FightforRoom215

Nutter, party leaders make nice

Inky has the report on this morning's Democratic Party ward leader breakfast at the Sheet Metal Workers hall on Columbus Boulevard.

Bob Brady said nice things about Nutter and Nutter said nice things about the ward leaders, whose help he plans to call upon for what promises to be an epic battle against Republican Al Taubenberger in November.

"He'll do a great job as mayor," Brady told the assembled ward leaders, pledging his fealty after what he called a "family squabble." ...

"I know I've not always been the easiest guy to work with and get along with - but, other than Bob Brady, I'm the most lovable," Nutter said.

Nutter's celebration continues

He's the man of the hour, shaking more hands, getting pats on the back, having his cell phone filled up with messages to the point that he can't accept any more messages.

Unless Republican Al Taubenberger also knows how to perform magic tricks, Michael Nutter is your next mayor. He spoke with Metro on his way between Day After appearances this afternoon.

Has it sunk in yet that in about 250 or so days you’ll likely be running the fifth-largest city in the country?

I haven’t really thought about it in that fashion. ... I know it happened and I know I won. It is certainly a monumental challenge which I’m preparing myself for and I’m certainly up for. I’m very excited about it and I’m hopeful for the future.

When did you feel that you legitimately had a shot of running away with this election?

I never put a tremendous amount of faith in the polls. I always assumed that I was behind and just needed to keep my head down and keep working hard. I certainly received messages form the public that my candidacy was getting some positive response, but I just figured the best thing for me to do was stay focused, keep disciplined and keep working hard and the voters would take care of the rest.

How much were you involved in the decision processes over when and how to get your message on TV?

That was all a very collaborative process with our campaign hierarchy weighing in on a variety of decisions. I was certainly an active participant but it’s not the kind of thing where the candidate is the sole decision maker.

On whether your “we had a really good day today” line was a jab at Street?

I think I said, 'we had a really good day today.' It has nothing to do with the mayor’s famous signature line. I hadn’t even thought of it. I think if you look of any tape I’m almost sure we said, 'I had a really good day today.' No jab or anything at the mayor.

When do you begin the process of lining up the people you want in your administration?

I think that is very far down the road. I’m not making any assumptions and I still have an election to run in November. There’s a lot of work to be done on the ground. It’s much too early for me to even think about things like people to work in the government. I have a real election coming up in November. I’m going to spend most of my time making sure we have the right campaign people, that were coordinating the efforts, that Democrats and independents and Republicans who are friends of mine to run the strongest campaign that we can.

Smokers United Against Nutter

Looks like Michael Nutter may have yet another group ready to attack him.

This could all be a joke, but now a group calling itself "Smokers United Against Nutter" says it will work to defeat Nutter on Election Day.

S.U.A.N. has about 100 members, according to a press release, that directs people to a MySpace page with a picture of Nutter plastered with the word "Tool."

Smokers Unite Against Nutter promise to hit the streets with their "Anyone But Nutter" message on Election Day, May 15th.  The group currently has about 100, but are gaining momentum quickly.

"In addition to our MySpace page, S.U.A.N. members have spread out all over the city with Anti-Nutter literature," says S.U.A.N. founder Tim Moorehouse.  "We approach any smoker we see hanging out in front of a bar and explain to them that their exile is directly attributable to Mayoral candidate Michael Nutter."

Only one comment on the page, so far, from someone challenging Nutter to a fistfight. "P.S.: I will win," writes Dr. Fear.

Coolness of being dorky

Philly Weekly endorsed Nutter in today's paper, which means the dreaded media has almost completely coalesced around the former Councilman. They used a photoshopped picture of the former Mixmaster Mike on the cover.

"I think the voters must be thrilled beyond their wildest imaginations to have such a cool person running for mayor," he said of PW's cover shot. "I’m looking forward to more coolness in Philadelphia."

That's a pretty dorky answer about coolness, if we do say so. If anything, Nutter's cornered the market on making dorky cool. Even if he loses, that could be his lasting effect on Philadelphia.

While he completely dominated Chaka Fattah today in the "Banner-holding Volunteers at Reading Terminal Market" category, we should see how strong Nutter's volunteer base really is when he holds a 5:45 p.m. rally at the Convention Center tomorrow.

That's big heading into Election Day as so much of the support in today's poll is considered "soft" and change is possible.

Shots at the frontrunner continue

The One Step Closer ad taking on Michael Nutter is available for viewing here.

It talks about the civil rights struggle and claims that Nutter would "let police suspend constitutional rights in some neighborhoods, (UPDATE: The group edited the ad to take this out.)

"Isn't it about time that we've had enough of politicians like Michael Nutter, who step on our rights in the name of security?"

Here's Nutter's 30-second response, from the floor of Reading Terminal Market this afternoon, where he rolled 20 deep with supporters and was asked to pose for photos with every school kid there and many adults alike:

"I think the voters are smart enough to know that I am a champion of civil rights. I’m the person who created the police advisory commission, I’ve been a standup person on any civil rights issue in this city during my entire time. I think they’ll ultimately decide that that’s a lot of nonsense. It’s the negative kind of scurrilous attacks that happen at the end of a campaign that really irritate voters tremenodously. It turns people off from this political process."

On the anti-Tom Knox ad front, the Economic Justice Coalition for Truth's ads that were scheduled to begin airing this morning are still tied down in legal review. Ken Smukler checks in to say that he's provided Clear Channel with documentation substantiating the ad's claims, which Knox attorney Paul Rosen says aren't fit for air.

And, EJCT just issued a press release calling on 6ABC to investigate Knox's current ad where he uses Ed Rendell's quote that he would "kick butt" as mayor. EJCT says Knox pulls it out of context (Rendell said Dwight Evans was the best qualified candidate) and if it's going to keep their ad from airing, they should put the same scrutiny into Knox's ad.

UPDATE: Smukler says that WPHT and KYW-1060 passed on the ad.

The DN to go for Nutter

The Daily News will endorse Michael Nutter tomorrow.

That's the Inky, the Daily News, City Paper, the Northeast Times, PhillySkyline. If the editorial boards from all of those papers (and B-Love from Skyline) were able to volunteer, he'd be swept into office.

The Inquirer endorsement has clearly helped Nutter pull himself into a statistical tie with Tom Knox in the polls and raise more money. We figure the Daily News endorsement does the same.

Nutter's surge is leading to all kinds of rumors about who may be leaning on who to leave the race to get behind the former Councilman. Just rumors at this point, as far as I can ascertain. Maybe Clout will tell us something different tomorrow.

UPDATE: The Next Mayor now confirms. From a press release on the site.

When people talk about Philadelphia, they talk about a city on the verge – not of bankruptcy, but of greatness. That’s why the next few years matter so much. That’s why we endorse Michael Nutter for Mayor.”

“Nutter has the intelligence, the vision, and the experience necessary to take this city into its rightful future, and to rewrite the old “corrupt and content” story of machine politics, insider deals and pay-to-play,” according to the editorial.

Nutter cashing in

Maybe it's the ad with his daughter running around her room in hyperspeed, or the one with a hand ripping off the top of City Hall, or the endorsements from the Inquirer and PhillyMag, but Michael Nutter is making the money.

His campaign threw up an early flare in the campaign money battle this afternoon with a release showing that the former Councilman has raised $3.4 million so far this campaign, likely more than any of the non-self funded candidates.

Even more important horserace news for Nutter is that his campaign is hyping tonight's NBC10 Survey USA poll which they say confirms Nutter's place in a statistical tie with Tom Knox for first place in the poll.

The SurveyUSA poll has Knox with 29 percent and Nutter surging into second with 27 percent, 13 points better than the last poll for NBC10. Fattah stays at 18, Brady falls to 11 and Evans to 9.

(Opponents pegged the PEG poll released last week as somehow biased, seeing how the group is pro-business and the memo that came attached to it was pro-Nutter.)

We'll see if Terry Madonna's Keystone Poll, the standard-bearer for many election watchers, shows a similar result shortly.

(On Nutter's "City Hall Destruction" ad, that's what I call it anyway: Anyone else think that ripping off the City Hall tower is a reference to Rick Mariano and his fateful trip to the top when the feds were bearing down on him? Discuss.)

Nutter on NBC

Michael Nutter is getting some traction out of this newest poll, which puts him in a statistical tie with Tom Knox for first place in the race.

He's in studio for NBC10's Live at 5 now.

NBC just broke the story, according to their sources, that Nutter will be endorsed by the Inquirer on Sunday.

"Really? OK," Nutter says. "That would be a tremendous boost to the campaign, hopefully it's a reflection of the kind of work that I did as a member of the City Council for a long time. ... they also feel I can put forward the kind of plan to turn Philadelphia around and create a new renaissance."

Inquirer confirms the endorsement.

PhillyMag likes Nutter, toasts Knox

Even PhillyMag editor Larry Platt admits that his magazine's endorsement of Michael Nutter might not mean that much at the polls.

"I don't think that endorsements ultimately do that much," he said. "I'd like to think that it does, but I think we have an obligation as a media institution to just call it like we see it and let the chips fall where they may."

So, with its May edition, Platt put a naked cancer survivor on the cover, a banner telling voters to pick Mike Nutter ("It's important," says the Mag), and another teaser on the magazine's in-depth Tom Knox profile. "Is Tom Knox a Fraud?"

The magazine has a paid circulation of 110,000 (with another 30,000 copies a month sold on newsstands) with about 30 percent of its subscription coming from the city.

Nutter used the endorsement press conference at his Center City office to take what may be his first foray into the Tom Knox Bashfest. While not a full frontal attack — like Dwight Evans' "Where's the Beef?" press conference about to happen outside of the Wendy's in Nutter's building (where firefighters just rushed to help a guy sprawled out in front of the Dunkin Donuts) — Nutter questioned where Knox has been as he's built up a 15-year record of public service.

"I actually have a record," Nutter said. "He has a TV record, I have a public record. That's what we're dealing with here."

The first major media endorsement goes to...

...Michael Nutter.

Nutter will be endorsed by Philly Mag in the glossy's May issue, which hits newsstands Thursday.

Says PhillyMag editor Larry Platt (in a release):

"We interviewed all five Democratic candidates, and the nearly unanimous view of the staff was that only Michael Nutter has the vision and sense of urgency to tackle the city’s problems, from ethics to tax cuts to taking on the murder epidemic. In the end, we felt that Nutter has the best potential to be an inspiring leader and to speak to all Philadelphians.”

It's the second mayoral endorsement for the magazine, which backed runner-up Sam Katz in 2003.

The endorsement accompanies a 2,000-word story that challenges Nutter to lead the city with the passion he exhibited upon visiting with the magazine staff.

The candidates are meeting with editorial boards at publications around the city hoping to get the nods. The Inquirer is putting its editorial board interviews up on its Great Expectations blog.

Bob Brady told the board that he doubts his visit will mean anything; that they'll probably just back Nutter in next Sunday's paper.

Metro's global policy is "News without Views," so we'll endorse no one. Sigh.