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This is a blog/letter that I sent to Romanelli and every single national party co-chair. I did it a few months ago and in light of this little shitberg of news, I decide to launch Round 2 to show how frustrated and pissed I am this charade's going on a second longer.
I didn't want to do this again. In my heart of hearts, I truly believed in my heart of hearts that saner minds within my party would look at the path we're heading in Pennsylvania and turn back now before our party is irreparably harmed by hands of those who don't care about the 10 core values of this party. Going through the news wires this morning though, those hopes were brutally dashed as I came upon the latest touch of news from the Times Leader in NE Pennsylvania.
Santorum, Romanelli to debate
Incumbent senator and the Green candidate will have statewide tour. Democrat Casey won’t take part.
By RORY SWEENEY rsweeney@leader.net
Finally, Carl Romanelli will get the chance to face his competition for a U.S. Senate seat, but he’ll have to settle for debating just one of his competitors.
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum accepted an invitation from the Wilkes-Barre resident and Green Party candidate to a statewide debating tour during the final two-week push before the election Nov. 7. Democratic challenger Robert Casey Jr. refuses to debate Romanelli.
“We have a rule that each campaign can only have one representative on stage for debate at the same time,” said Larry Smar, Casey’s communications director.
Because Romanelli accepted support from Santorum supporters, Smar said, “as far as we’re concerned, (Romanelli) is a representative of the Santorum campaign.”
Romanelli disputes that, saying he met Santorum for the first time when he invited him on the debating tour Monday in Shanksville.
“It’s not like they bought my principles. My issues are exactly the same.”
Santorum’s campaign is claiming the high road, saying Casey, the state treasurer, isn’t willing to defend his beliefs.
“Pennsylvania voters are fortunate to have two candidates for U.S. Senate – Rick Santorum and Carl Romanelli – who are not afraid to debate and stand up for their beliefs,” wrote Virginia Davis, Santorum’s press secretary, in an e-mail response. “It is unfortunate that the third candidate in this race, Bob Casey, either does not have beliefs or is afraid to stand up for them.”
However, she also acknowledged Santorum and Casey will be debating again like they did Sept. 3 on “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert.
Smar said Casey and Santorum will debate three more times, and accused Santorum of being “afraid to debate Casey alone.”
When asked if Casey would debate Romanelli, Smar said, “I’ve told you five times, no.”
That might not matter if Casey is successful in his challenge of roughly 30,000 signatures Romanelli used to get his name on the ballot.
According to Romanelli, the judge presiding over the signature-challenge case said Thursday that if Casey’s challenges hold up, it’s “highly improbable” Romanelli will remain on the ballot.
Romanelli is disgusted with the process, saying, “What it seems to be is that the court is becoming a pawn to the partisanship. As a former officer of the court, that’s despicable.”
He feels Santorum agreed to debate him because “I truly think, as sick as his votes are and his position is, he really believes them” and that he’s betting those beliefs will “look palatable next to a flaming left-winger like me.”
As for Casey, “he’s not policy-equipped and he’s a terrible debater,” Romanelli said.
“Why on earth would he want to go up against me because I’ll clean his clock?”
Do you honestly believe Mr. Santorum will support us as a true legitimate national party? Do you really think, if he beats Bob Casey in November, that he won't just go through the exact same policies of exclusion of 3rd party electoral choices? At the first sign that he's secured his job, he will do everything in his power to dive the dagger deep into our hearts and laugh with every sick inch of joy that he can muster!
We are being treated as pawns on a chess board by Santorum's campaign. Even Romanelli's own words in accepting this debate ring this honest truth so damn well. "He's betting those beliefs will look palatable next to a flaming left-winger like me." Don't you see that engaging in policies as politically suicidal as these do nothing but crush any respect we may have had or be able to get with our liberal brethren?
You may see it as selling out or letting Democrats go because they are the opposition party. That is not the point of what I'm trying to make here. The bottom line is that it has nothing to do with party affiliation. This has to do very simply with how much do we want to sell our beliefs as opposed to just being words on a ballot. Do you want to engage in civil discourse with Democrats and work alliances like our brethren in Europe and Central America to get our ideas into the political mainstream? Or do you want to engage in what results to nothing more than understated grandstanding?
This particular part of the letter is directed to Mr. Romanelli himself. Are you that naive to put your faith and political future in the hands of one of the most disgusting human beings to ever set foot in the Senate's chambers? He represents progressive ideals and liberalism about as much as I represent black people! You have caused more harm to the party you supposedly represent than any other person in our brief history. The fact you and your supporters let him dictate your image in the media and your financial bottom line is proof enough for me that all of you aren't true Greens. If you truly were one, you would've left this damn race months ago!
In closing, I address this both to all of the National Co-Chairs, to Mr. Romanelli as well as his campaign manager. As much as the PR behind us looks bad, there is the tiniest glimmer of hope if we leave this race now. Most Democrats and Progressives will likely never trust us again as friends and partners toward the same ideological goals. I honestly don't blame any one of them who falls down that road. But we have a slight shot to get out of this race and spend our time trying to regain that trust. As long as our core values are the same, the hope to provide a united force for good in this country will always remain. But I'm not the man that will get us to that promised land. That all falls on your hands and your shoulders. Time to work!
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