Chaka Fattah continues his campaign of aligning his supporters.
Yesterday it was a group of black clergyman, today it was the anti-poverty group ACORN. From Mayorpalooza:
About 250 ACORN members are formally trained in get out the vote efforts - meaning they are skilled at knocking on doors and walking voters to the polls, said spokeswoman Ali Kronley.
Fattah's show of force comes as Tom Knox appears to be strengthening (read: building) his get out the vote operation. Knox has plenty of cash obviously to get on TV, but insiders question what he'll be able to do on May 15 to get his supporters fired up and to the polls.
Fattah has his well-tested machine and Bob Brady has the levers of the Democratic party behind him. Dwight Evans has his Northwest Philly workers and Michael Nutter has a group of backers, as well.
But Knox, what about Knox?
Campaign manager Josh Morrow says they'll compete, that they're going to surprise those that question their Election Day ability. Knox's seeming alliance with Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (the next Council president?) should get her West Philly troops behind him and then there's the possibility (likelihood?) of a Knox-Johnny Doc alliance that puts the electrician union's minions in his corner.
Its fitting that Fattah is getting help from ACORN. Want the truth on ACORN?
www.rottenacorn.com
Posted by: Patricio | May 01, 2007 at 01:31 PM
Based on the following excerpt from that Daily News article, I'm thinking that, rather than an outsider, maybe Knox is just plain clueless (or lying?).
Jannie Blackwell's anything but a "new direction and a fresh start." And of course people with businesses in her district will "think well" of her. I would pity anyone who had to do business in her district and word ever got out that s/he didn't "think well" of Blackwell.
Daily News article quote re: Jannie Blackwell:
""I'm not giving her one thing for another," Knox said. "I do believe that she's a qualified person. I do believe that she could do a good job, and I've gotten people in her district, that are high up in office, I mean we have some very high-ranking people in Philadelphia that have businesses in her district and they all think well of her."
Josh Morrow, Knox's campaign manager, said, "Tom Knox believes the city needs a City Council that will reject the pay-to-play politics of the past and restore our faith in government. In City Council, we need a new direction and a fresh start and Jannie Blackwell will provide that.""
Posted by: dude | May 01, 2007 at 01:59 PM
People must surely realize that Knox has traded favors / power for the assistance of Jannie Blackwell in E-Day operations.
With this new alliance in place, one must ask, "what is Jannie's agenda" and "what did Knox promise her". Jannie does have a stated agenda of redeploying City resources (cops, street cleaning, rec center funds) from the Northeast and Northwest to West Philly and North Philly.
Jannie also sits on the head of the PHA board. So one must ask, "how would a Blackwell as shadowmayor" change our housing policy?
PHA has had self imposed limitations on Section 8 vouchers since 2000. With funding cuts to PHA now made permanent, would those limitations be removed, allowing for more section 8 vouchers to be used in the City? If so, where?
Ask questions, let's see what Knox has promised her. My guess is... the world.
Posted by: Tim O'Leary | May 02, 2007 at 03:46 PM