What the hell happens to be people in this state when they go to Harrisburg?
Is there something in the water that weakens their resolve, that breaks down barriers and lures them into wrongdoing.
The latest high-profile flameout coming from our capital is Rob McCord.
Remember him? He wanted to be governor.
But the Democrat who at one point was considered a potential Democratic front-runner was having trouble raising money, an issue Tom Wolf didn't have. Wolf simply used his own money and got a big loan to bankroll an early avalanche of TV ads, in the process propelling himself into the lead and leaving McCord and others in the dust.
McCord apparently decided to use a different, bit more novel, method of fund-raising.
He is now admitting that he basically was strong-arming businesses in his role as state treasurer. McCord would tell these big Harrisburg players that it might not be a good idea to make an enemy of the state treasurer. That would be him.
It's classic Harrisburg. Go along and get along. You want to dance, you have to play the band.
Except someone apparently blew the whistle on McCord.
Now he plans to plead guilty to two federal charges of extortion, acccording to charges filed by the feds on Monday.
He faces 20 years in prison on each charge. But don't look for McCord to spend any time behind bars. That's not the way these cases usually wind up.
McCord actually beat investigators to the punch, resigning his seat last Friday and simultaneously releasing a video in which he admitted that his actions "crossed the line."
Ya think?
No wonder they call us, "Pennsylvania, Land of Giants."
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