Pennacchio Online Petition Drive Wrap Up

And so the first Pennacchio Online Petition Drive comes to an end.  The point of the exercise was to raise Chuck's name ID in blogtopia.  I'm sure that happened but  I still don't understand why Pennacchio isn't getting the attention that Lamont is getting.  I think KathyF has it right:

Some a-list liberal bloggers have refused to support the grassroots candidacy of Chuck Pennacchio, who is challenging rightwing Bob Casey for the Democratic party's nomination in Pennsylvania's senate race. They usually won't admit it, but they don't think he's a viable candidate.

Why?

Money money money.

Yet the same bloggers who've neglected the Pennsylvania campaign are devoting endless bytes of bandwidth urging their readers to support Ned Lamont in Connecticut, who is challenging Joe Lieberman, an incumbent who is politically somewhere to the left of Bob Casey.

At first glance, that doesn't make any sense at all, unless you realize that Ned Lamont is independently wealthy and will finance a significant portion of his own campaign.

Therefore, class, viable=wealthy. Got that?

Yep.  Loud and clear.  And that's one of the battles Chuck is fighting.  Thank goodness someone has the courage and the perseverence to do it.  Feel free to join him in the struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party anytime the mood strikes.

Here's a final list of blogs we found posting about and/or endorsing Chuck over the last ten days:

upyernoz and here
Terrence Ryan
Down with Tyranny
ePluribus Media interview with Chuck

ePMedia: The claim could be made that it is more important for the Democrats to regain control of the Senate than to build local grassroots organizations. How would you respond to this?

Pennacchio: Why set one objective against the other? That is backwards thinking. The idea of regaining Democratic control is intrinsically linked to our success in rebuilding our grassroots connections to the Party's party's base -- many of whom have walked away altogether or have been alienated to the point of passive participation (i.e., voting only).

Beyond the Pale
The Nation

Update: Sholomo Boudreaux saw Chuck speak in State College and wrote about it.

Bloggers on board:

Above Average Jane here.
Natalie Davis of All Facts and Opinions here and here.
PSoTD here.
Avedon Carol here and here
Karen of Perepitia
R.Neal at Knox Views
Alternative Hippo and here and here
Dr. Laniac
Kathy of What Do I Know?: here, and here and here and here
Thomas of Newsrack Blog: here and here
Albert of Philly and at Booman: here and here

Comments

[Buck Batard]

I must admit to giving Casey a donation early on. However, Mrs. Batard says no more to Casey. And she has a point. I suppose I'd donate to Pennachio as well, but I just don't think he has a chance against the Democratic machine here in PA.
We still remember going to our local Democratic Club meeting with our Howard Dean petitions and being subtly told to "go over there in the corner". The word was out that Kerry was going to be the man, to hell with the common man or woman's thoughts otherwise.
But I just can't get excited about Pennachio yet. However, I suspect he's planning another run in the future. I do wish him well. This time, though, the Democratic machine has put Casey in, and the alternative is so revolting that I'm sticking with Casey. Mrs. Batard is still disgusted with machine politics that force candidates upon us and she has a very valid point. Although we will probably vote for Pennachio in the primary. We do wish him well.

[DavidByron]

By supporting Pennacchio you get instant pay-off. Even if he fails to win the primary you send a message to the party elite. You also send a message to all the other progressive people out there thinking of running and to Democrat voters and to Pennacchio himself. All that you get immidiately regardless of what the future holds.

Remember if you think long term the means is just as important if not more important than the ends. This isn't just about one guy in the senate.

Think of it in evolutionary terms if you like; your revolution won't work if it's like the classic ID fairytale of an eye popping up one day with no past. It's a process of incremental changes that each have an advantage and grow because of those advantages.

[Buck Batard]

Lets deal in the theoretical. Suppose I have a friend who is a lawyer (not licensed in PA, but is licensed in a southern State as an attorney). My friend moved to PA because he fell in love with a wonderful liberal woman who lives here. Suppose my friend wanted to help Pennachio long term (Pennachio doesn't have a chance this time so we must accept that). Suppose my friend also has an accounting degree. Suppose my friend had an opportunity to work in state goverment for a certain politician, but turned it down, mainly because he couldn't stomach that politicians ideology. Suppose my friend worked in the past in the legal world where he had to "sell his soul" to do his work.

Suppose my friend decided to drop out for a while, rather than "sell his soul". To the devil I suppose.

Suppose my friend really wanted to jump on board. He tells me that low pay is fine, as long as one does not have to "sell his soul".

What should my friend do?

Just asking. There aren't that many lawyer/accountants. However, he does see things more clearly than some others who aren't trained in such.

Just asking. My friend is not in a hurry. He's not as well of as George Bush, but he inherited some money such that he doesn't have to worry about things most "poor folks" do. However my friend once lived close to poverty. So he's a confirmed liberal. He's been on and seen the other side. My friend's wife would be happy to bring back 90% tax rates. My friend doesn't agree with anything quite that progressive, or socialist, but my friend wants to be a part of changing things, especially for the poorest folks. What should my friend do? He's in Pennsylvania and hasn't found his place yet. Not that he's looked that hard. One of his clients told him once "enjoy life when you're young". That client died a few years later, but she and her husband never got to enjoy their wealth because they waited until their health deteriorated.
...but my friend wants to help "the least of these".
Not that he's that religious.

Just askin'.
My friend is not in a hurry and could wait for years, but that might be too late.
The Empire is crumbling. Someone has to save it. It might as well be those I am close to.
...and besides that, he has a weird but fascinating sense of humor and most people find him fun to be around.

[Shlomo Boudreaux]

I have been writing a good number of posts in favor of Pennacchio lately on my blog "The Cajun Jew" (www.cajunjew.blogspot.com). Too bad its not on your list yet!

I am currently a registered Green in PA, but after hearing Pennacchio speak this past week, I am strongly considering changing parties for the primary elections. Some of the folks in your comments page seem rather pessimistic about Pennacchio's chances this year, despite their approval of him as a candidate. Keep in mind that nothing is more detrimental to a grassroots campaign than pessimism. If everyone who approved of Pennacchio believed in Pennacchio, he would have an army of supporters.

[Shlomo Boudreaux]

Thanks for the link eRobin! I don't mean to be rude, but you misspelled my name. Its spelled "Shlomo."

When I heard Pennacchio speak last week there was a Q &A following the speech. I asked Pennachio about why he is recieving less netroots support than Lamont and others. He thought it was mostly a matter of push polls that only test name recognition. I just posted more about it over at my blog.

[eRobin]

Rats. I doubled checked that too.

I think it's because Lamont has a personal fortune. I've talked to a lot of people about this over several months - it always comes down to money. But name recognition is a big deal too. The state Dems claim that's why they went with the anti-choice, pro-war Casey. I don't buy that completely.

I don't think that's push polling. Although they are using polling to hurt Chuck it's mostly by asking only that one question and then making a big deal over the results.

[Natalie Davis]

Holy love of god... will you guys stop with the "Pennacchio doesn't have a chance" BS? That's exactly what is keeping the Democratic Party where it is... acting like GOP-lite Stepin Fetchits and begging for crumbs at the table. Why do you think so many people have moved away from the Dems and toward the Greens or to become Independents or to give up on dealing with politics altogether? Come on! What happened to principle? What happened to doing what is right? What happened to integrity and winning or losing by standing tall and being yourself rather than a pale imitation of the oppressor? Geeze, people!

That said, I have an inteview with CP up at All Facts and Opinions. PLEASE take a look, read what he has to say and take it to heart. It is FAR from over, FAR from a done deal.

And I warn you: Keep telling progressives to hide in the corner and see where it gets you in the long run... mired in DECADES of Republican rule while real American values, the one the Dem Party seems hellbent on sweeping out of sight, vanish into the pages of history. That would be a crime, a betrayal of a country that once had the potential to be a great beacon of justice and equality for ALL and a great example for the rest of the world.

Please forgive the tone, but this talk makes me FURIOUS.

[DavidByron]

Another blogger supporting Pennacchio.

[MattLauer]

Buck Batard, I had a friend in the same situation. This is what she did: She volunteered, at first one day a week, then 7 days a week, for the Howard Dean campaign. Not only did she start to feel she was making a difference, but she met lots of people in state politics, and when her mom needed help at her nursing home, she knew who to call. (She also learned that being an anal retentive comes in handy when planning political events, but that's another story.)

The day after the election, she helped clean out the office and then called another progressive candidate she'd met on the campaign trail, who was running in the Democratic primary for congress.

She learned a lot on that campaign, too, and met more people in the Dem party and, despite the fact the campaign lost, she earned a lot of credit for the job she did. In fact, she was offered a job managing a campaign, but she had to turn it down since she had just found out she was moving overseas.

In the meantime, she'd also started a political consulting firm, which is doing fine now, even though she no longer participates. She also helped start a PAC called SEEDPAC, which is intended to support, educate, and energize Democratic candidates.

Despite the fact she no longer works in politics, she feels proud of what she did, and is pretty sure some days that she actually made a difference. For instance, the group of activists from DFA that she started DFNM with have recently helped push a paper ballot bill through, aided by the very Democratic power machine that opposed them earlier.

So, don't let your friend think that there aren't opportunities out there. The Pennacchio campaign is just such an opportunity. Seize it.

[KathyF]

Whoops. I posted that as my pseudonym, a bigtime NBC anchor. eRobin, can you fix that? Otherwise people will think poor Matt Lauer is full of it. Wouldn't want that to happen!

[eRobin]

Hey, I thought I was Matt Lauer!