Our Secret Plan
Lieutenant Governor is not a powerful office. However, it carries with it prestige and publicity. Our plan will be to use this to highlight issues that advance our program.
The Bully Pulpit
The term "Bully Pulpit" was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, and referred to the ability of the President and Vice President to speak and advocate an issue to the public as well as the rest of government, enabling him to advance his program.
The Lieutenant Governor's only job is to act as successor to the Governor if he passes away or becomes incapacitated. He also presides over the Senate under certain circumstances, but he cannot cast a tiebreaker vote. The position is essentially similar to the Vice President.
In State government, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor also have a similar power to discuss issues with the press, and to be heard.
Many of my fellow candidates exaggerate the importance of the office, saying that they can combat corruption, create jobs or otherwise help make Pennsylvania great.
The truth is that only Pennsylvania's people can -- and do -- make the state a wonderful place to live, work and play. Government can do useful things, but in the end it is our servant, not our master. It is always the people living in the state who determine its character and authentic greatness.
If we focus on the plight of older Pennsylvanians, and our long-suffering taxpayers, our campaign becomes focused and meaningful to you, and our promises can be met through concrete action, kept in the realm of the possible.
Bullies and the "Bully Pulpit"
Today, when we hear the word "Bully", a simple image appears in our mind: An oppressive person threatening an innocent child.
There were bullies during Theodore Roosevelt's time too, but there was another meaning of the word that was more common. It was slang for "Great" or "Good".
The bully pulpit, then, was the great pulpit, or the best place to be when trying to convince the public of the merits of an idea.
It was not thought of as a way to run roughshod over enemies, as it often seems to be used today. If you acted like a bully using the bully pulpit, you would not hold the bully pulpit for long!
Theodore Roosevelt's thoughts on bullies were best described by this anecdote, from his Wikipedia entry:
As a young Sunday school teacher at Christ Church, Roosevelt was once reprimanded for rewarding a young man $1 who showed up to his class with a black eye for fighting a bully. The bully had supposedly pinched his sister and the young man was standing up for her. Roosevelt thought this to be honorable; however, the church deemed it too flagrant of support of fighting.
I'm sure Teddy Roosevelt would have had no problem using the Bully Pulpit to combat bullies!