Persistence after a phone interview. Good or Bad?

Right on! Good luck.
Having been a free agent myself recent, I know how stressful this can be.

I think however that it is bad form to let you hang on this long without any word.
Eddie is probably right, they are ether busy or keeping you “warm”. Regardless, I think this lack of care towards a pending applicant is not cool.
Even if they are trying to keep you around and string you along, how difficult would it be to send you another email, letting you know that they are still looking into things and need a bit more time to get their ducks in a row?

If you get a position, maybe you can inspire change in their hiring practices.