The Morning After
Jerry McNerney beat Steve Filson in the Democratic Primary, and it was not even close. If you supported Jerry McNerney, celebrate. If you supported Steve Filson, please join the McNerney effort. And if you supported Steve Thomas, please in God’s name tell us how he did so well.
And please, anyone who opposes Pombo, donate to McNerney through our ActBlue page. Pombo still has a huge fundraising advantage and McNerney will need money ASAP.
You can use this as an open thread.
Jerry McNerney beat Steve Filson in the Democratic Primary, and it was not even close. If you supported Jerry McNerney, celebrate. If you supported Steve Filson, please join the McNerney effort. And if you supported Steve Thomas, please in God’s name tell us how he did so well.And please, anyone who opposes Pombo, donate to McNerney through our ActBlue page. Pombo still has a huge fundraising advantage and McNerney will need money ASAP. You can use this as an open thread.
Update: Please vote for Jerry McNerney in DFA's Grassroots All-Star poll. The first round of voting will winnow the field down to five candidates. And the second round of voting will determine the winner, who will get a fundraising solicitation send out to the DFA national list. Typically those letters bring in tens of thousands of dollars. Furthermore, this type of thing is bound to raise the profile of a race that gives every indication of being a high profile race for Novemember. Vote for Jerry here.
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posted by Matt @ 10:22 AM
22 Comments:
Woo hoo! I'm a very happy Jerry supporter today. And I must say that AJ is a genius for running a low-budget, highly efficient grassroots campaign. To the Filson/Thomas supporters, I hope that there aren't too many sour grapes over the primary. Take some time to reflect, then get on board with Jerry.
I just ran across this link to the DFA site, they are picking new candidates to endorse, so everyone go vote for Jerry!
http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/housevote/
A nice classy remark by JLou (Steve Filson's daughter, I believe). Thanks. I applaud Steve Filson for the effort he made and the issues he brought to the table. The primary would have been much more diminished without him.
I look forward to working with "all youse guys and gals" to beat Pombo Nov. 7. So in the spirit of reconcilation, let's all join hands and sing "Kumbaya".
Or maybe you prefer "Morning After"?:
THE MORNING AFTER
There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on lookin' for the light
Oh, can't you see the morning after?
It's waiting right outside the storm
Why don't we cross the bridge together
And find a place that's safe and warm?
It's not too late, we should be giving
Only with love can we climb
It's not too late, not while we're living
Let's put our hands out in time
There's got to be a morning after
We're moving closer to the shore
I know we'll be there by tomorrow
And we'll escape the darkness
We won't be searchin' any more
Delta, you really have done a spectacular job here in the last couple of months. I know it must be difficult being a Republican in a progressive little universe but you always handled yourself with dignity and aplomb and I have admired your always cogent and inspired challenge to Pombo on behalf of McCloskey. Like you, I want to thank Pete McCloskey for the courage and stamina. And I want to thank you for the same thing.
Your musings about the future of the Republican Party are on the mark and I hope after your swim and well-deserved rest you'll continue to bring your analytic talent, abundant writing skills and perseverance to help CA-11 make a real contribution to our country by driving Richard Pombo out of respectable politics.
Wish Filson would have won, but there is real hope for the ANTI-pombo crowd in the vote totals for the 11th. Real Estate Rancher-Congressman Crook totaled 29,030 votes. Combination of Dem Votes + McCloskey was 52,086. That's a big plus for the anti Corrupt-Cowboy voters! A key will be getting those McCloskey voters to vote for Jerry. BEAT pombo in NOV!
Congrats to McNerney.
If I can engage in some post-mortem analysis, it is apparent that the party regulars opted for a candidate they knew as opposed to one they didn't. A similar result also occurred in CA-26, where 2004 nominee Cynthia Matthews (who only had $32,000) handily defeated Russ Warner (who raised $205,000). This is also consistent with Duckworth's narrow primary win over 2004 nominee Cegelis in IL-06. For a candidate who was aiming for the center, the 28% turnout certainly didn't help Filson's cause. Pombo also may want to rethink his dismissive attitude towards his challengers given his surprisingly low 62% showing.
Beyond that, it's difficult to draw any more meaningful conclusions about this primary.
The theory about Steve Thomas is that people confused "Steve Filson" and "Steve Thomas". This upped Thomas's totals and decreased Filson's.
I am saying to myself that people must have gotten confused between the "Steves from Danville". Ahh, what a 3rd candidate can bring to a race...
Also, as for Jerry, he must have gotten a lot of turnout from the people who voted for him before and the people who would have voted for Filson were among the 70% of people in CA who didn't vote at all.
I actually think that Steve T had a message that quite a few people thought was compelling, for one reason or another. In his speeches, he never really talked about himself, but the issues that he wanted to bring to bear. I never once heard Filson give a speech where he didn't talk about losing his pension and about how he was electable. HIM HIM HIM.
anonymous may not be able to comprehend the fact that people really DID believe in Jerry and that there really WAS something to the fact that he had the stones to run against Pombo when it wasn't fashionable to do so, and she may not be able to face the fact that Team McNerney really DID know what they were doing....but the results show that it's time to face up to those facts.
The people of the district did the right thing. They were convinced and then they voted for the man best suited for the job. The job of beating Pombo and the job of governing our country as a representative of the 11th CD.
I hope that just as before the primary, Team McNerney were encouraged to work for whatever candidate won, that now, Team Filson can switch gears just a tad and begin the important work of taking back the House and ridding Congress of the worst Congressperson there. The future of our country and our planet depends on it and the struggle is going to be a long hard slog. Your energy will be much better spent doing that, than going thru the exercise that anonymous is going thru.
Best to all
Let me add one more comment, and that is to second what Vicki said regarding Steve Thomas. Here are some statistics that Steve put together based on the last FEC filing data and the election results.
Filson $30.40 each for 28.5%
Thomas $2.21 (really $3.51, I know what I spent after the reporting period) for 18.9%
McNerney $8.55 for 52.6%
Benigno $1.87 for 5.7%
McCloskey $21.41 for 32%
Pombo $34.37 for 62.3%
I would not read too much into this other than the fact that the pigeon is prepared to spend a lot of money per vote, but you knw that, and the Steve Thomas, of necessity, had to rely on his message to carry him. That message was based on a belief that he had a fundamental duty to protect the middle class in America. I think that most voters consider themselves a member of that middle class.
Vicki, there are two different people that have posted as "anonymous" here. Neither attacked any other candidate, other than Pombo.
I was the "anonymous" poster here that wishes Filson had won, and pointed out the vote totals for anti and pro Pombo folks. Those totals should be very encouraging for McNerney
(That same post was also done as "JH" and the second was deleted to avoid dublication. Simple operator error)
Your un-warranted attack on one or both "anonymous" posters here, that you perceive to be Filson supporters, hurts the cause to defeat Pombo, more than it helps. You blew it.
Jerry will get my vote in Nov, but that's all.
I hope he wins.
JH,
I was responding to the anon directly above my post, and no others. I was responding to the feeling of incredulousness that Jerry could possibly win this election.
I'm pretty sure I attacked nobody on this list, anonymous or otherwise. If I respond to something that I think is off base about my candidate or the campaign we ran, no matter how reasoned or measured, I'm not sure why that would need to percieved as an attack.
Again, I hope the admonishment that the McNerney people recieved time and again still stands for the supporters of all anti Pombo candidates. It's time to work together to defeat Pombo. We now have the candidate. The people have spoken, loud and clear. There is alot of good momentum in that and this IS possible.
Thank you for your vote JH. It's a shame we won't see you on the campaign. It's going to be exciting to make history.
Yo Yo Yo, especially Ms Vicki.
Rocky here. Let me just say dis about dat. Rocky know sumtin about winnin, and after readin dis here blot fer a while, he also know sumtin about whinin. You know what I mean?
Its duh greatest feelin in duh hole woild when youse win and duh ref holds yer arm straight up in duh air. Even if yer feelin smug, it just ain't duh time to be insultin yer opponent or addin to his agony of defeat in any way. Its at dis time dat a real champ extends his hand to his opponent in friendship, cuz you ain't never wanna kick a man when he's down. Unless dat man isn't really a man but a dumB-ass Pigeon, in which case its just best to put him outta his mizzery.
Yo Ms Vicki - wit all do respect, yer in bad form. Yer gloatin. Yo Pretty Goil - like Rocky sed, you is a class act even if you IS duh one sittin around in yer underwear eatin Cheezits in Connettiquete. Pretty Boy should be prouda you, and you should be prouda him fer standin up fer what he believes in. Same to you dere Mr cf and Jennyblue - youse are both class acts too.
Rocky even wanna say yo to Gibby Boy and Rickey fer being such good sports even when Rocky was being all anal attentive. It wuz all in good fun, you know what I mean?
As Mr $.02 sed, duh tribe has now spoken wit its forked tongue and all. Duh way Rocky sees it, duh biggest question now is how do us Dems attract duh 32% of duh Fightin Repugs voters to support Jerry while doin all we can to welcome Pretty Boy and Steve Thomas and dere supporters cuz if we can do dis den ButtaPombO will finally be flushed down duh terlet and becum histery like we all desoive.
Rocky out.
Great, two days later and there is already in-fighting on our side. But not on Pombo's. He is pretty clear what he is going to do. Quotes from SF Chron article today. Even the headline makes it look like a lost cause:
HEADLINE:
Pombo basks in his decisive victory
30 percentage point win over McCloskey 'pretty convincing'
FROM ARTICLE:
Rather than proof of weakness, Rep. Richard Pombo's 62 percent- to-32 percent primary victory over former Rep. Pete McCloskey just as likely signaled how strong the seven-term Tracy Republican will run in November.
Pombo benefits from a district centered in his home San Joaquin County with 44 percent GOP registration to 37 percent Democratic and a challenger in favor of increasing taxes -- including gasoline -- whom Pombo defeated handily two years ago.
"People can dream all they want but it was a pretty convincing win," said Wayne Johnson, Pombo's chief political consultant. "We stopped our advertising two weeks out because we didn't see what the point was."
AND:
But Pombo is likely to zero in on McNerney's support for increasing a number of taxes.
In a survey on the Project Vote Smart Web page, McNerney said he supports slight increases in alcohol, cigarette, inheritance and gasoline taxes. He wants large increases in capital gains and corporate taxes.
"On just about every issue, he is on the wrong side for the district," Johnson said. "I've never seen a political suicide note this long."
Vicki, what kind of an idea is it to take a cheap shot at Filson after the primary while in the same breath asking his supporters for support? Really, what a fool. Good luck with your strategy.
Yo all youse fellow Dems.
Rocky here again. Get used to it, cuz Rocky's becum a friggin bloggaholic. No way is neither Adrian nor Paulie gonna stop me neither, at least when dey ain't home.
Now on account of duh fact dat we is all Dems except fer duh friggin BBB infidels from duh Castro, we would all be wize to ignore whaddever sins Ms Vicki committed real or imaginary just as we wuz all ready to forgive Rickey's trespasses when he previously trespassed against us. Amen. Oh Jeezus! Rocky just mixed religion wit politics just like a friggin Repuglican! Goddamn it sure is easy to do, ain't it?
But anyways, like I wuz sayin duh time fer unitary is now. No more gripin, no more whinin, no more bellyachin, we is all united like duh friggin airline if we wanna fly dis boid all duh way to Washington. Even if Filson ain't duh pilot, we still gonna salute him and his flight crew. Youse know what I mean?
And speaking of duh Repuglicans, Rocky STILL like duh Fightin One and salute him too and did any of youse catch his comment in today's Bee dat occassionally stings from Modesto?:
" McCloskey, moreover, is not about to get back in line behind the incumbent he spent nearly half a million dollars trying to beat, nor does he think his primary supporters will be very forgiving.
"I can't think of any of (my) 32 percent who will vote for Pombo in the fall," McCloskey said Wednesday, adding that "the best thing that can happen for the country now is for the Democrats to take over the House."
Dis is like real good news fer us Dems, youse follow my drift? I mean dis guy is callin fer a Dem Congress, and Rocky don't mean to brag or gloat neither but hey did Yers Truly call him one of us Dems who was pursuing a Trojan Condom strategy or what?
Do any of youse wit duh brains on dis blot know how we Dems can best recruit all duh Repugs who supported duh Fightin One to join our side? We can't be insultin dem if we wanna attract 'em neither, so Rocky ain't calling 'em Repugs no more.
From now on dey is "Fellow Citizen Canes" who we want to join our Mutiny Against ButtaPombO's Ill-Begotten Bounty. You know what I mean?
Rocky out. I mean its like you wanna lead a horse around wit sugar and spice an everyting nice instead of whackin 'em or in dis case callin 'em Repugs. We Dems gotta charm duh Fightin Ones supporters and maybe even BeanO supporters if dats possible. As youse all know, Rocky is alreddy a big BeanO supporter on account of Paulie.
Look Vicki
I am the anonymous you were referring to and I basically said the same thing that rick did--that Filson's aim was for the center and those center people just did not come out to vote.
If the people who voted for Thomas knew what they were doing (and I'm sure they did), that further proves the point that the majority of voters were very liberal.
I never said the people that voted for McNerney didn't know what they were doing or that McNerney himself didn't know what he was doing.
It was pretty obvious from the beginning that the whole idea behind Filson running was to offer a candidate who would get cross-party voters as there are just not enough Democrats in the district to win. Thus the emphasis on being electable. And the pension thing is just an attempt at an "I feel your pain".
I am sure that some Filson supporters will support McNerney but I am equally sure that this particular blog is not going to be the meeting place. There are also people who are going to give up unless McNerney shows himself to be the real "Mr. Electable". Finally, I don’t know where you got the idea that only Jerry’s people were “admonished” to support whoever wins…isn’t that always the idea after a party primary?
Jesus H. Christ, we can all sit here tossing bean bags back and forth at each other, saying you did this and she did that. Just friggin bury it. Filson is history, as is Thomas. Nice try, good effort, rah, rah, etc. All that matters now is Jerry versus the Pig.
What are we going to do here on this "blot", go over the primary race ad nauseum and be all bitter, "he said, she said" like a bunch of kindergarteners, or are we going to move on to the larger goal? Looks like Rocky has, at least.
Meanwhile, Pombo and Johnson and Fogliani are laughing all the way to the bank. What a racket for them! The money is just piling in from all those corporations and Indian tribes that want legislation passed. Pombo and gang are just grabbing it and stuffing it into their pockets just as fast as they can. You can just tell by the news articles that Pombo is smiling ear-to-ear: SF Chron says, "Pombo is basking in his decisive victory". Probably went out and bought Annette a new RV -- oops, he can just rent one on the taxpayer dollars. Maybe he bought her a trip to New Zealand -- oops, he can do that on the ICNFR's dime. Geesh, must be tough, with all that dough and perks and stuff -- what should he buy his wife to celebrate? She already gets over $100,000 as a "campaign consultant". Maybe he can up her "salary". These are the tough decisions Pombo will have to make over the next few months.
Anyway you look at it, it is a tough road ahead for Jerry. With a bunch of what Pete McCloskey called cynical, uninterested, and apathic voters in the District, he will have to work hard to build enthusiasm for his candidacy. Of course, we can hope the Pombo slips up and "screws the pooch".
Now before Rocky goes off on that remark, and thinks I am talking about Adrian, and before Pombo reads this and thinks I am talking about Annette, let me add this: "Screwing the pooch" is a pilot/astronaut saying about messing something up big time. Maybe Filson could explain it sometime.
To SNTP posters:
Vicki has never been authorized to speak for McNerney for Congress.
That said, I apologize for her inappropriate comments even though she was speaking for herself and not for the campaign.
Thank you for expressing your criticism constructively.
A.J. Carrillo
MFC Campaign Manager
Yo fer duh last time on dis thread.
Rocky here. Duh definition of histery is sumtin dats alreddy happened and dat you can't friggin change. Duh electron is over, now its time fer us Dems to cum together and do whaddever we can to bring in duh Fightin One's supporters and catch as much of BeanO's wind as we can mustard.
Youse know what I mean? I mean Rocky alreddy sed duh time fer bellyachin and whinin is over - now its time to go out and BUILD a friggin coal train of duh willing dat includes everyone dat wanna see ButtaPombO get flushed down duh terlet.
Mr VPO is right on dis one and dats why he's one of duh leading ineffectuals on dis blot so listen to him and get smart.
Rocky out.
Congratulations to the McNerney team.
However I think that one of the canidates performed very well on internet. It was aufully quiet about that district. I did some campaigning for Filson on Daily Kos and waited and waited and not a word about the district. In the very end of the campain some McNerney supporters (probably the staff?) started to show up and there was a debate, actually, not much of a debate either but it was something. It was like the candidates forgot the internet and the advatages of internet activism.
Friends, if we're going to beat Pombo you better start to learn how internet activism works. We all know that costs almost nothing.
What I would like to see is a real effort from the McNearney campaign to fire up the blogospere and make the bloggers feel that they "own" the campaign. Inhale the ideas from the netroots and don't be afraid to use the ideas and give credits to the supporters. Someone said that Filson is all about HIM HIM and HIM...I called the man and hey it was never about him and more like talking to a friend and what to do. No problem at all. He always answered every single mail I sent and gave me some feedback.
I mailed the McNerney campaign at an early stage and not an answer.
That's really sloppy and I hope that the McNerney campaign takes it seriously.
Over all the McNerney campaign performed better on the internet by it's extremely late entrence on the sceene but to have two three netroots compared with one isn't much of an internet race and anyone could have turned that around in a heartbeat.
I have to give all the candidates a big F on internet activism and hope that the McNearney HQ improve it netroot's efforts and don't write internet activism off.
Markus kungsrecond aT- hotmail Dot com
I have to give all the candidates a big F on internet activism and hope that the McNearney HQ improve it netroot's efforts and don't write internet activism off.
Markus -
Just having arrived back from Yearly Kos, I can tell you that our engagement with the netroots is strong.
I'm not sure how you are measuring our "efforts" but one quantitative method worth considering is looking up the "CA-11" and "Jerry McNerney" tags on dKos. You'll find that the McNerney netroots presence was more substantial than any other candidate in the CA-11 race. Other metrics to consider: online contributions and ActBlue fundraising.
Could our internet activism have been even better? Sure. We can always do better. Nevertheless, context is important: in comparison to our competition, we were very active. In relation to Pombo, of course, we plan to do even better.
Thanks for your consideration.
EDJ
Yeah I checked np. We can always do better and I guess we have to. I hope you had a great time at YKos. It looks like that on the blogs. Unfortually I couldn't go. But next time I hope to meet you all there.
Respectfully yours
M
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