Cross-posted at www.garnetdonkey.com
What do Paul Hackett and Ciro Rodriguez have in common? It was the netroots, the progressive blogosphere, that made their campaigns competitive. The Democratic establishment wrote off their campaigns and left them for dead. But the netroots did what they are best at: they stood up, and said, “This is a great candidate running against a weak opponent – why isn’t everyone paying more attention?”
The blogosphere, more than just a place for conversation, can play a significant role in campaigns. And there are a few things we are particularly good at:
- 1. Raising the profile of a candidate
2. Forcing news media to pay attention to the race
3. Mobilizing volunteers
4. Raising money
That is why PA-7 is the perfect race for the netroots. The races in PA-8 and PA-6 get a lot of attention, but Joe Sestak’s campaign for congress here in Pennsylvania’s Seventh is one where the netroots could make a HUGE difference.
Curt Weldon – of Moonie coronation fame – is weak, tarred by ethical scandals and out of place in a district that went for Kerry 53-47. He only won 59% against the grassroots of campaign of Dr. Paul Scoles, despite spending almost 30 times what he did.
This cycle, Scoles has endorsed the campaign of former Vice Admiral Joe Sestak. Some of you already know about Joe, but for those who don’t, Joe was born and raised in the district, went to Annapolis and spent 31 years in the Navy. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and eventually served in the Office of the President of the United States as the Director for Defense Policy on the National Security Council staff. Joe believes there is more to a strong nation than Homeland Security – we need Education Security, Health Security, and Economic Security as well.
This is a perfect opportunity for the netroots to show national Democrats what it means to challenge every seat. The talking heads and political prognosticators don’t think PA-7 is one of the only 10 races – 10! – they deem to be competitive. It’s time to prove them wrong.
By getting Joe’s message out there, we can raise the profile of this race and get the attention of every local activist that doesn’t yet know that Curt Weldon is facing a serious challenge. We can focus media attention on the ethically-challenged, wacky Curt Weldon. Perhaps most importantly, we can donate to his campaign and help them raise enough money before the March 31st deadline that the DC prognosticators will be forced to pay attention to the race.
The Swarthmore College Young Democrats will be on the ground supporting Joe, and I hope the netroots can help us. After all, this is a perfect opportunity.
I encourage you to visit Joe’s website at www.sestakforcongress.com and learn more for yourself. I believe you will be impressed. You can also head over to www.garnetdonkey.com for news about the PA-7 race and opportunities to volunteer.
