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Don Perata For Mayor Facebook Group Has 23 Members

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I just spotted the "Don Perata For Mayor" Facebook Group, which as of this writing has just 23 members.  With time it may ramp-up, but just how much and how long is a gauge of Perata's popularity assuming of course the creator knows what he's doing in promoting the site.

If another Facebook Group pops up with someone running for Mayor and it has more members, that's a reflection on what could happen should Perata run for Mayor of Oakland.

Ok.  Who's in it?  A lot of folks I know.  Here's a sample...
Russ Giuntini
John Protopappas
Robert Harmala
Cynthia Lee
Phillip Tagami
Dan Rush
Richard Tamor

Now what's interesting is who's not on it.  I don't see John Russo or Aimee Aillson for example.  And the people listed already know each other.  OK, why am I not on it?  I'm not yet sold on Perata as Mayor of Oakland.  Love Don personally, but can he be the change agent Oakland needs?  I talked to one activist just yesterday who's really not in favor of Perata at all, and no, it's not Pam Drake.  Moreover Perata wasn't the focus of our conversation at all; the person just brought him up for discussion.

And that underscores my point: of all possible candidates, he's the biggest lightening rod.  It could derail an effort, and even the skills of Political Consultant John Whitehurst, who's also on the page, could not save him because Don's weakness is Internet-based, and Whitehurst, for all of his talents, is not sufficiently skilled in that area to save Don.  Few people are. 

For some reason I see Perata as a Senator.  That's not a crit of our current Senators of California at all, but a complement to Don as his overall trajectory seems to point in that direction.   The kind of issues that can hurt Perata in a mayoral run can actually benefit a Senatorial run.   It's a kind of weird prestige element.

I really think his best role is yet to come and its on Capitol Hill not in Oakland's City Hall.  A Senate seat Perata could win.  I really believe that.
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