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D I S P A T C H E S
A Pol Like You …
Smithereens front man Pat DiNizio runs for U.S. Senate with a "Rockin’ Politics Jersey Style" tour
by Dibya Sarkar Pat DiNizio is the man who would be Jesse Ventura: a political greenhorn - an entertainer, no less - who came out of nowhere seeking high political office. Relying on volunteers and nickel and dime contributions from supporters, DiNizio is running on the Reform Party ticket for the U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey that is being vacated by Sen. Frank Lautenberg. He’s also singing for his votes, so to speak. DiNizio, the front man for the Smithereens, a 20-year-old guitar-driven rock quartet that peaked in the 80s and early 90s, has been courting contributors by doing what he knows best: performing. The candidate plans to do 60 concerts in 60 days as part of his “Rockin” Politics Jersey Style” tour. Traversing the state, DiNizio will play everywhere from fairs and community events to supporters’ homes. Through his Web site (www.DiNizio2000.org) DiNizio is asking for contributions, from $10 to $1,000. The site also features his positions on issues, quotes from luminaries as diverse as Robert F. Kennedy, Charlton Heston and Morpheus (from the film The Matrix), and an excerpt from Bulworth, the film starring Warren Beatty as a politician who speaks out against politics as usual. DiNizio also uses rock radio stations to reach out to his “VH1 audience.” “It’s people that are my age, they grew up listening to our music and are interested in this sort of campaign,” says DiNizio during a recent telephone interview from his Scotch Plains home where he lives with his wife and 6-year-old daughter. “We’re very much bringing the fun sense of rock and roll to this thing because I have to, that’s where I’m from.” He freely admits he wants to use his ‘minor league celebrity” status to get noticed and get his message out - a message that blends populist tones with a mix of Democratic and Republican ideas. “My campaign, first and foremost, is about the empowerment of the American worker and the American family. It’s really, really about making sure that they have a fair living wage, that they’re provided health benefits by their employer, and that they are somehow entitled or able to have pension and retirement benefits,” he explains, echoing themes often present in the songs of fellow New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen. For DiNizio, the campaign isn’t about promoting the Smithereens’ latest album or reclaiming some past glory. The 44-year-old truly believes he can win. But he’s up against political experience and lots of money - not to mention a host of other independent candidates. The GOP candidate is U.S. Rep. Bob Franks (R-Union). Democratic candidate Jon Corzine, the former head of the investment firm Goldman Sachs who spent $36.7 million in the primary campaign against former Gov. Jim Florio, is the odds on favorite to win the seat. But not according to DiNizio. “Jon Corzine is the odds on favorite to shoot himself in the foot with his money,” he says. “There’s already a backlash against him in the state. People really at the bottom of this, no matter what the pundits or the polls say, resent someone that broke the all-time record for primary campaign spending. “Corzine and Franks are going to get in what I call a pissing match with each other,” DiNizio says, “and I’m just going to stand on the outside and let these guys destroy each other.” Not so fast, say campaign officials from both of the major parties. “They’ll (Franks and Corzine) engage in a campaign like many others, discussing issues and providing a choice,” says Charlie Smith, campaign manager for Franks. “Pat and other candidates also provide a choice for voters, and historically, independent candidates receive between 4 and 5 percent of the statewide vote. I see nothing in this presidential election year that would lead me to believe that this would be anything unlike those other years.” That said, Smith offered that he has had the opportunity to “enjoy a beer in the presence of the Smithereens.” Ivette Mendez, press secretary for the Corzine campaign, agrees that DiNizio’s candidacy has little effect on the race. “The only candidacy that Jon takes seriously is his own,” says Mendez.
DiNizio held his first elective office more than 20 years ago. That’s when he was a Republican Party committeeman, serving two terms. “But I was very young and very inexperienced,” he says. “Didn’t have a lot of life experience under my belt. I did it and it was interesting, but really, in essence, accomplished nothing at that point. And then I wanted to play guitar.” The band’s most recent effort, God Save the Smithereens, was released in 1999. DiNizio says his songs - his most famous are “Girl Like You” and “Blood and Roses’ - are not political and he and his band mates never wanted to be political. “Our music was designed to entertain and uplift and take people out of the doldrums of whatever. We didn’t want to dilute that with a political message.” Fast forward to December 1998. President Bill Clintons Senate impeachment hearings bring DiNizio literally to tears and spark an increased sense of activism. He decides he’ll run for the Senate. But why the Senate? “One of my fans had sent me an e-mail upon first hearing of my campaign for U.S. Senate and said, “Pat, are you crazy? Why don’t you run for something smaller like dog catcher or mayor?” My response to that: Had I gone through the typical channels or worked my way through the system and spent 12 years trying to get to this point, I would truly be part of the problem and not part of the solution. That’s how I feel about it.” Not surprisingly, DiNizio proclaims himself "the candidate of the people." "I call myself almost jokingly a citizen politician, but it’s the truth," he says. "I’m not beholden to special interests. There’s no corporate money coming into my account. There’s no soft money. It’s all donations from average Americans." DiNizio says you don’t have to be a “rocket scientist” to be a U.S. Senator, but it does require ’smarts … ambition, will power, and personal strength. But more than that, I think you have to have empathy for people. You have to care about people. You have to care about working people. You have to care about families and I think that’s what I bring to the table.” But DiNizio has little to offer in terms of solutions. He talks like a Republican when it comes to reducing government interference in the day-to-day lives of people, but sounds like a Democrat when he says he’s pro-choice regarding abortion despite being a Catholic. He’s a supporter of the Second Amendment, but almost resembles a socialist when talking about the disparity between the rich and poor. He also has plenty of ideas about increasing voter participation by using the Internet, and by designating Saturday, Sunday and Monday as election days, instead of Super Tuesday. And he’s for term limits. Campaign finance reform is a major issue for him and he wants to make it a major issue for the people. He reads a news story over the phone about Sen. John McCain threatening to shut down the Senate unless the issue is addressed, but when DiNizio is asked whether he would support the McCain-Feingold bill, he says he’ll wait and see what it really is. But DiNizio admits he doesn’t have all the answers and no one does. He says you surround yourself with the best people you can find and then you find the answers to the questions. For now, that circle includes his family. In the middle of discussing campaign finance reform, DiNizio is interrupted. “Mom, I’m doing an interview,” he says apologetically. “My mother is “” “Can he send an e-mail?” a female voice inquires. “Hold on,” says DiNizio, excusing himself. Several seconds later, DiNizio returns to the phone and explains: “My mom is my treasurer.”
For three months, DiNizio conducted a national “living room” tour. For a couple of thousand dollars, an average Joe or Jane could get the lead singer of the Smithereens to come to his or her house and play for them and their friends. He drove 50,000 miles during that time in a rented car and learned a lot. He said he heard of people working two and three jobs to make ends meet. He said these people see him as a regular guy from New Jersey. But he’s also the first rock and roll star to run for national political office. The late Sonny Bono can be counted as the only other recent popular musician to hold national office. While athletes like former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley and U.S. Rep. Steve Largent, actors such as President Reagan and Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and entertainers like Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura are successful crossovers, there are no rock stars. Jello Biafra, former lead singer for the punk group Dead Kennedys, had political inklings but never put his hat in the ring for the California gubernatorial seat. Most recently, he considered a Green Party bid for president, but turned that down as well. DiNizio says he doesn’t know why more musicians aren’t running for office when they’ll certainly get behind different causes like human rights, protection of the environment and humanitarian aid. But where most musicians are liberal, DiNizio sees himself as a centrist. “I believe that the center is where the quiet or the forgotten majority of people are,” he says. “They’re in the center. They’re not far right. They’re not bombing abortion clinics and they’re not actively supporting abortion either. How do we bring people together? Where’s the consensus on something like this? That’s where I come in to try to be the peacemaker because we can’t have this nonsense going on anymore.” With this type of rhetoric, DiNizio is hoping to reach the large base of registered independent voters, numbering nearly 3 million in the state. There are about 1.1 million registered Republicans and 850,000 registered Democrats. Disgusted by the events that took place at the Reform Party Convention, he is now mulling over a run as an independent candidate. But DiNizio returns to the message he’s been saying throughout the interview. “In the end, win, lose or draw, we’re going to get a lot of people to register to vote. Whether I win or not is not the issue. It’s about getting people involved in the political process. Getting people to think about who they are and what they are and what they mean. But I’m not in this thing to lose it, brother. I’m in it to win.” And if he does win, what happens to the Smithereens? “I’ll take them to Washington,” he laughs. “How’s that for an answer?”
Dibya Sarkar is a reporter for civic.com. He lives in Washington, D.C. Sites Mentioned Related Sites
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