Hartford CT and Bedford PA, are not as far apart as geography and history might have you believe. The Ned Lamont victory has demonstrated that American politics has arrived in the 21st Century. One Daily Kos diarist pointed out that a plucky band of volunteers, internet rowdies, and an inexperienced politician can take down a giant. It can be done.
Here in the wilds of Central Pennsylvania, Democratic Congressional candidate, Tony Barr is trying to do exactly what Ned Lamont did, talk about the issues, communicate with the people, put forth an agenda of hope and investment in America and take down, what amounts to, a political dynasty.
Pundits in the traditional media are trying to accuse bloggers and computer hackers of carpetbag political meddling; the truth is that the internet is the way people communicate in the 21st century. Blogs for better or worse are the kitchen table of today’s political scene and any politician who ignores the blogs and the internet does so at his peril.
But having said that, the bloggers are not the reason why Ned Lamont beat Joe Leiberman. (Sorry but we’re not). The DSCC will tell you that the Lamont victory was a referendum on W’s administration and while I think there is some truth to that it’s not the whole story either.
Ned Lamont’s agenda was what got him elected, the bloggers helped, W’s numbers being in the dumper helped but it was the idea that Connecticut and thereby America and yes Pennsylvania too, is not only ready for change, anxious for change, screaming for change but is ready to get up and do something about it.
The kinds of things you heard on the ground in Hartford are the exact same things Tony Barr is hearing in Bedford, and Altoona, and Somerset (see, I spelled it right that time), and Chambersburg and Mifflintown. In the suburban, small town neighborhoods in Hollidaysburg to the farmlands in Huntingdon, the voters in Central PA have simply had enough.
Tony Barr’s message has been consistent from day one, a healthcare system that actually keeps Americans healthy, a national security policy that actually makes America safer, an educational system that teaches our children, a government that answers to the people that elected it. It’s the message That Ned Lamont’s campaign brought down a giant with.
Imagine what it’s going to do to Bill Shuster. While many people outside the Pennsylvania 9th Congressional district see Bill Shuster as just another GOP back bencher, to those of us who have to live in the PA 9th, Bill Shuster is the painful afterbirth of cronyism and scandal.
When long time PA-09th Congressman “Bud” Shuster, “decided to retire” a decision he made shortly after being exposed on 60 “Minutes”, his son, Bill was hoisted into his congressional seat. With the patronage of PA Senate leviathan, and long time ally of Daddy’s, Bob Jubelirer, Shuster fought off a GOP primary challenge, in a nasty, knock down, gouge eye negative ad scrap, last congressional election cycle, that lengthened the list of Bill Shuster political enemies. With the great and powerful Jubelirer, knocked out by the PA pay raise debacle, Bill Shuster is one Republican incumbent, ripe for the taking.
Tony Barr on the other hand got his place on the ballot the hard way, as a write in. When no one else would stand against Bill Shuster, Tony Barr made the decision to run with only 16 days to go before the primary. Needing 1,000 write in votes to get on the PA Ballot, The fledgling campaign got on the internet and sent out e-mail after e-mail to garner nearly twice the number of needed write in votes. The official count was at one point 1,776, how’s that for an omen. What’s interesting about the number of write ins is not that it happened at all, it’s not that it happened on 16 days notice, but that it happened on 16 days notice at a time when most counties in PA were breaking in brand new voting systems, that voters were in most cases, completely unfamiliar with.
Tony Barr is currently attending every farm show, fair and function in Central PA, where voters gather. He made to time to join the Pro-Murtha protest in Johnstown the other day but for the most part his days are spent running (often literally), all through the PA-9th Congressional District, shaking hands and listening to what the voters are saying.
The voters are saying the same things here that they said in Hartford. The Voters want change! The Voters have had enough! Ned Lamont won. Tony Barr can win but we need your support. Learn more about the Tony Barr for Congress campaign at http://www.tonybarr2006.com