“[We didn't] ..imply any endorsements from any of the several people quoted.”

Then why put them in the fundraising email in the first place, if not to imply the endorsement?

If the quotes were used legitimately as the Sestak campaign pretends:
1) There would not have been such a strong complaint from those misleadingly quoted

2) The campaign could have kept the quotes for future mailings, if they fairly “used published quotes as part of our campaign materials”.

I’ve met Penny Gerber. She’s Mike Gerber’s mom and she is one smart and powerful lady. She’s exactly the wrong person for Sestak to tick off.

As Bugs Bunny would say: “What a maroon.”

BTW, in today’s Daily News, John Baer has some fun at Sestak’s expense referring to “THE GONNA-HAPPEN-someday-soon-I-really-mean-it candidacy of Joe Sestak”, Joe’s odd way of speaking, and how he drones on so long that John left 40 minutes into Sestak’s conference call about his 67 county tour.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20090727_John_Baer__Sestak_is_undeterred_by_large_odds.html

He even refers to: “When asked why he’s running, his response is confusing: ‘I felt I had to pay back because of my daughter’s brain tumor.’ ”

I thought that the health plan that saved his daughter was the US paying Joe back for his service. As a taxpayer and voter, I’d say we were even and prefer Joe go home to Virginia and stop doing us any more favors.

Everyone keeps forgetting we have a solid lifelong Democrat in this race who is giving the PA voters a choice. Bill Kortz is a hard working candidate who has been traversing this state from border to border asking for and finally getting the support he deserves. There’s no games when it comes to Bill Kortz. It’s all hard work and grass roots at its finest.

http://www.kortzforsenate.com

Kortz is from Allegheny county, where Jim Burn is chairman. I’d suspect Jim would support Kortz over Sestak anyway, especially after Sestak’s campaign trying to fake an endorsement for a fundraiser.

Sestak’s got no real support for several reasons:
1) Few would consider going against the Dem leadership
2) It’s a long shot campaign
3) Specter is being very useful helping with moderates (including reluctant Dems)
4) It’s a waste of party resources when we already have a Dem to go spend money fighting each other instead of Toomey.
5) Most are like “What’s a Sestak?”
6) Sestak’s reputation as an uncooperative pol that doesn’t help his local party precedes him. No one’s going to stick their neck out for an ungrateful guy that wouldn’t give them the salt off a pretzel.
7) Sestak hasn’t waited his turn in line and paid his dues in PA politics. If Sestak’s wins, they move backward in line. If (when) Sestak loses, he goes back to his proper place at the end of the line.

Bill Kortz is a conservative Democrat and running to the right of Specter and mainstream Democratic politics. Lets be real and reelect proven leadership in the Senate!

Spin, David, spin.

If you actually believe that Sestak’s campaign is a long shot, then what long odds will you give me that Specter wins the primary?

Lee-
It’s illegal to wager on elections. However, it’s looking more likely that Sestak won’t even make it to the primary.

Tonight I attended the Montgomery county Dem annual dinner (following their golf outing). I met plenty of candidates, committee people and even some interns helping out. I could not find a single Sestak supporter. I would start with “What do you think of the Specter/Sestak race?” (without revealing my opinion first)

Tonight I realized that I’ve been over-estimating Sestak’s appeal. During the dinner, the MC read a LONG list of sponsors and candidates, including those present and absent. Specter was mentioned, as was Allyson Schwartz. However, even though Sestak represents more than 11% of the precincts, his name was not announced.

The consensus on the primary was that:
1) Sestak was wasting his time and money
2) While there was no “love” for Specter, neither was there any animosity or drive to remove him. He’s considered a “true Independent”, and people respect that.
3) People who heard both of them speak at some recent Montco event were mocking how Sestak answered every question with “when I was an Admiral..”. Sestak is considered a joke.
4) Among the fans of Penny Gerber.. Sestak’s email “snafu” misquoting her went over VERY badly. One legislator referred to it as a rookie mistake you’d expect from a first time candidate. Others were less kind in their assessments.

It was very refreshing to be among Dems that weren’t mesmerized (or lobotomized) by Sestak, and saw him for what he is.

As for people that didn’t know much about Sestak, I was MORE than happy to fill them in (with saltier language that Dan allows me to use here). I left the event wondering if Sestak could get elected dog catcher in Montco.

BTW, the Specter campaign had a least 3 people there working the room. None for Joe that I could find.

That’s what I thought, David. Unwilling to put your money where your spin is. Who’s the last person you know who was charged criminally for betting on an election? Just keep spinning. And let the reader beware.

It is interesting to note that, of the dozens of your posts that I’ve read, you either denigrate Sestak or praise Specter’s tactics. I don’t believe I’ve seen much, if any, praise of Specter as a worthy public official deserving of reelection. For many years, I saw Specter as a mixed bag (or independent, if you will); but he lost me and lots of voters when he became a reliable supporter of Bush-Cheney for the last 8 years. Your spin, unfortunately for Specter, can’t change that.

Lee-
Who was the last person that bet on an election that would be dumb enough to announce (confess) to it on a public blog? Besides, it a good bet that I “might” already have several bets on this already with people that aren’t strangers. Duh!

Sestak’s got no support and his name will likely NOT appear on many county sample ballots of endorsed candidates. He’ll probably be on Delco’s, if there is an endorsed sample ballot.

Sestak doesn’t even have the balls to declare his candidacy. Supposedly he got permission from his 8-year old daughter (and maybe the family dog). He can declare anytime, and still spend the next month with his family before school starts, without “deploying”.
Is he waiting for Congressional recess? Who know? (and who cares at this point?)

Sestak has dragged out his “To run or not to run” Hamlet act for too long. He’s holding up the line for the people that want his seat, and the people that want the seat of his replacement. Nobody with an ounce of common sense believes that Joe is running for anybody but himself.