On November 23, Cindy Sheehan, independent candidate for U.S. House this month against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said that she will try again in 2010 to unseat Pelosi. It is unclear whether Sheehan will again be an independent candidate, or whether she will seek the nomination of either the Peace & Freedom Party, or the Green Party.
In the November 4, 2008 election, Sheehan was the only congressional candidate in the nation who outpolled a major party nominee. Sheehan placed 2nd, ahead of the Republican nominee but far behind Pelosi, the Democratic nominee.
The news media can make or break a campaign.
Let’s go for 2010! Go Cindy!
Please, no more after 2010 if you don’t win, Cindy. One Ralph Nader is enough!
We need to run peace/singlepayer/opendebates candidates all over the nation in 2010. Just watch, the Dems will CHANGE very little. We should take Sheehan’s example and start now!
I think that the reason why Cindy didn’t do so well was because Nancy didn’t debate Cindy. But if she did, it would have been Cindy who would have won.
Personally, sometimes Cindy Sheehan seems a bit off for my own political beliefs and it probably using the electoral process to give meaning to her son’s death. Not that either are necessarily bad.
Although, Cindy may want to consider running in the Democratic Party primary first — where she could talk about electoral reform issues — and then maybe consider a non-major party run.
Again, it might be better if say, the democratic leftists in a State could agree on a set of candidates. The same thing can be said of some of the other third parties.
I am not saying that they should be banned or anything like that, but it might help these independents and minor parties if they could work together more.
Gordon Clark, whose Green Party campaign for Congress from Maryland’s 8th district I managed, outpolled the Republican in 8 precincts. Not bad for an underfunded, first time candidate nobody had ever heard of before in a part of the country not known for being very friendly to 3rd party candidates.
She may be the only third party congressional candidate to out-poll an old party candidate, but there were a number of races where a third party candidate came in second because one of the old parties did not bother to run anyone.
It would be wonderful if Cindy Sheehan would change her registration to the Peace and Freedom Party of California (if she has not already done so) – the same with Cynthia McKinney and Matt Gonzalez. As a matter of fact, I have been saying for decades now that Tom Hayden should do that. I realize that the chances for that happening are not very good because he has always been such a loyal Democrat. However, it would be the correct thing for him to do – so there is always hope!
@3, Mr. Nader does fine at his chosen task. What I would love to see would be 468 people running for congress in 2010 who supported a anti-empire US foreign policy. The Libertarian Party managed 124 this cycle.
Sheehan only got 17 percent of the vote. That wasn’t even close to Pelosi’s 71 percent. Cindyneeds to face the fact that she has failed, and the people of San Francisco don’t want her as their rep. If 17 percent is something to be proud of, then President Bush should be very proud of his approval rating, slightly above her in the 20s.
Peace on Earth.
Wendy Nelson
By your logic, Wendy, nobody should ever run against Nancy Pelosi, since 71% is so insurmountable. What rubbish.
Nancy Pelosi is a very fine Speaker of the House, I am sure. However, she and the Democratic Party are not going to bring socialist democracy to our country. That is one of the main reasons why we need the Peace and Freedom Party of California. As I stated in my post above (#9.), it “would be wonderful if Cindy Sheehan would change her registration” to PFP-CA.
Sorry, much of Cindy’s injury was self inflicted!
[a] Tons of out of district travel all year long, including Eqypt.
[b] lack of in district home work and ground work! You know the unglamourous, gritty, out of the spot light grung effort!
[c] Elections are popularity contest[s]! A fact of life! You may keep to your niche or base in a primary, but ya gotta stretch the tent or blanket as wide as possible for the general election. No secret! Poli Sci #101! Every one with an IQ over room temperature knows it and knows it well!
[d] Cindy listed the out of state Washington State Green Party on her site from day one. Never was the more local and centrist Reform Party of California acknowledged.
[e] Never grabbed viable symbols, including the three bladed electricity producing wind mill as 21st Century peace sign!
[f] Straying from the strong central anti war message! Keep on trac, keep on trac, do not try to hit all angles. In 1960 Kennedy [Chicago] and LBJ [South Central Texas] were ‘fixing’ the Federal Electors while Nixon ran off to Hawaii and Alaska! Stay focused in 2010, where you probably will not have as much Empire and War elements to rail against.
[g] Nancy Pelosi is a terrible representative and speaker; the ‘Tom Dascale’ of 2008? How ever, to pound on her lack of Impeachment efforts concerning a late lame duck official was dumb! It just made Cindy look ‘not so smart’! She should have hinted at post election tribunal[s] in the World Court. Shouting impeachment with weeks left was just dumb!
[a] Cindy left town twice: for a total of a week and a half… big deal.
[b] There were window signs everywhere in the city: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/features/story.html?id=9769aae7-ba3e-4b30-bb50-2c7aaa7d6e49
c,d,e
Question One: Which Candidate has only one visible window sign up in the district and rents a “campaign office†from her millionaire-real estate developer husband; sends most of the money she raises to other candidates to consolidate her power; and refuses to debate her opponents or even hold a town hall meeting in the district?
Question Two: Which Candidate had to collect 10,198 signatures to historically gain ballot status; has 4000 window signs all over the district; 12 staffers; hundreds of print, radio, and television ads; 75,000 mailers; has made 250,000 phone calls (robo and personal), thousands of flyers handed out; 40,000 door hangers hung; dozens of committed volunteers and the endorsement of the SF Bay Guardian, SF Bay View, League of Pissed off Voters, League of Young Voters, the SF Green Party, the SF and California Peace and Freedom Party among many others; and has spent well over a half a million dollars campaigning in the district?
If you guessed Nancy Pelosi and Cindy Sheehan, in that order, you get a perfect score.
Pelosi’s record is deplorable, but she is given a free pass here in the corporate establishment media and she is able to find the time to hawk her book and fundraiser, but not to hold a town hall meeting here in the District since 2006. Pelosi shows an incredible disrespect for the voters and for the democratic process.
Amazingly, CNN reports the Republican candidate’s total of 9%, but not Sheehan’s 17%.
This is a very good showing against a sitting Speaker in a Democratic tide.
More evidence of how disgusting CNN is, thanks SFR.
San Fran Revolution:
Which Dumb Ass Grin candidate refused PFP and GP ballot status. Yes she won ballot access on signatures —BUT JUST BARELY! [Drama, drama, drama!]
Isn’t the sad truth that she just wanted to be a far left minor temporarty hero and spokes person instead of a serious candidate or actual office holder?
Ten [expensive] days out of the country, and where should her focus have been?
donlake@ymail.com
Well, what is the alternative solution to ousting Pelosi? All you do is complain. What don’t you run in 2010, chickenshit?
The GP, Lib, and P&F Parties have a weaker base than running as an independent. Why start a race by marginalizing voter support. She could run as a Democrat this time as the best option. In 2010 there won’t be as many ObamaTards voting, who don’t even know what Congress is, and vote straight ticket…
Hopey-hopie-change-change-change… Thanks for Pelosi another two years. What a great speaker, huh? I want my daughters to grow up just like her, and let a facist dictator crap all over the country.. And add a few soundbytes in the media opposing the “war”, and putting accountability off the table. Can’t forget the bailout she pushed, and put a band-aid on the gunshot wound of our financial system.
Great! I think I’m going to go have a picnic in the urine that covers my sidewalk everyday! I love God’s/Pelosi’s America! You Neo-Cons are great! Don’t forget the CIAtards posting here too against Cindy: They reinstated COINTELPRO after 9/11….
Cindy Sheehan didn’t win, but at least she tried. She’s incredibly smart and never fails to bring up great points in her essays and speeches. I’m not sure what the best route for her would be at this stage. Another run sounds like a fine idea, hopefully she can increase her percentage of votes, to the 20s or 30s. If that were to happen then it’s a nobrainer that she run in 2012. There will be future wars, she will always have a platform.
Well written story: Will definitely come back again soon!!