Charlie Crystle Blog: End of the Trail: Today I'm announcing my withdrawal from the race

December 09, 2003

End of the Trail: Today I'm announcing my withdrawal from the race

“Your playing small doesn't serve the world. “
--Nelson Mandela

Indeed. I'm a true believer and I decided to run for US Senate because Bush’s America is not the America I believe in and I want to catalyze change. I believe in the principles of economic, social, and civil justice and the optimistic, very American ideal that we all deserve an equal shot in this country, but that corporate control of Washington prevents us from living up to these ideals. I also believe you can't apply principles selectively and expect them to mean anything. You've heard me talk about economic justice and follow it with a proposal for a Living Wage, about the principles of social and economic justice and apply them to gay rights, and about civil justice and then call for the repeal of the anti-American Patriot Act. Principles matter.

In the America I envision, every child will have the opportunity for a great education, students will have Debt Relief in exchange for public service, seniors won't have to choose between food and prescriptions, every American will have health coverage, criminal CEOs will be prosecuted and put behind bars, single mothers will have quality daycare so they can work and attend school, people won't get screwed out of their jobs just because China is having a 50%-off sale or big companies are sending white collar jobs overseas for cheap labor. In my America, George Bush is unemployed and playing golf somewhere in Texas, Dick Cheney is preparing for his trial for the no-bid contracts to Halliburton and Arlen Specter is finally enjoying his retirement at his house in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey. We'll be a nation with great generosity of spirit. We can get there, but it will not be through this campaign.

After campaigning for 5 months and traveling for 6, I have learned a lot about the state and its current problems. I’ve been to over 30 counties, met with thousands of people, spoken at many events, and driven down some of the greatest back roads in the country. Pennsylvania has so much to offer, in spite of itself.

The most severe problems are in areas hit hardest by our terrible trade policies. The downward economic pressure is the number one problem affecting working families and the root cause of the disintegration of the American family. What a single job used to pay for now takes 2 or 3 jobs for too many people in this state. The root cause of this downward economic pressure is trade and the anti-competitive practices of our trading partners. We are losing 200 manufacturing jobs a day in Pennsylvania, and our biggest employer is now Wal-Mart. We must act forcefully and soon if we are to have anything better than a Wal-Mart future for young Pennsylvanians.

Recently I met with Governor Rendell’s Chief of Staff, who expressed the Governor’s interest in both having a bloodless primary and my advocacy on trade issues. In the interest of party unity, and in the interest of helping the state on trade and economic development issues, I have agreed to drop out of the race for the Democratic Nomination for US Senate. As I said when I started this trek, this is not the best year for me to run for US Senate, but I am dropping out of the race at the Party’s request. I will support Joe Hoeffel in the general election. This might seem sudden, but for me its a convergence of a few things. First, I realized that the presidential elections have sucked a ton of money out of the system, making it very hard for any Democrat running statewide. Conserving my resources for when we are stronger and more established is probably a smart move. Second, the opportunity to help Rendell and the state of PA--even if only in some small way--is intriguing. And finally, I don't believe in Pyrrhic victories: losing by one vote would not have made the effort worth it. I was not certain I could win given the timeframe and resources. Next time I hope to have a bigger hammer to work with.

I have some comments about our insistence as a state to ignore the facts when elecing statewide politicians. Too many Democrats across this state do not understand why Arlen Specter is such a terrible Senator and why you should vote for Joe Hoeffel instead of Arlen. Here’s why:
· Arlen still doesn’t stand for anything but Arlen
· Arlen voted for the last two tax cuts, effectively dismantling the social fabric of the country
· Anita Hill
· Arlen’s been a US Senator for 24 years, and yet he’s still only 3rd in line for the chair of the Appropriations committee.
· Arlen is the tie-breaking vote in a tight Senate

I want to thank all of you who have been so helpful to me, especially those in Pittsburgh, Erie, and of course Lancaster. Bruce Beardsley, Bonnie DiCarlo, Mike Diven, Jim McCall, Jerome and Markos, Chris, Tom Sanchez, Bruce Parr, Mike Whalen, Dick Whalen, Kerry, Theo, Lynne S from DU, Stephen Yellin, and Sam from Ohio and so many others have been tremendously generous with their time and counsel. I apologize if I’ve let anyone down by pulling out—it’s really the best thing right now and I will come back soon with greater resources and a much more solid base to start with.

But especially Tim Abbott, my great friend, you’ve been such a fountain of energy, ideas, and history lessons; I’m sure we’ll make it happen someday soon. Say hello to Viv for me.

In the near future I’m going to campaign for Howard Dean statewide, plus I’ll continue to fight for economic and social justice in PA. I am working to build a network of true progressives across the state, and of course continuing the fights against Wal-Mart, L-1 Visas, and offshoring. I’ll also go back to building software companies. I’ll keep this blog going and will soon announce a series of new sites focused on some of the issues we’ll keep fighting for. Please keep in touch—we still have a lot of work to do to take back this country!

Posted by Charlie Crystle at December 9, 2003 12:41 AM | TrackBack

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Posted by: dzwonki at June 18, 2004 08:24 PM

Charlie, You are an inspiration to all of us - you have stood up for what you believe in and put your ideas and enthusiasm out there for all of us to learn and grow. I am sorry to know you dropped out of the race but understand what you are fighting for. Please let me know if I can help you in the future. Good Luck
Heather Patzman

Posted by: Heather McAvoy at February 28, 2004 08:15 PM

Hey Charlie,
You will definitely be missed in this race, but I'm with Paul. Set those sights on Santorum - we'll have two dem. senators in PA before long!! (and while you're at it, give online campaigning lessons - it's great to see someone paying attention.) I hope Ed's boys offered you some support for next time.

Pax.
Austin

Posted by: Austin in Montco at December 12, 2003 12:21 AM

Having lurked around DU for several months, I am pleased to see that you can read the writing on the wall. The democratic party of today is a party of losers. Join the Republican party and run. You might find that logic and new ideas are a welcome change!

Posted by: Bill in GA at December 11, 2003 04:47 PM

Charlie:
I am sorry to read of your decision. You will be missed. I don't know anything about Joe Hoeffel's positions re. fair trade, H-1b and L-1 worker replacement programs, offshoring, etc. but I hope that he is listening to you on these matters. If Democratic candidates want to be elected they need to get middle-class votes and provide a real alternative to the pro-corporate "free trade" status quo. I'm looking forward to reading more of your commentary in the future.

In Solidarity,

John
Dayton, Ohio

Posted by: John at December 11, 2003 01:04 PM

Charlie,

Your "I want to change the world" attitude is refreshing and what Pennsylvania/America needs right now.

I think you challenged the status quo on important issues no matter how much money-lusting corporate-types, the religious right, and special interest didn't want to hear it!

You fought the best fight you could with the resources you had and there is much to be said of that. I know you know how to take back this country by supporting a presidential candidate who stands up for similar ideals that you championed in the last half year, Howard Dean.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

In democracy,
Ben Donahower

Posted by: Ben Donahower at December 10, 2003 07:21 PM

Charlie,
You're obviously a great future candidate. How about working to knock out our WORST Senator: Santorum.

Would you consider building your reputation around the state from now until then? You'll have a strong base from which to launch what will be a very difficult campaign.

It's a dream now ... but that's where every worthwhile effort begins!

Best,
Paul

Posted by: Paul at December 10, 2003 12:50 PM

Charlie, I am sorry that you have had to make this decision. Having said that, I think it is for the best. Think of the apocryphal story of the frog put in cold water and slowly boiled to death. He never knew what happened because the temperature changed slowly and he was not paying attention. We have taken a long time to get to where we are and, until recently, we have not being paying attention. The temperature is still rising; we are losing our rights, our jobs, our schools, and our inherent value as citizens to corporate interests. It will take more than a single voice to wake up all the folks still not paying attention. You have been leading a chorus of the few but there are signs that you are being joined. When you and Dobbs on CNN agree about the problem, you know that the chorus is growing. Take this time to develop your "bigger hammer" and come back. As they say back home, "Don't be a stranger, you hear?"

Posted by: Dexter at December 10, 2003 12:05 PM

Charlie, thanks for your support, stick with us in our fight for American jobs!

Mike Emmons for Congress, FL District 7 - 2004
www.EmmonsforCongress.com
407-786-2595

Posted by: Michael Emmons at December 9, 2003 08:57 PM

Well, I'm not giving in yet. John Mica ignored the wrong American. John Mica let 20+ Americans be replaced by foreign workers on H-1b and L-1 work visas; Siemens held out a severance for the employees; stay on and train your replacement and we'll give you a severance when you leave.

John Mica knew all about this. He even had the "Knowledge Transfer" documents Tata Consulting India employees created. That is, knowledge transfer from Americans to Indians.

After 5 months of Honorable this and Honorable that I came to the conclusion that these people care more for their corporations than their constituents.

Mike Emmons for Congress, FL District 7 - 2004
www.EmmonsforCongress.com

Posted by: Michael Emmons at December 9, 2003 08:56 PM

Thanks, Bruce. thanks, Stephen. I'll be back. And I'm not really going away--I plan to be a progressive voice for this state. Thanks so much for your support!

Posted by: Charlie Crystle at December 9, 2003 07:09 PM

Despite any disappointment you may feel, always remember there is honor in doing the right thing, as painful as that may be. While I wish you were still running, I understand your position, the system, and I look forward to working with you in the future...

Keep in touch!
Bruce

Posted by: Bruce Parr at December 9, 2003 03:45 PM

God Bless you, Charlie. Thank you so much for a strong campaign. Keep on fighting! Let's get behind Hoeffel now, OK?

All the best,
Stephen Yellin

Posted by: Stephen Yellin at December 9, 2003 09:56 AM