much as those of voters registered to the majority party.
Contrast that with PA. In Philly, only those registered in the Democratic Party get a say in the primary. Winning the primary is tantamount to winning the general election. This is hardly the democratic process we should aspire to.
Unfortunately, both major parties like the system just the way it is.
I think that David Oh could win easily , I’ve met him quite a few times. The problem is, Getting out the vote. Apathy is killing this city. If no one votes, the Dem’s win. Plain and simple. The Republican party really must make a dooor to door push to get the vote out, or it will be the same old same old. I do remember the Northeast divisions pushing it home at one time, but that now seems a longshot, or is it?
Despite its importance, this will be a low turnout election, which creates an opportunity for Oh. He needs to get ALL the Republicans and independents to turn out. Hard to do without a TV blitz. He also needs to convince moderate Dems to vote for him.
Stu, Oh’s problem is that in a one-party town, the only election that matters is the primary. It’s over. No, it’s not very (lower-case d) democratic, but it’s the system we’ve got.
It’s a bipartisan game. In my current jurisdiction which is heavily Republican, it’s every bit as undemocratic. And it rewards outliers like Gym and Krasner because all you need to win is a plurality in a primary contest where anyone who’s not registered as a D can’t vote. If candidates had to appeal to Philly’s large block of unaffiliated voters in the primary, Krasner would be toast.
The ONE Party town is Killing Philadelphia!
Our city needs a rejuvenating change from the run of the mill, bizarre Democratic party way, the in line party bosses, stultifying non-competitive union monopolies, intractably mediocre school board decade after decade, and the public schools contented to be rated a journey man’s 3 out of 10, and no school leader, Mayor or City Council has ever declared a mission to graduate 100% of our students, these are our students, Come Hell of High Water to be ready for the next step up in life; and whose solution to everything, everything, everything is to raise taxes, which has been City Hall’s way for far too long.
If you can find a brand new, creative, innovative, bright, problem solving Democrat, like the thousands of professionals we all know in Philadelphia who solve problems all day long, great, that is what we want and need, but where are they? (Well, lest we forget, there were three of those smart problem solvers in the primary, but as the world wobbles, none of the three won.)
We need the new, the tolerant, the smart, the collaborative, the creative, problem solver, fast learning, candidate on a mission, a rip roaring mission, to be our next mayor.
Is David Oh the one?
He certainly is not from any crusty party mold, nor from the also bizarre Republican mold either, not likely to say, trust me, I can fix anything by raising your taxes, and he is unique, smart, a breath of new fresh air and could very well be our hope for a rejuvenating change of attitude, a turning over a new leaf, which our dear old city needs, immediately.
I very rarely reply to other people who comment. In the recent primaries I believe there were two brand new, creative, innovative, bright, problem-solving Democrats who were not part of “the machine.” One received less than 13% of the votes and the other received less than 10%. Either or which would have been immeasurably better than the presumed next Mayor. As Ozzie Myers once said… “Money talks and B.S. walks.”
As usual, you nailed it. Ms. Parker’s attitude reeks of privilege and entitlement. And when I learned of her D.U.I., my rage turned against the “fluffy and cutie” local televised media that night after night, shows no interest (or journalistic integrity) of reporting on things that actually matter to the voters and residents of Philly. But they know and understand their audience well. Far too many Philadelphians have become comfortable with the status quo. And the political bosses running this town and their friends in the compliant “don’t rock the boat” media all know that. And sometimes even intelligent Philadelphians hold the blade of blind allegiance to party and ideology close to their own throats. In our social circle of older gay men, many are in this intelligent but compliant group. Earlier this year my husband and I were out to dinner with another couple who are way more left in their politics to our center position. This was before the primary and they were going to vote for Ms. Parker and we were making the case for Jeff Brown, Alan Domb and Ms. Rhynhart. Topic turned to crime and as a retired educator, I relayed what I had observed and experienced over a 25 year period as the school district abandoned consequence and punishment for malevolent deeds in favor of “support and intervention” and how that has likely contributed to the current dystopia. The older member of the couple yelled and lamented how far to the right I had gone and almost labeled me as a fascist and left the table. As of today, there have been at least two homicides over the past year in their neck of Queen Village and numerous car jackings. But these things “don’t exist” and they continue to brag about how they enjoy eating out nightly in the numeous restaurants throughout Center City. Cherelle Parker and gang know this city well and know how to hold onto power no matter how bad things become. The city is finally getting rid of its Oedipus but is probably going to get Clytemnestra.
I am not surprised your Leftist friend canceled you over opinions they didn’t like.
I have no dog in this hunt, but ducking debates is NEVER a good thing. I understand the politics of such a move, but she should be REQUIRED to allow debate so the people of Philadelphia can see each candidate up-close-and-personal and learn what they stand for and why. It’s the American way.
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