Pannell Quits LL
Late Wednesday, LL’s endorsements for the Sept. 9 primary were posted on this Web site. In them, regarding the Democratic shadow senator race, he gave a chilly endorsement to incumbent Paul Strauss, declining to endorse challenger Philip Pannell due to “his record of quitting in a huff every organization he’s ever joined.”
That was an exaggeration and a reference to Pannell’s oft-deployed sense of outrage, which has led in recent years to his separation from groups including D.C. Vote (over Eugene Dewitt Kinlow’s decision to depart the shadow race), D.C. for Democracy (over a lack of Ward 7 representation among Barack Obama delegates), and the D.C. Democratic State Committee (leading to claims that he was “riding into the sunset” and “done with local politics”). Those are all groups that a shadow senator needs to have effective working relationships with.
Early Thursday morning, while LL was sleeping, Pannell called and left a voice mail. In the morning, when he listened to the message, he heard Pannell in full bloom of outrage, with the Anacostia activist saying he would cease any further communications with LL or City Paper.
LL tried to mend fences with an e-mail, but he received in reply, “What you did goes beyond politics and is nothing more than the destruction of my reputation. You publicly degraded me. Please, please cease any further communication with me.”
As easy as it would be to ascribe such a reaction to that oft-deployed sense of outrage, Pannell has a point.
Pannell has earned better than the one-sentence slam LL dished out. Here’s a guy who has labored tirelessly for decades advocating for east-of-the-river causes, the gay community, and good governance among dysfunctional local Democrats. He’s attended innumerable neighborhood meetings, shown up at just about every political event, and organized countless protests, all with little remuneration. That deserves more respect than what he got from LL this week.
LL isn’t going to change his recommendation—he still thinks Kinlow, with his unmatched record on voting-rights advocacy, would have been the best choice for the job.
But Pannell’s record isn’t something to be mocked; he has done too much good and has been a pain in the asses of too many people who deserve it. Pannell needs to keep doing what he does—cataloging those east-of-the-river snubs and hammering the Nationals on their gay-rights record, for instance—but the shadow senator seat is not the place to do it.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery
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12:41 pm
Once again Pannell shows why he has no business with this job, which requires patience and diplomacy. While LL’s endorsement of Paul Strauss was not glowing, at least he take the heat without cracking under the pressure.
1:10 pm
Wow I cant believe you backed down in the period of one day. Yes, Mr Pannell has done much in his lifetime but how effective has he been lately? Your characterization of him yesterday was either accurate or you were lying, so which could it have been? I am tired of media figures continuing to back down for doing their jobs of reporting the facts and then apologizing when the facts hurt someones feelings. Although I think Strauss is a poser, what has Pannell done to warrant this position. All in all anyone vying for this position MUST hold public forums and conduct polls on what the Citizens of the District of Columbia want in regards to voting rights, statehood etc. Not what Pannell or anyone else wants (All Strauss wants to do is act important, luckily that sometimes helps the cause). In all keep doing the work you do because it is the best only DC local political coverage worth reading
2:02 pm
Thanks for the vote of confidence in my coverage, Tom, but I don’t think I backed down. Phil still doesn’t have my endorsement. He does however have a certain streak of selflessness he doesn’t share with most elected officials in town. So, yeah, I felt bad when he called. So sue me!
2:24 pm
You showed compassion while conserving your opinion, thus defending your paper against charges of being part of the vast left wing media. Way to go.
2:38 pm
Tom - how can you accuse Debonis of backing down, when Wemple folded like a napkin to some stranger in a speedo?
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/09/04/did-city-lifeguards-steal-from-poolgoers/
(The best part is Wemple stating he asked some tough questions, before curling up in a ball and doing what he was told.)
Where is the balance, Tom?
5:02 pm
To D.C.: I think you got me there.
12:51 am
Phil Pannell agreed with your assessment that Eugene Kinlow is a better choice. He said that at the Stein candidate forum where Kinlow withdrew and Pannell jumped into the race. If I recall correctly, Pannell said, “I’m not my first choice. Eugene Kinlow is.” It was a rather unusual statement and does demonstrate a certain selflessness that is rarely seen.