Chuck Pennacchio for US Senate

In the past few weeks there's been a fire lit across the internets [all six of 'em] about Ned Lamont and Ciro Rodriguez who are running against some serious DINOs in Democratic primaries in Connecticut and Texas respectively. Great for them, they need the help. But little has been said about the race here in Pennsylvania with the race involving, in my humble opinion, the biggest fucking anachronistic DINO out there, Bob Casey. There's an incredible Progressive candidate in the race and his name is Chuck Pennacchio and he needs our help.

Yesterday it was announced that Paul Hackett was withdrawing from the race in Ohio and he cited that much of his decision was due to the pressure put upon him by senior dickheads Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Harry Reid. Questions have been raised about what the party leadership is up to in knocking out healthy contested primaries. I am not trying to say that Sherrod Brown is better or worse a candidate than Hackett, but that there is now a distinct in-your-face pattern emerging against candidates with a strong netroots base [remember that guy Howard Dean who ran for Prez]. The same two people [along with PA Gov. Ed "The Hoagiemaster" Rendell] anointed candidate Casey as the person to be to represent Pennsylvania Democrats in the Senate race against Sen. Man on Dog.

They anointed a candidate who falls in line with the Bush administration on the issues of going to war in Iraq and staying there, troop withdrawal [or lack thereof], embryonic stem cell research, choice, universal healthcare, child safety locks on guns, the SCOTUS nominations of Alito and Roberts and on top of all that, he was all for meddling in the Schiavo family's personal affairs when he said:

I think you should err on the side of life. I think some kind of congressional review was appropriate.
[Philadelphia Daily News 4.29.05]

What a fucking dick. He's stuck both his feet into his snore-inducing word hole many times since, but there's more time for all that.

Chuck Pennacchio is first and foremost, not a dickhead. Right off the bat, that puts him ahead of Sen. Man on Dog and the sandwich bag filled with lukewarm Vaseline and crushed Valium that Schumer and Reid call a candidate. Fortunately, he's got a lot more going for him. Like that he's pro choice! Whodathunkit. In a state that is predominantly pro choice and has a pro choice Republican Senator [and a pro choice Democratic Governor], why not get behind a strong proponent of this right? Pennacchio was against the war then and he's against the war now and has been touting troop withdrawal, with a timeline, since mid-2005 way before fellow Pennsylvanian Rep. John Murtha brought it to the forefront and made it cool. Pennacchio also wants universal healthcare. Tens of millions of Americans [myself included] do not have insurance and the only visits to medical professionals are usually the emergency room when things have gone way past Robitussin's healing powers. He believes it is a moral and economic imperative that every American has access to high quality basic care; a "safety net" is not enough. I couldn't agree more. More about Chuck here and his stance on the issues.

A group of bloggers have decided to start a blogswarm to get the word out about what's happening here in PA. Kathy, Thomas, eRobin and I have taken it upon ourselves to say what needs to be said in this crucial time. Yesterday was the start of petitioning within PA to get Dr. Pennacchio's name on the ballot for the Senate race. We have about a month to get a few thousand physical signatures, but we're going to at least double that. And for the next fortnight or so, we will be spearheading an online petition of sorts to get more eyes on this race. This is only the first of a series of concentrated posts on the race. Please help spread the word, we won't be getting any help from the leadership and while there is a strong grassroots network laid out across this commonwealth of twelve million people, this race has inter/national implications and we need all the help we can get. If you have any questions about Pennacchio, Pennsylvania or how many dickheads it takes to screw in a lightbulb, comment away!

Conviction wins.

There are many ways to support the campaign, but the dollars are a really big help. Contribute here or specifically through Act Blue using the referral code of this drive.

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