Tammy Alonso's Blog

Left of Centre

Weighing in on Specter vs. Sestak

While the potential battle between incumbent Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) has been covered extensively, both here at pa2010.com and elsewhere, I thought I’d go ahead and add my two cents just the same.

Personally, I’m glad Sestak has not ruled out a possible run against the newly Democratic Specter in next year’s primary, and that opinion has nothing whatsoever to do with my feelings toward Specter.

Truth be told, I’ve always kind of liked Specter. I respect and admire his inclination toward and persistence in maintaining (usually) his own independent and often knowledgeable voice.

I just believe that we should have choices, and that voters are better off choosing between candidates than being presented with one anointed by the party elders.

And contrary to what some may insinuate, I am not waiting to see how Specter casts his vote on any particular issue to determine whether or not I will support him. Specter has a decades-long record of service in Washington and an even longer record of public service in general. The voters know who he is and what he stands for. And while Sestak’s public record may be somewhat shorter and not as well-known outside his home district, he too has a lengthy record of service, and could present a worthy and viable option for Democratic primary voters.