Stephen Morse | Pennsylvania politics 101
Déjà Vu on Locust Walk: Why Pennsylvania Politics Feels Like a Rerun
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Guest Column | A Penn student’s guide to déjà vu
By Stephen Morse
58 minutes ago
Bob Casey speaks at a rally sponsored by Penn Dems and Drexel Democrats on Nov. 1, 2006.
Greetings, Quakers! Ever feel like you’re stuck in a time loop, rewatching the same episode of “Pennsylvania Politics: The Never-Ending Saga?” Well, you’re not alone. As a former columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian, an editor of 34th street, and a proud Penn alumnus (2007) who made his first documentary while dodging Locust Walk flyers, I can tell you — some things just don’t change.
Back in my post-dorm-room days, I channeled my procrastination into making a documentary called “Ain’t easy Being Green.” It all started with an unforgettable moment during the 2006 United States Senate race.As a Penn junior and budding journalist, I interviewed Bob Casey, who was then running for Senate.I was allowed to ask three questions. My first was,“How has the Green Party candidate affected this race?” He refused to answer,abruptly walked out and,in doing so,unknowingly set the wheels in motion for my first documentary.
The film explored the efforts to keep Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli off the ballot, revealing the gritty realities of Pennsylvania’s two-party system. Spoiler alert: Romanelli didn’t make it to the ballot.Why? As Casey, then a rising star in the Democratic Party, orchestrated legal challenges to silence an alternative voice.