Charlie Crystle, the politically-progressive software millionaire who's running for the Democratic senatorial nomination against Joe Hoeffel here in Pennsylvania, now has a blog. Here 'tis. They're trying to organize Meetups - check it out.

Or read this profile from Wired:

Crystle said the reason he's running for office is simple: He can't sleep watching people around him lose their jobs, their health care and then their homes.

America's trade and economic policies are "killing the middle class, and I won't sit for it," said Crystle, who wants to put the 73-year-old Specter out to pasture.

"Arlen and this administration gave tax cuts to the wealthy," he said, "when they should have been investing in education and training grants for laid-off workers."

While Specter's political career was launched by his claim (while working for the Warren Commission as a prosecutor) that a single bullet killed President Kennedy and wounded Texas Gov. John Connally in four places, Crystle's career has taken even more turns than Specter's magic bullet.

During his meandering career, Crystle has held a variety of jobs in food service, publishing and entertainment, including working as a cook, janitor, proofreader and sound engineer. His work as a songwriter and musician resulted in a record deal with a small label, but he didn't last long in the music industry because, according to Crystle, it creates negative ambition and "can turn you into a mean person."

In 1994, he began teaching himself computer programming and launched a computer company that would evolve into business software company ChiliSoft.

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