Renee Gellinger Running for Fumo's Senate Seat?
Well, our merry band of of liberal ladies gathered for warm drinks at Bistro Romano last evening and we were discussing the growing buzz that GLBT lioness Renee Gellinger may run for Vincent Fumo's state senate seat. These rumors were confirmed over the weekend with an extesnive phone poll taking place that measured support and other items about Renee. It was obvious to those who received it that the poll was coming from Fumo's camp. Few of us at Bistro Romano know Gellinger beyond her reputation, which is quite substantive. She has been here for years, working quietly with various groups to imrove the lot of all of us. She would be a formidable challenger to Fumo. And she has substance behind her. I wonder if the prospect of a three-way race would scare her off though. Does anyone know her more personally?
Uh....
Renee is running Larry Farnese's campaign for state representative. I highly doubt she would leave that race to run one on her own, particularly against someone like Fumo.
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Check out my website!
Then why are they polling
Then why are they polling her? They are also polling Jim Kenney. Is Kenny going to be the Fumo stand-in in the primary now? Or will they just run Renee to take what little support Dicker has away from her? Or is Renee doing this on her own? One Fumo person told me that they plan on not just beating Dicker but personally damaging her so that she can never run again. Renee's natural viability may accomplish such a mission. I find it all troubling.
Wow Pebs
You have the inside line on all the leading progressive Fumocrat stalking-horses.
Ben is right that it would be unusual for someone who just managed DiCicco's campaign to run against Fumo - unless their real point was to divide and conquer amongst the progressives to ensure the big boss wins the primary.
Interesting.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
It's called knowing my
It's called knowing my community. Just like I knew Vignola would not run for various reasons. Perhaps Gellinger is just being placed in the race to hurt Anne Dicker. If so, this is very bad. It also speaks to my concern that Dicker's very existence in this race keeps a viable candidate from running and beating Senator Fumo. If it's Fumo vs. Dicker, then we have to vote for the unindicted one.
But Vignola is running
I hear he just hasn't decided whether to run in the primary or in the general as an independent.
The rationale for his not running in the primary, I presume, is
1. Fumo will either be on trial or forced out of the race in the run-up to the general election.
2. If Fumo is forced out, Vignola either runs against a less known and less well financed candidate or perhaps secures the support of the ward leaders to be the Democratic nominee.
3. There is more time to raise serious money for the general while Fumo will have to spend big to defeat Dicker.
When the campaign finance reports come out at the end of the month, I think you will see that Vignola is in it.
Yes. Thats what I've heard
Yes. Thats what I've heard as well. Also simply that the numbers work better that way. Vignola and Dicker in the same race hurt either's chance of beating Fumo but that Vignola as an independent polls very strongly against Fumo even with a semi-credible R in the race. As a progressive I kind of like the idea of a 1-2 punch to get credible, progressive reformers in by the ballot box, one way or the other.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
Its funny. Gellinger and
Its funny. Gilinger and Kenney I think have both been floated in the press as possible hand-picked succesors when - er if - Vince is convicted. Both are competant and talented in their own right but quite, quite loyal to the Fumo camp. In either case if Fumo is going to hand select one of his own - he certainly could do much, much worse - but there would no mistaking the fact that they were hand-selected replacements and it would not exactly be a triumph for democracy.
Pebs - its becoming increasingly clear that the special things you "know" are messages directly from the camp you claim to be opposing.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
Damn you and your "knowing
Damn you and your "knowing your community" Pebs. You got me to pick up your misspelling of Renee's last name. I try and always spell people's name correctly at least. Its Renee Gilinger.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
I said I did not know of
I said I did not know of Renee except for reputation. So I did not know how to spell her name. I'm not sure why all the polls and the candidates. I think if Dicker were out of the race we would at least have an opportunity to get behind one credible candidate and beat Fumo. I am surprised there is not much talk about this race on here. Is it because this weekend's poll said Fumo was endorsed by Nutter, Brady and Lynn Abarham? With Dcker endorsed by Knox and Fumo endorsed by those three, I am not sure what to think.
Can you/anyone provide some confirmation
that Nutter endorsed Fumo?
or
that knox endorsed Dicker?
Niether are true yet to the
Niether are true yet to the best of my knowledge.
Nutter will probably simply sidestep any endorsement for State Senate (I would if I were him) and as I understand it was more Dicker that gave a "Anybody but Brady" (her words) endorsement to Knox in the mayoral primary rather than vice versa. Knox did donate generously (to his credit) to Casino Free Philly but CFP does not equal Dicker for State Senate and vice versa. Perhaps Kareem or Anne will clarify in more detail.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
Renee Gilinger for Sheriff!
Renee Gilinger for Sheriff! ha ha ha...
I don't think she'll run for
I don't think she'll run for Sheriff but she's certainly qualified to run for State Senate. I would think, however, that her entry would be orchestrated by the Fumo people. She is, as someone told me, a Fumocrat now and takes direction accordingly. Besides, Farnese is hardly in a position to pay her anything substantially. Her entry would obstensibly end Dicker's campaign most certainly. And I do not know if Nutter or Abraham endorsed Fumo. All I know is that the phone poll claimed Fumo enjoys the support of Abraham and Nutter. Ironically, hasn't Abraham endorsed Farnese? As for Knox's support of Dicker, I suspect you should ask her if the pay day lender has given Dicker a contribution for her senate race and the amount. She will likely tell the truth. As I said before, Vignola is not running. His own personal issues and Dicker's refusal to yeild to a more viable Fumo challenger will ensure no one actually capable of defeating Fumo enters this mockery of a race.
Can you please stop posting
Can you please stop posting on what someone told you and start posting on things you actually know about. I'm sure you have a great contribution to make, but your game of connect-the-dots has no substantive support. I'm not saying the poll isn't real, but you keep talking about "someone I know" telling you something. I don't find that particularly persuassive.
Renee is Larry's campaign manager and is doing an incredible job. She is extremely talented and, from my impression, does not take direction from anyone.
As for Farnese endorsements, yes, Lynne Abraham has endorsed Larry. So has Jon Saidel, Andy Toy and Matt McLure. And, the race is just starting. So, hopefully there are many, many more to come. I'm proud to say that I work with Larry and his candidacy is one that many, many people are excited about.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
The poll is real
I personally received a call on Sunday afternoon on this poll.
www.whatever-it-takes.net
I'm not disputing whether the poll is real or not . . .
Rather, Pebbles makes assertions based on what other people told her. I'm saying that is not particularly persuassive to me and shouldn't be to you.
I have not problem with her blogging about a poll she participated in. But, when we delve into rumors an innuendo, that is dangerous.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Mr. Gaetano, I meant no harm
Mr. Gaetano, I meant no harm to Farnese. If I could vote for him I would. I was just saying that Fumo alleges to have the support of Abraham and that Abraham is in fact supporting Farnese, the candidate who employs Gillinger, a well-known Fumocrat who may enter the State Senate race to effectively end Dicker's campaign. It's a rather interesting web. No doubt Gillinger is doing a fine job and Farnese would be damaged were he to lose her. These aren't rumors or conjecture. The poll is real and Fumo's assersions in the poll are real. Gillinger's alliance with Fumo is real. Gillinger placed in the poll by Fumo is real. Dicker's troubled campaign is real.
pick up the phone Pebbles
If you are not a plant Pebbles, that get a clue on social skills.
You had so much to say about Sheila Ballen, but if you had ever bothered to contact her you would have found out that she had no interest in running. Same with Renee, who I know very well. I saw Renee at a Liberty City board meeting on Monday and she told me that was not running and had no interest in running for Fumo's seat.
What motivation?
I can see why Fumo would circulate a poll implying he has Nutter's support. I can see why Fumo would want to imply he has Nutter's support. I can even see why Nutter might issue a "Vince Fumo helped secure funding for schools which is very important to my administration's goals" - type non-endorsement.
But beyond that what possible benefit would Nutter have in associating himself with the largest corruption scandal this city has seen since ABSCAM. It makes no sense.
I really am beginning to wonder if Pebbles is playing a character here.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
And I am beginning to think
And I am beginning to think you have the lowest cognitive complexity of anyone on here, Mr. Luigi.
Again, I NEVER SAID NUTTER ENDORSED FUMO OR EVEN ASSOCIATED WITH FUMO. I AM MERELY STATING THAT THE POLL, WHICH SEEMS LIKE IT WAS PAID FOR BY FUMO, MAKES AN AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT: FUMO IS SUPOPRTED BY LYNN ABRAHAM AND MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER. And now, AJ Thompson is CONFIRIMING that this is true.
Fumo's poll says this. Not Nutter or Abraham or anyone else. I am merely trying to ascertain, among other things, if this is true or just another lie coming out of the Fumo Reich. What are you trying to get at Luigi?
Repeating "I heard this. Is
Repeating "I heard this. Is it true?" over and over again is a good way to breathe life into an internet rumor. Your actions bear a certain resemblance to that tactic.
If thats not your intention you might take a second to reflect a little on unintended consequences.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
I think I know where Pebbles gets her information
Here? http://www.keen.com/details/Marlae/Life-Questions/6671290
Pebbles, is this you? I can't figure out why anyone but a Fumocrat would be so interested in trashing Dicker all the time. Maybe the Marlae the psychic told you to?
Well, this certainly sounds like Pebbles
No scroll down
Someone calling themselves pebblesbambam left a comment.
John: You are foolish. I
John: You are foolish. I am not trashing Dicker at all. Fumo runs a poll to gauge Gillinger's strength so he can have her run and hurt Dicker. I did brign this up and AJ has now confirmed it. Mind you, I have repeatedly said this tactic is bad for everyone. It seems to me I am attacking Dicker's opponent.
So tell me,
Are you the pebblesbambam that is so fond of psychic readings?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=site%3Awww.keen.com+pebble...
Relevant, how?
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
John, you are hardly neutral
John, you are hardly neutral here. You run a group with so much credibility that, despite knowing other democrats are likly to enter the senate race, you endorsed Dicker anyway. YPP, PFC, NN and the other credible groups aren't so foolish and far more discreet. You do your group a disservice in being so immature about the process. No wonder the Dicker campaign attracts you so.
Good Point, but . . .
I agree, a group making an endorsement in a field that is not complete goes to the credibility of the endorsement and organization. That doesn't mean DD made a bad endorsement, but potentially an imprudent one. Petitions have not even been circulated and, we have not clue how the field will look.
But, that isn't the issue. I believe that, when JohnD posts, he should add, like I have, a disclaimer about his support and/or potential work. That was the YPP rule in the mayoral primary.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Care to explain?
Care to explain this AJ Thompson:
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/politics/49546-fishtowns-aj-thompson-ru...
If there is truth to this, please answer this question: WHY?
Pebbles
Trust me, because I know this site better than anyone... Stop. At this point, you do seem like nothing more than a plant for Vince. So, either calm down, or we will have to ask (tell) you to leave.
My sincerest apologies,
My sincerest apologies, Daniel. I assue you, I am not a Fumo plant, nor am I anything more than someone who hears far too many things and needs help de-coding at times. With much respect to Mr. AJ Thompson, if he does plan to run in this race, I would most certainly like to hear more from him as to why.
Ray, please understand
Ray:
I never said renee was running. I said Fumo paid for a poll that measured her support against Dicker. This has now been confirmed by a third party. I think Renee is an GLBT Lioness and would make a fine senator if she were running to actually defeat Fumo. Read before you accuse, Ray. Please.
And I quote
from your first post on the subject "we were discussing the growing buzz that GLBT lioness Renee Gellinger may run for Vincent Fumo's state senate seat. These rumors were confirmed over the weekend...."
Unless you meant to say that the rumors that there were rumors about Renee running were confirmed, then you said that the fact that Renee was running was confirmed.
Correction: The poll
Correction: The poll confirmed the rumors that she is being considered or, in the alternate is considering it herself. One does not spend tens of thousands of dollars on a poll to measure support for someone if there isn't something behind it...even if it is just Fumo's lone wish that she enter the race to hurt Dicker. Kenny was also mentioned in the poll. I suspect Fumo may be considering using Kenney as a surrogate in the primary or perhaps in the general election. I am also curious to learn whether the poll's assertions that Fumo is supported by Nutter and Abraham are true.
I apologize if I caused a stir.
zzzzzzzzzzz
can someone write about another race? I mean the drama in always entertaining in the 1st, but jeez, there are a lot of other races. They are important too.
In case I was not clear
because of the nature of the people represented by the 1st (Center City especially) the details of this race--the gossip and the drama and all the details--get an unfair share of attention. And there is big stuff going on in other places worthy of discussion. YPP has always strived to focus on issues (sometimes better than others)--for crazy ranters and gossipers, there are plenty of other forums.
As long as there are issues to discuss in the 1st, I for one pledge to stay awake, but otherwise naptime!
You are right Ray
You are right Ray, there are lots of other races. I don't mean to be district-centric but those "other races" and other areas of the city aren't nearly as important as the first or what happens in the first. It's why even the least viable challenger in the first is head and shoulders above incumbents in other districts. It would be nice if our city's wealth, vitality, commerce and potential were equally distributed, but they aren't. The First Senate District is far more important than, say, Tartaglione's district or Kitchen's district. No offense, but it's true.
Um
Pebbles, of the society hill towers, didn't you before try to tell us that we are elitists?
LOL
oh Pebbles, you are a card. Go have a martini at Bistro Romano, and maybe you'll come back to the blog with even more fun!
Best parody thread yet
http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/politics/49576-alycia-lane-running-agai...
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
If people are going to run wild with speculation
could you at least spell her name correctly: renee gilinger
The speculation isn't very
The speculation isn't very wild, after all.
See: http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/13701092.html
And I think it worries everyone that a crook like Fumo will try and use Gilinger to win the primary and/or appoint Jim Kenney as a stand-in/surrogate so he can run Democratic politics in this city from a jail cell. I hope Gillinger and Kenney don't cave and do as Fumo demands. I understand it is hard to leave the Fumo Reich once you have joined it.
Omerta
So by this analogy, is Fumo a mob boss (running the city "from a jail cell") or Hitler himself ("the Fumo Reich")?
I understand, Pebbles, that you have to prove that you're not a Fumo plant. But this crap is equally ridiculous.
Just wondering in a
Just wondering in a non-accusatory way, if the Senator were not Italian American, would you have used "omerta"?
I am asking because a very significant portion of the 1st Senatorial District is Italian American, like myself, and I do not want the race for that seat to delve into mob-like terms and all that junk.
Like I said, I'm just trying to keep things as PC as possible and I wouldn't want my Italian-American bretheren to be offended.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
To clarify -- I used
To clarify -- I used "Omerta" because I thought Pebbles' allusion to running the city from a jail cell, and it being hard to leave the Fumo camp, was playing with the notion of Fumo as a mob boss. And I agree -- I don't think that he/she would make those allusions if Fumo were not Italian-American.
If that's a leap, or if I shouldn't have dragged those terms in explicitly where I thought they already were implicitly, I apologize. But my intent is actually to try to stick up for Fumo here, or at least against coded and unfair characterizations of who he is and what other people in Philadelphia politics are actually about.
Unfortunate stereotype or not
The concept of Fumo winning the reelection, being convicted and forced to stand down, hand-picking a successor who he gets the ward leaders to nominate as his stand-in - all that - is one possible real outcome. Its an outcome I would very much like to avoid but if it were to come to pass, pebbles is not the only one who would be making allusions to the mafia. To be honest I think the press state-wide would likely take that exact analogy and run with it, particularly in the "T". Opponents in the State Senate would evoke a similar reference to attack any Fumocrat unfortunate enough to agree to be placed into such a "place holder" appointment. Even allies would be more inclined to view the place-holder as a patsy and tend to ignore the place-holder's input if they perceived the place-holder was not relaying Vince's position, but actually expressing an opinion of their own.
In other words, the analogy to a mafia boss ruling remotely from jail, whether its an unfortunate Italian-American stereotype or not, is exactly how the situation be perceived by many with disastrous effects in terms of how effective the Philadelphia delegation and the entire Democratic Caucus in the State Senate will be. I think it will be disastrous for many progressive legislative projects that we would all like to see Harrisburg make progress on.
As much as it pains me to defend pebbles on anything, she's not really the one blame if Vince Fumo is compared to a mob boss under that scenario. Its Vince Fumo who has allegedly committed the 139 counts of fraud and public corruption that we should be shaking our fingers at in disapproval.
Again the best way to avoid that unfortunate situation is to make sure a candidate of depth, experience and state-wide stature beat Fumo fair and square in an election. But you all know how I feel about the situation.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
Shaking my head . . .
The best way to avoid the propagation of an "unfortunate sterotype" is not to use it, then justify it by saying it is what other people might think.
Using mafia terms to describe an Italian American business person or politician has been around since our first immigrants to this nation. Justifying it in anyway is simply perpetuating ignorance. It is troubling that Pebbles even mentioned such words. Tim's efforts to clarify are well taken. Your efforts to justify show you are most likely not in a class of people affected by such a sterotype.
I'll sit here quite while people talk about the Senator's indictment. I will read people call him all sorts of names--heck it comes with the territory of being indicted. I offer no defense of him. But, one thing I will never sit quiet about is the use of ethnic slurs and sterotypes when, frankly, they are not necessary. None of the indicted charges point to a criminal underworld. None implicate Italian Americans as a group. And neither should Pebbles, you or the rest of the state.
Italian Americans make up a huge part of this 1st District. Any person or candidate who impugns those people does so at their own peril. If Senator Fumo were any other race or ethnic group, mob or mafia terms would not be in this discussion. If the "T" wants to use it, let them. But we know better . . . don't we????
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
I don't think its fair to
I don't think its fair to equate expressing a completely valid concern with how the proposition of reelecting an allegedly 139-times corrupt politician will impact the status of the Philadelphia delegation and the entire Democratic Party with me perpetuating an ethnic stereotype.
No, I absolutely agree a political player who heads a secretive, tightly knit political faction and who is widely known for showing a vindictive streak a mile-wide, who allegedly systematically steals from the public trough is not the same thing as a mob boss but I can see why the analogy might have legs, regardless of whether that political boss was an Italian-American or not. I will ask you to please excuse me if I have hard time seeing Vince Fumo as anybody's victim. Vince Fumo may be many things but a victim is one thing he is not.
Interestingly the City Paper ran article a few months back about what real made-guys think of Fumo's legal problems.
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/02/15/their-vinnie-amour
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
The victim isn't the
The victim isn't the Senator, but Italian Americans who work in business and/or politics.
How about this, express your concern and do it without mafia terms?
Deal? Good.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Deal
It would be quite strange, considering my stated support for Joe Vignola, as well as other candidates I have supported in the past, for me to be labeled anti-Italian-American.
Do you have any problems with me describing Fumo as the head of an alleged organized criminal conspiracy? Because if the Federal indictments bear out I think that would be an accurate description of Vince's deeds.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
The indictment speaks for
The indictment speaks for itself. Though, when you use the terms, "organized" and "crime" together, I think it is just a more subtle way of saying the same thing when used in conjunction with an Italian American.
I only get touchy when ethnic slurs and/or negative depictions of Italian Americans are used.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
I plead 100% guilty to a
I plead 100% guilty to a mild use of hyperbole to describe a very particular corrupt Italian-American politician who I think is well-worthy of vilification but any unintentional negative imagery beyond that was a result of rhetoric aimed directly at him.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
A headline that Pebbles could have written
Beating Vince: Can a real candidate take on Fumo? Please?
Has anyone seen pebbles and Rober Cappella
in the same place at the same time?
But the article conspicuously lacked
mention of either Chanel OR pearls!