Sour Grapes On The Menu For Democratic "Unity Lunch?"

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady just wrapped up his "unity lunch" with the men who ran in last month's Democratic primary election for district attorney, absent the one guy who would have made it a truly interesting event.  Dan McCaffery, who finished second to Seth Williams after launching a late barrage of negative campaign advertising, blew off the lunch.

Brady, chairman of the Democratic City Committee, first shrugged his shoulders when asked why McCaffery wasn't attending the lunch at The Palm, an old-time favorite of the city's political class.  Brady later said McCaffery just returned home from a post-election trip.  "He just wasn't here," Brady explained. "He said he would try."

McCaffery responded "no comment" to an e-mail from PhillyClout, asking why he didn't attend the lunch.

Showing up were candidates Dan McElhatton, Brian Grady and Michael Turner, who carved out time even though he is in the middle of a jury trial representing a defendant in an asbestos case.  The four candidates seemed to have a jovial lunch with the party chairman, sitting at table eight, a nice round perch in the restaurant's southeast corner.  That table, by the way, is a popular hang-out for post-election celebrations by Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which backed McCaffery in his run for District Attorney.

Williams, who took 42 percent of the vote to McCaffery's 30 percent, sat under a caricature of Sylvester Stallone, drawn as an injured Rocky Balboa, leaning on a crutch.  Brady said after the lunch that the other candidates had pledged to work hard to help Williams against Republican Michael Untermeyer in the November general election.  "This is a tough town," Brady said.

UPDATE, 2:40 pm:  McCaffery just sent PhillyClout this e-mail about his absence at the lunch.  "Nothing ominous. Just too busy catching up with work. I support the nominee. End of story."