According to FightforRomm215 blog this morning, Tommy the Loan Shark has gotten a website. It can be viewed at http://www.tomtheloanshark.com/.
He says: "Tommy the Loan Shark is now more than just a man possibly tied to the Bob Brady campaign walking around in a shark costume. He's online now with his very own comic strip. Not exactly Doonesbury, mind you."
That said, I thought Fattah's campaign has already taken credit for the shark as being their brain-child? Regardless, it's entertaining.
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Oh please- that JNixon guy
Oh please- that JNixon guy who is on here, and clearly a big Brady supporter, and I bet someone you know, Gman, was already quoted in the paper about the shark thing.
Good Point
Dan, good point. I should have been able to put "Jim Nixon" and "JNixon" together. I assume they're one and the same.
Isn't it funny...
How an anonymous blog won't permit anonymous comments? Ha, ha!
It makes a good point, though. Tom needs to stop feeding people and give them the no-show-job love instead, like Bob Brady.
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
Tom Knox a Republican Plot?
Okay, I don't mean to throw out a paranoid scenario, but now multiple people have mentioned the same thing to me. They have said they have information that Knox was strongly encouraged to run by his Republican friends, because they believed it was the only way to take over Philadelphia.
Last election, Sam Katz was on course, until the end...and we all know what happened with that.
So, they figured the only way to win was to play it from the inside. Of course, the Knox family has given money to Bush, Santorum, the RNC. We know about his wealth and friends, and he would appear -- on the surface -- to be more Republican than Democrat.
Is there a conspiracy? I don't know. It does seem odd that Knox came from out of nowhere and all of a sudden has catapulted forward. And on the agenda are union busting plans like removing a traditional pension for city workers to privitization.
Also, the cynicism with with which he is moving forward is impressive...from Michael Youngblood to Jannie Blackwell, to other operatives. From paying for petitions, to now, just paying.....
I'm sure some will discount this as paranoid rumor. Others will discount it coming from me, because I have been a very vocal Knox critic. So, I leave it for you all to research and investigate on your own.
Was any other mayoral candidate ever registered Republican? Any other Democratic candidate give money to Bush and Santorum? Any other Democratic candidate a member of the Union League (a bastion of Republicanism). Any other Democratic candidate have a butler to walk his dog? Friends with Donald Rumsfeld? Conducted pay day loans?? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
When I heard this from the first person, I thought it was funny. It's now been like three people, and I'm starting to think there's something to it...
Yup paranoid scenario. If
Yup paranoid scenario.
If anyone, nutter's policies are the most "republican" of the bunch.
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Staff member of Longacre for 5th Council District.
Let's talk about your "concern," shall we?
About whether Tom's candidacy is a Republican plot, and your accusations about 1) giving money to Republicans and 2) belonging to the Union League. (Which, of course, I've addressed. But you're not really looking for answers, are you?)
Now, you may not know this, but I'm a huge fan of Carl Jung, who wrote extensively about our "shadow" selves. How the way we deal with the things we refuse to integrate in ourselves is by compulsively projecting them outward on despised "others." The older I get, the more I see this concept validated, sometimes in the most astounding ways. Jung was, indeed, a genius.
For instance, notice how the Republican-backed Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth were for anything but. They shamelessly attacked John Kerry's Vietnam service because he dared to acknowledge war crimes they spent their entire lives repressing and denying. They could not integrate the positives of their own service with the shadow side.
You're "concerned" that Tom is really a Republican. He was once a registered Republican, he's given money to Republicans, he belongs to the Union League. You question his loyalty to the Democratic party. You're worried about his agenda.
See why I say Carl Jung is a genius? Because the most recent registration I can find for you is... Republican. You also gave a substantial donation to a PAC founded by a well-known Bush Pioneer (who was convicted of bribery), and it supports only Republicans - including, of course, George W. Bush.
Not only are you yourself a member of the Union League, you head up one of their committees.
And, while still attempting to respect your privacy, I'll point out that you work for an organization that the progressive world knows as dangerous neocons who pushed hard for the war. You "worry" about whether Tom owns any Halliburton stock, yet you work for ideologues that are at least partially responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Iraq. Shame on you.
No wonder you won't tell people who you are.
In short, gman, not only are you not a progressive, it appears you are probably not a Democrat. You are what we call in the blogosphere a "concern troll." Which certainly casts doubt on the motives behind your constant attacks, and raises the question of why you're on this board in the first place.
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
Say what you want about
Say what you want about Knox, but yeah, I think you probably can't mess with ol' Susan Madrak.
I say you may want to leave
I say you may want to leave gman alone. The more he works, the more Knox actually goes up in numbers. ;)
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Staff member of Longacre for 5th Council District.
Hmmm.
You make a good point, Adam.
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
The shark
Constantly attacking Brady does nothing to dispel the fact that Tom Knox did engage in predatory lending. He also called federal regulators "gestapo". Whatever federal regulators are, they are a long way from the Gestapo. To say Tom Knox is "feeding people" like he is funding a soup kitchen is somewhat disingenuous. Tom Knox fed people as part of a campaign strategy, not because they were hungry.
btw I invited Tom Knox to my ward/community Holiday Party which I throw every year and is non-political (no speeches, no charges and no literature). He was mad because I did not introduce him. No candidates were introduced, only elected officials, community leaders, ward leaders and labor leaders. He was the only candidate who did not say hello, introduce himself or thanks for inviting me.
Shark on YouTube
Well, not only does the shark have a website, but he's made it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIFuM6Wi8N0
Okay, let me explain it again, slowly....
So that even gman can get it.
Tom was a Republican because his father was a Republican. Mayor Bill Green persuaded him to become a Democrat because his ideas were more in keeping with the Democratic party.
Because his wife Linda was a Republican, they gave to both sides. If you check Open Secrets, you'll see he donated to Al Gore and Ron Klink (same amount) during the same time period.
Tom is a fervent Democrat. He believes in government helping people. He believes in social programs. He's no more a Republican than I am.
But gman, I'm really much more interested in you publicly disclosing your employment. Come on, I'm sure everyone's interested.
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
"OK let me explain it again, slowly...."
Gman, I am just embarrassed by the way you are treated on this site. Implying that you and everone who disagrees, is stupid. That is certainly not a respectful or courteous manner in which to discuss political philosophy, is it now, Daniel?
www.jameskenney.com
www.311forphilly.com
In a good faith interest
of getting beyond the sniping, as Ray requested. Conceeded, Susan's post was sarcastic an condescending.
How would you characterize gman's post - and the fact that while it can't be proven, it sure seems he has posted as a shill for Brady on many an occassion, and frequently, basically, provokes the kind of post Susan just made.
I beg your pardon
if you deem my mild mannered and polite post to still be "sniping". If I am caustic and cutting, I am sniping. If I whack Susan around a bit, you step in to chide. If I am polite in pointing out the double standard hypocricy, oh no, sorry, I mean inconsistency at times here, I still cannot seem to please.
Such is the life of a councilman who tries to communicate here. Oh! the woe of it all. Oops, sorry for the sarcasm.
www.jameskenney.com
www.311forphilly.com
No intent to make your life more difficult.
And there was no intent to characterize your post as sniping.
Again, in the name of reducing the overall level of sniping, in hopes that it might raise the general level of the dialogue, it seems that calling people out on the integrity and constructiveness of their posts is a reasonable place to start. So, I think you have a valid point in calling Susan out to be accountable for hers (and, I'm sure at times me on mine).
I'm not just chiding. I very much appreciate your participation on this blog (speaking of which, thanks for weighing in on how the Council participated in the stadium decisions), and think its value would be increased if the general level of sniping were reduced.
So, how would you characterize gman's posts?
Gman
Why is Gman a shill for Brady. Are all the "I support Michael Nutter" shills for Mike Nutter. Is Raideradam a shill for Knox. If you support Bob Brady you are a shill. If you support another candidate you are expressing an opinion. If you really want to express an opinion express it with your name.
I believe almost everyone who posts believes in their candidate. Only Brady supporters are called "shills".
You're right, Lou
People on this site DO sometimes unfairly assume a financial tie to Brady from those who support him here.
It's the nature of the political machine he chairs that makes people wary.
Are Ward Leaders and Committeepeople financially tied to Brady? Maybe not exactly. But it's close. You're not a shill, though, anyone can tell that.
Many party officials I've spoken to this election season genuinely like Brady and support him without hesitation. Some have reminded me that back in the 1990's, I used to say Brady would make a good mayor. He might.
He probably could have gotten elected in 1999. Might have been a good thing.
But politics, like everything else, goes through seasons. There's more general discontent with City Hall and the status quo now than at any time I can remember, and that includes the post-MOVE election of 1987 (my first) and the brink-of-insolvency election of 1991.
That discontent, I think, leads some on this site to presume the Party Chair's supporters guilty until they're proven innocent. That's not fair.
That discontent also is likely to make it hard to get him elected mayor this year.
We'll see.
Proudly supporting the BEAUTIFUL Philly For Change Council Slate and MICHAEL NUTTER for Mayor
I didn't exactly call gman a shill
I said that it seemed like he is because of the nature of his posts. First he claimed that he wasn't really decided about who he supported - but if you look back at the history of his posts, virtually each and every one is profusive praise of Brady from the very start.
Then in this post, he indicates that he's only going after Knox because of what's been "mentioned," to him - when he has made post after post specifically directed at attacking Knox. Sorry, Lou, it just doesn't seem credible to me.
And a while back there were a series of really obnoxious posts by Brady supporters. I consider that a fact, Lou. You can think it's because I've got it in for Brady - but I can tell you that isn't the case. When DeWitt implied that Brady was only in the race for white voters, I called him on it; pretty ironic given you accused me of insinuating that Brady is racist when what I was doing was questioning the rationale of a Brady campagin tactic - because it has the appearance of appealing to race (which is not the same thing as calling him a racist) and/or indicating that his policies would fit better with Republican outlooks than the other candidates.
I've indicated numerous times to Nutter supporters that I thought that their opinions were more reflective of partisan interest than objective analysis. I've called on Ray to provide explanations for Fattah's policies I disagree with. The times that Brady supporters have answered my questions with facts and honesty, rather than just personal testimonials, I've thanked them.
You might notice that I haven't called you a shill - because you're totally upfront with your support, and don't try to play games. I can't say the same for gman. Can you?
Sorry
wrong post
Knox? Currently Nutter is
Knox? Currently Nutter is the front runner for my vote.
The only person I am a shill for is in my sig. ;)
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Staff member of Longacre for 5th Council District.
gman, as long as you
are going to make posts like this - then I think you are obliged to answer Susan's question about your employer.
Inquiring minds want to know.
And please, try to have more integrity than saying that you're only posting these comments out of concern because of what people are "mentioning" to you.
Next you'll be telling us that you haven't really decided yet who you support. Oh, wait....
In response to Susan's question, etc.
I had been intentionally blowing off Susan's question beyond my reply that I am not employed by the Brady campaign, because I didn't think it deserved further attention. Let me add to this, though, I am not employed by anyone, or anything, that is in anyway affiliated with the Brady Campaign, or any canidate for that matter. I work for a completely private organization, that is completely (and intentionally) not involved in politics.
I understand the need for disclosure... Now, beyond that, I don't think it's anyone's business where I work, as much as whether I'm single or married or what type car I drive.
A reminder, in my first post on this blog, I put a long introduction to myself. If I remember correctly, I mentioned my previous employers, community groups I had been in leadership with, the neighborhood I lived in, etc. So, I haven't been shy with personal information. I also put out front and center that I think highly of Bob Brady, and wanted to put out a more reasonable perspective on him than some of those that I had read on this blog.
What I am reluctant to respond to, is in effect Susan's threats and bullying. When I say something positive about Brady, she attacks my credibility by insinuating falsehoods, with no basis in reality. That's not playing fair.
Now, have I been direct with Susan? Sure! But she's is a paid campaign spokesperson, and I think that means that she is open to some direct questioning. And for the record, I still haven't gotten answers to some questions, like whether Knox is, or plans to, pay Jannie Blackwell for her support. Whether Blackwell is paying Youngblood.
She did confirm some things, like his financial support for Santorum and Bush, and that he had been a Republican. I'm also curious if it's true that he also owns stock in Halliburton?
Am I a Brady fan? Yes, have said so from the get go. Am I a Knox fan? No. Is that clear? Should be from my posts. Am I employed by any campaign? I've said no many times. Do I work for any organization or employer that in any way is political? No.
I hope we can put this nonesense to bed, and I hope to not be attacked by Susan with insinuation any further because I think her candidate has to answer some tough questions..
Really?
What's changed since you wrote this?
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
Brady Campaign
I will also be working on the Brady campaign. Like, I assume Gman, I will do so without being paid. I also coach little league, am involved in my AA and my community. All this without pay. That is what people who believe in something do. Just because we support who we think is the best mayoral candidate we are attacked.
PS I have known the butler for 25 years.
If you don't mind, Lou...
I'd rather gman answered for himself.
Press secretary, Knox campaign. Blogger on hiatus, former award-winning journalist.
One Last Question
Susan,
Forgot one last question:
Did Tom Knox receive -- through a 3rd party -- any contracts from the city while he was a Deputy Mayor? Also, how much had he given to the Mayor in contributions at the time of these contracts.
(We'll deal with city paid trips another day.)
Susan
Susan,
Thanks for finding that post...so there you have it. I was clear and up front. And I'll say it for the last and final time: I am not employed by the Brady campaign. I just support him for Mayor. Now that we are done with that, I have no more intention of entertaining your distractions any further on this topic. Can we get back to issues, since you are on this site as Knox's paid employee?
Can you please answer some questions?
1. Is Tom Knox paying, or planning to pay Jannie Blackwell anything?
2. Are you aware of any arrangement between Blackwell and Knox related to Youngblood?
3. Are you paying any campaign workers (or anyone) in cash?
4. Did Tom Knox pay for petitions, and if so, how much per signiture?
5. Does Tom Knox have a position on people being given stipends for their votes by his campaign?
6. Beyond Vince Fumo, what is Tom Knox's relationship with John Dougherty?
7. Does Tom Knox own Halliburton stock? (Thanks for already agreeing that he did financially support George Bush and Rick Santorum, and that he had been registered Republican).
I think these are all fair-game and relevant questions as to Mr. Knox's candidacy.
As far as I'm concerned, gman
the question is now answered.
thanks
Thank you!