Outsider vibe drives 'Draft Mellencamp' Facebook group by Niki2

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Outsider vibe drives 'Draft Mellencamp' Facebook group

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Friday, March 5, 2010 02:18
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Thursday, March 4, 2010 9:26 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

While I like the guy, his music and his politics, I think they've got it right that this is driven by an "outsider" desire on the part of the people. Nonetheless, look at what voting celebrities in has gotten us so far! (i.e., Reagan, for one BIG example; on the other hand, Eastwood and Franken are doing good...)[qwuote]To hear leaders of the "Draft John Mellencamp for Senate!" Facebook group tell it, this is a story about "insider" politicians, "street-level voters" and whether a likeable rock star with strong grass-roots appeal will run for the U.S. Senate.

The "movement," as the group calls it, was born less than three weeks ago with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's stunning announcement he would not not run for re-election. The next morning, Gabrial Canada, 21, was at home watching cable news reports about a Facebook page aimed at bringing Mellencamp, 58, into the race.

"After I saw that I went right to the Facebook group," Canada said Wednesday from his home in Indianapolis. "By then it had only been a matter of hours and it had already gotten a thousand members. It was incredibly exciting to see that catching hold." He contacted the group's founder and from then on he was hooked. So far, the group has garnered more than 7,000 members in 16 days.

"There's all this faux populism out there -- people who get paid millions of dollars to generate campaigns that look like they're supporting the people," said Canada, a self-described community ambassador for a local PBS TV station. "When you have the prospect of somebody as genuine as Mellencamp campaigning as someone people can relate to, it's unique, it's something you can't replace."

But there's another turn in this twisted tale. Because Bayh waited until February 15 to announce his decision, he essentially forced the party to choose its candidate instead of leaving it up to voters in the state's May 4 primary.

According to party rules, Indiana's 32-member Democratic Central Committee will vote by secret ballot to decide who will run. The committee chairman said members won't consider anyone who hasn't officially declared themselves a candidate.

"I don't think [Mellencamp's] going to declare," said chairman Dan Parker.

For his part, Mellencamp continues to issue nothing but a terse "no comment," through a spokesman.

More at http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/04/senator.mellencamp.facebook/ind
ex.html?hpt=T2

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

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Thursday, March 4, 2010 1:32 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Heck, why haven't they tried to draft Larry Byrd (The Hick from French Lick)?

But I wouldn't mind seeing Mellencamp run. He's got lots of good will in the midwest for his work with Farm Aid over the years.

Plus it'd be nice to see a campaign use "This is Our Country" for someone who actually deserved to use it, because he freaking WROTE it. ;)

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

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Friday, March 5, 2010 2:18 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Hmmm, I think I'll back this one, not just cause I think it's a good idea, but for amusement, irony and novelty value - let's see how a rock star puts up with being strongarmed into a political post they have no desire for...

Just tell him to remember this.
"It ain't fun, but it gets the job done!"

-F

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