More Philliness for April 5, 2006

Josephs boosters disrupt D.A.'s endorsement of rival
By CATHERINE LUCEY
luceyc@phillynews.com 215-854-4172

ROWDY SUPPORTERS OF state Rep. Babette Josephs yesterday crashed a press conference at which District Attorney Lynne Abraham endorsed Josephs' challenger in the Democratic primary, Center City lawyer Larry Farnese.

No doubt planned as a triumphant moment for Farnese, the announcement turned into a noisy shouting match in Rittenhouse Square.

"Babette! Babette!" chanted Josephs' fans at 18th and Walnut streets as Abraham arrived. They crowded around the D.A. with Josephs signs when Abraham tried to speak to the press.

"Ask Babette why she votes against tough gun laws!" Abraham yelled at the crowd. Abraham kept going, giving an endorsement speech slamming Josephs' record on crime legislation.

Abraham said Josephs opposed tough gun legislation and had voted against mandatory registration for sex offenders and against allowing juvenile-crime victims to testify via closed-circuit television.

"Every law-enforcement bill we've proposed, she's always voted against them," Abraham said. "It's really simple for me."

Farnese, a lawyer with Klett Rooney Lieber & Schorling, thanked Abraham for her support.

"It is time for a change," he said. "Crime is a huge, central issue to my campaign... Citizens in this district want to be safe."

Josephs, who was in Harrisburg yesterday, criticized Abraham for the endorsement, noting that the only other major Democrat to back Farnese is controversial labor leader John Dougherty.

"I don't think she's very credible," Josephs said, adding that she herself had a long history of fighting for anti-crime and gun-control legislation.

Josephs said she supports Rep. Dwight Evans' bill that would allow Philadelphia to enact its own gun laws.

"I voted for Ms. Abraham's 'Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia' and have appeared at a number of press conferences," Josephs added.

On the issue of registering sex offenders, Josephs said she thinks it "gives citizens, especially parents, a false sense of security." And on children testifying via closed-circuit television, she said: "I fear we will have innocent people convicted."

Josephs also noted that she has the support of a long list of Democrats, including Gov. Rendell, Mayor Street, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.



The TrekMedic Roars:

Folks, it is this kind of bold-faced chicanery in our one-party town that is chasing hard-working Philadelphians into the suburbs!

The fact that Rep. Josephs is being supported by the three-headed monster of Rendell, Brady and Schwartz only serves to prove my point that nothing in Philadelphia will change until someone OTHER than Democrats get into power here!