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Introduction
Each issue, the "In Their Own Words" column will feature a prominent politician speaking directly to our readers
on issues of concern to the Jewish community.
This month Senate Candidate Chuck Pennacchio is interviewed by our own editor Neil Greenberg.
His opponent in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is Bob Casey.
Please stay tuned for an article from the Casey camp in our next issue.
Links
Contact
Editor: Neil Greenberg Gailneil@aol.com
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What does a real Democrat sound like?
Dissatisfied Democrats and Republicans have taken to
calling many of their representatives DINOs and RINOs – Democrats or
Republicans In Name Only. It’s a way of prodding those who have moved
too far to the middle, who fail to distinguish themselves definitively
from the opposition. From a progressive viewpoint, this attitude is
especially poignant, since Republicans in general have moved extremely far
right, while the very word "left" is anathema to most Democratic
politicians. The "center," it appears, has shifted significantly.
Lately Howard Dean has taken up the cudgels
nationally for those who want to see an unabashed basher – someone who
calls ’em as he sees ’em, and isn’t afraid to be an out-and-out
liberal. He gets criticized viciously for this, but he also provides a lot
of relief for those who think Democrats have been much too timid about
voicing their core values.
Who has this kind of profile locally? Not Bob Casey,
Jr., the front-runner for the Democratic Senatorial nomination against
Rick Santorum. If you go to his website,
one of the key arguments posted is that he, like Santorum, is pro-life.
This doesn’t provide the voters with much of a contrast.
Progressive and aggressive
Chuck Pennacchio is the other kind of Democrat. Involved
in politics since the age of 13, he has worked with the likes of
Congressman Ron Dellums (D-Cal) and Senators Alan Cranston (D-Cal), Tom
Harkins (D-Iowa) and Paul Simon (D-Ill), giving him a solid liberal
education. In Dellums’ office, he went toe-to-toe with the Pentagon over
women’s and minority rights in the military – and frequently won. On
the Cranston and Simon teams, he learned what being a champion for Israel
meant.
Today, he is running a courageous, if somewhat
quixotic, campaign for the Democratic Senatorial nomination (www.chuck2006.com).
Although Casey has the blessings of heavy hitters like Gov. Ed Rendell and
Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), and a lead over Santorum in
current polls, Pennacchio thinks he can, and should, be replaced by a
Democrat who can make a more compelling case – and run a "retail"
campaign.
What’s a "retail" campaign? In Pennacchio’s
view, exactly what the Democrats haven’t been running. This is typified
by what he saw as a fatal flaw in the John Kerry presidential bid.
"His handlers kept him on message, but protected
him from really connecting with the voters," says Pennacchio.
"He didn’t get out there and talk directly to people on
bread and butter issues: jobs, healthcare, the environment. This would
have made him less stiff and more human."
A radical notion: talk to the voters
Pennacchio knows retail campaigns succeed because he
has worked on, and run, several himself. He has seen candidates talk
personally to voters, and gain loyalty through grass-roots organizing,
often beating incumbents – one of the hardest jobs in politics. His own
campaign has garnered significant media attention despite his lack of name
recognition or party backing.
A clue to why this is happening can be found by
comparing his website to Casey’s. The Bob Casey for U.S. Senate site has
a lot of items about polls, fund-raising and how to buy a bumper sticker,
but it’s almost impossible to find an actual statement about his
beliefs. Pennacchio’s site has a list of issues (education, Iraq, Social
Security, women’s rights, campaign finance reform) that lead you to
clear statements on his positions.
"The Democrats are blaming the Republicans and the
voters for their defeats, but it’s just as much their own fault," he
says. "They need to talk to people about their concerns, and show why
the Democratic platform is a meaningful choice. They have to stop being
scared of criticism."
A distinction with a difference
One of the things that concerns Pennacchio most is
separation of church and state, to which he’s deeply committed. On
everything from stem-cell research to the Terri Schiavo case, religious
belief has fought its way into the public realm. He points out that the
K-Street lobbyists are increasingly from religious and pseudo-religious
organizations, and that Sen. Santorum vets lobbyists for corporations,
choosing ones who share his beliefs.
"Casey won’t push back against Santorum on this
issue," he says. "They both support using only existing stem-cell
lines; I support the availability of new ones. They don’t back a
woman’s right to choose; I do. They believe the Ten Commandments belong
in courthouses; I don’t. They were for judicial intervention in the
Schiavo case; I wasn’t. As for Iraq, Bob Casey won’t even say whether
he would have voted for the invasion; I’m proud to say I wouldn’t
have."
He’s also a staunch supporter of a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
"The only secure future is a pre-eminent peace. I
don’t have a magic formula, but I do know the U.S. has to play an honest
and courageous broker role. We’re not doing that now."
Pennacchio is unafraid of debate on these hot-button
topics. He goes to open forum meetings, even welcomes the participation of
Republicans.
Can Pennacchio make his case?
He has seen, and helped, others to win against long
odds, whether it was helping minorities against the government or electing
representatives who were challenging incumbents. With the help of new
organizations like Democracy for America, a political action committee
that grew out of the Dean campaign, he is building steam toward next
May’s primary.
Schooled in diplomatic history, with an emphasis on
national security issues, Pennacchio today teaches college history and poli
sci to the next generation of political activists. "We only need a
million people at the polls, voting for their own interests," he says.
Anyone who can put "only" and "a million" in the same sentence may
actually have the grit to do it.
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