tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post114092661504886629..comments2023-10-20T03:14:04.776-07:00Comments on Vichy Democrats: An Interesting and Eloquent Endorsement of Pennacchio, and Indictment of Democratic Machine Politics in PAM.S. Bellows, Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05329189103861162611noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post-1141065806086379982006-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:002006-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:00Since we're talking electibility, let's look at Ca...Since we're talking electibility, let's look at Casey's grand strategy: <BR/><BR/>Lay low during the primary and hope that he can overwhelm the activist base with money and arrogance. <BR/><BR/>In the general, he's counting on two things:<BR/><BR/>1. that the base stays home and forgets how they've been thrown over the side in pursuit of the mythical Swing Voter.<BR/><BR/>2. that the mythical Swing Voter comes out huge for him. Of course they're going to look at someone who says he's anti-choice but will vote with the Dems when it matters so trust me and piss off everyone who's listening with that disingenuous reasoning. There go your Swing Voters, who above all else, value conviction and character. <BR/><BR/>Add in the very angry base - the people who are saying that they won't vote for Casey, but secretly mean that they are going to vote for Santorum to send the Dems the message that they won't allow this kind of hostile campaign to be run in PA, and Casey's sunk. <BR/><BR/>Nobody wins when his best hope for the base is that they stay home.eRobinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05189252064595168859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post-1141064205383270522006-02-27T10:16:00.000-08:002006-02-27T10:16:00.000-08:00Charlie: Glad to have you here! What concerns me, ...Charlie: Glad to have you here! <BR/><BR/>What concerns me, of course, are the polls that show that Pennacchio doesn't have enough name recognition to win the primary. His campaign is trying to run a low-budget grass-roots campaign, but my take is that such campaigns succeed only when they ignite mainstream awareness; they usually don't, by themselves, get candidates elected. That doesn't mean I'm a defeatist -- obviously, I'm backing Chuck 100%! -- but it does mean I'm aware of the scope of the problem. <BR/><BR/>So I'll ask you: what do you think needs to happen to break through that awareness gap? How much money would Chuck need? In the words of countless mob movies, who do we need to kill?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post-1141061455284553332006-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:002006-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00read the Zoby Poll. When voters know where the can...read the Zoby Poll. When voters know where the candidates stand, Casey can't win. Chuck would crush Santorum. Why? Because he would have both people voting against Santorum, AND people voting for Chuck and his progressive, justice-based platform. Finally--we can vote for what we believe in.Charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06145078126451353752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post-1141012610176603422006-02-26T19:56:00.000-08:002006-02-26T19:56:00.000-08:00Pennacchio doesn't have a snowball's chance in hel...<I>Pennacchio doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being elected in PA.</I><BR/><BR/>Christopher: <BR/><BR/>Why not?<BR/><BR/>(And, FWIW, if Casey does win the nomination, I'll back him 100% against Santorum. But I believe Pennacchio would have a better chance of actually beating Santorum than Casey does, if only the party would get behind him.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21506744.post-1140989191099649552006-02-26T13:26:00.000-08:002006-02-26T13:26:00.000-08:00Nice to see your profile of my friend Charlie. Le...Nice to see your profile of my friend Charlie. Let me offer a few words about him. Charlie Crystle's been a cherished friend since we we boys at school, when we both worked to get our trustees to divest from South Africa. He's got more hustle than Pete Rose ever did, plus the integrity to go with it. <BR/><BR/>Charlie can articulate a vision that inspires confidence and makes people want to get on board and pitch in. He is unwilling to accept a broken system to which others are resigned. He genuinely enjoys helping making connections among people working on different pieces of the same big challenge. <BR/><BR/>The Senate run in PA in '04 was an uphill race from the start and still Charlie gave it everything he had. The campaign was a heavy load to carry, even for his broad shoulders, and Charlie's energies today are dedicated to making his software company GiftWorks a great company serving the information management needs of the non-profit sector. <BR/><BR/>If there is ever a next time for Charlie in politics, it will require active and early support and the combined strength of a serious movement for democratic reform working on many fronts for a more just and equitable society. I think 2008 is the right time for such a national movement and the time to put the pieces together was yesterday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com