Young Philly Politics

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2005-07-10T16:35:00.000-04:00

Young Philly Politics has moved off of blogger. Please update your site, and check us out at www.youngphillypolitics.com.

Site Maintenance

2005-07-09T14:51:00.000-04:00

We are undergoing some site maintenance for the next day or so, in case things looks weird.

Turning PA Blue: Volunteer Opportunity Tomorrow

2005-07-08T12:20:00.000-04:00

One of the longer-term projects that all Dems in PA have to focus on is getting the Stae back to where it should be: in the hand of Democrats. In a State where we have way more registered Democrats than Republicans, it makes no sense that we have a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and a Majority of Republican Congressman. Turning the PA House blue will help us immeasurably with much of this, because redistricting is just 4.5 years away.

As Anne Dicker said in an email:

With the Republicans in control of the state senate and house, Democratic Philadelphians are restricted in what they can do for the city: from preventing gun crime to regulating a fairer tax structure. Winning back our state legislature is the key to helping our city (not to mention the rest of the state)! And the deficit is only 11 members in the house.

To that end, I want to let everyone know about a really great volunteer opportunity for tomorrow: Linda Minger, candidate in a special election in the PA House, needs help with phone banking. Can you spare some time?

The details:
Junco & Grouse Bookstore
Sunday July 10th
6pm to 8 pm
716 S 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

It is sponsored by the Young Democrats of PA. Check out more details here.

It will surely be a small turnout race, in a really small district. A few volunteers can make a really big difference.

Rep. Bob Brady and Seth Williams

2005-07-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

There were two interesting items in this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer. Both are part of the weekly political roundup done by the staff reporters. The first is a rumor that US Rep. Bob Brady is considering a run for Mayor of Philadelphia. Brady is the chair of the Democratic City Committee and widely thought to be one of the most powerful politicians in Philadelphia.

Interestingly enough, he also the only white congressman in the entire country who represents a district that is mostly people of color. While this might seem like a meaningless statistic, I think it is actually pretty significant. A hallmark of Brady's style has been building diverse political coalitions and working with lot's of different people. If he did decide to run for mayor, it would be an earthquake on the already crowded landscape.

The second blurb is about Seth Williams and his upcoming fundraiser.

Seth Williams defied the Democratic establishment when he challenged District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham in the May primary, but there are no hard feelings.

The host committee for a fund-raiser aimed at retiring Williams' $35,000 campaign debt includes Mayor Street, party chairman and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, U.S. Rep Chaka Fattah, five members of City Council, and the leaders of 17 wards.

Most of those on the bill publicly supported Abraham, the primary winner. "It's a testament to the campaign we ran: a clean campaign, based on the issues, with no race baiting," Williams said. "We're looking good for four years from now."

The event, with tickets at $100, $250 and $1,000, is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 28 at Finnigan's Wake, the political watering hole in Northern Liberties

What exactly does this mean? I actually think the article lays it out quite well. Williams ran a good campaign and is being rewarded for it. He is a legitimate guy who has a bright political future.

Johnny Doc Doesn't Get It

2005-07-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

Last week, Dave Davies wrote a column in the Daily News, talking about an odd conversation that he had with John Dougherty, the head of the electrician's union, the treasurer of the Philly Democratic Party, and general Philly mover and shaker. In the column, Davies said that Dougherty both threatened him, and said that Dougherty said that he had Councilman Jim Kenney's phone records. (He likely does not really have the phone records.)

The main point of the Davies column was that Dougherty, a likely candidate for mayor, was acting like a bully. Who says they have a rival politician's phone records, and use it to threaten one of the most respected local journalists we have?

In today's DN, Dougherty responds. And, fundamentally, it is a good example of why Dougherty is going to have a lot of trouble running for mayor.

He starts the letter by saying:

IN LAST week's column, Dave Davies got one thing right. Buried deep in his attack, he acknowledged my exemplary work ethic, passion for worthy causes, and the charity and community work conducted by IBEW Local 98. Let me first address the worthy causes:

Dougherty then goes on listing his causes, and discussing his work ethic. And, hey, Dougherty does have his union do some very worthwhile things. They donated labor to Live 8, they were almost solely responsible for boathouse row being re-lit when it was. And, given how he has turned the local IBEW into a political force, I have no doubt he has a strong work ethic. But, and this is a big but, that was not that point.

Notice what Dougherty does not say in the letter? He does not say, for example, the conversation did not happen that way. He does not say, "I lost my temper, and I apologize." No, he just lists his accomplishments, and leaves it at that. But, that kind of attitude, where because you have used some of your considerable power for good, you can act like a bully, will not get you elected mayor. People are not going to vote for you because you demand they do, they are going to do it because they want to see you every day for four years, because they like you.

The considerable power of John Dougherty will undoubtedly make him a player in the mayoral race, and will get him the support of a lot of local politicians. But, unless he understands that people want to like their leader of their City, not fear him, he will not win in 2007.

Conservative Christians take on the Statehouse

2005-07-06T12:17:00.000-04:00

Evangelical and conservative Christian organizing in Pennsylvania is nothing new. However, the Christian right has apparently formed a new Pastor's network to target our beloved General Assembly in earnest. According to a tucked-away piece in Saturday’s Inquirer (which you can read in its entirety here):

The new Pennsylvania Pastors' Network already has signed up about 100 ministers, most from the Philadelphia area. It was created by Let Freedom Ring, a West Chester nonprofit, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Family Institute and the Urban Family Council.

Former Chester County Commissioner Colin Hanna founded Let Freedom Ring last year to promote conservative causes.

The pastors' network furthers Let Freedom Ring's work during the 2004 presidential campaign to equip pastors to speak out on social issues while abiding by tax rules that require churches to be nonpartisan.

Pastors in the new network will get alerts and material so they and their congregants can press legislators toward conservative stances on abortion, same-sex marriage, gambling, and other issues, said Deborah Hamilton, a spokeswoman for Let Freedom Ring.

Luckily, the left has great people like Rabbi Carl Choper of Temple Beth Shalom in Mechanicsburg on our side who has been working to reinvigorate the statewide Interfaith Alliance. This national group has chapters in many states and Rabbi Carl is trying to get Pennsylvania’s progressive faith community organized. So far this year they have worked to influence Senator Specter on the filibuster issue and will hopefully delve into state level politics soon.

Progressive faith-based organizing is sometimes a low priority of the PA and Philadelphia Left, but when Focus on the Family is funding the other side to influence our state’s policies and laws it should be a wakeup call for all of us to get in touch with Rabbi Carl at the Interfaith Alliance and figure out how we can help.

More on Michael Nutter and Trolleys

2005-07-06T08:36:00.000-04:00

I received an email from Jim Foster, author of the previously discussed op-ed on Michael Nutter and trolleys.

As the author of the opinion piece regarding the Route 15 trolley, Michael Nutter and SEPTA, let me clarify a couple of points that may be missed in reading the abbreviated version of my commentary. (For those interested google Chestnut Hill Local and read the two separate opinions on this issue in my columns “Off Center” by Jim Foster. They were printed June 2, and June 29.)

The larger issue here is that $84 million was spent on a transportation system that was well researched, planned, and completed with testing and operation already de-bugged. It was also one whose operational start date was advertised well in advance to the neighborhood. SEPTA knew full well that the street in question (two blocks of 59th Street) had been illegally converted to both side parking by the neighbors and Nutter admits it has been used illegally that way. SEPTA, not without a history of poor community relations, did try and get Nutter to have the street made one way in essence to help legalize an existent non-conforming use, a typical process in Philadelphia usually accompanied with political influence. Campbell saw this as an opportunity to blackmail SEPTA by waiting until a day or two before the publicized start date and went on record that the neighbors would not move the illegally parked cars and they would not accept a one-way street. This was all carefully choreographed with Nutter part of the plan. He denied being a part of that process in a recent phone call, but a reading of his quote in the City Paper last October 6, tells a much different story.

The point is not that ward leaders or councilmen should not deal with local issues, they should. But here they had years to work out their differences with SEPTA regarding the depot at 59th and Callowhill, and no less than a year advance notice that trolley service was to resume. The trackwork had been long completed and the announcement that the newly rebuilt cars were being supplied to SEPTA began in 2003. The Inquirer published photos of the cars, the station at the Zoo and related data and now those involved say they were caught off guard - - - not a chance. This was a political power play pure and simple, crafted to have maximum impact. Councilman Nutter had a larger responsibility to take the bull by the horns, get the system operational, and then preside over resolution of other local issues. That is called leadership and prioritizing. It could have been a win-win if he had the guts; but he does not. Campbell runs the show out there, and he does what he is told.

As I stated in my piece, politics in Philadelphia is hardball without gloves. Councilman Nutter is proving he is not ready for that game.

Kudos to John Street

2005-07-05T22:02:00.000-04:00

I am not one to pull punches when I disagree with someone, as should be pretty self-evident for most of our readers. That said, when a politican does something that deserves credit, I try and note that too.

In that vein, I just want to say congratulations to Mayor Street for the 4th of July weekend. First, Live 8 went off without a hitch. (Unless, you, like me, think Rob Thomas, Josh Groban and Keith Urban are big hitches. But that ain't Mayor Street's fault.) The City, and all City workers, did one hell of a job getting the Parkway ready, keeping the peace, and cleaning up when it was done.

And, while I doubt that the City truly broke even on the event, I think it was certainly worth it. First of all, it was simply a big showcase for a City that can use a little publicity to our friends around the Country and around the world. But, more fundamentally, it was worth it because Philly played host to an event, that trying or not, probabaly did more to raise awareness about Africa than anything else this side of Blackhawk Down. Having Will Smith, with an audience of millions, snapping his fingers every three seconds to symbolize a child dying from poverty, is an unmeasurable good, and I am proud that Philly hosted it. Could it have done better? Yeah. Hyde Park, all singing along to U2, and Paul McCartney seemed to "get it" more. But, strictly in terms of the city itself, I am happy with our contribution.

Secondly, a few lines from this article, which was pretty useless, caught my eye:

The gala and concert's goal was $2 million - $1 million guaranteed to John's AIDS foundation, and $1 million to stay locally for AIDS education.

Tickets for the ball cost from $500 to $2,500.

About 600 guests ate pasta, poached salmon, turkey breast and grilled vegetables, and drank from an open bar. Singer Rufus Wainwright warmed up for John, who stood with tennis great Billie Jean King and acknowledged Mayor Street, Segal and Fumo. "This is an incredible step for a city to go through," John said. The city in effect turned over its annual July Fourth Parkway festivities to an AIDS benefit.

So, again, forgetting the party, the parade and fireworks, etc, Mayor Street turned July 4th into one huge benefit for AIDS charities.

Cheers, Mr. Mayor.

PA Budget Deal Reached: Some Medicaid Cuts Reversed

2005-07-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

In their annual, "oops!, we forgot we have to pass a budget" session, the PA legislature and the Governor agreed to a budget deal late last night. And, the deal looks to reverse at least some of the draconian cuts that were being made to Medicaid:

Rendell said the deal would restore close to $200 million of the $383 million he proposed eliminating from the Medicaid budget in February. House Republicans, however, said last night that the number was closer to $150 million.

With federal funding drying up, higher health care costs and increased enrollment, Rendell said he had no choice but to impose limits on services this year.

The agreement would lift all caps on prescription drugs and hospital access for women and children, and mean no increase in co-payments.

"This is a tremendous victory for the people who are most medically challenged," Rendell said.

Health care advocates were concerned that the cap on doctors' offices would remain at 18 visits per year, which could be devastating for the disabled or chronically ill.

"If you keep the limits, they will end up in the hospital," said Jonathan Stein, chief counsel for Community Legal Services. "You only hurt the sickest people."

Rendell said he would meet with health care providers and advocates throughout the summer to identify ways to save money.

On the face of it, this looks like a clear victory. But, I guess I am curious as to what the full agreement spells out. Eliminating the caps on how many times really sick people can go to the doctor is such a basic thing.

My question, where is the other 180 million dollars coming from? Is Rendell going to find another source of revenue for the program, or are there still cuts that we are not seeing?

The problem with late night budget agreements is that no one knows any of the details, including most of our glorious State Reps.

Politics and trolleys: the rest of the story

2005-07-01T14:01:00.000-04:00

Ben pointed me to a great Op-Ed in the Chestnutt Hill Local about Michael Nutter’s role in the 15 Trolley debacle.

My commentary in the June 2 edition of the Local focused on a bizarre political situation that has been festering for over a year, the outgrowth of a most unusual conflict between a West Philadelphia neighborhood, SEPTA, an $84 million taxpayer investment and a high-profile councilman who walked away from an important decision.
Michael Nutter, self-appointed dragon-slayer of all social ills, could not seem to bring himself to override the wishes of a ward leader in his district, even though those wishes include an illegal conversion and use of a street, and a costly reversal of progress for a surface transportation project fully funded, paid for and potentially operational. That project is the Route 15 Girard Avenue streetcar system that was to initiate similar upgrades and restoration for two other routes, one of them being our own Route 23 on Germantown Avenue. The start date for Route 15 was June 2004.

--snip—

The real story is that Carol Campbell, ward leader and secretary of the Democratic City Committee, sitting at the right hand of U.S. Congressman Bob Brady, is so powerful that she is seen as the kingmaker or career breaker in the next mayoral election. She is reputed to control so many inner city wards that a few phone calls could end or start careers. Nutter is genuinely afraid to cross her, and Brady will hide in the corner if told to do so — and he did so.

--snip—

The current SEPTA management seems to want to do all it can to remove itself from any obligation to run trolleys again, and for that reason has not taken a very aggressive position in trying to remedy the stalemate on Route 15. No wonder a full year has passed since the announced start date. Some feel that by keeping the spotlight off that trolley line, it precludes SEPTA from having to explain not only why the two other routes have languished, but why the agency has begun selectively dismantling the infrastructure it was supposed to maintain. Most of this “unofficial sabotage” began the month after the Route 15 startup was put off.

I think that we all know that Michael Nutter is eyeing the Mayoral seat in 2007, and one does not get there by pissing off party bosses. But I don’t think that it is necessarily that simple. First of all, Nutter, if he is as independent minded as people make him out to be, will never get the support from the party in the primary over Chakah Fattah and John Saidel, although I don’t think that Campbell is in the Chakah Fattah cheering section. But more importantly, believe it or not, this is how the Ward structure is supposed to work. Nutter has been known as one of the only District Councilmen to defer to their Ward Leaders about issues of the sort. In most districts, the old system where Ward Leaders actually controlled the destiny of their Wards is virtually non-existent.

I think that we also must note that this is not just about parking spaces. SEPTA has made it clear that they do not want to maintain Trolley lines. If you were living in West Philly, would you want to park somewhere else only to have that street have abandoned Trolley tracks that turn into blithe?

Nutter does not just have to worry about the Mayor’s race here. If he decides to back out then he will have to defend his Council seat. You don’t stay in office by pissing off your constituents, no matter how wrong you think that they are.

Race and Education in Philadelphia

2005-07-01T09:48:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook is an excellent source of information on the School District. Their summer report (found here) on racial inequities in the District is very interesting.

It is an analysis of new demographic data released by the District. The Notebook article finds that there are still “persistent inequities in resources and achievement” based on race in the Philadelphia's schools.

Among other important facts mentioned in the article is this:

A 2003 study conducted by Research for Action found that over a three-year period, gaps in the percentage of uncertified teachers between the District’s predominantly nonwhite schools and schools with more White students had actually widened. A recent analysis updating these trends found that gaps in certification, turnover rates, and teacher experience persist.

School CEO Paul Vallas is implementing an array of new programs, which he argues will “lift all boats,” but take a look at this article and see how much more slowly progress has been achieved for students of color.

It is confirmed

2005-06-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

I walked up and down the Parkway, there really are not enough Johns.

But, in reality, I was just at the Art Museum, because I was watching the relighting of Boathouse Row (which was really cool). The preperations for the concert are going on everywhere. With all the trucks going everywhere, I thought, we are either preparing for a huge concert, or we are getting ready to invade New Jersey.

I am excited. I know most people are turning out for the concert itself. But the fact is that hundreds of thousands of people are turning out as a way to raise consciousness about debt relief in Africa, not the sexiest topic in the world. I am happy to be in the city that it is hosting it.

Live 8 Philly.

The Price is Right

2005-06-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I expressed some concern in this post about the cost of Live 8 to the city. Today however, it was reported that Mayor Street and his team came through for Philadelphia and negotiated a $350,00 payment to the city for the concert. The Mayor was quoted as saying that this dollar amount will easily allow the city to break even. You can read the article from today's Inquirer here.

Seems like a good deal to me. The most interesting part of the article on a somewhat tangential note was this:

In addition, cellular telephone companies were taking steps to make sure they would be able to handle the expected volume of calls on Saturday.

Verizon Wireless reported that it had upgraded its permanent cell sites around the Parkway and added a COLT, an acronym for "cell on light truck." The COLT, which increases the capacity of the Verizon network by 40 percent, weighs 25,000 pounds and has two 50-foot antennas.

Who knew?

Need a Reason to Oppose PGW Privatization? Here's One.

2005-06-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ben earlier told us that John Perzel, et. al. are eyeing PGW, with the intent to take Philly’s troubled utility, and privatize it. In a way, given how mismanaged and corrupt much of PGW is, this sounds reasonably appealing to many in Philadelphia, such as Michael Nutter. And, considering that PGW is in debt to the tune of 500 million dollars, it is easy to understand why. But, if we needed a reason NOT to privatize PGW, we got it today.

In the energy bill passed today by both the House and Senate, there was a quiet repeal of PUHCA, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. What is PUHCA? Why should you care? And why must we keep PGW from being privatized? Read on....

First, what is PUHCA? Via Kos diarist Tocqueville, we turn to PUHCA for Dummies:

Q. What exactly does PUHCA do?

A. PUHCA: (1) limits the geographic spread (therefore, size) of utility holding companies, the kinds of business they may enter, the number of holding companies over a utility in a corporate hierarchy, and their capital structure; (2) controls the amount of debt (thus, cost of capital), dividends, loans and guarantees based on utility subsidiaries (so the parents can't loot or bankrupt the utility subsidiary), and the securities that parent companies may issue; (3) regulates self-dealing among affiliate companies and cross-subsidies of unregulated businesses by regulated businesses; (4) controls acquisitions of other utilities and other businesses; and, (5) limits common ownership of both electric and natural gas utilities.

Q. (Sarcastically) Is that all?

A. Actually, no. PUHCA also limits the activities (and campaign contributions) of officers and directors of holding companies, has control over their accounts, books and records, and regulates them in a number of other ways.

Should Billionaires and Huge Oil Companies Own Our Public Utilities?

Q. Why do Warren Buffet and ChevronTexaco want to get rid of PUHCA?

A. PUHCA does not allow them to own and control utilities unless they give up their other businesses. (They can passively invest in them now.)

Q. Are you kidding? ChevronTexaco would have to give up its oil business? Buffet would have to give up Berkshire/Hathaway?

A. Correct. PUHCA was enacted because huge holding companies were using secure utility revenues to finance and guarantee other, riskier business ventures around the world, and 53 utility holding companies went bankrupt from 1929 to 1936 after the banks called in their loans.

Q. So PUHCA protects the financial health of public utilities that supply our electricity and retail natural gas?

A. Yes, by controlling their parent companies. Of course, PUHCA was also designed to reduce over-concentration of economic power in just a few companies. The top five oil companies now control 50 percent of oil production in the U.S. If they also controlled public utilities, they would be too powerful for any government to regulate.

Hmmmmmm. And, if you need some proof as to the power of this law, consider that a small 1992 repeal of one part of PUHCA “created power marketers, and ultimately the electricity deregulation debacle in California, the Enron bankruptcy, and the bankruptcies and huge debt of numerous utilities all over the United States.”

Well, that does not sound too good. Many people forget that we lucked out, when Enron tried, but failed to takeover PECO. Would you like another Enron controlling your energy? Or, as the same Daily Kos authors points out, would you be comfortable with say, China, controlling the energy of Philadelphians? Or, what about Haliburton or Texaco?

And get ready to start paying your power bill to Halliburton because some of the companies best positioned to take advantage of this deregulation are oil companies: "The top five oil companies now control 50 percent of US oil production. If they also controlled public utilities, they would be too powerful for any government to regulate," said Hargis.

We must figure out how to reform PGW, how to get it out of the patronage mill, how to get people to pay their bills. We must not, however, turn our biggest public utility over to private companies, just as it becomes exponentially more dangerous to do so.

Keep Haliburton, China, Chevron or a new Enron from controlling heat in Philadelphia. Say no to PGW privatization.

Live 8: Where is the Stinkmeister when we need him?

2005-06-29T20:35:00.000-04:00

OK, some quick math...

Let's just start with the assumption that a million people are coming to Live 8. That is a lot of people standing around on a hot day, drinking lots of water... Yeah, you know where I am going with this. The city has ordered 440 port-a-johns for the occasion.

1 million people/440 johns

That is roughly one toilet for every 2,273 people.

Ewwwww.

Is Live 8 worth it?

2005-06-29T13:18:00.000-04:00

I haven't come to a conslusion of my own yet, but is the expenditure on the part of the City to host Live 8 worth it? Elmer Smith of the DN says yes in this piece and here's why:

What are we supposed to get out of this other than an additional burden on a strained city budget to defray the millions of dollars in police and Streets Department overtime and related costs?

"You can't buy this kind of publicity," the mayor said last month, when he announced the "good" news that the city had been selected as one of the sites for the multi-venued international aid for Africa concert.

You can't. In fact, contrary to local lore, this town comes up big when we gussy up for the public. We do big stuff as well as any major city.

I guess I agree in general, but how do you quantify the benefits of the concert in terms of additional tax revenue, wages for workers and long-term growth?

There is also the argument that the city does little to address income inequality for African-Americans who live here, so why spend so much additional city $ on a free concert for Africa when so many people would have paid a nominal fee to attend?

What do you think?

Slouching towards 20,000

2005-06-29T10:31:00.000-04:00

Quick! What is the significance of the number 20,000?

A) Average season attendance for Phillies games if the losing streak continues.

B) Number of small puppies Philadelphia Forward has threatened to drown in Love Park if City Council doesn't repeal the Business Privilege Tax.

C) About half the votes needed to win an at-large City Council seat or double the amount needed to district seat.

D) The number of unique readers Young Philly Politics will have by the end of the week!

MoveOn Shows Its Hand: Casey Endorsed

2005-06-28T19:56:00.000-04:00

One of longshot Senate candidate Chuck Pennacchio's best bets was to get a group like MoveOn to jump on board with his candidacy. In 2003, MoveOn held an online primary, that while not garnering any candidates an official endorsement, helped continue the momentum Howard Dean was riding.

MoveOn held another online primary this week, and basically, it was rigged for Bob Casey. They sent out an email to their members, giving a description of the Senate candidates. However, when they made no issue of choice in their description, they made clear that what they were after was a quick endorsement of Casey. And, according to an email I received yesterday, they got their endorsement.

First candidate is Bob Casey, Jr., Pennsylvania's state treasurer who is currently leading Rick Santorum in polls of the race for the Senate. Casey has fought for improved long-term health care, made child care more affordable, and supported women- and minority-owned businesses. Howard Dean calls Casey "a tremendous friend of working people," 2 and Pennsylvania MoveOn members overwhelmingly supported Casey in our online primary. With President Bush's help, Santorum has raised millions of dollars so far. But even so, this race is our best chance to replace a key player in the far-right Republican leadership with a strong Democrat. Early support from MoveOn members will be a big boost to Casey's campaign.

Chuck may be known among bloggers, but I would guess that amongst MoveOn members that his name recognition is very, very low. Couple that with Casey's name recognition, and this was a done deal.

I feel for Pennacchio, but I don't see where he goes from here. I know he has caught the fancy of many in the Philly blog community, but, I have not been particularly impressed. With this move, his odds just got a little longer.

When MoveOn held that early primary, Dean came out swinging, getting something like 50 percent of the vote out of a ton of candidates. When Paul Wellstone started his longshot campaign, he immediately had the support of party activists, labor unions, etc, that helped him pull off a win at the Minnesota DFL party convention. I guess I am wondering where the same reaction is for Chuck? I guess we will never know whether Chuck could have done better if this were simply held later, because MoveOn quickly moved to cut him off at the knees.

I am all for longshot candidates. But, I just have not been impressed by Chuck. He seems like a great guy, but, I am not feeling it. I remember when I first saw Wellstone speak, and I was blown away. I have not felt the same way after seeing Chuck. (Maybe it is unfavorable to compare Chuck to Wellstone, but, it is a comparison his supporters keep bringing up.) Either way, this is a clear sign that Chuck will be fighting on without the support of any of the big liberal groups such as MoveOn.

See Chris' take on the endorsement here.

Philadelphia’s Economic Future: Part 1

2005-06-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

Young Philly Politics is a space for young, active Philadelphians to write about the issues that matter most to them and the future of our city. Most of the contributors to YPP, including myself, are life-long Philadelphians and our passion comes from a generations long attachment to Philadelphia and the region.

Because we are not members of the mainstream media, we are able to spend more time writing in depth about ideas of importance to the city and exploring not just the who, what, when and where that the papers and TV do so well, but also the WHY that is often left out.

To that end, I would like to start a series of posts on Philadelphia’s economic health now and into the future. I think most Philadelphians want to believe in a future that preserves the character and style of our city and is full of opportunities for all. Yet, for those of us who live outside of Center City and a few other neighborhoods, we wake up every morning, look around and see signs of decay. Even for those of who in live in neighborhoods that have already “made it,” we worry that the comfort and security that has been achieved in our communities won’t last.

Philadelphia’s job market, like the nation’s, has become more and more stratified with higher wage earners earning more and lower wage earners earning less. It used to be you could graduate high school or college and be able to pick a career and maybe even a company that would last your entire career. Of course, for people my age this idea is a fairy tale. I am 26 and after graduating from college, I have already had 4 different jobs. Ask anyone under 30 who is not a doctor or lawyer and they will tell you something similar.

Our political leaders have no long-term vision for the city. Even beloved former Mayor Rendell, who some credit with the revitalization of Center City and the self-esteem of the city as a whole, did not have a comprehensive economic development plan that addressed income divisions and job market gaps. These leaders don’t lack vision because of corruption or similarly mundane reasons, they lack vision because it is pretty hard to see that far into the future. Our local and national economies are at a really pivotal moment in time as the last vestiges of the 19th and 20th century US industrial economy are quickly slipping away and no one really knows what's next.

So, with income inequalities, limited quality-job options and an absence of political leadership, what substanative steps can we as a city and as a region take to solve our structural economic problems to solidify our tax base and provide opportunities for all?

That is the question I plan to address over the next few weeks and I guess it is worth saying at the outset that my answer will never be to cut taxes alone. I can already hear it coming and I don’t want to waste a lot of time rehashing the same old debate.

The purpose of my posts will be to look at alternatives to tax-cutting as a solution to structural economic problems. I am taking on this role largely because I think that the role of reduced taxes in spurring economic growth has already become obsolete. Tax reduction alone can not create the number of jobs, encourage the number of industries or create enough of the polices needed to create a high-road economy in Philadelphia that has a tax-base sufficient enough to support citizens and businesses well into the future. There is a role for discussing tax fairness and making sure that city tax policy doesn't worsen income inequality by imposing flat or regressive taxes.

Today’s installment is intended to serve as a brief introduction to the ideas I would like to explore in the coming weeks. I plan to write in more depth about high-road economic development ideas, race and class in Philadelphia, the role of government in spurring economic development, the impact of education on the city’s economy, the role (if any) of tax policy on the city’s economy and practical, progressive solutions that will produce a Philadelphia economy that works for all.

I would also like to invite all readers to use the comment section below to tell me what you would like me to cover in terms of the viability of Philadelphia’s economic infrastructure.

The Awful Daily News Homeless Article/Pictures

2005-06-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

My computer has been on the fritz, which has kept me from writing in a timely manner. But, even though it is now a day old, I need to say something about the awful DN article on the homeless. Or, really, an article about why homeless people smell.

First of all, generally the DN treats a really serious problem like a stupid joke, as Ben and Ray pointed out. And, while I am not as inclined to believe this was part of a grand scheme, I think this was brutish, stupid, cruel and insensitive from the paper that bills itself as from the people.

Basically, what I want to talk about are those stupid goddamned pictures.

For those who didn't see them, in the "Stinkmeister Column," Dan Geringer, dressed in a full scale gas mask, goes looking for really smelly things. Yeah, it seems childish and silly, but this is the DN.

So, what does he find to pose for a picture with? A homeless man. So, basically, Geringer snuck up behind a sleeping homeless man, put on his gas mask, and snapped a picture of himself behind the sleeping homeless man. And, to be very honest, although I know it is nothing similar, the image the picture quickly evoked in my head? Private Lyndie England, posing in front of her "friends" at Abu Gharaib.

Basically, what you have is a paper and a reporter, each of whom has done a lot of good work in the past, thinking it is great news to use a homeless man, someone who is at best in very dire straits, and at worst, severely mentally ill, as a goddamn prop for his gotcha picture.

I guess what really, really gets to me is that it is the sense that this homeless man is pretty much subhuman. The picture that is right next to it, has Geringer with his next "find," a steaming pile of trash. So, the symbolism of these two 'awful' things, a pile of trash, and a homeless man, really infuriates the living hell out of me.

Put it like this, what if Geringer took off the gas mask, and instead posed as he snuck up behind the homeless guy and took a big whiff. What about a picture of Geringer standing behind the sleeping man, with his nose pinched?

Some days, I don't feel particularly articulate, and this is one of them, so I am not really explaining my anger well. But Christ, what the hell was the process like for taking the picture? Did they drive around and say, "Oooooh, there is a smellly one! And he is sleeping! Perfect! He will never know!"

Put it like this: What if instead, we had a columnist who was doing a story about kids failing standardized tests. Would it be cool to sneak up behind a few children, grab of a couple of text books, and pose with a big smirk, and unwittingly take and publish their picture as a symbol of failure. Sorry, kids, you suck!!! How about doing a column about foreclosures, and sneaking up behind a family who just lost their home, and posing behind them with the deed to their home? Nice pic!

The problem is that when journalists try and insert themselves into the news, and try and make news, you get cruel shit like this. And, although I am not voicing it well, the pictures make me incredibly angry at what the DN did, and incredibly sad that this is the path it may be going down.

Geringer’s Folly: What is the Daily News’ Real Agenda?

2005-06-27T12:15:00.000-04:00

Dan Geringer is a veteran Daily News writer who used to cover education and schools for the paper (very well I might add) prior to the Vallas regime. Since then, he has become the DN’s Stinkmesiter and Joltmeister monitoring the city’s potholes and smelly places. Today, Geringer brought the stink onto himself.

Read my fellow contributor Ben Waxman’s summary of Geringer’s sensational pg. 5 article on Philadelphia’s homeless on Ben Franklin Parkway.

Why would a good writer like Geringer write this kind of yellow journalist-style drivel? First and foremost, Geringer likely wrote this piece because his editor asked him too.

It can not be a coincidence that this piece was published just five days before Welcome America, Live 8 and Elton John and tens of thousands of concert-goers will converge on the Parkway. This kind of article is what Donald Rumsfeld would likely call “propaganda” if printed in an Iraqi insurgent publication. Geringer's article, unwittingly or not, lays the groundwork for the City to clear off all the homeless from the Parkway before next weekend which according to some homeless advocates is an annual event.

Geringer’s piece is also reflective of the fact that most people still just don’t get it when it comes to dealing with the issue of homelessness and lack of housing. Yes, feeding people on the Parkway and giving money to panhandlers does not address the systemic problems that cause homelessness. However, a more responsible piece of journalism would explore the underlying issues and provide constructive solutions to the problem rather then shamelessly sensationalizing very serious and real problems.

It's not as if there isn't a lot to report on.

Philadelphia is nationally recognized for its homeless outreach and prevention programs. Service providers and advocates have been working very hard to finalize the “10-year Plan to End Homelessness,” which would address the economic justice and mental health issues that lie at the root of many individual’s homelessness. According to the city’s homeless czar, Rob Hess, in a November City Paper article, Philadelphia could “be the first city in America to end the need for anyone to sleep on our streets.” Wouldn't you like to know how this plan is going in the context of this year's bare bones city budget?

Beyond city politics, take a look at the Daily News since January and you will not see one story about the federal budget resolution already passed by Congress earlier this year that will cut homeless and housing funding for Philadelphia. How can the DN ignore such an important story with real impact on the city’s budget, fiscal health and moral responsibility while devoting so much space to offensive articles like the one that appeared today?

If Geringer and the Daily News’ editors want to do Philadelphians a real service, they would publish real news stories about homelessness and other economic issues affecting the city’s ability to move forward rather than stereotyping, sensationalizing and propagandizing issues of importance.

A sampling of national recognition for Philadelphia’s success in reducing Homelessness:

San Francisco

Colorado

Pittsburgh

Seattle

PDN takes aim at the homeless

2005-06-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

Ah, nothing like turning a serious social problem into a series of punch lines and potty jokes.

WEARING HIS trusty gas mask, the Daily News Stinkmeister, voice of the pee-and-poop-plagued public, was strolling through Logan Circle when he saw hordes of homeless men converging on the Ben Franklin Parkway, turning Center City's crown jewel into a campground of chronic despair.

Noting that there was not a single toilet in sight, the Stinkmeister immediately issued an Urgent Barefoot Alert to the at-risk million Live 8 and "Welcome America!" visitors ready to invade the Parkway this weekend.

The city has banned Live 8's hordes from sleeping on the Parkway, but hasn't changed its let-it-be attitude toward homeless, toiletless campgrounds there.

It is true that many homeless people do congregate on the Parkway. Given that hundreds of thousands of people are going to cram themselves there for Live 8, it's certainly worthwhile to raise the question of how these two groups will interact. However, both the author of the article and Councilman Frank DiCicco come across as heartless at best.

"It's almost like they're feeding stray animals. Put some food out and the animal will come back," said City Councilman Frank DiCicco. "They think they're doing good, but the only thing those feeders are doing for the homeless is perpetuating their lifestyle.

Like feeding stray animals? Really? That's a pretty outrageous thing to say. I understand that city officials and business leaders are concerned about the image of Philadelphia when so many out of town visitors will be gracing our streets. However, the solution to homelessness isn't criminalizing poverty or cracking down on people with mental illness. As groups like Project HOME have proven, the best way to deal with the issue is to provide outreach and support. The article does include a small quote from someone from the Street administration who shares this view.

"Last year, Project HOME and other outreach groups got 60 chronically homeless people off the streets, where they had been living for an average of 10 years, and into housing," Hess said. "That outreach was based on establishing trust.

"By allowing the homeless to sleep on the Parkway, we know where they are and our outreach people can work on that trust. When homeless people are living in abandoned buildings where we can't see them, that's when they tend to get hurt or die."

The article ends with a cheeky round-up of the various places homeless people sleep in Philadelphia, called "2005 Homeless Campgrounds of Philadelphia." It's filled with obnoxious descriptions and potty jokes. What's the purpose, besides scoring some points with juvenile humor?

The Dead Cat Paradigm

2005-06-25T23:54:00.000-04:00

Thinking about the media coverage of the cop dying at the protest the other day, I couldn’t help but remember one of the episodes of HBO’s fabulous miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. It was an episode where a Geology Professor was trying to teach astronauts how to find the kinds of rocks that they needed from the Moon. He said that every rock has a story, and thus comes the paradigm of the dead cat. If you see a dead cat on the side of the road, then all you know is that there is a dead cat on the side of the road. In order to find out what really happened, what you need is context. Were there skid marks in front of the cat? Did it have any broken bones or serious wounds? Hopefully, from these facts, you can find out what happened to the dead cat, or in his case, what the story of the rock is.

When I heard the story on the news about the cop dying at the protest, they did the normal thing. They repeated over and over again that a cop died in a scuffle at the protest. I, for the longest time, until I heard the whole story, thought that the cop was beaten to death. It makes it no less of a tragedy that he died of a heart attack, but it does give us a little more context. It tells us that we need to investigate the matter further before jumping to conclusions. I mean if the news reported that there was a dead cat on the side of a very busy and dangerous road, then I would assume that it was run over.

Whenever my conservative friends (yup, I have a few of them too) tell me that the media has a “Liberal Bias”, I want to rip my hair out. The reason that I get so mad is that I may not agree with their politics, but they are smart good people who have common sense. When smart people start buying into this “Liberal Bias” meme, then we are all in trouble.

The question that I have is, how do we take our media back? When I say we, I mean all of us, as Americans. We all deserve the truth, and we all deserve the whole story, whether it be of the dead cop or the dead cat.

Inquirer: Republicans Eying PGW

2005-06-24T09:21:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer has an important scoop this morning. Republicans in Harrisburg are planning to put forth a bill that would put the Philadelphia Gas Works under state control. PGW is a debt-ridden city agency that has been the center of controversy in recent years. The state would issue a bond to pay off the $1 billion in debt PGW has accumulated. Then, the agency would be privatized.

I'll let Councilman David Cohen and Michael Nutter debate the bill.

City Councilman Michael A. Nutter, chairman of the transportation and utility committee, said he "eagerly awaits" details of the proposal.

"Clearly there needs to be a solution to PGW's financial and operational crisis," Nutter said. "I would like to see how a new gas entity would be structured to address service to low- and middle-income users and seniors, how it can be cost-competitive and reduce overall utility costs."

Nutter said city officials have been discussing a sale of PGW for a decade but knew that, with its debt load, it would be unattractive to a private utility.

But Councilman David Cohen said he was concerned that a bottom-line-oriented private utility would be quicker to turn off heat for those who couldn't afford it.

"This would destroy the very purpose of PGW as a public service," he said. "It would be much better if they devised a system of healthy payments to Philadelphia so that more of its citizens could get heat."

I think PGW has been lax in previous years with debt collection and certainly could have been better about making customers pay their bills. At the same time, this is a public utility. I am deeply concerned that a essential service like heat could be turned over to a complain for private profit. The goal of an institution like the Philadelphia Gas Works shouldn't be to turn a profit. The purpose of this utility is to provide heat and power to all of our citizens. That won't be the goal of any company that decides to buy PGW. They'll be interested in making a few bucks and I think that shouldn't be mixed with such essential services.

Of course, that doesn't even begin to address the question of what happens to the PGW employees. They are currently city workers and almost all unionized. They enjoy decent pay, healthcare and other benefits. privatization would jeopardize all of that. Does the de-unionization of city workers impact everyone? You bet. High union density in an economy is one of the best indicators for high wages and benefits across numerous industries. Period.

From Across the River: NJ to move up Presidential Primary

2005-06-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

In a move that I am very much pleased with, the New Jersey Senate voted to move up their Presidential primary from June to February.

From the article:

Under the legislation, the next primary would be held on Feb. 26, 2008 - a week before the crucial "Super Tuesday" primaries.

With an early primary, New Jersey would likely become a key battleground, bombarded by major media campaigns from New York and Philadelphia.

....

New Jersey has 15 electoral votes, compared with four in New Hampshire, which holds the earliest primary. More important, the move could give New Jersey voters a chance to decide from a wider field of candidates.

While candidates often do drop out after New Hampshire's primary and Iowa's caucuses, more might stay in the race with New Jersey looming on the horizon. Racially and economically diverse New Jersey stands in stark contrast to the largely homogeneous New Hampshire and Iowa.

Great. I wish PA would do the same. Anything to lesson the impact of Iowa and New Hampshire... Fundamentally, I actually think a longer campaign season is a good thing. But, there has to be a more sensible way of choosing candidates then simply getting the winner of Iowa or New Hampshire, places that are far from representative of America.

What would be better? How about a rotating system that has a mix of big and small states?

Creating A Progressive "Commons" In Philly

2005-06-23T11:32:00.000-04:00

During the 2004 campaign, I became a full-fledged political activist, in no small part do to an organization called Music for America (MfA). The idea behind MfA was pretty simple- the best way to engage young people in politics is through culture. Culture is political, and our job as volunteers for MfA was to help other young people make this connection at the concerts we worked at.

I may be biased in my assessment, but what I saw working MfA shows was incredible. For the first time in my life I saw young people who probably wouldn't otherwise think or care about politics taking the time to ponder the political direction of the country. I saw kids not only accepting that politics matters, but embracing and getting excited by it. I saw the beginning of something which could have a huge impact on our nation- the cultural connecters and leaders converting their social spaces to political spaces, which I still feel can be our answer to the Right's politicization of their churches.

However, while working at shows all over Philly, I realized that there was a problem with the model of political organizing that MfA was basing itself upon. The culture which we were working through and with is under attack. DIY concert producers, who put on the small-medium sized shows that MfA worked at, find themselves in direct competition, and often open conflict, with the major entertainment companies such as Clear Channel and TicketMaster. These small companies, such as Philadelphia's beloved R5 Productions, find themselves in a precarious situation- not only do they have to compete with huge corporations, but they are constantly in search of places to put on their shows. And so, at just the moment when progressives are starting to pull together culture and politics, the culture itself is increasingly struggling to survive. (For example, in Philadelphia the last major independent venue, the Trocadero, recently signed a booking agreement with the large corporate House of Blues.)

Recently, I began working with a group called Cosmopolity, who are best known for brining us Drinking Liberally. One thing that we've been talking a lot about within this community is that in order to further the progressive cultural movement we need to create permanent physical homes, i.e. "Commons" or "Club Houses," where culture and politics can interact and thrive. In my first blog post on the Cosmopolity site I have proposed using Philadelphia as a test city for building these commons. Philly seems like the perfect place to start building commons- we have some great local show producers (and Sean Agnew happens to be a very politically minded- and a generally awesome- person), an emerging activist base, and connections to the national blogosphere. All that seems to be missing is the space.

My question is- do you think that working to create a space where art, music, and politics can interact and thrive is essential to the continued growth of progressive politics? If so, don't you think that Philly would be a perfect place to build a "Commons?"

Abraham is at it again: overcharge, overcharge, overcharge.

2005-06-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

Our favorite DA, Lynne Abraham, is at it again throwing any and all charges at the wall she can in an effort to maintain her "tough cookie image." Yesterday she announced that she was going to pursue an aggravated assualt charge against a Biotech protester in connection with the death of Civil Affairs officer Paris Williams. According to the Inquirer, here's why:

She said Braceland chased Beaulieu and a scuffle broke out between police and protesters. Williams was one of the officers involved.

"This is the genesis of this event," Abraham said, adding that "the resulting punching, shoving and pushing... caused Officer Williams to suffer his cardiac event."

Williams, a 17-year veteran, was trying with other officers to prevent protesters from nearing the entrance of the Convention Center where the BIO 2005 conference was under way.

Abraham said four others were charged with resisting arrest, conspiracy and disorderly conduct. She identified them as Caroline Colesworthy, 25, of Newport Beach, Calif.; Brenton Hall, 21, of Bangor, Maine; Mark Garcia, 19, of San Antonio, Texas; and Charles M. Sherrouse, 46, of the 1400 block of Elbridge Street in Northeast Philadelphia.

Officer Williams' death is obviously a tragedy and I have no affection for out-of-town protesters who prioritize showboating over real grassroots organzing as a means to achieve their goals, but doesn't the DA's prosecution seem (typically)overzealous?

Blogger Interview with Joe Hoeffel

2005-06-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

Ben has discussed having a series of interviews on Young Philly Politics. Albert, of Dragonballyee, has started himself. Check out his interview with Joe Hoeffel.

(Via Rowhouse Logic.)

The PA House Rebukes Santorum

2005-06-22T18:20:00.000-04:00

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that Rick Santorum, the man who rode to Congress by attacking his opponent for living in DC, lives in Virginia. You also probabaly know that despite living there with his family full time, Santorum made the Penn Hills School Disrict pay about $100,000 to educate his children.

Today, the PA House rebuked Santorum. The GOP controled house passed a measure essentially aimed at embarassing Santorum.

Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, said his proposal, which was attached to an education bill, seeks to clarify that school districts do not have to pay cyberschool tuition for students whose families live out of state. Cyberschools would be allowed to charge tuition for students who do not meet the new residency requirements.

DeLuca said he introduced the measure in response to a dispute over tuition that taxpayers in the Penn Hills School District paid for U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's children to be educated via computer at their Virginia home. The state has yet to rule on whether the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School must refund the tuition.

Few questions:

1) Who would vote against this?
2) How did Perzel, et. al, let this come to a vote?

Time to be heard

2005-06-22T16:09:00.000-04:00

I am, from here on out, turning anonymous comments off again. I am thrilled that YPP is becoming more and more known, with more and more comments. But, it just is not worth the hassle or the few extra comments we lose, to have people saying annoying things, without having to answer or even respond to them.

If you are that interested in being a troll, sign up for a blogger username.

2006 is also another chance to beat Perzel

2005-06-22T14:20:00.000-04:00

The Speaker of the PA House, John Perzel had this to say about the School District's plan for a new required high school course on African and African American history (thanks to A Smoke Filled Room for highlighting this from today's paper first):

"They should understand basic American history before we go into African American history."

OK then...

For more white racist sentiments, read the whole thing here.

Meanwhile, remember that Perzel is the most powerful Republican in the state House and possibly the whole state. Locally, he controls the Philadelphia Parking Authority, holds a lot of sway over the PA Convention Center and a large role in the management of the School District via his Republican cronies on the School Reform Commission (remember that the SRC is run by 3 Dems and 3 Republicans even though the city is 75% Democratic or more).

So, in short, let's dump Perzel, as well as Santorum, in 2006.

Shakeup in Mayor's Communication Office

2005-06-22T13:05:00.000-04:00

Joe Grace was chosen to replace Acting Director, Deborah Bolling, as the Mayor's Communications Director yesterday .

I liked Bolling and had a chance to work with her on a rally earlier this year. She was also one of the best reporters the City Paper has had in recent memory.
Grace is also good. He currently serves as the Mayor's liason to Council.

I wonder what this is really about though- is it something Bolling did, or a desire to give Joe a better platform for his potential 07 Council race? Or both?

Paris Williams (1953-2005)

2005-06-21T18:39:00.000-04:00

An officer who died while protecting our First Ammendment Rights.

Biotech and Tragedy

2005-06-21T17:48:00.000-04:00

As most people have already heard, a police officer died of a heart attack today while monitoring one of the protests against the biotech conference.

Details are unclear at this point, but it appears he suffered a heart attack. There was some kind of scuffle, although I'm not sure if he was involved or just trying to break it up. Anyway you look at it, this is a complete tragedy.

It's good to see the police commissioner isn't rushing to judgment and so far reaction has been pretty muted. However, I have to say I'm not particularly inclined to be look favorably on the protesters at this point. Even before I heard what happened, my impression from media coverage and personal experience was that many people (particularly the skate boaders) were just trying to cause chaos. I know there were many people who only participated in nonviolent actions and well-planned protests. However, once again, the violent few have cast a shadow on everyone.

I'm not saying the officer died as a result of the demonstration. That isn't clear and most likely will never be clear. However, the fact that there was a physical altercation casts a shadow over the entire thing.

Of course, I suspect some people will claim the violence was caused by instigators, the police deserve what they get, whatever. But this is just horrible and I think the protesters might do well to accept at least some of the blame.

Rendell comes around on the minimum wage

2005-06-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

I didn't see it when the story first came out, and actually saw the AP article at conservative blogcenter, Grassroots PA, but, it turns out that Ed Rendell is reading the tea leaves, and now supporting increasing PA's minimum wage.

From the article:

As his primary-election opponent Robert P. Casey Jr. pushed for an increase in Pennsylvania, Rendell countered that Congress should raise the minimum for all states. Rendell argued that a higher state minimum would put Pennsylvania at a competitive disadvantage for attracting new business.

But the governor made an unexpected U-turn this month when he told reporters that he would demand a minimum-wage increase from lawmakers if they asked him to endorse a legislative pay raise. He said he favors gradually boosting Pennsylvania's minimum to $7.15 an hour.

Rendell's press secretary, Kate Philips, attributed the shift to two factors: an increase in the number of surrounding states that have a higher minimum wage, and Congress' failure to raise the current rate of $5.15 since 1996.

"The governor still believes it should be increased at the federal level, but we can't wait for leadership from the president on this any longer," Philips said.

Probably, as the article says, a lot more to do with 2006 elections than with a real change of heart, but, good news nonetheless.

Party, Party, Party!

2005-06-20T12:17:00.000-04:00

Come to this party!

We invite you to our party celebrating Philadelphia activism.

Tuesday, June 21, 7:30 - 11:30
L'Etage, 624 South 6th Street
(corner of 6th & Bainbridge)

For over 30 years, Bread & Roses has been the one foundation supporting community organizing for racial and economic justice in the Philadelphia area. Since 1971, it has distributed over $7 million to groups that share its vision of a society in which power and resources are distributed equally. Over 75% of its budget comes from individual donors who give anywhere from $5 to thousands.

Party Hosts:

Hilary Aisenstein, Heather Shayne Blakeslee, Amadee Braxton, Amy Laura Cahn, Gloria Casarez, Mitch Chanin, Inja Coates, Sara Zia Ebrahimi, Nava EtShalom, Sofia Ginzberg, Jethro Heiko, Daniel Hunter, Adam Horowitz, Mytili Jagannathan, Marissa Johnson, Dan Kessler, Elizabeth Sarah Lindsey, Nicole Meyenberg, Emily Nepon, Arun Prabhakaran, Kavita Rajanna, Hannah Sassaman, Jennie Sheeks, Chy Ryan Spain, Ben Waxman and Alix Webb.

DJ, Snacks, and Good Folks
Requested Donation: $5 - 200
(whatever you can afford to give)

For more info call Bread & Roses at 215.731.1107 x 206
or email jennie@breadrosesfund.org

Keeping the Liberal-Do-Gooders

2005-06-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

The City Paper cover story this week is titled: "They're young, bright and want to cure what ails Philly. Why can't we keep them?" Essentially, the article asks, how come Philly cannot attract and keep liberal-do-gooders, be they teachers, social workers, non-profits, etc.

The article first discusses the ever-posed question of how much of a brain drain Philly has. (Answer: unclear). But, more specifically, why isn't Philly a place that liberal, social justice types necessarily see as a place to settle, and put down long-term roots?

"There is not money coming into Philadelphia to build up organizations that can provide young social justice activists with a living wage," says Christie Balka, the executive director of Bread and Roses, a public foundation that distributes funds to groups working in the Delaware Valley.

A 2005 study done by Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, found that of the 25 largest metropolitan markets in the country, Philly nonprofits reported the third lowest total contributions received. Some other cities that are considered liberal hot spots, such as Seattle and San Francisco, ranked only slightly higher. But Philly also has the highest concentration of arts nonprofits in the country, which means an even smaller proportion of local donation money goes to social service and social justice outfits.

Balka believes that philanthropists avoid giving in Philly because "they're convinced that change here is impossible."

Sherisse Laud-Hammond, a 26-year-old who recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, says that this lack of funding translates into lower pay for people like her.

"Philadelphia doesn't pay social workers well," she says. Laud-Hammond is spurning the opportunity to stay in Philly and make between $28,000 and $36,000 to move to Washington D.C. and start out at $45,000. It's not that money is the most important thing to her Â she left a lucrative job at a for-profit firm because she didn't feel she was making enough of a difference there Â but, she says, "I'm coming from Penn. Do you know how much my loans are?"

....

"It's unbelievable how inefficient everything is," said Rachel Kahn, a 26-year-old from Central Jersey.

In Philly, they said, bureaucracy Â one described it as "mediocracy" because of the bureaucrats' indifference Â takes precedence over public service, and a social worker's primary responsibility is to make sure her client attends appointments, not to rehabilitate. Kahn drew this in stark contrast to Seattle, where she worked for two years.

....

"Burnout in Philly is very high," Kahn said. "For a lot of people, going to a part of the country where the system allows them to get things done is the most important thing."

OK, so, these are mainly interviews with young, middle-class kids who Philly needs to keep. But, doesn't this sound pretty similar to this:

All they want is that feeling of empowerment in their own communities. People will do anything for that.

That is from Charles' post on Friday about empowering Philly communities. To me though, that is what this is all about, and the way we can make the biggest changes. It is not sexy to call for good government or responsive government, and maybe empowerment is a much better word to us, but fundamentally, that is the issue that can unite all Philadelphians, from the Far Northeast, the far Southwest.

Why does a family decide to leave Philly for a suburb? Or, even for a safer neighborhood? Given that they many times move to suburbs with unimaginable property taxes, it is not a pocketbook thing. Fundamentally, it because they want what is best for their family, and they don't think they can see real change in Philly; that their efforts will simply be washed away in a sea of bureaucracy, patronage and waste.

Whether it is a parent deciding whether to cross the City line, a social worker deciding between Philly or somewhere else, or simply a long-term resident of Philly deciding whether to fight for change, one side of the equation always stays the same: can I make a difference by staying? Too many times, the answer is no. That is where we can unite, at a point where we all say, no matter what ideological beliefs are, the way our City fundamentally operates is wrong, and, if we can fix that, as Charles also said, then everything else falls into place.

......

As an aside, the article talks about something else, and it really, really irritates me: The Philly is such a great City cause it is so "gritty" argument. As a life long resident of the City, I hear that and I want to pull my hair out. (The passage includes a quote from Ray, though what he says isn't what really bothers me):

In fact, she says, she wouldn't want Philadelphia to be more appealing to people like her.

"Trying to make Philadelphia into some sort of white liberal happy-land would be creepy and fucked up," she says. "That's not a city I want to live in."

This sentiment comes up time and again among Philadelphia activists. Ray Murphy warns, "A scene that is defined by young people can be revolutionary and fun, but might not get much done Â There's an argument to be made that Philadelphia is not Portland or Seattle. A lot of us are thankful for that."

....

Elizabeth Sarah Lindsey, a 25-year-old Swarthmore graduate who works for the nonprofit Maternity Care Coalition, thinks that the brain-drain conversation is "coming from a pretty middle-class perspective. Â Having people come in who don't know this city, people with class or race privilege Â I don't necessarily know if that's a good thing."

I am born and raised here, and I love Philly, and how generally unpretentious your average resident is. But that "Gritty" shit? It makes me want to throw up. Why? Because I suspect if you asked an average, non-hipster Philadelphia resident, they wouldn't say jack about the “gritiness" of Philly. They would want the same things everyone else wants: clean streets, safe schools for their kids, good paying jobs, things to do. I don't think they would say, a City that still looks like it is out of Rocky. Honestly, I cannot quite type how awful I think this statement is. Maybe it isn't meant this way, but it is like we are some goddamned residents of a zoo, to be preserved as "gritty" because that seems to have a lot more cache than drinking a coffee at Starbucks on 42nd St in Manhattan.

Nah. Fundamentally, people in Philly want to see their City grow and prosper. They want their homes to be worth money. They want their kids to go to good schools. Now, of course, they want to experience this without feeling like they are being kicked out of the place they have lived in, but, still: there is something about middle-class kids romanticizing things like this that makes me ill. Sort of like, if they don't like it, they can always move away in the future, as our little "gritty" exhibition is here for them to visit once in a while.

Rant over. But, check out the article, because, aside from that little part that irritates the living hell out of me, it is pretty interesting.

Empowering Communities

2005-06-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

In Ben’s great post a few weeks back, he talked a little about finding out what Black issues are by going into communities and getting it straight from the horse’s mouth. This got me thinking. I’m a Black person. What issues are important to me?

Then I remembered why I liked Howard Dean so much. He talked about the fact that social programs are for everyone and that people were voting against their economic interests because of racism or the culture war. Jobs, Healthcare, and Education aren’t Black issues, or poor issues, but American issues. Then I remembered what I learned over the past year, both in politics and in life. There is more that unites us than divides us. It sounds so corny to say that, but it is true. We all want the same things. We want the ability to get a good job, send our kids to good schools, and to walk the streets at night without constantly looking over our shoulders wondering when we are going to get mugged. And what do we all want from our Government? We want to feel a sense of empowerment. We want to feel that we have control over our own destiny, and that isn’t a Black thing or a White thing, but a human thing.

David Cohen said, “We don’t need bigger Government. We don’t need smaller Government. What we need is better Government.” He is talking about a Government that responds to the concerns of communities. I think that we need to, at times, get out of this issues based mindset. Where people stand on the issues is important to all of us. But at the end of the day, all anyone wants is a partner in their struggles. You would be amazed at the power of fixing a streetlight, adding a tree to a park, organizing a neighborhood party, and getting someone’s heat turned back on. That’s why Old School politicians got away with murder. Because at the end of the day, if you take care of people’s needs, then they don’t care if you are a “Liberal” or “Conservative”. They don’t care about your voting record on “insert issue here”. Heck, they don’t even care if you a are crook. All they want is that feeling of empowerment in their own communities. People will do anything for that.

A perfect example of this is the issue of LaSalle trying to close 20th Street. I think that it is an extremely complicated issue, and thus, I don’t really have a position on the subject. To the people, mostly old women, however, the issue is everything. For over a year, 5 days a week, in the cold, the snow, the rain, or the heat, they have protested the closing of 20th Street. It may sound crazy to us, but to them it is everything. Why is it everything? They feel kicked around by LaSalle and their local representation. Their community is rundown and riddled with crime. Their Councilperson does not respond to their concerns or help build the community, and the police are non-responsive to their needs. To them, it isn’t a street, but a symbol of the loss of control in their community.

This is something that total proponents of gentrification do not understand. Even if the people in the community could still afford to live there, it isn’t their community anymore. They feel kicked around by Developers coming in and changing things without addressing their concerns. Then people move in who, in general, have no interest in being apart of the community. They are just there to be in the new hip neighborhood. It isn’t about race. It’s about community. It’s about power.

So, when we ask ourselves what kind of candidates we should support, or what issues are important to this person or that person, I would say that we should think differently than normal. We should support people who we know will empower communities, and I think the rest will just fall into place.

Who's afraid of Neighborhood Networks?

2005-06-16T15:16:00.000-04:00

Just a few of the movers and shakers in Philadelphia politics:

City Commissioner Edgar Howard, leader of the 10th Ward in Northwest Philadelphia, said that the group would be limited by the absence of patronage jobs and money to reward loyalists and punish dissenters.

"You have to be able to deliver goods and services to the constituents or else why should people stick with you?" Howard said. "Ultimately, it comes down to: Do they have staying power? It's a big, big city."

Others say liberals should be wary of hurting a city party that advances their goals by providing the big vote margins crucial to Democrats in statewide races.

"Why weaken something that works?" said Vernon Price, leader of the 22d Ward in Mount Airy and Germantown. "I believe they may have real issues they are passionate about, but they should... try to work with the party."

Democratic media adviser Larry Ceisler said Neighborhood Networks can generate enthusiasm that will help turnout in the 2006 U.S. Senate race and beyond.

"The only threat City Committee should feel is that these people are not motivated by money, but by ideals," Ceisler said.

The article is sort of weird, because it comes almost two weeks after the founding conference of Neighborhood Networks. Still, it's nice to see the Inky providing such positive coverage. I think the interesting thing about this article is how clearly the organizers of NN are throwing down the gauntlet to the power structure in Philadelphia. They aren't being coy about their intentions at all.

In some ways, I wonder if this is the correct strategy. Will the party bosses deploy their resources to try and quash Neighborhood Networks before it begins? They were never trying to keep the entire thing secret, but now the opposition knows who they are and what they are trying to do. The entire strategy was laid out on page B1.

Where is the Grassroots Effort?

2005-06-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

With the 2006 elections coming upon us quicker than we think, the question of paramount importance is this: where is the grassroots movement to keep the Democratic momentum in Philadelphia moving forward? I believe that Philadelphia, in particular, plays a major role in national politics, particularly in 2006.

Our gubernatorial race is critical, considering that Rendell is interested in the VP slot (he won't run for president, too many skeletons in the closet), as is our Senate race against the Prince of Darkness himself Richard J. Santorum (no one seems to use his whole name anymore). And because we have those two on the ballot, and Bobby Casey as well, Democrats should be planning to take the entire state over in a sea of blue. Particularly in Philadelphia County and the entire SE of the state, we need a monumental turnout to change the leanings of the Commonwealth and the nation shall follow.

PA as a state is the perfect mix for a statewide politician wanting to seek national office. A state that leans Democratic in a conservative way, however, contains a plethora of vastly different interests. Agriculture is key in this state, military installations and a high veteran and aging population makes PA politically interesting. Add to the mix metropolitan and largely Democratic cities such as Philadelphia (clearly the cradle of civilization) and Pittsburgh, you have a state that is as dynamic as it is different.

A conservative state legislature and a centrist Democratic governor are a terrible mix, particularly when the governor is Ed Rendell. Nevertheless, it is key to realize the only way to extend our power in the state is to have the kind of grassroots effort that caused the solid turnout in the urban centers of our state in 2004. It must begin now. We must establish Philadelphia as the preeminent model for grassroots activists. We must rally the troops, and we can afford to start early because we are in a unique position. We have three consecutive election years! In 2006 we choose US reps, state reps (some state senators?) and our governor. In 2007 we choose our mayor and city council, and 2008 everybody else. We can do this, we must do this if we really are interested in addressing the underlying economic issues facing Philadelphia. How do we do it? I have some ideas, but I'll leave that to the bloggers.

Brief aside, Ray Murphy is the man

Omar

What Ward Leaders Do

2005-06-14T19:31:00.000-04:00

When this blog was started, Dan asked me to do a post about the Ward structure and what Ward Leaders actually do. With all this talk of Neighborhood Networks and the fraud known as the judicial elections, I thought it was about time I did that post.

I live in a working/middle classed diverse neighborhood, which is rare here in “the city of neighborhoods”. I have known my Ward Leader all my life, but I have only been working with him for the past year. I keep the specifics of which Ward I am in private, because I don’t want anything I say on here to be construed as coming from a particular Ward Leader or Candidate. I think that it is important to note that there are actually good guys who are Committee people and Ward Leaders, even if they are few and far between. I think that it heightens the fact that we need reform and we need more good guys to step up to bat.

So what does a Ward Leader do? Well, as has been noted before, around election time, they get out the vote for the candidates that they support. They hold little fundraisers to pay the Committee people, buy literature, and sometimes just to do something fun for the Ward. They help the committee people put up posters and do lit drops before the election. On Election Day, they coordinate the efforts in the more or less 20 divisions in the Ward by dropping off food, literature, and paying people at the end of the day. They often do what can best be described as musical chairs by driving campaign workers and Committee people from one division to the other, depending on who is under and over staffed.

When it isn’t election time, they pretty much devote their efforts to staying Ward Leaders. This includes doing anything that they can to keep their Committee people happy, or trying to get new people to run to be a Committee person. They usually do this with patronage jobs as well as services and free tickets. When you help get people elected, they usually help you in getting your people jobs or giving you a few tickets to a concert or a Baseball game. Also, if the Committee people have problems, like their heat doesn’t work, their child needs a job, or they need help with something in the neighborhood, they often call their Ward Leader to help them out.

In theory, when you have a problem in your neighborhood, like your street light doesn’t work, you need a pot hole filled on your block, or you got your heat cut off without reason, you talk to your Committee person, who then talks to your Ward Leader, who then talks to your District Councilperson. How often it works this way, of course, depends on your Ward Leader and District Councilperson. City Council controls the budgets for the city organizations, so if you ever get the run around, it is always good to have a Councilperson call on your behave. Ward Leaders also do a lot of things to get in contact with the neighborhood, like organize cleanups and attend every neighborhood, Rec Center, and block meeting under the sun.

Seeing what it takes to be a Ward Leader, I have to tell you that I would not wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy. There is prestige involved in it, and you do get to rub elbows with people in power and get free stuff from time to time, but it is not for the faint of heart. So the question arises, who in their right mind would ever want to become a Ward Leader? Well, either you want to run for something or you want to get a nice cushy job at some do nothing quisi Governmental organization that does “Community Development”.

I think that we need to change all that. I think that we need more people involved in the political process who are in it for doing good and not in it to get a job or be a power broker. I urge everyone to ask around about their Ward Leader. If you hear good things, then get involved or maybe even run for Committee Person. If you hear bad things, then do what you can to get their butts out of there. You have no idea how appreciative some Ward Leaders are of go-getters who are willing to pull up their sleeves and do some work. They need all the help that they can get. While I think things like Neighborhood Networks are good, I also think that some of us need to try and change things from the inside. It is hard and isn’t as fun as sitting around with like-minded people trying to change things from the outside, but it is necessary.

Ali down for the count

2005-06-14T15:32:00.000-04:00

Shamsud-din Ali, a prominent Muslim cleric with close ties to the Street Administration, has been found guilty of corruption charges. He is the second major figure to be successfully prosecuted and convicted by the U.S. Attorney General.

The jury convicted him on 22 of the 34 counts in the indictment, including the racketeering charges. The jury found him not guilty on four counts and were undecided on eight counts.

A co-defendant, businessman John Johnson, charged with extortion and attempted extortion in two alleged schemes to shake down waste-hauling companies seeking city contracts, was found guilty across the board.

But a third co-defendant, John Christmas, a one-time assistant to the mayor's chief of staff, accused of aiding in a property tax collection scheme and lying to a grand jury about his role, has been found not guilty

An interesting discussion has begun over at Attytood about what all of this means for Philadelphia politics.

Daily News Covers SCRUB legislation

2005-06-14T09:36:00.000-04:00

First on Young Philly Politics and then in the Daily News:

Yesterday, Cohen unveiled legislation that would amend Act 193 and give all Philadelphia taxpayers the "standing" or right to appeal an offensive decision by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Prior to Act 193, any person aggrieved or any taxpayer could appeal a zoning board decision. The new law is pretty straightforward: only an aggrieved person who can show that he is "detrimentally harmed" can appeal the decision.

Flanked by leaders from community groups from all over the city, Cohen said the law was slipped into an unrelated bill at the last second by friends of the billboard industry.

In a statement, Cohen said the law was a "cynical attempt to take away the right of citizens to have meaningful say in neighborhood zoning decisions."

Cohen and his 22 Democratic co-sponsors face an uphill battle in a Republican-controlled legislature. A spokeswoman for House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, said the speaker had not yet seen Cohen's bill and could not comment.

"I assume there will be quite a bit of dialogue with Republican legislators in the city and the suburbs," Cohen said. "I'm hoping that people will see that zoning isn't a partisan issue. It affects all communities. It makes no sense to take a tool away from community groups who are trying to protect the quality of their neighborhoods."

I'm glad to see this issue move from Young Philly Politics into the mainstream media. Rep. Mark Cohen has been active on a number of important issues lately, from the minimum wage to this anti-billboard legislation. He was also the only elected official to show up at the recent Neighborhood Networks conference.

MyDD focus turning inward; good, good news

2005-06-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

Chris Bowers, of MyDD, is on the most thoughtful, smart national bloggers. He is located in Philly, is an organizer of Philly for Change, etc, so he is not someone who has been blind to local issues. That said,in a very important post today, he seems to be turning more inward looking, and gearing for a Philly fight. This could get really interesting.

Read this.

Really, read this.

For Philly bloggers, this is huge. For Philly reformers in general, this is huge. Chris knows what the hell he is doing.

I am not trying to be pushy or anything, but seriously, read it.

I have a good feeling about where this whole damn thing is heading.

Repeal the Leave No Billboard Behind Act!

2005-06-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

One of the first longer posts I wrote on Young Philly Politics was on the signing of the Leave No Billboard Behind Law, an awful piece of legislation passed in the dead of night in Harrisburg, aimed directly at SCRUB, a citizen group aimed at stopping illegal billboards from sprouting up everywhere. And, the kill a fly with a shotgun, the law not only stopped Philly residents from easily challenging billboards, but from challenging pretty much any zoning restrictions without spending a lot of money to prove they "have standing."

Many, many Philly legislators voted for it, most claiming they didn't know what they were signing.

There may be some truth to their claim, or least some of their claims, because on Monday Rep. Mark Cohen is introducing legislation to repeal No Billboard Left Behind, with many Philly legislators as co-sponsors.

From a SCRUB press release (no link):

This “silence the citizens” sneak amendment has set new legal hurdles for community groups and citizens through a “detrimentally harmed” standard that will complicate and possibly eliminate a citizen’s ability to challenge zoning decisions. The “silence the citizens” supporters claim it will only bring Philadelphia in line with the rest of the state. But SCRUB believes the “silence the citizens” legislators are acting - naively at best - to tip the system further to benefit select industries in Philadelphia, to the detriment of the neighborhoods.

The new legal standard is already proving costly for civic associations who are forced to litigate twice: first to prove standing, and if they prevail, then litigate the actual merits of the case. Since enactment of the bill in November several community groups, including Society Hill Civic Association and East Falls CDC have faced standing challenges based on the amended Act 123.

Cohen's co-sponsor's are:
Rep. Thomas
Rep. Oliver
Rep. Caltigirone
Rep. Manderino
Rep. Staback
Rep. Shaner
Rep. Vitali
Rep. Josephs
Rep. Blackwell
Rep. Yelio
Rep. Freeman
Rep. James
Rep. Bishop
Rep. Washington
Rep. Youngblood
Rep. Roebuck
Rep. Marie Lederer
Rep. Williams
Rep. Myers
Rep. Donatucci
Rep. Waters
Rep. McGeehan

This is a bill that should pass. Will it? I doubt it. The billboard industry worked long and hard to sneak this through, and will work just as hard to make sure it does not see the light of day.

Either way, thank goodness someone is taking some action here, and reminding people of the issue.

But when will we get poker tables?

2005-06-10T12:22:00.000-04:00

Sen. Vincent Fumo released a letter today to the state gaming control board. The letter articulates a number of steps he believes Pennsylvania should take to minimize the negative impact of slot parlors across Pennsylvania. The original bill passed by the State Legislature already calls for .1% of all gaming revenue to be set aside for treatment programs designed to help people with addictions. According to the Inquirer, the state estimates between $1 billion and $3 billion will generated through gaming. This means between $1 million and $2 million dollars will be set aside to treat compulsive gambling.

Fumo's additional proposal calls for a number of things to protect people with addictions. The big suggestion is to ban check cashing at casinos. People wouldn't be able to cash social secuirty, welfare, unemployment, disability or any other type of government assistance. He also suggests that applicants be forced to submit a plan to identify problem gamblers and help them get treatment. Finally, Fumo wants every advertisement having to do with gaming to include information about how to get treatment for compulsive gambling and a clear plan for how casinos will deal with people who have placed themselves on the voluntary exclusion list.

Personally, I have always felt better ambivalent about legalized gambling as a source of revenue. I actually play quite a bit of poker, so I'm not morally against wagering or anything like that. (Side note: I personally think some of the content in poker blogs is some of funniest and well-written stuff on the web right now.) My source of concern comes from another area. The first is that gaming revenue is being viewed as a magic bullet to solve budget problems. Sure, it will raise a lot of money for state coffers and that's a good thing because many of our important social programs are being underfunded. However, I'm not sure the solution is to create an entire industry just for the sake of taxing it.

What I'm trying to get at here is the inability of any politicians to talk about why raising revenue is necessary. Across Pennsylvania, schools are underfunded. Gov. Rendell was elected partially because of his problem to pour more funding into schools. People are eager to vote for a politician who promises an expansion and upgrade in services. However, people seem to be unable to make the connection that in order to have these good services, we have to raise taxes in some capacity. The Keystone Research Center noted in a recent report that a high number of corporations pay little or nothing in state and local taxes. If you're looking for a way to fund schools, roads, healthcare, and other programs, that's not a bad place to start.

That said, I'm glad Fumo and the state gaming board are at least talking about how to mitigate the potential social costs of the gaming industry. If we're going to have casinos in PA, we should do everything possible to ensure it is done in a responsible way.

Alan Sandals considering running against Santorum

2005-06-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

As reported by the Daily News, a Philadelphia-area attorney is thinking about joining the fray to challenge Sen. Santorum in 2006. He would join Bob Casey and Chuck Pennacchio. His name is Alan Sandals. He is a relatively well-known trial attorney who specializes in pension and medical care cases. Given how hot the issue of healthcare is right now, his expertise might come in handy.

He actually announced his formation of an exploring committee almost a month ago. You can find his statement here. It mainly focuses on Social Security and is pretty wonkish.

Actually, I don't really know anything about him at all. With one heavy-hitter like Casey and a progressive challenger like Pennacchio, I can't imagine why someone else would want to enter the race.

An Alternative Approach to Defeating Santorum in 2006

2005-06-09T18:24:00.000-04:00

GoodWorks-PAC.org (www.GoodWorks-PAC.org) is raising money to test public service as a campaign tactic. In the long term, we Democrats need to experiment more. In the immediate term, we can use public service campaigns in the red parts of PA to increase Democratic turnout for the fight to beat Santorum.

The basic problem is that we keep clearing the field for our primaries instead of using competition to strengthen our party. Because of the way our campaigns work, its obvious why we really should clear the field. If we're going to fix this problem, we have to change the way we run our primary campaigns.

The only really safe place to try something radically new is in the districts where the Democratic nominee can't possibly win. There's hardly any way to make that situation worse!

Therefore, GoodWorks-PAC.org is recruiting Democratic Congressional candidates in the deep red parts of swing states (especially PA) who will work together in a series of public service competitions. By competing on the basis of turn-out they can hopefully produce a healthy and beneficial primary campaign in which more candidates is better for everyone.

Our ideal candidates will share all infrastructure costs (legal, accounting, IT, HR, and so on) and focus solely on working together on creative public service events. An example event would be a park cleanup. All the candidates would get as many Democratic voters as they could to the event. The candidates and the voters would work together to clean up the park. The candidates would also have a chance to speak to the voters. GoodWorks-PAC.org will track their turnout efforts in a central GOTV database. If the event is competitive, then the candidate who turned out the most people would be noted in a press release. In the end, the eventual nominee would have the benefit of all the candidates' turnout efforts, because the primary winner will receive the combined GOTV database built up in the course of the successive public service events.

Public service campaigns should produce a vastly increased Democratic (and anti-Santorum) turnout in the red parts of Pennsylvania in November 2006.

Please see www.GoodWorks-PAC.org for more information.

Eric Loeb
Executive Director
GoodWorks-PAC.org

Nothing like old news

2005-06-09T11:13:00.000-04:00

With all the activity on the site yesterday, you might have missed this column in the Daily News. It looks like Gov. Ed Rendell and the legislature are going to try and balance the budget on the backs of poor people. And what's worse, they're going to do it on the backs of poor sick people.

This year there's a plan to limit services to 1.7 million Pennsylvanians eligible for state and federal medical aid, many of them working poor, many of them miserably poor, many elderly, sick and poor.

The limits cut prescriptions to six per month for some, three for others; add co-pays; limit hospital admissions to two per year for some, one for others; cap doctor visits to 18 per year; reduce ambulance service, X-ray service and more.

And you might think, well heck, we're helping 1.7 million folks already, and who needs 18 trips to the doctor or two trips to the hospital and, as Gov. Ed repeatedly says, at least we're not lopping people off.

If you think this way, you're qualified to serve in the state House.

Think it through.

Who needs more than six prescriptions a month or more than 18 doctor visits a year or more than two hospital admissions?

The chronically ill, that's who, poor people with cancer and heart disease, the sickest, most disabled, most vulnerable. And that's where we want government to save money?

And not cutting people off? Well, if you keep the people who need the most care from getting the most care, aren't you eventually cutting them off?

-snip-

I just find it maddening that the place politicians look to save money is so often the very the place society is most noble in spending it.

Go read the whole thing. And then get the pitchforks ready.

Chuck Pennacchio Responds

2005-06-08T22:24:00.000-04:00

I earlier asked Chuck Pennacchio, essentially, how come no Philly activists seem to have heard of him until he decided to run for office.

And, he responds:

Thanks for the questions, Daniel

Why have you never heard of me before? And where have I been for the last 15 years? Both good questions, especially given our campaign's active presence on-line and off-line over the last several months.

Hopefully, Daniel, the following will allow you and/or your parents to identify me, if not my work on behalf of progressive organizing efforts in the Philadelphia area and beyond.

Incidentally, wearing the skin of a U.S. Senate office-seeker means I now must bring public attention to myself in a way that dramatically contrasts to my mostly behind-the-scenes organizing work of previous years.

Let me run through this briefly, laying out my bio and organizing career, and then I will be happy to go into greater detail on any activity you want me to discuss further.

I was born in Delaware County (Darby) in 1959 and lived my first five years in Springfield, PA. Our family of six (parents, two older sisters, one younger brother) then lived in Cherry Hill, NJ for one year, Norwalk, CT for three years, and Cherry Hill for four more. At age 13 we moved to San Diego.

My first immersion in progressive politics was at age 13/14 when I organized grassroots support (canvassing, tabling, leafletting) for California's "Nuclear Safety Initiative." I subsequently ran a San Diego city council candidate's campaign (Bill Bauers), and got involved on state house (Tim Coehlo-San Diego), state senate (Gary Hart--namesake of the Colorado U.S. Senator--while at UC Santa Barbara, 1977-1979)--federal house (King Golden-San Diego, Ron Dellums-Berkeley/No. Oakland) and U.S. Senate (Alan Cranston, 1974, 1980) races--all at the grassroots level.

While attending the University of California at Berkeley, 1979-1981, I worked with Congressman Ron Dellums as a military case worker; and for the year after college, 1982, I worked as Alan Cranston's personal assistant. It was there that I learned the internal workings of the Senate--something that will aid my seemless transition to U.S. Senator in January 2007.

In 1983 I took a job with SANE, aka, Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, in Washington, D.C. SANE relocated me (at my request) to Philadelphia in 1984 to open a canvass office in Germantown, where we shared space with Bob Musil (now head of Physicians for Social Responsibility in D.C.) and Steve Schick, co-hosts of "Consider the Alternatives" radio program. Within two months of launching a highly successful operation, SANE PAC put me on Tom Harkin's U.S. Senate race in Iowa, where I organized social justice activists in support of Harkin's first Senate victory.

I returned to Philly periodically throughout 1984, a time during which the office moved to Walnut Street, just off of Rittenhouse Square. In 1985 I signed on with Pennsylvania Jobs with Peace Campaign (working with George Lakey, now at American Friends Service Committee). In both 1985 (when I lived in Center City) and, again, in 1987 (when I lived in South Philly), I organized door-to-door canvassing efforts and Congressional Black Caucus (alternative) budget press conferences, while assisting with the economic conversion project for the Philadelphia Naval Yard.

Political activists I befriended at the time, and who are still active today, include Sam Durso, Lauren Townsend, and Ken Weinstein. Sam is a teaching colleague at the University of the Arts (where I've been since fall 2003); Lauren heads up Citizens for Consumer Justice; and Ken Weinstein is a community activist in and around Mt. Airy.

I spent 1986 in Colorado running the day-to-day operations of Tim Wirth's successful U.S. Senate campaign.

Following my late 1986/early 1987 return to the PA Jobs with Peace Campaign, I left in May to become Paul Simon's Iowa Caucus Field Director.

After putting in place an Iowa field campaign and an Iowa-Illinois canvassing operation, I attended the University of Colorado at Boulder from January 1988-Summer 1996, where I earned my M.A. and Ph.D. in history (diplomacy, U.S., and Europe). Even more proudly, I lead-organized and, for two years, presided over the establishment of the United Government of Graduate Students. From scratch--along with the fellow grads, undergrads, staff, faculty, and administrators recruited to help--I created an autonomous government, a constitution and by-laws, and a community spirit and purpose previously lacking on our Balkanized campus. Within three years, 1989-1992, part-time and full-time graduate student employees of the University had matching (50-50) health benefits, guaranteed teaching and research assistantships, and a place at the table with admnistrators charged with budgetary responsibilities.

I married in 1990, had a daughter in 1996, and a son in 1998. We now live in rural Bucks County (Plumsteadville), only 200 yards from the Plumsteadville Grange building that houses our U.S. Senate campaign operation.

In 1997 I took a history/political science teaching job at Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA. While at Del Val I joined the American Association of university Professors and succesfully organized junior faculty members for better work conditions (across the board).

Soon after gaining tenure and promotion to Associate Professor at Del Val in 2003, I took my current Associate Professor/History Program Director position at the University of the Arts on South Broad Street. At UArts I have been very active with my colleagues on service committees and in the larger community with, among others, the Human Rights Campaign.

Returning to conventional politics and organizing, I worked the GOTV campaigns for Gore/Lieberman 2000 and Rendell 2002 (primary and general) in Bucks County. In 2004, I poured 1200 volunteer hours into the Kerry/Edwards campaign in Southeast Pennsylvania. At precisely the same moment, I joined DFA/Philly for Change. From mid-March to mid-May, I was the point person for Kerry's campaign in the region, as I personally recruited 1400 people into the effort. From mid-May to Election Day, as paid Kerry staffers moved into the state, I combined campaign training (out of the Grange office in Bucks), hands-on organizing (throughout the region), and surrogate speaking (Southeast PA), on an as-needed basis.

Finally, following the 2004 presidential debacle, I immediately ramped up my U.S. Senate campaign. I have visited Democracy for America chapters across the state at the same time that our campaign has gained the national attention of DFA activists, as well as leaders Jim Dean and Tom Hughes, in addition to bloggers, fund raisers, and other on-line progressives.

We now have organizers in virtually every population center in Pennsylvania--coming out of DFA, the Human Rights Campaign, municipal and county Democratic organizations, and much, much more. In addition, I have done three house parties in Philly and plan to do as many as possible over the coming months. I also intend to stay deeply involved with the good work of Neighborhood Networks, among other grassroots organizations.

Daniel, again, I appreciate your questions. Please keep asking. As a citizen-candidate out of the great tradition of our early republic, I now must promote myself and the progressive values we cherish. We have no choice, given the state and national Democratic Party's embrace of conservative Bob Casey. Make no mistake. Casey's candidacy is a test for all progressives. I welcome you and all newcomers to become surrogates, bloggers, party hosts, contributors, and brain trusters. This is YOUR campaign every bit as much as it is mine.

Together, we will prevail. The bonds of growing trust are but a first step along a remarkable journey that will redefine our Party, our politics, and our nation.

Yours in solidarity,

Chuck Pennacchio

http://www.chuck2006.com

What's Up With Pennacchio?

2005-06-08T17:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy day on YPP, but I wanted to make sure folks were still giving thought to Dan's questions in an earlier post about Chuck Pennachio. Thought they were worth considering...

Michael Nutter and Political Courage

2005-06-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

Hmmm.

It will be exactly one year since this city's political leaders shelved the Route 15 trolley - an estimated $82 million public works project that was already paid for, and ready to resume its historic route along the Girard Avenue corridor.

Why?

Because Carol Campbell, a ward leader who also happens to be an officer in Philadelphia's Democratic City Committee, didn't want to lose parking on one side of a block in her neighborhood.

"I don't think anyone would really have objected to the trolley itself, but when they started talking about taking away the parking, well, that was a different story," said Campbell, who lives on the adjacent block.

-snip-

A compromise position Â make room by turning the block into a one-way street Â was rejected by neighbors.

City Councilman Michael Nutter, who could have forced the issue by introducing a city ordinance to change the traffic pattern, opted not to do so.

From the smoking ban to ethics reform, Michael Nutter is often portrayed as a guy who puts the interests of the city first. For example, his tax reform proposal is supposed to be part of an overall strategy to promote economic growth. Frankly, a good public transit system is essential to development and shared prosperity. So why is Nutter letting this multi-million dollar project get bogged down in ward politics?

Corporate Greed Threatens Gains in City High Schools

2005-06-08T08:07:00.000-04:00

Take a look at this piece on Hallwatch, which condemns the School Reform Commission for considering the elimination of a highly successful program that targets low-income high school students, called the "Talent Development Model."

This program is being run at 5 high schools in the city and is based on a model created by John Hopkins University. It has "boosted attendance, on-time promotion, graduation, and successful completion of algebra at Philadelphia high schools," according to the new research findings reported in an excellent piece by the Philadelphia Public School Notebook. In short, this new model has been successful at creating the kinds of advances and improvements that Paul Vallas pays lip service to regularly.

So, why is the program in jeopardy?

Money of course. The implementation of this new model costs $300 more per student then is spent in other high schools managed by the District. However, the argument for shutting down a successful, quantitatively proven program due to fiscal belt tightening looks pretty flimsy when this year's budget include even more expansions of private contracts for management of schools.

Sounds to me like another case of Vallas and his Republican puppet-masters looking out for their corporate buddies. Philadelphians can not let public dollars be taken away from a program that clearly improves performance at city high schools in order to give more to private corporations.

While Council and the Mayor dominate the majority of our political attention, the Republicans have taken over powerful agencies like the Parking Authority and the School District and are giving away the farm as fast as they can.

You can weigh in these and other Republican hijinks at the SRC meeting today:

What: Public Meeting of School Reform Commission
Where: Central Administration Building, 21st and the Parkway
When: Wednesday, June 8, 2005 at 1:00 pm

Some Questions for Chuck Pennacchio and His Supporters

2005-06-08T07:23:00.000-04:00

After not seeing him speak in person (although asking him questions on a blogger conference call), I have now seen Chuck Pennacchio twice in the past week; at the Philly For Change Meetup, and at the Neighborhood Networks organizing conference.

And, of course, I have followed all of the headway that Tim Tagaris has made for the campaign, and for Democrats, with his online outreach (ie, the Social Security Video, amongst other things. And, I respect that Dr. Pennacchio is running, and have joined so many in PA who have called for an open primary.But, when Dr. Pennacchio came to the Meetup, there were some questions that I wanted to ask him that have been nagging at me for quite a while. I didn't ask them at the Meetup, frankly, because I didn't want to seem rude to a guy who deserves to have his message heard by a group of activists. But, anyway, here are my questions, which I hope Tim, Dr. Pennacchio himself, or any of the people he was gained the support of, can answer:

Bluntly, where have you been for the past 15 years? How come I have not heard of you? More importantly, how come my parents have not heard of you? How come no one who I consider a progressive Philly activist has heard of you?

Some background: I consider myself pretty well versed in the world of Philly activism. I grew up in a liberal go-gooder home in Germantown, within this community of activists that have deep roots all around the City. While I suppose I may be out of touch, I know plenty of people who certainly are not. These people have been fighting the good fight in SE PA for years and years, and up until now, they had never heard the name Chuck Pennacchio. Why not?

You said you lived in Germantown in the 80's. Surely, if you had been active then, people in my community would have heard from you, right?

Frankly, I don't get it. And, while I respect the work you have done with Senate campaigns in the 1980's, that was not only out-of-state, but was more than 15 years ago. Where have you been? There have, and continue to be, plenty of fights in Philly that we constantly have needed more voices on. You are a professor in the City. How come we never heard of you?

....

Chuck seems like a good guy. A very good guy. Someone who has the right ideals and values. And, he hired Tim Tagaris, which was a good move. But, as someone who admired what Paul Wellstone did, and spent four years in Minnesota, I can tell you this: When Wellstone launched his Senate campaign, he immediately had a huge number of DFL activists supporting him, based on all of the years of work he spent organizing, fighting for economic justice, for workers in the iron range, for farmers. It was not just his ideals that made people vote for him; it was his demonstrated actions. That is something which I don't think enough people are willing to acknowledge; ideals alone, are not generally enough to get you support. If Paul Wellstone had simply been a "good guy," with good intentions, he would have had no shot.

I think Chuck Pennacchio's heart is in the right place. I am just not sure that his demonstrated actions within Philly are enough to garner him the support of the Philadelphia activist community as a whole; something that is crucial to anyone trying to make a left-flank insurgent run at Senate.

Can someone convince me otherwise?

Barbara Hafer endorses Casey

2005-06-08T07:14:00.000-04:00

In an email sent out yesterday, Barbara Hafer endorsed Bob Casey, Jr. in the US Senate race.

Since some you may not be able to get the email, and there is no link, I will post it whole:

Dear Supporter,

A few months ago, I made the decision not to run for the United States Senate. As many of you know, it was a difficult decision, but despite being very interested in serving the people of this Commonwealth again, I decided to step aside. Doing this was the right thing to bring the Democratic Party together, and the right thing for Pennsylvania.

If we are going to retire Rick Santorum, the Democratic Party must stand united in supporting a candidate that can score a win for Pennsylvania families.

That's why I'm glad to be joining Governor Rendell in supporting Bob Casey for the U.S. Senate.

My decision was made easier knowing that I'd be helping a good man. Bob Casey is an honorable and thoughtful public servant who has fought his entire career for those less fortunate. There could not be a greater contrast with Rick Santorum.

Like me, Bob Casey has a record of standing up for fiscal accountability in government. While Rick Santorum has helped drive up the deficit to record levels, I've seen firsthand how Bob Casey held state agencies accountable for spending tax dollars responsibly and with the public good in mind.

While Rick Santorum has tried to cut guaranteed Social Security benefits in order to pay for President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, Bob Casey stood up for our seniors as Auditor General and successfully fought to improve the Health Department's response to life-threatening nursing home complaints. No one has done more than Bob Casey to raise the quality of long-term care in Pennsylvania.

And while Rick Santorum actually justified a vote against child care funding saying, "Making people struggle a little bit is not necessarily the worst thing," Bob Casey led the fight to improve the quality of child care in Pennsylvania and make it more affordable for low-income working mothers.

We have to defeat Rick Santorum because the future of Pennsylvania's job base literally depends on it. As President Bush's leading supporter in the U.S. Senate, he's supporting trade laws that drive down wages here at home and abroad, which leads to even more outsourcing.

Whether it's taking scissors to the Social Security safety net ... turning a blind eye to a stagnant economy ... or leading the charge for the far right wing on Capitol Hill, Rick Santorum is working against the interests of Pennsylvania's families. It is essential that Rick Santorum be removed from office.

And Bob Casey can do it.

A great deal has been made of the issues where Bob Casey and I don't see eye to eye ... but that doesn't tell the whole story. I know that Bob is acutely aware of the pain that a lack of access to family planning can cause to women and families - it's why he supports public funding of these services and contraceptive equity in health insurance coverage. Bob is also a strong advocate of health care and nutrition programs for women and children.

In fact, on issue after issue of concern to women and families, Bob Casey has stood with us. You may not know that Bob worked in state government to support women who are victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault. As a nurse and as the former Executive Director of the Center for Victims of Violent Crime in Allegheny County I've witnessed more than my share of pain and tragedy, that's why Bob's record in this area tells me a great deal about the kind of person he really is.

Bob Casey also shares my commitment to ensuring that America remains vigilant in the War on Terrorism. As the mother of a Navy SEAL, I know firsthand the sacrifices that American families are making to fight terrorism around the world. And like me, Bob knows that a strong Israel must always remain the cornerstone of our attempts to stabilize the Middle East. Bob Casey will fight in the U.S. Senate to keep our country both safe and strong.

Democrats are fortunate to have people like Bob in our party ... and we're fortunate he's running.

Because Bob Casey will win. For all of us.

Please join me in supporting this exceptional Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. And send a message that all of us as Democrats are united as one.

Help Bob show the strength of a united Democratic party and contribute $50 to his campaign.

With warmest regards and great appreciation for all you've done for me in the past.

Sincerely,

Barbara Hafer

And then, the Chuck Pennacchio campaign responds:

BUCKS COUNTY, PA – I respect ex-Republican Barbara Hafer for her years of public service and her strong commitment to women's issues, but her decision to endorse Robert Casey Jr. is based on two seriously flawed assumptions.

First, Ms. Hafer claims that "there could not be a greater contrast" than the one between Rick Santorum and Robert Casey Jr. If that were true, I wouldn't be in this race to offer Pennsylvania voters a clear choice and a positive alternative. Unlike Barbara Hafer and myself, Robert Casey Jr. and Rick Santorum are both staunch opponents of a woman’s right to choose. On issue after issue Robert Casey Jr. stands with Rick Santorum and George Bush and against the basic values of most Pennsylvanians. For example, Mr. Casey stands with Santorum and Bush in opposing expanded stem cell research; opposing stronger gun violence prevention laws; and opposing equal rights for gays and lesbians. In addition, Mr. Casey has supported the badly flawed Bush/Santorum approach to Iraq; and also joined with them in endorsing congressional interference with the judiciary in the Terri Schiavo case. Mr. Casey and Mr. Santorum are also both career politicians who get major funding from special interest PAC money (which I will not accept).

Ms. Hafer’s second flawed assumption is that "If we are going to retire Rick Santorum, the Democratic Party must stand united." A vigorous Democratic primary will be healthy for democracy and the Democratic Party. In 2002 Ed Rendell won the governorship after a contested primary.

The April Quinnipiac poll showed that 82 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats don’t know that Robert Casey Jr. is a pro-life Democrat. By almost two to one (61 percent to 32 percent) Pennsylvania Democrats are pro-choice. I am confident that when Pennsylvanians understand the choice between me and Mr. Casey and Senator Santorum that our campaign will prevail. Democrats can defeat Rick Santorum without compromising our values on issues that are at the heart of what our party stands for.

Make of it what you will. But it is clear that any PA establishment types are going to line up behind Casey, Jr.

Election 2007/2008: Battle for the Future of Philadelphia and the World Part I

2005-06-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

It is quite clear, as evidenced across the country, that American politicians are absolutely unrepresentative of the people who send them to statehouses and Washington. We see incumbency become a weird form of radiation that mutates the cellular structure of politicians; these men and women become subhumans (excuse the hyperbole) that espouse views and defend positions that are often indefensible and sickening to their constituents back home (e.g. Schiavo bill) In local government, as seen in Philadelphia, it can get even worse. As a lifelong Philadelphian (only 21 years old) I traveled to Washington DC to attend The George Washington University studying International Affairs and Public Policy. It was there that I learned much more than I wanted about politics and politicians. Being in DC during the presidential primary season and the general election taught me a lot about the role local, regional and national politics plays in the lives of everyday Americans.

Philadelphia politics, like American politics are in desperate need of an overhaul of its human resources. The kind of people we send to City Councils, Statehouses and Congress are not representing the views of their constituents. Of course, people send their representatives away to make decisions in their stead, and if they do not agree then they can get voted out next time around. But this is not happening either. We simply do not care enough to hold our representatives accountable, thereby leaving us terribly vulnerable to unimaginable abuses of power, fiscal irresponsibility and lies masked in things called faith and patriotism. Regardless of political ideology, I believe that if you ask someone who pays attention to what is going on, reads the occasional newspaper and watches a news cast every now and then, they will say with authority that America and their city is moving in the wrong direction.

In 2007, we have the opportunity to set it right. And we can do it in Philadelphia first. Politicians often say we need to get our fiscal house in order. I think we need to get our political house in order. And we can do that by electing pragmatic progressives (of liberal or conservative ideology) to office. However, I argue that these progressives must be young; a new generation must lead us in this 21st century. We need a larger presence of young and dynamic pragmatists in office who are willing to do what is right as opposed to what is politically expedient. Clearly this is idealistic and brings up a few issues. Term limits? Nonpartisan elections? Real campaign finance reform that makes it easier for people who are not millionaires to run for state office? We shall see. But it will take ambitious young progressives to change Philadelphia, America and indeed, the world. I think it begin in Philadelphia, in 2007. Where is the founding conference for those people?

Rage against the machine

2005-06-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

As Dan has already noted, about 200 people from across the city gathered on Saturday to form Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks. Two writers for Young Philly Politics participated. I agree with Dan’s overall assessment about the organization. I felt pretty positive about the entire gathering.

In brief, the idea is to develop a progressive alterative to the division and ward structure. It would be configured in the same way with activists in neighborhoods across the city, but candidates would be endorsed based on their positions, not if they gave some ward leader a few thousand dollars. A simple idea that is potentially very powerful. Like any new organization, there are a variety issues related to ideology, structure, diversity and strategy that will need to be addressed to realize that potential.

Before the conference, organizers made no concrete decisions about what specific issues would be the focus of Neighborhood Networks. This is good and bad. Good, because it helped conference participants feel a sense of ownership over the process. Bad, because at this point, Neighborhood Networks doesn’t stand for anything. The challenge over the next few months will be developing a coherent progressive platform for the city that has wide appeal. I imagine this group will take a strong stand on ethics reform, but that’s relatively easy. Where will it stand on the cuts to libraries, firehouses and other municipal services? On the smoking ban? Where will it stand on the proposed tax cuts? On gun control and related issues? There are a ton of hot-button issues on which people may have wide-ranging opinions. To be effective, this group will have to find points of unity which serve as a litmus test for endorsed candidates.

And how do those candidates get endorsed? While I understand that Neighborhood Networks wants to be as democratic as possible, there needs to be some planning and strategizing. That means people will need to carefully consider and weigh all the options when it comes to endorsements. In addition to the proposed ward and division structure, I think there need to be at least one or two city-wide committees that deal with three central strategic tasks: organizing, outreach, and endorsements. These committees shouldn’t have a ton of power, but they should be able to make thoughtful recommendations to the general membership. Ultimately, I think a city-wide convention every year (or two years, or whatever) will have to ratify the platform and endorse candidates for major offices. That seems like a decent balance between centralization and democracy.

As Dan already mentioned, the gathering was overwhelmingly white and older. It was a pretty good mix of men and women, but it has some serious outreach to do in communities of color. However, I expected that. In fact, the group was more diverse then I thought it would be and had broad representation from people across the city. It is very impressive that they had people from half the wards. So how can they reach out to a more diverse audience? Well, why not ask? I think the biggest mistake would be picking an issue or issues that are perceived to have a lot of importance in minority communities.

What do I mean? Well, for example, I heard a number of people saying that gun violence is an important issue in the black community and this should become an issue for Neighborhood Networks. I think gun violence is important, but what the hell do I know? I’m a half-Quaker, half-Jewish guy who lives in a white neighborhood and works in Center City. Most of my friends look like me. So what do I know? The best way to find out what issues people in North Philly are interested in is to ask them.

I would like nothing more than a team of Neighborhood Networks volunteers, hopefully carefully chosen to include at least a few black activists, to go into some neighborhoods that were underrepresented at the conference and talk with people about what concerns them. This wouldn’t mean a bunch of white people going into the ‘hood and talking about saving the spotted owl. They would be going in as listeners. I suspect the results would be very valuable and help build relationships that could grow the organization. I also think a similar process should be used to reach out to community organizations and labor unions. Why not ask groups like ACORN, the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition, Asian Americans United, and other groups with a base in communities of color what issues they are concerned with? The same thing is true of unions like TWU Local 234 and SEIU Local 36/32BJ.

The key is asking respectfully and not deciding beforehand what people are concerned about. Some of the answers might surprise you.

Of course, a survey process isn’t just useful for communities of color. I think one of the main things Neighborhood Networks should do is a citywide survey in areas across the city. Thankfully, many of the small groups that met at the conference made the same suggestion and hopefully the group will move in that direction. They can easily combine this approach with a grassroots campaign. Pick one issue that the group has a lot of unity on, like ethics reform or raising the minimum wage. I suspect there is a lot of support for these two issues across the city and a fair amount of unity with the current membership of Neighborhood Networks. Generate a petition and then use that petition as an excuse to get into neighborhoods to start asking people what issues they are concerned with.

Ok, I think that is a pretty good start. Obviously I made a bunch of suggestions about strategy and how the group should move forward. Mostly, I think good planning and a little hard work could develop this group into an effective and powerful organization capable of making serious change.

Neighborhood Networks: My Take

2005-06-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday, both Ben and I attended the organizing conference of the Neighborhood Networks. This is my take, I hope soon followed by a post from Ben on what he thought.

Because I have a standing commitment early in the mornings with the Schuylkill river, I arrived at the NN conference about an hour late. But, as I came slinking into the lecture hall with a big cup of coffee around 10:30, I was immediately struck by the pure numbers that showed up. I think the organizers had about 75 pre-registrations. By the time the morning was over, about 200 people showed up, representing 33 of the City’s 66 wards- a pretty impressive number. It is a number that speaks to the amount of people who want change in City Hall. 200 committed activists is a big, big number.

As would be expected, there were some large concentrations in where participants live. The biggest groupings were from Mt. Airy and Center City, with smaller clusters from West Philly and near South Philly. Unfortunately, as was also expected, the group was largely white; my estimate is about 85%. In a city as diverse as Philly, that is a blunt reality that must be dealt with.

Marc Stier, the only early speaker that I heard, was pretty on the ball, talking about the possibilities of the NN, and the effect that it can have on the Democratic Party. An example, although he didn’t give it, was the Seth Williams race. Could 200 volunteers, who had canvassed their neighborhoods, each have brought out 60 voters? If so, you are talking the difference between a win and a loss.

After the early speakers, participants broke out into neighborhood specific groups. That alone proved valuable to me, as I met those who lived in my immediate neighborhood who felt the same drive for change. And, even though I have lived in this particular neighborhood for the past 15 months, it certainly helped to expand my horizons beyond my rower buddies. In fact, already today I have seen one of the people from the group. He asked me what I thought, and my answer was “potential.”

Potential. That is what really strikes me about Neighborhood Networks. There is a groundswell amongst progressives that they want to develop a cohesive structure that can put progressive candidates into office. But, as the cliché goes, getting liberals to decide on how to do that (or what the structure of the group will look like, how membership will work, what an endorsement process will be) is like herding cats. So, in a way, the power potential of the group will only be realized if its steering committee and elected ward representatives can through sheer force of will come up with a structure that enough people buy into.

The keynote speaker was Tom Hughes, from Democracy from America, and he was followed by Joe Hoeffel, Chuck Pennacchio, and Angel Ortiz. All were fine, but only Ortiz really seemed to “get it,” probably because as the only native Philadelphian of that group, and as the one who has seen the machine up close, he understands the environment with which we deal with.

There is no question that if successful, NN will provide a challenge to established power structure. As I have discussed earlier, there is a real opportunity for progressives in 2007. The City machine is asleep at the wheel, and presiding over an ineffective method of reaching voters. If candidates can tap into the deep sense that people from all over Philadelphia feel for a real change, for a City Hall that is accountable, free of corruption, and answers to voters, not to party bosses, they will win. If not, more of the same.

At this point, the organizers of NN now have the hard work ahead of them: harnessing the need for change, and the desire for progressives to stand up for what they believe in, all into a cohesive organization. Will it succeed? No clue. But, again, the word that comes to mind: potential.

News you can use

2005-06-03T09:29:00.000-04:00

Friday is usually a pretty slow news day, but there are a few important things in the paper this morning. The budget passed yesterday in Philadelphia City Council, along with cuts to the Business Privilege Tax. The budget restores the previous cuts made to libraries, firehouses and other city services. However, the cuts to the BPT will almost surely be vetoed by the Mayor and Councilman Nutter only has 9 of the required 12 votes to override a veto. Despite the torrent of e-mails from Philadelphia Forward assuring everyone they won an important victory, yet another round goes to tax cut opponents.

As we reported yesterday, Councilman Nutter's smoking ban went up in flames yesterday. Don't let the quotes from DiCicco, Clarke, and Street fool you. The defeat of the bill has nothing to do with the amendments or public policy. Street doesn't want Nutter to have another victory and killed the bill for that reason.

And then there are updates about the various Philadelphia politicians who are under indictment or suspected of breaking the law. Senator Vince Fumo failed in his attempt to call off the FBI investigators who are searching his computers that were seized in his office a few months ago. Although the court filings have been sealed, it's widely suspected the investigation has to do with payoffs by PECO Corp. to various nonprofits controlled by Fumo and his allies. In addition to Fumo's troubles, closing arguments were made today in Imam Shamsud-din Ali's racketeering trial. I'm guessing he and his co-defendants will be convicted and sent to jail. Finally, Milton Street is in trouble again.

Oh yeah. The Phillies apparently have "completed the long climb to mediocrity."

Conference Call with Joe Hoeffel

2005-06-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

Last night, I participated in a blogger conference call with former Congressman Joe Hoeffel. Sometime in the next week or so, Congressman Hoeffel plans to launch a blog for Pennsylvania progressives, called Joe Hoeffel and Friends. Also in on the call were Albert from Dragonballyee, Jane from Above Avg Jane, Ray Murphy, Maria, from 2 Political Junkies, and Hilary, from Joe's team at Advocacy, Inc.

My impressions? Let's see....

I think because of his stature, Congressman Hoeffel can be a really important addition to the Pennsylvania blogosphere. He intends the site to sort of be a central place for PA progressives, to highlight and debate issues, to network, and to spotlight progressive candidates around the State. If this site works, it could really give some desperately needed oxygen to the "Democratic wing of the Democratic party." Because, while Philly has a hell of a lot of national, progressive bloggers, we do not have any statewide blogs that organize progressives around state issues. I hope that in the future, Young Philly Politics can fill some of the role for SE PA, but for the state as a whole, we are really lacking in any counterbalance to the conservative network successfully engineered by Chris Lillik of Grassroots PA, and his band of Young Conservative Turks.

Hoeffel also said that he will be intimately involved with the site, regularly updating it. Posting material himself multiple times a week, responding to comments daily, etc. He said that he also intends to have an issue of the week, which I think is really important.... This again, can be a way to unite progressives all over the state; ie, I can learn about what is happening to organized labor in Allegheny County, or people can learn abut what is relevant in Scranton, Philly, etc. We can grow our statewide awareness in an interactive forum... I like it.

In hindsight, I also want to say that I am damn sorry that Congressman Hoeffel did not beat Sen. Specter. Maybe because I was out of the state for much of the early part of the primary, and was sort of re-gaining my PA political bearings, or that I was just so damn worried about beating Dubya, but I don't think I had a handle on just how powerful having someone like Hoeffel as a Senator would have been. He really strikes me as a good guy; the kind of grounded progressive that should be representing Pennsylvania. I think though, that if this website takes off, we will see him run again in the future, and this time with a huge head start on organizing a groundswell of progressives.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

2005-06-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

Thank god Mayor Street wouldn't let politics get in the way of doing something good for Philadelphia. He's not trying to defeat Nutter's bill because of the Councilman's mayoral aspirations. Is he?

Wachovia Apologizes for Involvement in Slavery

2005-06-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Wachovia Corporation, which is one of the largest bank in the Philadelphia-area and manages the largest number of Philadelphia city government bank accounts, apologized today about the role their company played in the slave trade.

Wachovia came clean about the activities of its predecessor banks and their officers - including such prominent Philadelphians as Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris - under pressure from the cities of Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, which have passed ordinances calling on city contractors to disclose any history of making money from slavery.

-snip-

Wachovia's confession follows an admission in January by JPMorgan Chase & Co. that a predecessor in Louisiana used slaves as loan collateral. By contrast, Bank of America Corp. has denied profiting from slavery, though acknowledging that its predecessor was founded by a slave trader. But Wachovia used a broader standard, declaring that investments by its predecessors in southern-state and U.S. government bonds during slavery times were slavery-tainted.

Philadelphia City Council passed a bill requiring any companies that bid for city contracts disclose their role in the slave trade. Sponsored by Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. and Blondell Reynolds Brown, the bill was signed by Mayor Street in February. Several other cities, including Chicago and LA, has passed similar resolutions. None of the bills prohibit companies with a history of participating in the slave trade from getting city contracts-- it simply requires disclosure.

Is an apology enough? Wachovia's statement also says they will be contributing to organizations that are "furthering awareness and education of African American history." I assume this means historical societies and related organizations. I think Councilman Goode makes a excellent point.

Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr., who cosponsored the ordinance, praised Wachovia for its admission. But, Goode added, "if they are truly sorry and want to make some reparations, they can easily do that through investments in small-business lending, home mortgage and home improvement loans to disadvantaged neighborhoods. They are doing some of that, but it is not enough to deal with the disparity that still exists" between blacks and whites.

Despite an incredible amount of progress made in the stride for equality for African-Americans, huge disparities do still exist-- and they can all be traced directly to the legacies of slavery and segregation.

Where the hell is Bobby Casey?

2005-06-02T08:07:00.000-04:00

As I saw that George Bush is coming to Montgomery County for a big dollar fundraiser for Santorum, something ran through my head.

Let me paint you a scenario, and see if this sounds familiar:

A right-wing incumbent enters a pre-election year with some pretty weak polling numbers, showing a clear ability to be beaten. This incumbent says some questionable things, and makes policy decisions that seem far out of the mainstream. He is a polarizing figure, who only barely got into office in the first place, and Democrats are pretty confident that they can win.

His Democratic opponent seems like a good guy. Maybe a little boring, but generally a decent man. He supposedly has certain elements to his candidacy that will help eliminate the incumbent's biggest advantages. He is the most "electable" candidate.

And so, the race begins. The incumbent says off the wall, nutty things, and proves himself far out of the mainstream with policy after policy, speech after speech. Seeing this opening, the Democratic challenger takes the opportunity to A)go for the kill, or b) stay positive, and assume his opponent will just hang himself with his own rope? The challenger takes choice B, stays positive, to the point of barely even mentioning his opponent, and instructing his supporters to do the same. (The challenger eventually changes this tactic, but, it seems to be a little late in the game for that.)

My question: Who are the two candidates were are talking about here? George Bush and John Kerry, or Rick Santorum and Bobby Casey? Does this strategy seem too much like Kerry's against Dubya?

Just randomly, off the top of my head, some things that Casey could have at least issued a damn press release about:

Santorum, and his cozy connection with Wal-Mart
Santorum's continued push to destroy Social Security
Santorum calling Democrats Nazis
Santorum calling for a BS raise of the minimum wage that would shaft a whole class of workers.

All of the above are issues that Casey could attack on. Most of them, in fact, are issues where he can attack from the area of his greatest strength: A reputation for caring about your average, 9-5, working Pennsylvanian. Instead, he sits quietly, assuming Santorum will beat himself.

Lets hope we see a little more from this candidate soon. If not, November 2006 is going to feel a little too much like November 2004.

Random Thoughts

2005-06-01T22:23:00.000-04:00

1) Ray Murphy, Ben Waxman and I met to talk about the site, potential for the future, etc. One of the things that we talked about was the need for a larger and greater diversity of voices on here. So, whether you are someone who is one of our contributors but may not say much, or whether you are someone who is only a reader to this point, I would heartily encourage you to get involved. WRITE. You have something important to say, and you can help shape Young Philly Politics. Whether you are a student, a teacher, a lawyer, an organizer, unemployed, underemployed, whatever. You have something important to say. Say it.

2) I don't talk much about sports on here, and I will continue that. But man, I think the Phillies are winning just to kill us all in the fall. But... if they can win tomorrow, sweeping the Giants, they are at five hundred, and on a real roll.

3) Great article by Jeff Gelles about how the collection of your personal information is stored and used by everyone from internet merchants to CVS.

4) We will, hopefully reasonably soon, be moving the site to CivicSpace, which should really make the site more user friendly, and encourage even more participation.

I Just Registered...

2005-06-01T07:52:00.000-04:00

...For the Neighborhood Networks organizing conference. If it works, the NN can be a small part of changing the way Philly politics operates.

Want to be part of a group aiming for change? Join us.

A Government No One Believes In

2005-06-01T07:36:00.000-04:00

A government we believe in. Seems like a worthy goal. Too bad, at least in Philly, we certainly don't have it now. In the latest IssuesPA poll (with a credit to Dan Rubin at Blinq), it turns out that all of 20 percent of Philadelphia trust their government to 'do the right thing' all or most of the time. Wow. 20 Percent. The disaffection is clearly a number that spreads across all classes and all creeds.

As the authors state, part of that number is clearly a corruption trial number:

With all the recent reporting about political corruption in local government, it is no surprise that Philadelphia city residents do not hold their local elected officials in higher esteem. As shown in the table above, only 20 percent of city residents feel they can usually trust local officials to do the right thing

But, you know what, it is more than that. It is more than the fact that the City Treasurer was found guilty of corruption. It is the whole culture: The one where Councilman hold up projects in their neighborhood if they were not paid proper respects; where a Councilwoman threatens to destroy Philly historic preservation efforts just because she is pissed off at something or someone; where zoning boards serve those who appointed them, not Philly residents.

This is a problem that started well before John Street, and it will not end after him. But, does it surprise you that people in the Philly burbs trust their officials a hell of a lot more? Think that may be a part of why people leave?

One, small solution? See the post above.

The Pipeline Project

2005-05-31T13:38:00.000-04:00

In case anyone is interested:

Have you ever thought about running for office or working on policy?

Are you a woman between 18 and 40 years of age?
Then join us for The Pipeline Project!

Hosted by WOMENS WAY and facilitated by the International Women's Democracy Center, this intensive two-day workshop will provide participants with the tools and technical assistance to become leaders and decision-makers in the public and private sectors. Network with other like-minded young women and have an impact in your community!

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Date: Saturday and Sunday, June 4 - 5, 2005
Location: Rohm & Haas, 100 Independence Mall West (Corner of 6th and
Market Streets), Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $50.00 per person
Breakfast and lunch provided

Please note: space is limited to the first 35 paid participants.

To reserve your spot today, please print and complete this form and
send along with your payment to WOMENS WAY at 1233 Locust Street, Suite 300, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Or call our office at 215-985-3322 to pay with your Visa, MasterCard or American Express card.

Contact Tamela Luce, Manager of Development, at
tluce at womensway dot org
with any questions. Special thanks to Rohm and Haas for hosting this event.

In Memoriam

2005-05-30T21:11:00.000-04:00

I have been pretty sick this weekend, and had about zero desire to write anything. I would be remiss though, if I let Memorial Day end without at least pointing you to this site on philly.com, that has obituaries of some of the local fallen soldiers.

On Friday, the Daily News put in photos of all of the local soldiers who died in action, and something about them. As I sat there, reading the list, knowing how many were the same age as me, knowing how many mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives have been dealt with devastating blows over the past 2.5 years, I sort of lost it.

Anyway, whether it is watching Ted Koppel say the name of each solider who died over the past year, or reading the stories and obituaries, I think it is always good to take stock, and remind yourself that these are not simply statistics.

PW on Neighborhood Networks

2005-05-26T16:29:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia Weekly has a feature story on Neighborhood Networks, a new effort to be launched in Philadelphia next weekend. Neighborhood Networks is an outgrowth of the growing powerlessness of progressives in Philadelphia politics. The leaders of this new group have an admirable slate of priorities.

The organizers of Neighborhood Networks say they envision the group as a web of activists who can lend some time to political campaigns, in support of both progressive candidates for office and progressive policies.

"We care about good government," stresses [Marc] Stier, who unsuccessfully vied for a Pennsylvania House seat in last year's Democratic primary. "We want elected officials who don't give a $30 million tax break to a company like Comcast, which earned a $1.9 billion profit last year."

Rather, Stier and his cohorts would like to see a local Democratic Party that focuses on improving the quality of life of low-income residents by pushing for changes such as increasing the minimum wage and repairing abandoned homes.

-snip-

Specific issues to focus on will be determined during next week's conference, and later by the membership. However, the Neighborhood Networks website does make reference to pushing for new ethics rules in Philadelphia government and limiting gun sales statewide. On a national level, the organization could get involved in protecting Social Security, and defeating "judicial nominees who are right-wing extremists," according to the website.

The idea is pretty basic. Organize a bunch of progressive and get them to talk with their neighbors about local politics.

Credit Where It Is Due

2005-05-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

1)To John Street and advocates like Sister Mary Scullion, because (with a hat tip to Philly Future) apparently, Philadelphia is a model city for dealing with homelessness. From the article, which is quite extensive:

After years of turmoil and political infighting, Philadelphia began a grand experiment by creating a new paradigm for dealing with homelessness that has become the envy of cities across the country.

Those cities include Denver, where officials are looking to the City of Brotherly Love as a model for how to end homelessness.

Philadelphia's success didn't come quickly or easily. Things started to change after what one official calls a "Philadelphia ruckus" in 1997 over a proposal to make it illegal to sleep on the street. A Catholic nun and her allies took on much of the city's political establishment in a series of angry confrontations at City Council meetings.

When the dust settled, a compromise emerged. Downtown business interests that were alarmed over the hundreds of people camped out on sidewalks struck a bargain with advocates for the homeless. In return for a law that allowed police to ticket people hanging out downtown, the city committed millions to build housing and launch treatment programs for mental illness and addiction.

Since the passage of that 1998 law, Philadelphia has added hundreds of beds in small shelters, transitional housing and apartment buildings throughout the city. Not only are the homeless offered a place to stay, they're assigned a case manager who gets them into programs intended to keep them off the street.

2) To Michael Nutter, who is on the verge of passing two pieces of legislation that I am really glad to see: A smoking ban, and his small ethics package. Certainly victories it did not look like he was going to have. The ethics bill is, however, one small step towards better government. Check out the article, which has this wonderful quote from Jannie Blackwell, one of the members of Council who was against even this basic bill:

"I think it's better for all concerned to take our time," said Blackwell, who earlier this year coined a phrase when she said Council was all "ethic-ed out."

3)To Wilson Goode, who successfully raised the minimum wage for City Workers, and those that do business with, or receive aid from, the City:

The bill, sponsored by Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr., requires those employers to pay staffers at least 150 percent of the federal or state minimum wage - whichever is higher. For workers now making the current minimum of $5.15 an hour, that would translate to $7.73. It would go into effect immediately for city workers and for new contracts. As existing contracts are renewed, they would be subject to provisions of the bill.

The bill covers for-profit firms that receive city contracts worth $10,000 or more in a 12-month period and that have annual gross receipts of more than $1 million; nonprofit firms that receive city contracts worth more than $100,000 in a 12-month period; all city agencies, departments and offices; and businesses employing more than 25 people that have city leases, concessions or franchises.

The bill does not cover all workers in Philadelphia because Council does not have the authority to raise the minimum wage across the board in the city, officials said.

Small Steps? Sure. But again, credit where it is due.

Repeal the BPT? Not so fast

2005-05-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

According to reports, the City Council Committee of the Whole voted tonight to approve bill 040767, which will phase out the Business Privilege Tax. A final vote on the legislation will occur on Thursday, June 2nd.

It should be noted the bill did not receive enough votes needed (12) to override a mayoral veto. Despite attempts by supporters to frame the vote as a victory, it's basically the same thing that happened to the bill a few months ago. I suspect Councilman Cohen (and maybe Ramos) will vote for the bill on June 2nd, but not vote to override Street's veto. Councilman Cohen has been playing a coy game all along, telling both opponents and supporters of the bill that he hasn't made up his mind yet.

In reality, it's really an attempt by Cohen to leverage what little power he has in council. By presenting himself as a swing vote, he is able to secure various promises and favors from both sides. He did the same dance when trying to get support for his tax-credit for the working poor. And it was successful. When Street veto the tax reform proposals the last time around, he left out Cohen's bill. I suspect something similar will happen this time around.

That said, I could never imagine Cohen voting for this bill. I don't want to revisit all the arguments pro or con about the BPT, so I'll point you to two websites. The first is Philadelphia Forward, which is dedicated to the repeal of the BPT. It's run out of the Pennsylvania Economy League, a pro-business public policy organization that has connections to some of the largest corporations in Pennsylvania. The second website is a group called One Philadelphia. One Philadelphia is a coalition of community organizations, labor unions, and religious organizations that support fully funded social services. They claim the repeal of the BPT would cause drastic cuts in service. Some of the leaders of One Philadelphia are former City Councilman Angel Ortiz, Sherrie Cohen (Councilman David Cohen's daughter and a respected community activist in her own right), and Linda Rhym (the vice president of AFSCME DC 47).

So, check out those two sites and them post who you think is right.

Penn-Assisted HS Woes

2005-05-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

Relations between West Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania have long been complicated by miscommunication and mistrust. Despite Penn's decision in recent years to aggressively promote University City west of 40th Street (rather than warn students away from the neighborhood as was long-standing past tradition), many long-time neighbors still question Penn's commitment to the community.

The University’s role in the decision to knock down much of the Black Bottom neighborhood in the 1950's to build Locust Walk and much of the center of today’s campus has left behind a legacy for many West Philadelphians, the impact of which has still not been completely shaken.

More recent concerns of West Philadelphia neighbors in relationship to Penn include the impact that the University has had in boosting property values. Increased property values caused by Penn-assisted mortgages have benefited some, but have also had the effect of driving rents sky-high, increasing property taxes and leaving out many of the kinds of homebuyers who traditionally bought into the neighborhood. As a result, there has been a slow disintegration of the neighborhood' economic diversity which flourished in the 70's and 80's from a mixture of rental, cooperative and owner-occupied properties.

Now, as was reported in yesterday's Inquirer and by our own Dan U-A, Penn is playing a role in the formation of a new high school. A spirited discussion about this issue has emerged on University City list-servs and I thought this message from Karen Allen, an activist and community leader active in the leadership of Cedar Park Neighbors for many years, was worth sharing:

The problem is not in having a good school-- everyone wants that. And if a good school is created for the University City community at large utilizing the resources of the University of Pennsylvania, great. The problem is creating a taxpayer-supported public school that is a de-facto private school for Penn employees without real community input.

The problem is best illustrated with the Penn-Alexander School. As you know, anyone living west of 47th Street, north of Sansom, and so forth, though still in UC, cannot send their kids to that school. Buy/sell a house, what's the first question? "Is it in the catchment area?" Well, the "catchment area" was originally envisioned to only encompass an area that when examined, included the highest concentration of U of P employees, and the highest concentration of upper income residents. A horrible fight ensued in UC in 2000-2001 between those living outside those boundaries who wanted the school to encompass the entire UC area, and those who wanted it to be their own little bailiwick.

Now comes the Penn assisted high school. Despite all of the community associations and what-have-you in UC, we find out about it by reading about it in the paper. Who other than Penn has had input into this process so that all of UC or the West Philadelphia community can benefit from this? Will there be the same artificial boundaries so that a kid living on the even-house numbered [south] side of Sansom Street can get a good education while the kid living on the odd-numbered side gets crap?

If taxpayer money goes into this project, then the school should be open to the entire UC community, and that entire community should have input in the process.

Karen Allen

As a life-long, but still “Young Philadelphian” (just turned 26), I can tell you first-hand the ways that the neighborhood has changed for the good and the bad in recent years. I agree with a lot of what Karen says above and I think the lesson from this latest controversy in University City is that the inherent right of neighborhoods to determine their own fate can’t be eliminated in the pursuit of higher property values and greater economic “growth.”

Do not misunderstand me: it is incredibly important that Philadelphia’s neighborhoods are finally growing and becoming more economically valuable (as was reported in today’s Daily News here). However, we must be able to have honest conversations about how these changes in some cases cause the destruction of the very attributes that made our neighborhoods attractive to investors in the first place.

Equally important is that the political leaders driving these decisions (and make no mistake, Penn’s leadership is highly political and carries as much, if not more weight then the Mayor and Council combined) must have people and not their own profit as their driving force.

Coming up in University City, I was taught that we have a fundamental moral obligation to always work to build a city that addresses the needs of all Philadelphians, regardless of income, class, race, sexual orientation, gender, religion or ability. I can only hope that the next generation of young Philadelphians from University City to Hunting Park learn the same lesson.

A Shot Across the Bow: Regionalization, Seth Williams, and the Philadelphia Machine: Part 3

2005-05-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

District Attorney Lynne Abraham is the closest thing to a permanent force in Philadelphia politics.

She's been a public official - in one capacity or another - for 30 years, 14 of them as the city's chief prosecutor.

So excuse me if I wonder out loud what happened to her in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Abraham won, of course.

She got 56 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for her opponent, Seth Williams.

But Williams - a young former prosecutor - had no money, no name recognition, and nearly zero support among the organized Democrat pols.

Yet he came within 12,000 votes of beating the incumbent? Hmmm.

2007 is going to be a huge year in Philadelphia politics. Huge. Besides a new mayor, we could potentially have a slew of new councilmen, as people retire, go to jail, or are too old to campaign. We are going to be presented with a stark choice: Do we use this opportunity to fundamentally change how our political system operates? Or we do stand by, and do the same old shit, as people like Sharif Street (he who represents Predatory Lenders) et. al. entrench themselves as the next generation of political leaders?

People ask me who I suppot for Mayor in 2007. My honest answer at this point? No one. Not a single damn candidate, from Michael Nutter or John Saidel to Chaka Fattah or John Dougherty. Why? Because fundamentally, when it comes to real changes in Philly politics, they are all the same person.

Fattah, in fact, is a very useful example of what I mean. Yes, as a Congressman, Fattah has a very good voting record. Generally, it is a given that he will vote the right way. (The same goes for Bob Brady. I cannot say the same about NE Philly’s Congresswoman MBNA.) But really, when you represent all Democrats, voting the right way is not really tough. Yet, would Fattah, who assuredly would be a darling of many as a candidate, fundamentally change anything about the way Philadelphia politics operates? Doubtful. Why would he, anyway? It will have elected him Mayor. And so, we get the same policies, the same way of selecting our officials, and the same political culture in Philadelphia, where our candidates our based on their last name, or their political chits. Well, for me personally, I am tired of that culture, of that system. I want something different. I want a candidate who will be elected on the basis of making permanent changes to the Philadelphia power structure. None of the current slate, and frankly, no one currently in office, will do this. So, I think that unless something changes, I will support nobody.

12,000 votes. Do you know what that means? It means that if progressive minded people unite, with a campaign run with real intelligence, using proven, modern methods of reaching the people of Philadelphia, we can send shock waves through Philadelphia. We need a candidate. One who can inspire, and think big. A candidate who will run a campaign that will be ignored by the powers that be until it is too late. The powers that be are not paying attention. But, as the leaders are replaced bya younger generation, I worry that they will eventually modernize, and we will lose the chance we have, the chance to awake the sleeping giant that could make a huge difference in Philly politics.

We need a candidate though. In fact, including the race for City Council, we need a slew of candidates. Any idea who they are?

Rally to Raise the Minimum Wage

2005-05-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

From the Philadelphia Unemployment Project:

Raise the Minimum Wage Rally
Outside the Gallery Mall
9th and Market Streets
Wednesday May 25, 11:30 am

The minimum wage hasn't been raised from $5.15/hour in eight years. It is currently
worth less after inflation than it was in 1968. New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and
a dozen other states have already raised their minimum wages--most to over $7 per
hour. We are fighting for state legislation that would increase the minimum wage to
$7.15 per hour.

Ray has already written an excellent post on why raising the minimum wage is a great tool for economic development. I don't have a ton to add. Please note this rally is separate from Wilson Goode's effort. The proposed bill would raise the minimum wage across Pennsylvania, not just Philadelphia.

Two things worth noting in the school district

2005-05-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

This is cool:

The University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia School District plan to create a high school in the university's West Philadelphia neighborhood that will focus on international studies.

The school, which would open in September 2006 at a location that has not been determined, is slated to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of a new network of international high schools, officials said yesterday.

Students will study world languages, take an international curriculum integrated across subjects, be connected to schools worldwide via technology, and be immersed in community service for groups with worldwide links - which could even include international internships.

The effort advances what Penn calls its commitment to revitalize its neighborhood, focusing in part on improving school options, to benefit the community and university staff who choose to live in the area.

Penn, the City's largest employer, and one of, if not the biggest driver of the rise in Philly home values, strikes again. As the article says, as Penn has operated its own Charter school, neighborhood home values have gone up and up, as more people want to be inside the eligibility boundaries.

A few in the community have expressed concern that the school will only serve a very targeted number of people (read: white middle-class kids), and I very much hope that is not true. One thing (get ready for some pop psych here with no basis in fact) I think can be really powerful for poor children of all colors is to get some perspective on the world, to sort of think outside the US borders. So, assuming this is done equitably, this is unconditionally good news.

And, so is this:

Nearly five years ago, Central High School's alumni set out to raise $100,000 to give the school's Barnwell Library fresh paint, carpeting and furniture.

A few alumni, though, had grander dreams.

This afternoon, alumni and school officials will unveil what they call their "wow library" - a new communications, research and media facility that Apple Computer Inc. has named a national demonstration site for school-library technology.

Central graduates picked up the project's $4.5 million tab.

"The alumni did it all - not the school district," marveled Ellen Rosen, a library assistant in the new Barnwell Library. "I think that's what's incredible... . So many people are attached to their colleges. These people are attached to their high school."

Colleges and private schools are accustomed to ambitious fund-raising, but officials say the capital campaign by Central alumni may be unprecedented for a public school in this area.

....

Tina Weinraub, Central's "cybrarian," said the school would try a new electronic checkout system. Staff will be able to inventory books instantly with handheld scanners. And alumni are paying subscriptions for several research databases.

"It's the premier place to work in Philadelphia as a librarian," Weinraub said. "The library will be a portal to all the knowledge that's out there."

The idea that Central High, a 2,300 person high school that is both economically and racially diverse, will have a real research library? Awesome.

Now if we could just get those types of facilities in our other schools.

Seth's 05 Legacy

2005-05-23T11:22:00.000-04:00

Tom Fitzgerald has a pretty nice piece in today's Inquirer about the reactions of local political leaders to the Seth Williams campaign.

Fitgerald's piece points out that Seth cut into Abraham's base wards from 2001, winning Chestnut Hill, parts of Mt Airy and the 30th Ward (which is actually in Center City south of South Street, not University City as Fitzegerald states).

Since my role for the campaign was to engage the email community (which demographically can be quite different than bloggers) in the campaign, I am pretty excited to hear that we won those areas. The wards Seth won outside of the African-American base are proof of the effectiveness of our direct emails and blogs (not to mention the Inky and NPR).

Before I comment on this more, I really want to delve into the numbers and speak with more authority about places we made gains from 2001.

As one part of the longer report I would like to post about the Seth Williams experience, I would like to include the stories of readers like you either as volunteers for Seth, or at the polling place, or in the nighborhood on election day. If you have any experiences to share, please send me an email at raym@localnet.com.

Stay tuned...

A Shot Across the Bow: Regionalization, Seth Williams, and the Philadelphia Machine: Part 2

2005-05-21T22:24:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past fewdays going over the results of the Seth Williams v. Lynne Abraham battle, and I want to get this down on paper, and solicit your thoughts. What I am trying to get out is to examine the effect that bloggers and online activists had in this race, and what I think are some lessons and indicators for the future of Philly blogs and Philly politics.

This is the second of three parts. See Part One here.

....

Seth Williams, and his Campaign Organization

I cannot help but think that with Seth Williams we have seen a real future leader of Philadelphia. His concession speech, a copy of which we will hopefully soon be able to release, was maybe the best speech I have ever seen in person (or maybe second only to Paul Wellstone discussing the future of our Country). It was wonderful, for the same reason the Williams campaign so engaged those who actually were paying attention: it was motivational, emotional, and heartfelt. You knew that Seth took the loss hard, but the enthusiasm and electricity there is for those who have met him is something that many politicians can only dream of.

The audience for his speech, at his campaign party was incredibly diverse, which leads to another hope I have: That Williams can create a heretofore unique coalition (well, maybe Fattah has this, but other than him, no one.) of black and white, and of middle-class, working-class, and poor. His next race is four years away, and that is a damn long time in politics, but the groundwork is there. We just have to figure out the best way to keep him visible in that time.

In terms of how the Williams campaign functioned, I do not really have a ton of inner knowledge of how campaigns or GOTV operations are supposed to work. Ray does, and I hope he will answer this post with one of his own, as an analysis of how the campaign functioned well, and how it did not.

The campaign was willing to embrace internet outreach and blogs, and attempted to do so. As you know if you were on the email list, the campaign sent out plenty of emails. Was it effective? Honestly, I don’t know. It is frankly hard to get people to open mass emails. As any organization can tell you, people are opening less and less from their inbox these days (yeah, that can be tracked). So, while I would like to hear Ray’s thoughts, I think it points to a different way to approach the use of email. Just as the most effective way to GOTV is going door to door and making personal contact, we need to figure out how to recruit people to send real, personal messages to their personal networks. In other words, we need to have people volunteer to almost be “email captains.” I don’t know how many people signed up for vote pledges from my blog, because I didn’t really get people to say they were coming from us. But I do know that multiple people pledged their vote in response to real emails from me. It speaks to how we must act in the future.

(The same goes for the happy hour, which certainly got as many or more attendees from personal pleas from me than any blogging I did. While that may change as the readership of Young Philly Politics grows, there are a very limited amount of people around the Country who have the following devoted enough to have enough committed readers that they can simply post a message and inspire an army of volunteers or donations or whatever. I certainly aspire to that, as do all political bloggers, but we are a long way from there.)

I actually think the vote pledge thing is a very good idea. However, just as I think it can be effective, and quick, when you get emails, the most effective way this can be used, as I see it, is for a campaign that uses strong, grassroots, door-to-door canvassing. As you spend five or ten minutes talking to someone, you do not finish by asking them for money, or anything like that; you finish by asking for their vote pledge. And, if you start that about a year out for a major campaign, I think it can really make a huge difference.

As an aside, I just want to note that many ward and City leaders who deem themselves “progressives” basically blew this, in a big way. If just a few of them had stepped up, they could have made a huge difference. But, instead they were “disrespected” because some didn’t feel that the campaign paid them enough “respect.” Give me a freaking break. Here we had a candidate who virtually everyone believed would improve Philadelphia, and virtually no one was willing to take a chance. Seth was standing there, shouting at the gates, and even those who knew he was right refused to let him in.

From a personal perspective, here is why I supported Seth so strongly, and will continue to do so, assuming he continues his fight in the same way: He fought on the issues, and he fought against the status quo, and did so in the right way. He was the model of what a “reform Democrat” should be. I am unabashedly liberal, progressive, whatever. But what I want most out of my elected officials in Philadelphia does not necessarily surround ideology, but is instead based around ideas, process, etc. I have no idea who I will support for Mayor, but I will not support someone who is happy with the way things are in Philadelphia, with the way our Government functions. There are too many progressives, and far too many “D’s” in Philly to accept what we have. Philly needs more than people who are satisfied with the trains running on time. Seth epitomized that.

When we have a City being dealt body blows form the Federal Level (and the State level when a certain guy from East Falls is not Governor), we cannot afford to have officials only considering their own hold on power. I say this because I have faith that in a City like Philadelphia, if we can start picking officials the right way, if we take down the barrier that keeps good people from running for office, we will be happy with most of the issues, most of the time.

Seth was outspent by 8 to 1. Yet, he only lost by 12,000 votes. Part of that was his campaign, and the fact that he worked his ass off. But part of it was this fact: The Philadelphia Democratic machine is not nearly as strong as many would have you believe. I mean, really, what exactly did Lynne Abraham spend all of her damn money on?

In fact, that brings me to part, number three.

Physical Philadelphia

2005-05-20T16:48:00.000-04:00

I love Inga Saffron's column in the Inquirer because she relentlessly points out the need for Philadelphia leaders to pay attention to our physical city. In this week's column, she draws our attention to the 36 new residential high-rises planned for Philadelphia.

At their best, the new high-rises increase density, concentrating a lot of people in a little space. That's good for Philadelphia because density brings livelier, safer sidewalks, more businesses and restaurants, and more potential customers for SEPTA. But you can't expect to cram all those people and their cars in the same space without any preparation or planning.

Yet projects are whizzing through Philadelphia's zoning process with almost no review and no consciousness about how they fit into the greater whole. The zoning board still insists that towers be built with parking spaces for every unit. In most cases, developers take the easy way out and build stand-alone garages, either as bases under their towers or on sites next door. Both approaches run counter to planning wisdom. Cities like Seattle are working to limit garages or encourage underground parking.

Please read the full article.

The behavior of the Philadelphia Zoning board is a growing problem as our city attracts new people and businesses. Short-sightedness, cronyism, and perhaps some downright corruption have left our city without a clear set of guidelines for development, despite our city planning commission, which consistently provides clear vision and planning. Of course, the solution to this problem is to work on electing more responsive leaders. But, that will take a while. And as you can see from Saffron's article, changes to the physical landscape of Philadelphia are happening quickly. So, I think it makes sense to advocate now for rational zoning practices, and to make sure that we ask our new leaders to articulate their vision for our physical city when they try to win our votes.

A Shot Across the Bow: Regionalization, Seth Williams, and the Philadelphia Machine: Part 1

2005-05-19T22:45:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past two days going over the results of the Seth Williams v. Lynne Abraham battle, and I want to get this down on paper, and solicit your thoughts. What I am trying to get out is to examine the effect that bloggers and online activists had in this race, and what I think are some lessons and indicators for the future of Philly blogs and Philly politics.

This is the first of three parts.
...

As has been discussed elsewhere, (such as Tim Tagaris on Swing State Project and elsewhere, and of course in The Inquirer) many paid attention to what was happening in this race because it was a pretty unique event: bloggers from a specific geographic area uniting around candidates.

First and foremost, none of the regionalization that we saw in this race would have happened with out Philly Future. Karl and Matt have created a site that has helped make Philly bloggers, many of whom never would have met or read each other’s writing, extremely aware that there are many others out there just like ourselves. While we could have had some sort of Philly-wide blog effort, it would not have been noticed by as many eyes, and would not have included as many people, without a central site that Philly bloggers of all stripes can and do connect on. The awareness that it has raised set the stage for what occurred, pure and simple. I admire that, and admire what they have created (and continue to create) in a total volunteer effort.

In terms of the three days of action that we took together, I saw each day as having a unique effect. The first day, first and foremost created a buzz. As I proposed the first day, I don’t think any of us had any idea where this was headed. But, what became clear was that even the proposal for a coordinated day itself, got people excited. Some, like Chris from Rowhouse Logic, had already written plenty about Seth, others had not. However, what was clear was that as that first day progressed, bloggers had decided to better educate themselves, and their readers about the issues at hand. To this day, the best endorsement I have seen of Seth was Karl and Matt’s from Philly Future; better than mine, better than any union, and better than the Inquirer.

Seth said in his concession speech that it really meant something to him that bloggers, who actively looked into the real issues at hand, had given him his support. The Philly Future editorial is a perfect example of this. How many of us made personal attacks of Abraham? None. Instead, like the candidate we supported, we argued from facts and research. And, I think most of that research came from that first day, or from the build-up to it. So, with real, solid research, this was not simply a couple of bloggers directing each other to their home page. Instead this was a series of well-presented cases for a change in Philly politics. As posts went up, from Chris to Jane, it became clear that this whole thing was about a lot more than navel gazing.

And, simply put, the buzz was created in the first day. I know for a fact that various reporters read, at minimum, Young Philly Politics and Philly Future every day. There is no question that as this grew, and as they saw online activists uniting, we had an impact.

The buzz grew as Chris Bowers joined in from MyDD, and Tim Tagaris wrote about the day on Swing State Project. All of a sudden, this was not simply a Philly effort, but an organic test case for BlogPac, a group of high-powered, well-read national bloggers, who are trying to unite bloggers around local or regional issues. And so, the murmurs spread from Philly to California, and back again. What the hell was going on in Philly?

Of course, the day ended. That is when things got a lot more interesting. There were no real plans for anything in the future, and no real idea how to turn that day into something more. So, as a few people asked whether we had any planned in the future, we decided the best case was to simply strike again. This time, a coordinated day with a set goal for attracting volunteers, but, once again, to keep shouting at the windmills that in Seth, we had a candidate that Democrats had to pay attention to.

In a way, certainly with my post at least, there was a little bit of defiance with the second day. Because nothing would have been easier than to simply pat ourselves on the back for what we did, and call it a day. But, as posts started going up again, all over the Philly blogosphere, and back on MyDD and Swing State Project, it was clear that this was not an effort that was going away. In the blogosphere, a week is an eternity. And there was no question that our cute little story of a “Day of Action” was going to go away, if not for reuniting on the second day.

We may have been shouting, but clearly people started to pay attention and we were mentioned in the Daily News. We also, one week prior to their letter being published in the Daily News, we had a group of Assistant DA’s write us as to how important this all was. With that day, I knew we were really on to something. And with an Inquirer reporter calling us to try and get the story of what was going on, it was clear that outsiders were interested, as well.

Day 3, with the goal of collecting vote pledges, continued along, with possibly the most visibility of any of the days. (I will get into the vote pledge thing specifically, later on.) Did the campaign collect thousands of votes from our effort? Certainly not. But, the murmur kept growing, and became real loud when our effort landed us an above the fold story in the Inquirer’s metro section. That story, followed a few days later by the Inquirer endorsement for Seth, was really important. I will be interested to see the division-by-division breakdown, but I would wager that those two stories helped grab the attention of many of the Philly liberal elite (a group that pretty much slept through this election, from start to finish), and at least helped them identify that there was a very real, progressive thinking candidate out there, and that he was up for election in a couple of weeks.

We then went offline, with our happy hour and fundraiser the Friday before the election. And, whether they came because of our blogs, or email, or personal relationships, we turned out 40 or more people in 2 days, and raised a substantial amount of money. And, as many bloggers who had never met Seth beforehand got a chance to speak with him, and as we got to meet each other, we had a lot of fun. There was visible excitement in that room; mainly for this wonderful candidate, but also, at least from me, with the realization that there was some real hope for the future. Because while this race presented a stark choice which made our unification much easier, it was clear that this race was just one step. As our collective buzz grows, I realize that not only do we all have a growing audience, but we now have real, concrete allies. Each of which we must continue to grow, and use, as the fight for Philadelphia politics takes hold.

Spread the Word: Rick Santorum Compares Democrats to Hitler

2005-05-19T20:15:00.000-04:00

I love that when Conservatives attack people like Move On, for supposedly going overboard in their attacks of Republicans, they are always so successful in getting the media to brand liberal organizatons as extremists.

As Atrios pointed out, Republicans were so successful disparaging MoveOn, when they ran a contest asking people for 30 second advertisements about Bush. A few, out the loads of videos they received, compared Dubya to Hitler. This was all Fox News needed to brand Move On extremist, which they still do today.

And, if I recall correctly, Paul Krugman ran into the same BS when the UK version's cover of his book gave Dick Cheney an oil mustache that looked too much like a Hitler 'stache to some. The story was pushed into the media, all over Fox, etc. It was proof of just how much of an extremist Paul Krugman was.

Now, our good friend Rick Santorum, he who compared being gay to practicing beastiality, has compared Senate Democrats to... Adolf Hitler. Imagine, just imagine, the reaction if Harry Reid or Dick Durbin did this. We need to push this far and wide, and demand that the Media pays attention. (Please check out The Swing State Project for a full list of all the bloggers who are swarming over this.)

As Chuck Pennacchio says:

As an historian of Holocaust-era Germany, I find Rick Santorum’s comment to be offensive, divisive, and destructive. Rick Santorum should immediately issue a public apology, and then retreat with conscience to consider the lasting damage he has done to the United States Senate and to the memory of 12 million Holocaust victims.

His number is 202-224-6324. Call him tomorrow, and let him know how inappropriate his remarks were.

Head of the Bar Association on our Judicial Election System.

2005-05-18T22:18:00.000-04:00

I am too exhausted to write much tonight, but I wanted to highlight a really important column in today's Daily News, written by Philly Bar Association Andrew Chirls, on the way in which Philly picks its judges.

NOW THAT yesterday's primary is behind us, it's obvious that anyone paying attention to the way judges are chosen in Philadelphia is bound to come away with a host of strong feelings, all pretty much negative.

The words that immediately come to mind are: outrageous, disgraceful, pitiful, obscene. And those are the milder terms.

How else to react to a system that openly courts convicted felons as electoral advisers? That measures the worthiness of judicial candidates by how well they can sing karaoke? That has judicial candidates handing ward leaders checks for $1,000 or $2,000 in return for possible endorsements, and party-endorsed candidates forking over as much as $35,000 to Democratic City Committee?

And there is this, which I guess is about judges, but could reference Philly politics generally:

We, as citizens, need for them to live up to their leadership positions by working to make sure that merit and qualifications are part of the system.

The alternative to this is the same old failed mechanisms. Philadelphia cannot afford that. We must demand action from our political leaders now.

Check out the whole thing if you get a chance.

The Fillibuster Rally

2005-05-18T22:08:00.000-04:00

As most know, Republicans started the Senate showdown of the fillibuster today. Why destroty the fillibuster, especially when something like 96 percent of Bush's judges are approved? Simply put, because the far right wing fundamentalist wing of the Republican party has told Bill Frist that if he does their bidding, he becomes their choice for the Republican nominee. They have gone so far as to run adverstisements trying to paint Democrats as anti-Christian because they dare stop the nominees of royal nut-jobs like Priscilla Owen as nominees for lifelong appointees to the federal bench.

I ramble, but if you want to keep up with the debate, head over to the Swing State Project, which has been folowing it all day.

Meanwhile, back in Philly, Moveon has organized its own local 24 hour fillibuster, started at 12 noon today. They will be out there all night, reading speeches from FDR, MLK and JFK, reading their own writing, poetry, etc. Ray, of this website, is one of the organizers of the rally. If you have any time, even just a few minutes, before 12 o'clock, head over to 6th Street, between Arch and Market, and see what it is all about. I stopped by tonight, and I plan no going tomorrow before work, as well.

12,000 votes

2005-05-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

We lost, by a margin that looks to be approximately 12,000 votes. 12,000 goddamned votes.

I will write more over the next few days about what this all means. But, I just want you all to know that I just saw, in a concession speech, someone who is clearly not only Philadephia's next District Attorney, but someone who will help usher Philadelphia politics into the next century.

I will leave you with what Seth said in his concession speech at the party: People said a positive, issues driven campaign could not be run in Philadelphia. People said that if an African-American candidate ran for DA, he had to resort to [charges of] racism, to pour gasoline on his own City. He refused, and ran a campaign where he can look his daughters in the eyes, and tell him he is proud of what he did. And, he finished with the same thing that he said when he led a group of PSU students to Harrisburg to protest apartheid:

His feet are tired, but his soul is rested.

Results so far

2005-05-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

Abraham 58, Williams 42. Less than one third counted.

(According to KYW)

Reports: turnout low. Every vote will make a difference.... HELP US

2005-05-17T15:53:00.000-04:00

Guys-

Reports are that turnout is very, very light. This means that every vote truly will count, and we need to GOTV. Every volunteer will make a difference, even it is just for a few hours after work.

If you have any time at all, head to 1606 WALNUT ST, and they can give you literature, and help direct you....

We are in the final hours, and we have a real chance to win. But we need your help. Come to 1606 Walnut, and tell them you have a few hours.

Our Job in the Next 23 Hours

2005-05-16T22:36:00.001-04:00

Elect Seth Williams.
Show up at 1606 Walnut St Tomorrow, any time you can, and help get the job done.

(Also, vote yes on Growing Greener.)

(Per a question in the comments- 1606 Walnut St, First Floor. It will be easy to spot.)

What you can do right now.

2005-05-16T08:34:00.000-04:00

What the campaign needs, more than anything, is to GOTV. To that end, please log in, get a list of addresses or telephone numbers, and remind people that tomorrow we have a huge election, and a real need for a change.

The election will have 18 to 24 percent turnout, every single vote matters. The incumbent's strategy has been to hope people do not notice that we have an election. Log in, sign up, and get involved. Below is what you say...

GOTV Phone Rap for the Final Push

Hi, how are you. My name is ______. Is _____ [name] in?

[If the person you are seeking is in, continue; if not, ask when they might be in, and then thank the person you are talking to for their time. If the person you are looking for has moved away, and the person you ARE talking to has recently moved in, then they are a potential turnout target and you should proceed with the rap. You'll mark the contact who has moved as a bad contact AND add this new person as a good contact and continue rap with them.]

I’m a volunteer working on the upcoming election on Tuesday May 17th. Are you planning to vote for Seth Williams or Lynne Abraham for District Attorney?

[Seth] Great! I'm a volunteer with the Seth Williams campaign and we're working to get out as many voters as possible on Tuesday to make real changes in the DA’s office and our city. The race is really close, but if we all get out and vote on Tuesday, we can defeat Lynne Abraham and make the DA’s office a force for change in our city.

Your polling place is the same as the one you went to during the presidential election. If you don’t know where that is, you can go to www.hallwatch.org to find out. The polls are open from 7 AM-8 PM.

You can go to the website www.seth4da.com and download a campaign poster to put in your window and get other information about Seth to share with your friends.

Thanks for your time _______ [name], and thank you for your support. Make sure to vote on Tuesday!
[Undecided]

Ok, well I'm a volunteer with Seth Williams for DA and we believe that the best solution to gun violence and crime in our city is to elect a new DA who understands the links between crime and drugs, jobs and public health. After 14 years with Lynne Abraham, I think it is time for a change. You can see more information on our website at www.seth4da.com and I hope you'll decide to support Seth on May 17th.

[Abraham] OK, thanks for participating in our survey, and have a nice day

All Hands on Deck

2005-05-15T19:50:00.000-04:00

Two days. Really, 35 hours, and then election day begins. When it is over, I will turn my focus onto many other Philly matters. But, man, these are the final, and I mean final, hours.

Are you doing what you can? If you can spare even a few hours on election day, do so. If you can spend a few hours tomorrow making calls, or knocking on doors, go to the website, and log in. Who wants to hang out on election day, knocking on doors, getting out the vote, and then celebrating at night, at the campaign party?

And, in the news today, a few important developments. Remember the controversey over the number of cases that are dismissed in Philly? Well, the Inquirer did its own examination, and, what did they find? Seth is right, of course.

Also, not insignificant, the Philadelephia Tribune joins the Inquirer in calling for change, and endorsing Seth.

Again, come out on election day, party with me and many others as we get votes for the change of Philadelphia.

Photos from the happy hour

2005-05-14T19:19:00.000-04:00

The candidate

Dan U-A

Ray Murphy

All photos shot by Matt, from Tattered Coat, where there are some additional pictures available.

Seth Williams Happy Hour

2005-05-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

So, last night was the blogger driven happy hour for Seth Williams. And, considering this was all put together in the last three days, all I can say is "wow." With a really cool mix of liberal do gooders, bloggers, ex DA's, and the campaign staff, we easily had 40 or more people, signed up a slew of volunteers, raised a significant amount of money, had a great time, and once again heard from, and talked with the future DA of Philadelphia. It was empowering, and really just a lot of fun.

From the blogosphere, we had Chris Bowers from MyDD, Chris from Rowhouse Logic, ACM from A Smoke Filled Room, Matt from Tattered Coat and Philly Future, and Ray, Charles and myself from Young Philly Politics, as well as a few of our "in theory" posters. It was cool to put faces to names, and to email addresses.

Chris has a really great write-up, titled "Momentum," which is quite apt:

The turnout for last night's Happy Hour for Seth Williams was terrific and the enthusiasm in the room was palpable. Strike that, the enthusiasm was incredible and the room was so packed that it was difficult to move, let alone get a drink. Seth gave another in a long string of speeches that have left me speechless. Just to prove that I wouldn't make much of a reporter, I took no notes and I can't quote directly. There was a line from his speech that I really loved. It was something like "When you give a check to a lot of politicians in this city you expect something in return like a patronage job or a city contract. I can't offer you that and I'm not going to give you that. What I'm offering is justice, equality, safety and a better city." Again not the exact quote but pretty close. Wow is, I believe, the right adjective.

We can win this thing. Have no doubt in your mind that we can win this election.

Cannot say it better myself. We have pictures, and maybe even some video that should appear sometime today. But make no mistake, this small happy hour, where 40 people gathered because of blog and email driven invites, is significant. This, I think, is only very, very much the start for what our power can do, and what it will do, over the next few years.

I will write more later. In the meantime, go to Seth's website, and sign up to volunteer (and donate if you are so able). There are all kinds of things you can do up to, and during, election day. Be part of the change...

More soon.

Party/happy Hour/fundraiser Update

2005-05-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder. Tomorrow, 5:30PM. It will be a cool group of people, and a great chance to meet Seth Williams. Send me a quick email for details.

LOCATION:

Black Sheep Pub
17th Street, between Locust and Spruce

All the cool kids are coming.

Bloggers and Others: Friday Happy Hour Party/Low Key Fundraiser for Seth

2005-05-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

On Friday evening, at 5:30PM, a few of us are putting together a happy hour/final weekend kickoff/low key fundraiser (like $25) for Seth Williams. As with our days of action, the fundraiser will be coordinated with bloggers around the City. Already, Chris, at Rowhouse Logic is in, as well as myself and Ray Murphy. Come have a beer with some of the writers of Young Philly Politics, like minded people, and Seth Williams himself.

It should be a pretty cool crowd, a mix of blog and non-blog types. Send me an email at danielua (at) gmail dot com if you are interested in checking it out.

It will be a fun, constructive way to kick off the weekend, and meet some cool Philly people, including Seth.

VoteMay17.org

2005-05-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

Check out VoteMay17.org, a site started by those who were responsible for the recent GOTV rally in Dillworth plaza.

They talk about some important down ticket issues, such as the Growing greener initiative, which is really, really important. Check it out when you have a chance.

A Note on Commenting

2005-05-11T18:08:00.000-04:00

Obviously, blog traffic has increased today. As such, I turned off anonymous comments.

This is a blog open to everyone, but I should be clear- while you are free to disagree with anything being said, slander, and other troll-like comments will simply be deleted. We want real discussions on the future of Philadelphia. We do not want, and will get rid of those comments which serve no purpose other than to inflame.

For a recap:

Arguing about Philly politics, from all perspectives: Good thing, and welcomed.

Baseless, slanderous arguments, and inflammatory comments from those with fairly obvious agendas: Deleted.

Bloggers and Seth Williams

2005-05-11T11:16:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer had an excellent article this morning about the impact of bloggers on the race for District Attorney. Perhaps the most significant thing was the willingness of campaign staff to recognize the contributions bloggers have made.

Williams strategists say they believe the bloggers provide at least a modest counterweight to District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's power. She is a 14-year veteran who has plenty of campaign cash - but so far no bloggers - and the support of Democratic Party ward leaders.

"The bloggers tend to be leaders," said Ray Murphy, who runs Williams' Internet operation. "I think of them as carrier pigeons spreading the word."

Over the last month, about 70 people have signed up as volunteers on Williams' Web site, most of them encouraged by bloggers, Murphy said. They have joined supporters from several unions to run phone banks and canvass for votes, he said.

In addition, Williams says about 4 percent of the $77,141 he has raised since Jan. 1 has arrived by way of the Internet.

At least 10 Philadelphia-oriented blogs, with a daily readership that the campaign estimates at 3,000, have staged three coordinated "days of action" for Williams. They have urged readers to consider Williams' platform, to volunteer for him, and to file an electronic pledge to vote for him on the candidate's Web site, www.seth4da.com. Some of the bloggers also have filed regular dispatches on the campaign.

Though it seems modest, a national Democratic political consultant who specializes in Internet organizing sees the Philadelphia effort as a beginning. Bloggers in Pittsburgh have been talking up a candidate in the mayoral primary there.

"A lot of national campaigns see the Internet as a glorified ATM machine," said Tim Tagaris, the consultant working to set up Chuck Pennacchio's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. "Regionalization is going to be the next wave," Tagaris said.

I think the most important question we'll be facing in the next couple of weeks is where to go next. We need to make a serious assessment of what blogs did for this race, the money and votes it produced, as well as possibilities in the future. Where next?

Don't go, Paul!

2005-05-11T05:34:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia students cannot afford to lose Paul Vallas, a man who combines high expectations of students with actual methods of helping them meet them. As smart as David Hornbeck, but with so much more political savvy and skill (ie, I doubt he will call State Reps racist), Vallas has, in my mind at least, been a wonderful CEO of Philly public schools.

Why am I saying all of this? Because apparently, according to The Inquirer, there is some movement in Illinois to draft Vallas to run for Governor:

The brother of Philadelphia schools chief Paul Vallas is leading a campaign to change residency requirements in Illinois, which would give Vallas the option of returning and running for governor in 2006.

The report detailed in yesterday's Chicago Tribune comes one day after Vallas said that he plans to finish out his five-year contract, which expires in July 2007, and that he would like to stay even longer. Vallas' comments were made in response to speculation that he was preparing to leave - rumors fueled in part by efforts in Chicago to get him to return.

Yesterday, Vallas said his comments stand, regardless of his brother Dean's involvement.

However, I will just take Vallas at his word when he says:

"I'm not going anywhere," Vallas, 51, who earns $225,000, said in Monday's interview. "I'm going to honor my contract. I've got to make this work."

We simply cannot afford to lose Vallas, so I hope he is honest about that.

30 Seconds on who we are

2005-05-11T05:28:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this for the first time, due to the Inquirer article, welcome, and have a look around.

Young Philly Politics is a group blog co-written by a number of people with the goal of getting the young, and young at heart, actively involved in Philadelphia politics.

Seth Op-Ed in the Inquirer

2005-05-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

I am not sure how I missed this op-ed by Seth Williams in the Inquirer. Luckily, it was caught by Chris, at Rowhouse Logic.

A quote:

The current district attorney has been too busy chasing Philadelphia residents who insure their cars in Wildwood to prosecute a single gun trafficker in state court, something her office has never done. No D.A.s are currently assigned to investigate and prosecute illegal gun dealers.

In 1995, the state legislature passed a law that allows prosecutors to charge "straw" purchasers as accomplices to crimes committed with the gun they illegally sold. The Philadelphia D.A.'s Office has never prosecuted a defendant under this law.

It is the felon whose gun case is discharged today who becomes tomorrow's murderer. It's unlikely that prosecuting insurance fraud instead of illegal gun dealers has prevented one murder this year.

As the next district attorney I'll prioritize the resources of the office to better reflect the communities' concerns and the realities of today's world. As a result, Philadelphians will feel safer - for themselves, for their children, and in their neighborhoods.

Seven days...

A Different Perspective on the Corruption Convictions: Raise the Minimum Wage!

2005-05-10T09:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday’s convictions are most useful in sending a message to City Hall players to do a better job not getting caught next time. The convictions will have little impact on ending the pay-to-play culture that has been a part of city life since long before John Street’s time. This is clearly a problem for city progressives, but also in many ways a red herring.

As distracting and unethical as municipal corruption is, the cost of no-bid contracts, Eagles tickets, decks and even $10,000 cash gifts are not the cause of Philadelphia’s budgetary woes. The real problems in our city have been caused by a shrinking tax base which has just as much to do with an increase in poverty over the past 30 years as it does with population loss.

These are problems that no one knows exactly how to solve. However, avoiding solving these problems because of their complexity is irresponsible, especially for thoughtful, circumspect people like the readers of this and other local blogs who have spent so much time supporting Seth Williams for DA because of his thoughtful and logical approach to a complex issue.

So, I suggest that we, progressive Philadelphians, take the corruption convictions in stride and maintain leadership on the more important issues facing Philadelphia. We must focus our energy progressive candidates, like Seth, and also on progressive legislation and policy ideas that truly move the city forward.

An example of this kind of forward thinking is the minimum wage bill that Council and the Mayor are expected to pass this week sponsored by Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. The bill would raise the minimum wage by 150% for workers employed by the City or City-funded entities.

This is great legislation that can truly improve Philadelphia's future as rising wages mean rising tax revenue which benefits all of us. Further, low-wage workers spend more of their money in their own neighborhoods then higher wage earners which means that an increase in local wages has a huge impact on neighborhoods all throughout Philadelphia.

The bill has the support to pass this week, but we must be vigilant and help guarantee its passage. The Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable here in Pennsylvania and all across the country have been notoriously aggressive in quashing minimum wage increases and are likely to undermine this effort in any way they can.

The most likely strategy they will pursue is to say that increasing the minimum wage in Philadelphia will make our city less competitive with other counties in our region. While many reputable economists have generally disproved the truth of this statement, a simple way to avoid the business community’s trap is to simultaneously support the state bill to raise the minimum wage sponsored by Philadelphia’s own, State Senator Tina Tartaglione and State Representative Mark Cohen. Since New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Ohio have already raised their minimum wage, the state competitiveness argument will fall flat.

Raising the wages of the majority of Philadelphia households who currently pull in an average of $30,000 a year will not only increase our city‘s tax base, but it will also restore a faith in government for low-income people who have been disenfranchised since long before Corey Kemp came to City Hall. Our anger and sense of disillusionment with corruption must not be given more priority because of our privilege than the much more fundamental sense of failure that our city, state and federal government exudes every day to those with out any privilege at all.

The Corruption Conviction

2005-05-09T22:01:00.000-04:00

As most people know by now, the City corruption trial saw verdicts delivered today, and for former City Treasurer Corey Kemp, it was guilty on something like twenty counts of corruption. Ouch. Commerce Bank officials, including their PA president, were also convicted, while Ron White's "paramour" was convicted of perjury.

See all about the conviction here.

Unfortunately, the saga will still go on. First, because the jury deadlocked on a bunch of counts, the judge has to decide whether to send them back to continue those deliberations, or whether to declare a mistrial, where we could get a whole new trial on these charges specifically. And, of course, Kemp and others will clearly be appealing.

Some people yell that what Kemp and others did was reprehensible. Others have contended this is simply the US Attorney going after business-as-usual in Philly. Well you know what? They are both right. This was awful, and I strongly believe this was generally business-as-usual, or a simple escalation of it at the very least. So, while Kemp should serve time, the city government should be served notice: the pay to play culture is simply unacceptable.

What can we do? Well, an obvious first step is Michael Nutter's ethics bill. (See stopplaytoplay.info to sign a petition for the bill.) But, clearly, that watered down ethics bill is only a first step. It strikes me that if we really want to end much of the corruption that is in the City government, we have to get money out of the political process. It may be pie-in-the-sky to demand that Presidential elections are publicly funded, with strict limits. But what about municipal ones?

Why don't we publicly fund our elections? Once and for all, get money out the process in Philly?

I will put it like this, as the power of this blog grows along with others, as the power of alternate progressive power structures build, I think we need to figure out how to make this a signature issue. It could be simple- raise 50,000 or something, and get 1 million dollars in public funds, or something like that. But only if you agree not to spend a penny more.

.....

I went this afternoon to a GOTV rally on my lunch hour. Speaking were an impressive cadre of people in Philly driving for change- from Joe Hoeffel to Beth McConnell of PennPIRG, to Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Forward. Everyone in the rally was officially non-partisan, and not taking any sides in the primary. But what was clear is that virtually everyone wanted Seth Williams in office. Yet, of course, conventional wisdom says he is still a long shot. Why? Why is the person that everyone wants still shut out by the powers that be? MONEY. If he had it, if he was advertising as much as Abraham, she would be dead in the water. But as it is now, it is too easy for ward leaders, et. al to ignore underfunded challengers. Take out the money from campaigns, and we will get far better candidates running for office, and far less pressure for elected officials to use their office as a feeder to their checking account. And the culture that bred Corey Kemp? Nah, it will not be totally wiped out. But it would certainly be dealt a swift blow. And in the process, we just may get a government less concerned with preserving their own fiefdoms than running this City as best they can.