Enemy of the people? Maybe a yawning public

A couple of political notes today. Yes, I know many of you have not noticed, but we will go to the polls exactly five weeks from today in the mid-term elections.

Here in Pennsylvania, we will be electing a new member of Congress in the newly constructed 5th District, as well as a governor, U.S. Senator, every member of our delegation to the Pa. House of Representatives and half of the state Senate.

A lot of people believe the mid-terms will be dominated by a guy who is not even on the ballot. That would be President Donald Trump. As fate would have it, the president will be in Philadelphia today to speak to a business group. He is supposed to focus on taxes.

It will be interesting to see how local Republicans deal with the appearance of the president. Most years, the pols would be flocking to get next to the president. But this year - and certainly this president - is different. Many Republicans are leery of the president's approval rating and what many see as a backlash at the polls in five weeks.

Also last night, they held the one and only debate in the race for Pa. governor.

And the star of the show wasn't either of the candidates.

The debate was moderated by famed 'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek.

If my recent visit to a local university that will remain unnamed is any indication, the Republicans are in trouble.

The class I was speaking to was about the Political Process. I was asked to speak to the students about the media's role in the process and the much talked about notion of the "fake news" and the president's often repeated claim that some in the media are actually the "enemy of the people."

I of course put that to rest.

But the real enemy of the people might just be a disinterested, ill-informed electorate.

Not one student in the group could tell me the Republican challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

That, of course, would be former state Sen. Scott Wagner.

I got similar blank stares when I asked the students for the name of the Republican challenging U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. That would be Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta. And let's not forget Libertarian candidate Dale Kerns, from right here in Delaware County, who is mounting a surprising effective third-party run for Senate.

Enemy of the people?

This fall it just might be all the yawns coming from Pennsylvania voters.