Local bloggers are endorsing Fallon, and I think it's fair to say that the internet progressive activists are against Boswell. This is a particularly interesting quote, and suggest that Fallon's campaign is a very interesting experiment: "If you live in the district, you've likely run into Fallon at a town hall meeting or a local farmers' market in recent weeks, but you haven't received mailings because Ed doesn't accept PAC or lobbyist donations."
Fallon has done no TV, no mail, and accepted no PAC money from labor or corporations. All of his money has come from individual donors, and most of it over the internet. His campaign staff is up to 16 people doing persuasion phone work, events, and GOTV calls. He has no major endorsements from any labor unions, simply DFA, Change Congress, OpenLeft, Progressive Democrats of America, and the Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa. His campaign originated because of our Bush Dog arguments, and there are no independent expenditures helping him out. This is not Ned Lamont, who self-financed, or Donna Edwards, who had $900k of help from SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, etc. Those groups have stayed out of this one.
Boswell is the total opposit of Fallon in every way. His a PAC creature, has done huge numbers of both government mailers and political mailers, lots of paid TV and radio, and splashes his endorsements from Senator Tom Harkin and Al Gore everywhere. His list of endorsees is ridiculous. Aside from corporate PACs, here's are Democratic and Republican establishment allies:
# AFL-CIO
# Airline Pilots Association
# American Bankers Association
# American Federation of Government Employees
# American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees
# American Hospital Association
# American Nurses Association
# Associated Milk Producers
# Association of American Railroads
# Association of Trial Lawyers of America
# Committee on Letter Carriers
# Dairy Farmers of America
# John Deere and Company
# Human Rights Campaign
# Independent Community Bankers of America
# Independent Insurance Agents of America
# Iowa Construction Industry
# Iowa State Education Association
# Machinists Non Partisan Political League
# National Association of Home Builders
# National Association of Social Workers
# National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
# National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
# National Farmers Union
# National Turkey Federation
# National Education Association
# National Rifle Association
# Sheet Metal Workers' International Association
# Sugar Cane Growers
# United Auto Workers
# United Egg Association
# United food and Commercial Workers International Union
# United Steel Workers of America
Boswell's real argument against Fallon is this: "I find it hard to find anybody up on Capitol Hill that has very much good to say about my opponent, and that's kind of sad," Boswell said.
That's true. And good for Fallon.
So now, this is the rawest test of an internet fueled grassroots campaign with none of the bells and whistles of a Donna Edwards or Ned Lamont, up against everything the establishment can throw at a candidate. It's an interesting test case of paid media - this primary will demonstrate what percentage of primary voters have moved their information and political habits away from low information broadcast channels, and towards internet and a more social form of politics.
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