So what happened to the savvy, big-city Democrat who, when speaking of his bargaining prowess, once boasted that he could sell a cheesesteak to a vegetarian? That's easy.

He met head-on with a Legislature controlled by Republicans, in a highly-partisan town where nothing gets done quickly or easily.

In other words, it should come as no surprise that Rendell's ideas were not embraced by all.

"Harrisburg is a place of incremental changes, a place of very partisan politics,'' said Millersville University political analyst G. Terry Madonna.

"Rendell's agenda was simply too big, too all encompassing. Republicans knew that by giving him his agenda, they were not just creating a second term for him, but making him a national figure,'' Madonna said.

But the budget stalemate, which ended last week with a compromise nearly six months behind schedule, was more than just a case of political jockeying.

Deep philosophical differences over the size of state government exist between Rendell and the conservative Republicans who control the Senate.

"You've got a major collision,'' Madonna said. "When you come in with a very ambitious agenda that would have the state be much more of a presence in tax reform, education reform and economic development, you're bound to have these huge differences.'' Rendell's "Plan for a New Pennsylvania'' called for a 34 percent income-tax increase, from 2.8 percent to 3.75 percent; $650 million in spending on new education initiatives; slot machines at racetracks, generating $1 billion that would be used to cut property taxes; and borrowing $2 billion for an economic stimulus package.

In the budget bill signed last week, Rendell got only a 9.6 percent income-tax increase, from 2.8 percent to 3.07 percent, and $258 million in new education initiatives.

The slots initiative fell apart at the 11th hour, and the bickering over the budget left little time to consider Rendell's economic stimulus plan this year.

The failure to approve Rendell's entire education plan disappoints those who support the governor.

"I don't blame him solely,'' said Mike Winterstein, a Republican member of the Lancaster school board who endorsed Rendell last year. "I also blame the Legislature, obviously, and some of our local legislators who have not been interested in compromising with the governor enough.'' Of Rendell, Winterstein said, "I wish he would have held out longer on some of the stuff that had passed, said, "Hey, it's all or nothing.' '' Art Mann, a Republican city school board member who also endorsed Rendell, said he is specifically disappointed in the Senate Republican leadership in Harrisburg.

"They basically bottled it up,'' Mann said. "I don't know if it was a political effort to make it appear that he's going to have to deal with us'' -- Senate Majority Leader David Chip Brightbill -- "before anything's going to happen.

"I just think the Republicans are playing hardball politics and I don't think the people in the commonwealth are being well served by the Legislature,'' Mann said.

Mann is especially disappointed that Rendell's initiative to legalize slot machines and use the revenue to slash property taxes failed this year. He takes issue with the the Republican lawmakers from the county, all of whom oppose new gambling.

"All the county legislators think that you and I need to be protected against gambling,'' Mann said. "As a voter, I'm old enough to decide if there's a gambling casino in Philadelphia. I can choose not to go. My legislator doesn't have to choose for me.'' Rendell, speaking to reporters in a year-end teleconference Monday, said it is too early to judge his administration's performance.

"I generally tend to think of a year-end review like reviewing a football coach in the pro football season with four out of 16 regularly scheduled games played and saying, "How's the coach doing?' ... I think we've done quite well under the circumstances, but to do a review at the one-quarter mark of my administration makes little or no sense,'' he said.

The governor remains optimistic, however, that the Legislature will pass both a slots bill and an economic stimulus package in early 2004.

Madonna agrees.

"I think he's well on his way to getting a hefty portion of his agenda by the second year,'' he said. "He is going to stay here until he gets what he wants. He's not going to retreat from his agenda.''

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