Thousands of city Democrats packed the joint to raise money for the party and push the endorsed slate. The animosity between the chairman and treasurer has been long brewing, with Brady and his allies accusing Dougherty, a labor leader and likely 2007 mayoral candidate, of trying to take over the party by running Local 98 workers to fill committeepeople seats in this month's elections. Dough-erty's allies counter, however, that the seats were vacant. (And anyway, they say, Dougherty raises the most money.)

Despite the friction, Dougherty expects to remain treasurer, even though Brady's crowd says ward leaders won't re-elect him come June.

At Monday's event, Dougherty glued himself to the right side of the podium after opening the meeting by talking about how wonderful retiring state Rep. Marie Lederer is for supporting the DCC financially for the past 50 years.

The pol atop of the party's ticket, U.S. Senate candidate Bob Casey, was tied up elsewhere so Jonathan Saidel proxied, calling U.S. Rep. Rick Santorum, "Rick Sanctimonium."

It is rumored that Saidel will be DCC's pick for mayor.

Gov. Ed Rendell, in his own election battle with Republican Lynn Swann and independent Russ Diamond, took the stage to make a pitch for party unity.

"We fight among ourselves, we donkeys get ornery," proclaimed Rendell, but added that Democrats pull together in the end.

Talk of next year's City Council races was a hot topic. Brady senior policy advisor Richard Subbio said he plans to run for Councilman Michael Nutter's seat next year while Maria Quinones-Sanchez had literature from her campaign for former Councilman Rick Mariano's seat.

House candidates for the 175th, Terry Graboyes and Michael O'Brien, competed for who could post the biggest campaign sign at the hall's entrance (O'Brien won), and 5th Ward operatives predicted an O'Brien take the election.

Local 98 boys, including Ray Della Vella, who had a cameo appearance in Tigre Hill's documentary The Shame of a City as a Sam Katz heckler, massed at the front of the room.

Media consultant and ad man Elliott Curson, who is helping O'Brien, talked to Della Vella about appearing in future commercials. "He may be marketable," observed Curson.

Another mayoral candidate, Tom Knox, made an appearance with Michael Youngblood, who was carrying three cell phones. Knox said that Youngblood was not part of his campaign team, but hung out with him "because he's an interesting guy."

Youngblood, no fan of Mayor John Street since Street removed him from the city payroll when he discovered Youngblood had a record, said he's working to make sure the mayor does not win any future congressional seats.

Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson dropped in, but some Democrats want more action against the growing crime wave in the city. Flora Pauling said she is so disgusted with the crime that she wants state troopers to police the streets and is calling for Rendell to do so by orchestrating a letter-writing campaign.

"Vote early and often," suggested former City Councilman Leland Beloff, who strategized with Ward Leader Tom Johnson and committeeman Pat Christian.

Former New York Times columnist and author Tom Wicker was in town last week and held a Q&A at the National Constitution Center on his new book, Shooting Star: The Brief Arc of Joseph McCarthy (Harcourt).

Wicker, who has been reporting for more than 50 years, said he does not think that McCarthyism will rise again in today's world and gave his take on modern media.

"Reporters today don't know enough history and think history began when they did," he said. He felt that lawsuits have hampered and dampened today's reporting efforts. "How many stories have not been written because of a possible lawsuit? And reporters can't do much about it."

Known for his fearless approach during his long career, Wicker opined on the alleged sexual liaisons of John F. Kennedy.

"If I had an unchallenged story on JFK with women, would the Times print it? Should they? The first Catholic president. It would have killed him politically," he said. "But if I had seen it, and it was unchallenged, I would write that story so fast it would make your head swim. But I don't know if the Times would have published it. "