Rendell tells Occupy Philly protesters to go home and start voting

Some morsels from political junkies to the rest of us …

I’m sure you don’t have the patience to watch every Republican presidential debate, so here’s a couple of takes from those who do.

Maggie Haberman of Politico.com has six takeaways from last night’s exchange—including the observation that Newt Gingrich is now reduced to saying Democratic congressional leaders should face criminal charges for their work on financial reform.

And John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News has some musings, including the notion that plain-talking pizza magnate Herman Cain could end up being Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential running mate:

“I know Romney/Cain sounds like something you’d rub into sore joints, but it might just be the prescription Republicans are looking for.”

Political writers love lists, and Politico has given us the Ten Key Bellwether House Races for 2012—those which will tell us whether Democrats have a shot at re-taking the chamber, or if Republicans will strenghten their hold.

Among the 10 key races is Pennsylvania’s Eight Congressional, the Bucks county seat that Republican Mike Fitzpatrick and Democrat Patrick Murphy have been battling over since Warren Harding was president.

I wonder if Politico has this right. Fitzpatrick is well-known and has a history as a local official in the district, and it won’t be competitive if the Democrats don’t field a strong candidate.

It won’t be Murphy, who’s committed himself to running for state Attorney General (a launching pad to run for governor if gets it), and it looks like he isn’t turning back. He just announced he’s raised $1 million toward that effort.

And finally, we have former Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell sounding off about the Occupy Philly protestors to conservative radio talker Laura Ingraham.

Rendell says the idea that the occupiers might stay until December is “silly,” and he gives them some advice: “Now get on with your lives, and if you really care about this stuff, organize at the ballot box.”

Like who? “The tea party folks understood how to make change in 2010. They got out and voted.” There’s more. Listen here.