Getting Ready to sit the 2010 Senate cycle out

By Fester:

I'm an activist and a poltical volunteer.  I did a whole lot of data management and targetting with America Votes in 2008.  I've worked with America Votes and the SEIU in the 2006 cycle, helped on a Democratic primary campaign for Congress in PA-18 and assisted Chuck Pennachio for Senate as well for a little bit.  I phone banked and canvassed for Kerry in '04, and was one of the first Deaniacs in '03.  In 2002, I phone banked and door knocked for Governor Rendell.  I'm a pretty damn regular volunteer who has developed some very useful skills.  I'm the type of volunteer campaigns love to find as I can do a lot of work and tie them into a few very useful networks in the early stages. 

And I think I might sit out the 2010 Senate cycle as I won't care about the results. 

From the Politico:

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell gave Chris Matthews a glowing endorsement for his potential Senate candidacy today, calling the MSNBC host the “strongest Democratic candidate without any doubt”  in an interview on Bloomberg TV.

Rendell added that he doesn’t “really know” if Matthews has made a decision to run yet. And he cautioned that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) would be a formidable opponent because of his strong ties to independents and moderate Democrats.

Rendell's longtime political consultant, Neil Oxman, has been talking with Matthews about running for Specter's seat and is encouraging him to jump in the race.

I supported and did some work for Chuck Pennachio in the 2006 Democratic Senate primary against Bob Casey as I thought that any non-indicted warm dish towel with a (D) could beat Rick Santorum that year.  And I was right.  So I wanted to get as liberal/progressive as we could.  Chuck was that outer bounds of plausibly electable.  We lost that fight, but it was worth making the effort.  And Senator Casey has been fairly decent (not good, but decent) as a Senator. 

I know that I won't ever see the perfect from my point of view Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania.  But I think we can do a whole lot better than a political chameleon with no roots, no ties and no local support in Pennsylvania like Matthews as a Senate candidate. 

I'll work against him in the primary even if the field is cleared of all but long-shot candidates.  I'll vote for him in the general, especially if Toomey wins the GOP primary, but I won't spend any time or money assisting him. 

I'll have an almost 2 year old  by then.  Potty training and making poop jokes will be a whole lot more fun than getting shat upon politically.

Comments

[mw]

I don't think you've got anything to worry about in the 2010 mid-terms anyway, the Dem majority is safe. The Dems will still have a structural advantage in the Senate, with Republicans defending more seats than opportunities for takeaways. It'll be a victory for the Republicans if they don't lose two more seats and the filibuster. The first realistic opportunity for the Republicans to restore divided government will be in the Senate in 2012 (assuming Obama does not screw the pooch between now and then), when the Reps will be defending only 9 of the 33 seats, and 22 opportunities for takeaways.

With increasingly vocal netroots opposition to Mathews candidacy, it'll be interesting to see if he takes notice on his show, and loses it altogether.