In February '07, Bernie Kieklak, chief of staff to state senator Lisa Boscola, first tipped the blogosphere about Sam Bennett's plan to announce her stab at congress. "[T]he ONLY reason I think she'd hold it at her house instead of at a better backdrop is that she can't convince four people to stand behind her and pretend to be a crowd!"The blogosphere erupted in laughter.
In April '07, Bennett kicked off her campaign a second time at a fundraiser in which you could be her "friend" for just $100. Bernie Kieklak had yet another pithy observation. "The more exposure Sammy Bennett gets, the lower her support goes. Like most political opportunists, people can see right through the phony, plastic facade."
In May '07, Bennett made it official for a third time, announcing that she was really, really, really, really running for Congress. Seriously.
Now she's doing it again.
In a MEDIA ADVISORY sent all over the planet, Bennett announces that she will announce tonight - for the fourth time - that she's running for Congress. This time she's doing it "with visuals," too, whatever the hell that means. I hope I don't see any fans.
In her news release, she disingenuously claims all the biggies will be there - "Over 100 RSVPed guests include Mayor Callahan, Mayor Pawlowski, Mayor Stoffa, other elected and party officials, and the largest grassroots volunteer base in any campaign in the state."
Stoffa is the Mayor of Northampton County? Wow! I didn't know that.
I do know Sam's fourth announcement - even if it has visuals - still conflicts with a meeting of Northampton County Council, and that's where Mayor Stoffa will be tonight.
And get this sentence.
"Allentown is the heart of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania’s most famed swing area, and Sam’s race for Congress (as a party leader, one of the few women running for Congress in the state, and in an area with a sizable Latino population that is struggling to recreate its economy) is expected to mirror the Presidential dynamic."
Huh? She needs to "recreate" that news release in a languauge we all understand.
Sam also takes credit for "resuscitating the Mayfair Festival of the Arts," although I suspect there will be another side to that story
About the only thing she has going for her is that she is a Democrat, so we're all supposed to jump on her bandwagon and go right over the cliff with her. I'm sorry, but a bad candidate is a bad candidate, regardless of party.
26 comments:
She's running for Congress and calls the Northampton County Exec a mayor.
Not much going on up there, is there?
Charles Dertinger was not a bad Congressional candidate he just had no real experience and the Dent machine destroyed him . It was like killing a fly with a sledge hammer.
With whats out there on Bennett, they will have a field day. I as a Dem almost feel sorry for her. Somewhere , somehow she and others really have no idea what she is in for.
I hope they don't think being a woman will limit the damage. Those days are over in hardball politics.
The carnage will make the Pressidential Campaign look like a Stoffa Tea Party.
Put a fork in her.
let me tell you all something. if it is going to be obama at the top of the ticket; and if he continues to bring in thousands of independents and new and dissafected voters; and if a lot of republicans are disolutioned and stay at home . . . then she can win this thing regardless of the kind or scope of the campaign she runs.
as a life long dem...in public office over 30 years... sam bennett has no chance in hell of being elected....not even as s dog warden.
I bet George S. Maniatty wrote that press release, he is one of her best volunteers.
Everyone who thinks Hillary should bail for the good of the party should be looking at what is being served on the undercard. Amazing. I think every Democrat should write in Cunningham or Callahan. or even Mayor Stoffa as a protest vote, whether they want to run or not. So what if they lose. Why waste the vote otherwise. Dent kills her by forty points in November. Time for her to bail for the good of the party and Lehigh Valley politics. It's so bad it's laughable.
What an incoherent press release. Had she been into the "recipe" already before writing it herself?
Oh well, here's to NorCo and its new mayoral charter.
The only chance she has is if Charlie Dent dies laughing.
Retired ASD teacher here.
From what I know of Sam Bennett, I'll say this, Sam COULD have been a powerful candidate. She has many good qualities to be a successful politician (is this a compliment?).
Unfortunately, Sam's exuberance got the best of her over recent years. Mistakes were made. That baggage still sits on the platform.
BUT . . .
Are elections really about logic anymore?
I agree with consigliere, considering the Obama fervor and its attraction to youthful (surface) voters, straight ticket voting should be high this time around.
Sam WILL NOT drop out. Sam enjoys the journey too much, even when it leads to a dead end.
Sam CAN win this thing!
(but it should be ugly, as it all goes forward)
"From what I know of Sam Bennett, I'll say this, Sam COULD have been a powerful candidate. She has many good qualities to be a successful politician (is this a compliment?)."
Let's hear those good qualities... Perhaps Mayor Stoffa can help you out.
Retired ASD teacher here.
OK,a.j. -
good looks
intelligent
impressive speaker
strategic thinker
"out front" actor
past public service
a Latino connection
Rendell's backing
That ought to keep Sam "in the game."
Mind you now, I wouldn't vote for her this time around.
Anybody who thinks Dent isn't vulnerable isn't paying attention. Even if she loses, Sam will damage him and the blood will be in the water.
She's got two personality defects all successful politicians need - a thick skin and an undying personal need to be relevant.
Don't misunderstimate her...
Tuesday Night Date,
I understand your reasoning for backing Bennett bc it really has nothing to do w/ her so much as Democratic control of Congress. But I could never support her bc I prefer a Congressman with whom I may disagree on some issues but who is very much committed to the LV.
I can also assure you she will not be underestimated. In the LV, the Dem nominee is going to be a big winner and that alone is going to hurt Dent. He knows this. But on the merits, you and I both know there is no comparison.
When a candidate as bad as Dertinger can give Dent a run for his money- anything is possible.
"good looks" - That's your opinion. Actions, to me, often define looks and she's not that good lookin'.
"intelligent" - Yes, intelligent people often have to repetitively announce they are running for congress instead of actually doing it.
"impressive speaker" - I suppose I should have known this from her drunken speech from MayFair. (It was MayFair, right?)
"strategic thinker" - Except for when it came to her POM salary.
"'out front' actor" - I'm not sure what this means, unless it means that she is just acting like she gives a damn about the people she would be representing.
"past public service" - Like her POM service, right? It's nice the rich can get a rake when they need.
"a Latino connection" - I'm not sure how many Latinos are actually backing her, so I can't really reply to this.
"Rendell's backing" - Personally, this makes me dislike her more, but I don't see how this makes her a good candidate regardless.
Retired ASD Teacher,
No disrespect intended, but those are some qualities she should have to enter the game, except for maybe good looks and liking or disliking Rendell.
We're obviously on different pages here, especially when you consider "looks" a quality of a wannabe politician.
Sam's campaign is a tire fire. Dent will obliterate her.
With mistakes like Mayor of NC, it will be a train wreck when she steps into a debate with Dent...
Good looks don't fail me now! Pitiful... but there are plenty of voters that just straight line vote, she might do the same as The Dirt
Don’t count on the Republicans staying home this November, it’s true we don’t like McCain but hearing the plans and platforms of the two D’s will be incentive enough to get us to the polls.
Scott Armstrong
Good looks? Are you people insane?
She prances around in her "sexy" red suits, looking like a teenie bopper wannabe and you think she looks good?
Get your eyes checked. She is just desperately hungry for attention and approval. Running for Congress is like her latest fetish.
This loon will get killed by Dent because she is all cheap flash and empty rhetoric and won't be able to even survive in a debate with Dent, who is himself pretty lame.
At this point, why not recruit an outsider to come in and steal the election from Charlie.
It's worth a try!
Seems like the Dem party doesn't really care about this seat?
You folks must have missed the St. Patrick's Day parade in Allentown; Ms. Bennett looked like a stuffed green elephant plopped on the back of a red convertible. The green foil top hat she was wearing kept slipping down on her forehead as she wobbled from side to side waving at everyone.
She looked absolutely ridiculous. And what made it worse was her husband walking alongside the car pulling their son, that poor child, in a red wagon. The kid kept screaming, "Mommy, I want to go home". Bennett ignored him completely while Martin kept saying, "It's okay, we'll be home soon".
The entire family performance was sad and embarrassing.
She does enjoy suffing into tight outfits for the young dudes around her. It is a sad grab for attention by a middle-aged woman who should know better.
The campaign will be interesting since the strategy is to mention Bush and Dent in every answer to every question. Also to ignore the slams and pout about being treated unfairly as a woman. I just don't think voters buy the 'glass ceiling' in politics stuff in the Valley. There have been successful women Pol's that didnot have to resort to that tactic.
Dertinger didn't do so bad considering. And Bennett will be helped by Obama/Clinton coattails.
There has to be a reason Dent has been robo-calling me for the past 6 months every time he does something. He knows Dertinger was too close for comfort.
Dent kills her by forty points in November.
I think someone is exaggerating a wee bit.
Don’t count on the Republicans staying home this November, it’s true we don’t like McCain but hearing the plans and platforms of the two D’s will be incentive enough to get us to the polls.
Scott Armstrong
Take a look at the recent PA voter registration numbers. I don't think the Repubs have a chance in PA even if they DO show up. Seems PA is moving rapidly to a reliable blue state.
"Take a look at the recent PA voter registration numbers. I don't think the Repubs have a chance in PA even if they DO show up. Seems PA is moving rapidly to a reliable blue state."
Then you won’t need us to stay home.
Perhaps America needs to turn over the government to the Democrats for a few years. With either O’Bama or Hillary as president and Sam as our congressperson change is bound to occur.It may be a valuable learning experience.
Scott Armstrong
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