Help Environmental Groups Fight Pombo
There’s been a lot of discussion recently on this site about the Democratic primary. For all of you chomping at the bit to fight Pombo without concern for party politics, there are plenty of opportunities for you to help out in the coming days, weeks, and months before the primary election.
I’ve been speaking with folks from Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and the Sierra Club about ways the anti-Pombo crowd can help them in the near term to take on Pombo.
THE SIERRA CLUB
The Sierra Club is still officially running an “accountability campaign” which means that they won’t talk to voters about voting Pombo out of office. Instead they'll talk to voters about the fact that a) Pombo is their rep and b) that Pombo is bad on certain issues. So the aim will be educational and issue-based and will NOT delve into electoral politics. That said, the Sierra Club is running a serious canvassing and phone banking operation in the district for the next month and I imagine that this will lay the groundwork for a serious electoral campaign come the summer. I know that they’re collecting signatures and I imagine, although they haven’t said so explicitly, that if the Sierra Club decides to target Pombo in November, then those signatories will become targets for their anti-Pombo message. If you want to help in the anti-Pombo effort and you’ve never canvassed before, I encourage you to try to make it to their Saturday canvasses in Pleasanton. They’ll train you how to canvass and you’ll have those skills for later even if you decide to work for the Democratic campaign instead of the Sierra Club.
Anyhow, the schedule from now until mid-April is:
Canvassing every Saturday in Pleasanton.
Phone-banking in Berkeley every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 PM.
I’m going to be at the phone banks this Thursday. I hope some of you guys join me. Please RSVP to the Sierra Club activities by calling Christina Armor at (510) 848-0800.
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE ACTION FUND
Right now it looks like Defenders is still in the process of setting up an anti-Pombo campaign operation in the district. They’re looking to hire a campaign manager and I’ve included a job description at the bottom of this post in case anyone an experienced campaigner who’d want to run an anti-Pombo campaign. More interesting (to me at least) is that they’re looking for someone with an RV to follow Pombo around when he’s in the district and remind people that he took a family vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. If you own an RV that they can use or if you’d like to join the RV at Pombo appearances in the district, email Kevin Keefe.
Now here’s the job description from Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund:
Campaign Manager - Northern California Campaign
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is looking for an experienced campaign professional to help us run an independent expenditure issue campaign in the 11th Congressional District in California. The ideal candidate will have field and communications experience and some management experience.
- Run day-to-day activities of the campaign on the ground while working closely with DC based consulting team.
- Help develop voter contact for the campaign.
- Implement earned media plan: organize events, represent DAF with key reporters
- Run sophisticated weekend canvass operation and ID phone banks, including recruiting and training volunteers and continually shaping message and program to compliment paid and earned media.
- Network and coordinate efforts on the ground among environmental groups and other constituencies.
- Recruit and build the activist list for media and internet activities.
- Set up systems and manage accounting and compliance for the operation.
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posted by Matt @ 3:15 PM
5 Comments:
Great to see enviros targeting this race.
Gives me a hope that a perfect storm is forming against Pombo.
The eye of the storm? Pombo on a perp walk :)
From "The Hill":
Some Clark backers upset by endorsement
By Carrie Sheffield
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark's endorsement of Democratic congressional candidate Steve Filson on Monday has caused ripples within the ranks of former Clark volunteers who support Filson's primary opponent, Jerry McNerney.
McNerney ran as a last-minute, write-in Democratic candidate in 2004 against Rep. Richard Pombo (R), helped largely by efforts of volunteers from East Bay for Clark. The grassroots organization's 900 members worked on Clark's unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
"Those that I have spoken with range from outraged to confused to bewildered that this has happened," said Claire Nelson, a former fundraiser and organizer with East Bay for Clark. "I was very, very much in the Wes Clark camp. He was the most wonderful man until this happened."
Other former Clark volunteers say the general's backing is a savvy approach in the uphill bid to replace Pombo.
"I'm sure this is a pragmatic decision that is consistent with the course that Clark has taken over the last year," said Clark volunteer Joe Rubio, referring to Clark's nationwide efforts to boost Democratic veterans running for office. Filson served 20 years as a naval aviator.
"We have taken literally dozens of factors into consideration," Clark spokesman Erick Mullen said of Filson's endorsement. "We respect [Clark volunteers'] hard work and insights and look forward to doing all we can together. As to this congressional race, they should follow their conscience."
Mr. 2% of a buck again, with some thought provoking news that just broke:
In light of Gail Norton's resignation, there will be a need for Bush to name a replacement, so be careful what you wish for, SNTP-types -- we could see Interior Secretary Richard Pombo, aka "Marlboro Man".
It would certainly be a reward for Pombo's service as Chairman of the (formerly Natural) Resources Committee and his 14 years in Congress carrying water for the GOP, and would groom him at the tender age of 45 for bigger things, but the timing is quite awkward, coming as it does with virtually no time for anyone but McCloskey to run as a viable GOP candidate in his spot -- so wouldn't that be ironic:
Pombo as Interior Secretary, and Pete "Mr. ESA" McCloskey replacing him in Congress as a self-proclaimed short-timer. Stranger things have happened...
$.02 out.
Every party that the enviros are throwing for Norton's exit would abruptly stop and be replaced by mass affliction of migraines.
Pombo as interior? The only reason that he would take that job is if he knows that he is going to lose the election by November. I don't see the signs that this is how he is thinking.
As for the rest of the stuff that I see on Daily Kos, 90% is self-congratulation and wishful thinking. It obscures the 10% that had real meaning. Remember, that is where all of the hoopla about a roll over of Cunningham briber, Wilkes, started and died. There are few places where unfounded rumor flys faster than the blogosphere.
What we need to do is to turn the attention to those specific areas where Pombo has a vulnerability. And there, both McNerney and Filson's campaigns are asleep at the switch.
When Pombo and his next door neighbor D. Cardoza (got to keep this bipartisan) were giving the people of California a one fingered salute over a food labeling law that overrides Proposition 65, both Filson and McNerney were sleeping. It was McCloskey who was right back at him.
This is the first time I have gotten partisan on this list, but this time it is deserved.
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