Kane: 8th District race
will be a classic

TV personality Larry Kane made his forecast before a crowd of 200 business people - including presumptive GOP challenger Mike Fitzpatrick.

The race for Congress in the 8th District will be "one of the greatest congressional races in the nation," TV news personality Larry Kane said Tuesday.

"This will be a race that will be decided by a razor-thin margin. It's a classic race," Kane said.

"You'll see people coming to Bucks County who have never seen New Hope."

About 200 people - including former 8th District congressman Mike Fitzpatrick - a front-runner for the Republican nomination to face Democratic incumbent Rep. Patrick Murphy in the fall - attended Kane's speech to the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce at the Spring Mill Manor in Northampton.

Kane, host of Comcast's "Voice of Reason" and a contributor to CBS' KYW Newsradio, said the upcoming election "is the most exciting since '08. It's a newsman's dream. You can't ask for more."

His speech touched on all levels of politics - from the 8th District race to President Obama's quest for health care reform.

Why Vice President Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden, isn't running for U.S. Senate: While the younger Biden said he isn't running because of his duties as Delaware's attorney general, Kane said there's another reason. The White House didn't want the "embarrassment" of having the vice president's son defeated in an off-year election.

On the Democratic primary between U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak for Specter's seat: "This is going to be a classic. It's going to be a wild, wild finish."

On Pennsylvania's gubernatorial race: Attorney General Tom Corbett will win the Republication nomination - possibly with Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley at his side at lieutenant governor, Kane said. The Democratic race, however, is "wild," with five candidates, including Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel.

On health care reform: Kane called the health care plan "a disaster" because it doesn't address the critical need for doctors and nurses to treat the millions who would receive health insurance under the plan. "You will have a plan loaded with inequality, where people with the most money and the most coverage get the care," he said.

On national politics: Race relations will play a huge part in the 2012 presidential election, Kane said. As for a Republican candidate, Kane said the GOP "has the course, but they don't have the horse."