But it’s not too often that you hear people call him a bad Senator.

Party affiliation aside, I think Arlen has done a good job for Pennsylvania.

It’s a disgrace that we’re talking about the guy who campaigned with ads like this 6 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3HOb0NEJ1E & then made ads like this for other people in 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da83vt-4HAQ is now asking to have my vote of confidence in 2010 to carry out the important progressive initiatives that this country needs.

I can’t trust Specter and I think he’s not moving past a wall to naturally be more progressive, but pandering to the left to get elected because he couldn’t do it with the right.

I think we’re all smarter than to be duped by Arlen once again.

Based on what I’ve seen so far of Sestak’s campaign promises versus his voting record, to me, he’s the bigger flight risk. We know where Arlen is and the direction he is heading. Specter has won, election after election because Dems have voted for him and KNOW that he works hard for PA.

BTW, it’s NOT that he voted to fund the armed services. The problem is that he campaigned SPECIFICALLY on timetables or similar form of accountability attached to the money. It was his JOB as a Congressman to exercise oversight and demand that war was conducted and fund conditional upon benchmarks and methods of measuring success. He FAILED COMPLETELY at this key issue, which was the MAIN reason he was elected.
How about Telecom immunity and warrant-less wiretaps? Sestak has shown clear tendencies toward overreaching Executive power without accountability. This is NOT the proper role of the legislative branch in a system of checks and balances. Sestak just doesn’t get it.

Over the years, Specter’s the one that been running into a wall whenever he’s tried to move to the Left. That wall has now been removed, and Specter is able to move toward his more natural tendencies.

BTW, did you catch the story about how Specter backed restoration of the Clean Water act (and our other Democratic Senator, Bob Casey has been silent on the bill).

http://www.youngphillypolitics.com/specter_backed_water_wow_clean_water_restoration_act_key_ecohealth

Just more evidence that Specter, when freed of the Right-wing pressure of the past decades, is finding his equilibrum here towards the Left.

If this is what our democracy has come to, it’s a sad day. Primaries aren’t about the money or the resources, they are about the conversations you have at dinner with old friends or people at work about our state. Anointing Arlen robs us of that.

With so much at stake in the next few years in PA and across the country, I’ll take a chance on a guy with a good, even if shorter record (even including the one issue, funding the armed services, that you keep citing) over a guy who is being forced to act like someone he’s not (and won’t be unless he’s) under pressure to be elected.

Specter has done a fine job, but we get everything he votes for and more with Sestak. Time for a change and not worth the risk of having a Republican in the statehouse selecting a new Republican to send to the Senate.

Before Sestak starting making noise about challenging Specter, the Senate Dems stripped Specter’s seniority when he started making some GOP noises after the switch. Specter’s tune changed immediately. It was very clear that the restoration of his seniority would occur when he got reelected, IF he stayed in line.

Sestak is trying to take credit and make it sound like he’s the one pulling Specter to the Left. Actually, Joe’s been the one drifting to the Right to appeal to the conservative voters outside of his district. So, Specter is actually the one making Sestak tack to the Left temporarily.

If you look at Sestak’s voting record, there are a ton of warning flags: blank check on Iraq (twice), warrant-less wiretaps, and telecom immunity.

His record is also sparse because he’s a one-term congressman and there are MANY hot button issues he hasn’t even voted on yet. Sestak’s a BIG unknown on these issues. We can’t trust any campaign promises he makes, because he completely betrayed the peace-movement that worked on his 2006 campaign.

Arlen’s not the greatest Senator, but at least you know what you are getting.

Yah think Specter would be doing all this if Sestak had not announced his intention to get into the race?

Who’s your daddy, bitch?

That’s a lot of work, pressure and aggravation for a guy that already has a short fuse.

As for “owing” Specter a vote, I’m saying at this stage that he’s owed anything more than us keeping an open mind. However, if he votes the right way this coming year and lives up to his end, I feel he will have EARNED my vote.

Sestak LOST my vote when he supported Bush and Cheney in key votes that were contrary to his 2006 campaign. I would love to have had “Campaign Joe” in Congress. Instead, we got “Politician Joe” that broke faith with us and never admits to making mistakes or offers apologies.

Rendell makes a good case for how Specter has helped the Dems, and specifically help Pennsylvanians over the years. Specter defended himself well and answered his critics directly

Much as Specter is interested in keeping his job, I do think that he believes he does a good job for Pennsylvania and as a moderate Senator who bridges the bipartisan gap on key legislation.

I haven’t seen Sestak pulling the Blue Dogs over to our side, but rather his votes with the GOP have given the Blue Dogs political cover.

The BIG picture is that a PA Senate Primary will be a colossal waste of time, money and resources that could be put to better use in other more critical races (regardless of who wins).

Sestak is trying to convince people that the “anointing” of Specter is so unique and unprecedented that for Joe it is a call to arms and gets his blood boiling until he cries out for justice and thus, he feels compelled to act to save us all (.. or some similar histrionic argument).

Of course, this is total BS. Sestak had obviously planned this run for months with some carefully laid roll out strategy that went to hell the moment Specter switched, and forced Joe to regroup and pretend that he has some higher calling. (gag)

Does anyone recall Sestak asking Bryan Lentz to stay in the 2006 Primary race after Rendell talked Lentz out of it? How about the Casey primary? The party machine backed Casey as the candidate to unseat Santorum and Sestak didn’t make a peep.

I am I “fan” of Specter? Not really. Was I impressed with how he handled himself Thursday night? Yes.
Has Specter expended political capital (to the point of GOP suicide) to be the swing vote for the Dems on key issues? Absolutely.

Specter’s still got to deliver on the votes during the next year. But if he holds up his end, I can reward him with my vote (as will the Unions).
Sestak’s votes on the Iraq War and the funding of Cheney’s office proved (to me) that he can’t be trusted with a two-year House term, let alone a six-year Senate term.
His abusive handling of his staff and explosive temper will likely prevent him from attracting and/or retaining the “best of the best”, which is much more critical in the Senate.

Finally, Sestak hasn’t demonstrated sufficient party loyalty nor a willingness to “pay his dues”. He’s laughably trying to compare himself to Obama (who has paid his political dues by putting in about two decades of progressive leadership from the community level on up).

I noticed the first hints of Sestak’s dissatisfaction with being a Congressman when he voted for the Iraq War blank check, and was criticized (and protested) by the anti-war peace movement that worked hard for his initial election. Joe didn’t like being questioned and threatened that if people didn’t like his votes then maybe he wouldn’t run for re-election.

It was a few months afterward that I noticed Sestak was heavily involved and working his tail off for the Hillary campaign (at one event I overheard him remark how they even sent him off to Nevada). The belief among myself and others was that this was Joe’s escape route from Congress (and irate constituents and campaigning) to a cushy appointment. Clinton’s defeat cut-off that escape route.

I was all in favor of keeping him stuck in Congress and chaffing against the limits of a job he claimed to love, as a fitting punishment. However, now, Sestak is apparently going to make the leap into oblivion by leaving his seat for a failed Senate run. It’s a two-fer!

Run Joe Run! Please.