In a September 24th article, the San Jose Mercury News covered Cindy Sheehan‘s independent challenge to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sheehan and Pelosi are running in San Francisco. The full article can be read here, and an excerpt can be read below:
Anti-war activist faces long odds to unseat Pelosi
Article Launched: 09/24/2008 04:01:19 PM PDTWASHINGTON—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to win an easy re-election to Congress on Nov. 4, but not before her liberal San Francisco constituents get the chance to cast symbolic votes against the war she has failed to stop and the president she never tried to impeach.Voters will have the opportunity to try to replace the Democrat with one of her leading critics on both those issues.
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, in her first campaign for public office, is running as an independent against Pelosi in California’s 8th Congressional District, which covers most of the city of San Francisco except its southwestern corner.
Like other critics on Pelosi’s left flank, Sheehan accuses the speaker of not using her power to cut off funding for the Iraq war and says she should have allowed impeachment hearings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, among other complaints.
“I think it’s very important to go up against the establishment and to challenge both sides of the problem, not just half the problem,” Sheehan said. “It’s time the people were represented, and not the corporate interests.”
18 responses so far ↓
1 LaineRBT // Sep 28, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I wish there were some polling numbers on this race to get an idea of Sheehan’s level of support. Any guesses on what percent of the vote that Sheehan will get?
2 Ross Levin // Sep 28, 2008 at 2:28 pm
It said in the article that Sheehan’s more liberal primary challenger got 11% of the vote.
3 Mike Gillis // Sep 28, 2008 at 2:31 pm
you mean Pelosi’s challenger?
I know that a no-name Green got 9% of the vote in 2006 in the face of “Vote Democrat!!!!”
So I think she’s got an excellent shot at 20% or more.
4 donald raymond lake // Sep 28, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Yes, Cindy has done every thing wrong and still got on the ballot.
Remember, FORMER House Speaker Tom Dasheal was ‘bullet proof’ at one time. By, by Tommy.
5 Sivarticus // Sep 28, 2008 at 4:17 pm
There are some really fringe left areas of California. Anybody think Sheehan could actually win this race?
6 LaineRBT // Sep 28, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I doubt it very much.
7 Ross Levin // Sep 28, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Yeah, I meant Pelosi.
What do you mean she’s done everything wrong? She had to do a lot right just to get on the ballot with California’s strict laws.
8 donald raymond lake // Sep 28, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Ross Levin:
She did not stay in her district and build an organization. She literally traveled the world instead of getting ready for the petitioning and November struggles.
Our insane 4000 American Deaths, 1M civilian deaths, and $1T debt for Foreign Adventures is her issue. Even at home, she does not stay on point. Like an ADHA student she jumps to unrelated items, often with illogical ‘Sarah Pallin’ style mis-answers. [She is not as bad our current Dumbie In Chief, but if her staff does not winch every time she opens her mouth, then they are clue less!]
She got the ballot by the skin of her teeth. She turn down the chance to get on partisan ballots. She targeted home less, previously unregistered easy to eliminate street people to sign the nominating petition[s].
She needs to keep pounding at the worst military adventure in our history, not get distracted, and think before she speaks. Some of her long term supporters, whom I have conferred with by voice mail, consider her ‘Flakier than San Fransisco Sour Dough’. [A first person direct quote.]
With your FREQUENT misquotes, are you in no position to question any one on any thing?
9 Ross Levin // Sep 28, 2008 at 5:12 pm
My frequent misquotes?
When did she travel the world? After she announced her candidacy, before she did it, or after she announced it but before the window for collecting signatures opened?
10 Catholic Trotskyist // Sep 28, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Don, Tom Daschle was the Senate minority leader (he did serve for a majority leader for a brief period). You have a lot of misquotes also.
The Catholic Trotskyist Party of America has endorsed Cindy Sheehan in this race. She showed good judgement by running in a district that a Republican can’t win, thus actually pushing the Democratic Party to the left from within. Pelosi has utterly mishandled the Democratic Party’s efforts in Congress. Hopefully she will be replaced by her daughter someday, who is much smarter. In the meantime, Cindy Sheehan will carry forth the glory of the Catholic Trotskyist revolution.
11 Paul Currier // Sep 28, 2008 at 6:30 pm
CD 8 has 351,000 registered voters as of August 16th, 2008. The numbers are close to: 1.) Peace & Freedom – 1,000; 2.) SF Green Party – 11,000; 3.) Miscl – 8,000; 4.) Republican – 30,000; 5.) Decline To State (Independent) – 100,000; 6.) Democratic – 200,000.
Peace & Freedom and SF Greens have endorsed Cindy, as have Nader/Gonzalez, McKinney, Willy Nelson, Sean Penn, and many more. The Harvey Milk Club endorsement should take place in early October. There is very strong support on the streets.
Vote Counts Expected: 1.) P&F – 100% – 1,000; 2.) SFGreens – 100% – 11,000; 3.) Mscl – 50% – 4,000;
4.) Republican – 30% – 10,000; 5.) DTS – 80% – 80,000; 6.) Democratic – 40% – 80,000.
Total probable vote for Sheehan = 186,000
Total probable vote for Pelosi = 140,000
The Cindy Fot Congress Campaign is about to release a Zogby Poll shortly.
Get involved at http://www.CindyForCongress.org
12 Ross Levin // Sep 28, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Thanks for the info, Paul! We’ll be sure to report on it.
13 LaineRBT // Sep 28, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Would that be a commissioned poll or what?
14 MadMaxx // Sep 28, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Do you people actually think Sheehan has a brain worth considering? She lost custody of her son, who re-enrolled in the military twice before his death, and she is a complete loser who lives in a trailer. What the heck is wrong with you people? She is mentally retarded.
It seems the anti-war crowd have a collective IQ in the double digits.
She is a complete idiot, and only due to the liberal media, does anyone know her name. She could not debate herself out of a wet paper bag.
Get real. This is a complete joke. Tell her to get off her lazy arse and get a real job and start paying taxes. How completely pathetic.
Do you morons really believe this stuff? If so, I am disgusted that the system allows you to vote – people should need to pass an IQ test before voting.
This is a complete farce.
15 paulie cannoli // Sep 28, 2008 at 11:00 pm
“If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.â€â€”Samuel Adams
16 mattc // Sep 28, 2008 at 11:00 pm
You make a convincing argument Maxx. Your powers of persuasion are quite impressive.
17 Ross Levin // Sep 29, 2008 at 9:36 am
“I am so disgusted that the system allows you to vote.”
That’s a freedom-loving American for you!
Not to mention, I think it says a lot that this guy looks for Cindy Sheehan articles in order to post stuff against her. I think he needs a better hobby.
18 Nonpartisan Truthseeker // Sep 29, 2008 at 5:43 pm
How many of you have noticed how Sheehan is slammed here with the same kind of general smears that mar many of the progressive candidates? Often this is done by the mainstream media itself, but as you can see above, there are plenty of others who are more interested in slinging mud than focusing on facts.
I invite you all to check it out for yourselves the next time someone says ‘so and so said this’ or ‘so and so did that’. Check it out.
For myself, I have been doing so often, and typically I find the smears are lazy and false. As far as Sheehan, I’ve heard this smear before…that she can’t track, is a one-issue candidate, etc. So I listened to a number of her interviews on YouTube and guess what? Sheehan is actually quite intelligent, coherent, and has a lot to say on a range of issues.
Let’s think for ourselves, focus on facts, and let the pigs have the mud.
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