The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever

The Unreformed Philadelphia Democratic Party is officially scared of the silent revolution sweeping their city. Check this out (emphasis mine):
Party Chairman Congressman Bob Brady announced the formation of the new Finance Committee earlier this week. It will be a PAC chaired by Councilman Michael Nutter, with its treasurer, former Democratic City Committee Chairman Martin Weinberg.

Included in the Finance Committee are Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor John Street, State Sen. Vincent Fumo, Rep. Frank Oliver, Ed Coryell, Ed Keenan, Attorney Frank Canty, David Cohen, Mitchell Rubin, Carol Campbell, Sen. Anthony Williams, Michael Choi, Esq. Tom Kelly, Lynn Fox, Ernest DeNofa and Richard Maccarone, who will be the Committee's accountant.(...)

Helping organize the PAC was Party Secretary and Ward Leader Carol Campbell. She noted the Democratic City Committee's finances have be en heavily taxed over the past year, resulting in some "no pay weeks" for its staffers.(...)

Carol Campbell noted, "This meeting was a reaffirmation of the commitment of many to the role held by Congressman Bob Brady. Never before in party annals has a former chairman stepped up to the plate to help a present chairman. That's the kind of affection and loyalty our chairman has generated."

Campbell believes the Finance Committee's operation will help move the party into the future. "We need to understand the Internet and to teach our people how to use it. We need to battle the bloggers on their own turf. This takes additional resources."
Yes, yes, yes! They need to battle bloggers on their own turf! Hahahahahahahaha.

Tell me again they aren't scared. I'll have more on this later.



Display:


Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

Remind me never to give to the PA Dem state party.  Why do they need to raise money to fight us? Shouldn't they be more worried about the Republicans  in Harrisburg or Lynn Swann or Rick Santorum?

Holy misplaced priorities Batman!


by DaveB on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 10:53:49 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Never give to the PA Dem state party.


by eRobin on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 03:36:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmmm (3.00 / 1)

Considering Michael Nutter came to the Penn Dems event tonight, I hope he isn't seriously going to consider 'doing battle' with bloggers.

By the way, Chris, much thanks for coming tonight. I really appreciated it; it was great to chat with you, Atrios, and Booman tonight. It was a pleasure and an honor.

-Asuka


by PsiFighter37 on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 10:53:52 PM EST

Re: Hmmm (3.00 / 1)

I think he's beyond considering doing so, he's going to be one of the people COORDINATING doing so.  


--
Albert Yee
Philadelphia, PA
http://dragonballyee.com/blog
by Albert on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 01:11:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

Yeah... we noticed that quote at YPP, too.

They like us, they really like us!


Progressive Philadelphia Politics: Young Philly Politics
by DanielUA on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 10:55:47 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

$100,000 to run a buhhhlog? Whoever it is they're going after, I don't think they have ANYTHING to worry about.


BlueJersey
by jmelli on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 10:57:06 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 3)

Wouldn't it be far more productive for Rendell and Casey et al to sit down with Bowers & Atrios & Attywood et al and  figure out where to work together?

The Netroots and the internet in general is a great tool that Democrats should be using to help them do oppo research, organize, rally the troops, and raise money, instead of raising money to make their own astroturf blog.


by DaveB on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 10:58:49 PM EST

bizarro world n/t (none / 0)


by Pachacutec on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 11:03:55 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

The best bit, I think, is in the kicker (though, true, there's so much there to enjoy!):

The Finance Committee members understand this city's population is multi-ethnic. Those groups are politically maturing. The Democratic Party will now be able to reach out to them to invite them in, find out what they want from their government and what kind of candidates they seek.

Dem machine pols did this for a hundred and more years (from when the Irish started arriving in numbers, at the very latest).

Yet the piece supposes we might think it some kind of praiseworthy novelty!

The text certainly reads as if written by someone from the 1950s only recently arrived by time-machine: completely bewildered and out of touch.

Are the ward-heelers funning with us bright young online things? Or are they really this clueless?


by skeptic06 on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 11:11:02 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

They should beat you up.  I mean you are bloggers.  Did you see that Atrios guy on the West Wing?  Anyone could kick his ass!


by Matt Stoller on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 11:34:06 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (3.00 / 1)

But would they hit a guy with glasses, after all, Atrios was totally wearing glasses on West Wing.


--
Albert Yee
Philadelphia, PA
http://dragonballyee.com/blog
by Albert on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 01:08:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Awesomest Quote (3.00 / 1)

That quote is something to behold on a number of levels, but what struck me is the utter cluelessness of those Democratic insiders about what is going on in the progressive blogosphere.  It's like they think we live on Neptune and speak in strange tongues or something.  They really don't have the faintest idea that there are now millions of smart, committed, connected people out here doing the work that the dimwits on the inside have been failing to do.

Sometimes I feel encouraged-- other times I sigh when I realize just how much things need to change...


by global yokel on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 11:39:10 PM EST

It's bad all over. (3.00 / 4)

This type of thinking is mirrored in local, County and State committees all over the nation.

Pretty much everywhere you go, progressives and independent-minded Democrats who decide to get involved with taking our country back [tm Dean '03] run up against longtime party functionaries.

Those who innocently volunteer their ideas and energy to the party, thinking it will be welcomed, quickly find that their enthusiasm and progressivism are deeply feared and resented by those who have warmed the party's bench, unimaginatively, for years.

The tacit (and sometimes explicity) expectation is that those who want to get involved need to keep their heads down, stick to low-level grunt work, accept no credit for their own work, unfailingly support those above them in the hierarchy, toe the party line, and not propose anything that would force the existing leadership to either work harder, change their ways, or share power.

The only answer in my experience is to give up the fantasy of working with these people, and seize the reins -- by being outspoken on the issues you care about, publicly calling the leadership on its faults, and using primaries to gain the votes you need to make change within the Party.

You will be called divisive, radical, hotheaded, and counterproductive for doing this. But such pat labels shouldn't deter Democrats from taking back their party, as a necessary step to taking back the country.


by Hudson on Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 11:56:42 PM EST

Hope Brady 's guns pointed in the right direction (3.00 / 4)

Brady is probably thinking about right-wing run, anonymous sites like PoliticsPA and PoliticsNJ.

Jordan S. Lieberman, a Republican political consultant, runs the Publius Group, which operates the anonymous websites PoliticsNJ.com, PoliticsPA.com, and PoliticsNH.com.  Lieberman's partner in the Publius operation is a registered New Jersey lobbyist with major health care and insurance industry clients.

Lieberman was recently named publisher of Campaigns & Elections magazine.  It was recently acquired by a company with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry -- Political World Communications -- a New Jersey corporation formed to manage C&E and other assets.

According to C&E's annual roster (2004) of the American Association of Political Consultants, Jordan Lieberman was employed by the Alexander Strategy Group, where he worked with characters like Ed Buckham, the former DeLay aide who founded the company, DeLay aide Tony Rudy, and Christine DeLay, the Congressman's wife.  ASG recently closed its doors because of its ties to disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Brady should clarify who he's talking about.


by NJprole on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 12:41:45 AM EST

Re: Hope Brady 's guns pointed in the right direct (3.00 / 1)

Well, considering Brady is taking affront to the Progressives entering politics at the lowest and unpaid positions all over town in the Committeeperson races, I think he's taking aim at us, the Progressive Dems and not the anonymous Right sites.


--
Albert Yee
Philadelphia, PA
http://dragonballyee.com/blog
by Albert on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 01:07:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope Brady 's guns pointed in the right direct (3.00 / 2)

Agreed. It's not at all clear to me that Brady means progressive bloggers. He may not even know there are such animals, which would represent an entirely different problem. But you're right, this could very well mean Republican attack blogs.


by Kagro X on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 02:22:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hope Brady 's guns pointed in the right direct (none / 0)

Well, no, he definitely knows we exist.


Progressive Philadelphia Politics: Young Philly Politics
by DanielUA on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 11:07:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: No offense, but (none / 0)

This has little to do with bloggers and a lot to do with stripping John Dougherty of power and influence. Johnny Doc is currently the treasurer of
city Dems. He crossed Carol Campbell, no prize in my book, but she still has a plenty of influence, by running candidates for committeepeople. Even though Johnny Doc relented and got most, if not all, his people to withdraw, Campbell is evidently having the last laugh. By setting up this PAC for fundraising,
Johnny Doc's treasurer office essentially becomes irrelevent.

IMHO, whatever Campbell said about bloggers was nothing more than cover for an internal powerplay against Dougherty.


by phillydem on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 04:53:42 AM EST

Bring 'em on! (none / 0)

Heh, heh, heh.

I've had some experience battling DCCC bloggers in their attempts to discredit the candidate running against Rahm's chosen candidate in the Illinois 6th primary, and I can tell you that their tactics are pretty lame.  They're easily spottable and easily counterable.  I look forward to many more of these kinds of battles.

Remember Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

We're already at Stage III.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com


by Caro on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 06:20:35 AM EST

Easily Spottable? (none / 0)

Good.  Name them.  

On the Philadelphia story, well, Carol Campbell is Brady's right-hand (wo)man in running the Philadelphia Democratic Party, and there have been some issues over the years.


by Adam B on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 10:02:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bring 'em on! (none / 0)

...and I can tell you that their tactics are pretty lame.  They're easily spottable and easily counterable.

I'm with Adam B. on this ... who were they, and where were they posting?

PA-Philly politics is not in my backyard, so I'm outside the story. But I am very interested in how the local Dem machinery views the netroots. I firmly believe that, personal power plays aside, we all benefit by engaging technology to reach the voting public - I don't really care who pays the bill or tries to take credit.

Anyone who wants to add their voices against the RedState'rs and the rest of the neoThugs is welcome.

-GFO


by GuyFromOhio on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 10:32:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bring 'em on! (none / 0)

Well, a lot of what this is about, I'd guess, is that Philly for Change and the Committee of Seventy (a non-partisan goo goo group) made a big push this year for citizens to run for party committee slots in the wards.  In other words, taking power away from the machine.


by Adam B on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 11:00:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Does anyone know of good online resources focused on Philly area politics?  Also, does anyone have insight into the Lois Murphy campaign(PA6)?  That is my district and I have recently started volunteering for her.

My suburban area was a big battleground in '04 and went for Kerry.  Since that time I can say with some certainty things have been tilting steadily blue - even committed Republicans will not speak up to support the current regime.  I have been inspired my recent entry into the blogosphere to get involved and hopefully I am not the only one.


by elblot on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 10:13:07 AM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Met Lois Murphy at the Penn event last night & gave her my campaign donation. She has an excellent chance to win, probably the best in the country against an incumbent.


by carter1 on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 12:43:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Ummm... correct me if I am wrong but isn't the whole Philly Blog scene... like... uh... Democratic?

Or were they referring the the Philly Cream Cheese?

Or was it the Philly Cheese Steak?

is this where Vince Lombardi walks in and says to the team "Gentlemen... this... is a football."

Perhaps it is Chris Bowers walking in and saying "Gentlemen... this... is a keyboard."


The 10,000 Things
by Andrew C White on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 12:34:32 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Philly politics is dominated by reps that are hacks & corrupt. Though we would have to work hard in the ethnic neighborhoods, Philly is the perfect place for progressives to take over the party apparatus.

Regarding Nutter, I'm very disappointed that a major part of his platform, in his upcoming mayoral run, will be reduction in taxes. With libraries cutting back, more money needed for education, large numbers of homeless people, a great need for more social services, Nutter wants to cut back on city revenue. I can't support Nutter because of this & urge every progressive to support another mayoral candidate.


by carter1 on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 12:41:29 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Thanks Carter - I do not envy anyone trying to clean up Philly politics, but maybe they can at least teach us some "creative" GOTV tactics.


by elblot on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 02:35:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You're worried about the wrong "machine" (3.00 / 1)

Anyone worried about Philly politics should start with the voting machines, which are unverifiable.  Work hard to get a voter-verified paper ballot in PA or the all the work these progressives are putting into toppling the party machine will go to waste.  Republicans aren't the only ones who cheat.


by eRobin on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 03:42:51 PM EST

of course, what they don't understand (none / 0)

is that it's not the medium of the internets and blogging that is the problem.

their problem is they have a party full of people on the bottom who are tired of the wambly self-interest back-room dealings of the people on the top.

whether we are talking to each other on the blogs, on the phones, in union halls, on the streets or on tin cans connected with strings, the anger and the desire to change things isn't going away.

they've got to acknowledge it, listen to is, assimilate it and use it, or else get out of the way and let us do it.


"blogtopia - yes, i coined that phrase!"
by skippy on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 04:08:54 PM EST

What losers!!! (none / 0)

If they paid more attention to the needs of the Average American than maintaining their power, they would not need to worry about MYDD, KOS, My Left Wing and the other liberal blogs.


Gandhi - "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
by HCLiberal on Wed Apr 05, 2006 at 10:07:47 PM EST

Re: The Most Awesomest Quote On Bloggers Ever (none / 0)

Shorter Phila. Democratic Party:

"We hate actual Democrats."


by RT on Thu Apr 06, 2006 at 05:59:46 AM EST


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