When Joe ran against Craig Williams in 2008, I gave Joe ZERO support. I didn’t advocate for Williams. I pretty much stayed out of the race. I voted for neither of them.

So, your “moment of clarity” was completely filled with GOP smog.

I pretty much vote straight-Dem, unless I think one of the Dem candidates is a complete @sshole. I didn’t vote for Bob Casey Sr. back in 1990. (Oddly, enough, Casey was the one non-GOP vote ever made by a conservative friend of mine.)

Making that kind of outrageous money when there is no campaign may actually run afoul of some Congressional Ethics or FEC rules regarding “personal” use of campaign funds. One can hardly argue it’s industry standard wages outside of campaign season and fair compensation.

Actually, the first campaign was successful despite the efforts of Joe’s siblings. They got a lot of help from the Delco Dems to get off the ground, and Bill Walsh came in to crack-the-whip in the summer. The FBI investigation into Weldon changed the race from a virtual tie to a blowout.

The second campaign was against a nearly invisible opponent who had to be dragged into the race to fill the GOP slot. Sestak never even bothered to spend a dime on either TV or radio ads. That’s how little work was needed. So it was, hardly a contest to prove one’s mettle.

This third time, the team is managing the unusual feat of getting three strikes in a single at-bat. No message. No support. No organization.

I’m certain that this campaign will lay to rest the “Sestak” campaign mythology and show that hard work is not a substitute for “smart” work with top people.

Even back in 2006, I heard complaints from people that the Sestak office had a lot of people tripping over each other and duplicating work, and wasting effort that could have been used to help other candidates.
Other than Bryan Lentz, no Dem seats were gained under Sestak, despite his more than 10 point margins of victory. Part of the reason for this is that Sestak screwed over local Dems in Republican leaning districts by courting split ticket voters and not encouraging party-line votes.

The Sestak’s are now reaping what they have sown: manure (because they never bothered planting seeds)

It is apparent that his fundraising has not progressed enough to run statewide. It also figures that Specter, Obama and Rendell have cut off his labor contributions, and with other major donors seeing his pitiful polling numbers his contributions will be significantly harder to obtain (ie. nobody’s throwing good money after bad).

Once he doesn’t get the parties endorsement, staffers who want to work again and do not want to be associated with a candidate running against the party, properly resign.

The only staffers left have no need for future political positions (ie. his family).

Put a fork in him, he is cooked.

Hater-
I realize that it might seem like Sestak is getting a late advertising start, but the petition process hasn’t completed. If you notice, no one else is advertising yet either.
Voters have little attention span and with the current political climate with health care and such, ads would not only be a waste of time and money, but counter productive.
Onorato’s got a ton of money, but you don’t see him advertising.

No, advertising makes sense only for the last few weeks. Besides, Sestak doesn’t have a enough money to advertise for more than a few weeks.

The question you raised, however, is a burning one: why has this candidate – who still suffers from minimal name recognition in some parts of this state – refrained from advertising thus far? It could be because of the above-mentioned staff turmoil – or perhaps Sestak faces a major dilemma. Squander his resources on a media blitz that will almost certainly fail, or conserve those resources and deposit them in a Legal Defense Fund, which almost ceratinly will need soon. Quite a dilemma indeed.

Sestak can’t “magically” rely upon is own name recognition improving as a path to beat Toomey, since Toomey is in the same situation. The poll shows that people with an opinion/preference are picking Toomey over Sestak. Sestak’s head-to-head with Toomey: it helped Toomey.

Sestak has demonstrated he can’t put together a statewide organization and hold onto his staffers.

How many staffers would quit on Sestak in October?

We don’t see (or hear about) key Specter staffers leaving. Specter’s had the SAME campaign manager and political director since at least last summer, as well as plenty of other key staffers, in positions Sestak has yet to fill.

Sestak’s strategy seems like that of a kid putting off book report until the night before it’s due, then discovering the library doesn’t have any copies left. He’s unprepared.