Rodham's of Scranton Could Help Obama Win Big in PA
Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 08:36:42 AM PDT
Hillary's Grandmother Hannah Jones Rodham of Scranton Could Help Obama Win Big in Pennsylvania, March 30, 2008
At a Barack Obama house party in Princeton a few weeks ago, I heard a great "Casey Democrats" and Hillary Rodham Clinton family story that I cannot forget!
The story teller hails from Scranton. He is a Democratic party activist, a life long friend of the Casey's, and a professor who lives in Princeton. "Maguire" told me in no uncertain terms and in so many words, Kathy Callahan, after all that you've been through with Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign...You must go back to Hillary's book, Living History and read about her grandmother Hannah Jones Rodham of Scranton.
Because that's where her "Control and Rule" issues got started and she says so in the book.
Maguire told me a seemingly never ending and sitting on the edge of your seat story...And the latest Living History chapter is being written and played out on the PA campaign trail, now. "What Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals and leaves out of Hannah Jones Rodham's story is very telling. You will get a birds eye view of what makes Hillary Rodham Clinton tick and insights into her unscripted and guarded self." Maguire, said.
So I sat down opened the book and read Hillary's own words, "Hannah Jones Rodham was a formidable woman who deeply influenced my life." The Rodham's of Scranton are almost as well known as Senator Robert Casey, JR and his father former Governor Casey. But for entirely different reasons. Democrats from Scranton affectionately call themselves "Casey Democrats". But Hannah Jones Rodham is known for being the eviction dominixrix of Scranton, PA. Her notorious legacy still lingers in the air like the stench of hot smoking black coal.
Hillary elaborates, "Hannah Rodham Jones insisted on using all three of her names. And she collected all the rents from the tenants in the houses she owned and she ruled everyone within her reach. My grandmother strikes me as a very determined woman whose energies and intelligence had little outlet, which led her to meddling in everyone else's business."
Maguire told me half laughing, "Hannah Jones Rodham had more than a few outlets for all her energy, Kathy! She single handedly threw hard working Irish Catholic coal miners and their families out of their homes onto the street. But HRC glazes over the entire Rodham eviction legacy in Living History. "My grandmother was formidable, hard headed and often gruff but when she laughed the sound came from deep inside and seemed to engage every part of her body. I inherited her laugh, the same big rolling guffaw that can turn heads in a room and send cats running from the room."
Cats? Cats! At one point, during the MSNBC debate I thought Brian Williams and Tim Russert were going to bolt from the stage if Hillary didn't stop laughing or should I say Guffawing and interrupting Brian Williams who looked exasperated everytime he said, "Hillary, we need to take a station break, now! Because that's what we do on tv!"
The Rodham, Casey, and Maguire past, present and future collide all at once on the PA campaign trail. Where Hillary will do and say anything to get the nomination and rule the convention. But first Hillary has to evict Barack Obama from the front runner position he occupies. Maguire could barely contain himself when he said, "Hannah Jones Rodham's no-holds-barred evictions left an indelible mark on Scranton and all the grand and great grandchildren of the evicted! We have not forgotten Hannah Jones Rodham."
To get a reaction, "I would announce to all the Republican Rodham's in Scranton that I intended to grow up and marry a Catholic Democrat... Now that was a fate they considered the worst I could meet... My father inherited every prejudice from Hannah Jones Rodham in our Protestant family: against Democrats, Catholics, Jews, Blacks and anyone else outside the tribe."
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a chip of the old "Hannah Jones Rodham" block...But aren't we all a chip off one old block or another? Maguire's story stirred up my own living history memories. My great grandfathers Peter Leddy from Cavan and Eddy Manion from Galway were both coal miners. Leddy was a Scranton coal miner in the Molly Maguire tradition and he moved to Jersey City shortly after the eviction.
The day before yesterday, Senator Robert Casey endorsed Barack Obama for president and together they embarked on a six day Obama bus tour around Pennsylvania. Senator Casey is rallying his very loyal base of poor, working poor, middle and upper class supporters, and a disproportionately large number of Irish Catholic voters to support Barack Obama. Senator Casey and front runner Obama warmly welcome and embrace everyone they meet on the street and invite them all to attend a rally, join the campaign and vote for Barack Obama for President! Now that's what it means to be a Casey Democrat.
March 7 First Story: A Tinderbox Waiting To Happen
http://bluejersey.com/...
On Mar 31 foger rox at bluejersey posted story updates http://www.democraticundergrou...
http://bluejersey.com/...
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