Like we didn’t know this was coming. Next will be Young-Sestak engagement announcement in the Inquirer.

Correction: the UFCW Local 1776 WAS a “powerful political force in the southeast.” Now, these nefarious labor racketeers – who are the targets of a far-reaching Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe – are little more than an albatross around Representative Sestak’s neck.

Hmmm… according to Title 18, Part I Chapter 96 Section 1961, “racketeering activity” includes any act which is indictable under Title 18 Section 1512 (relating to tampering with a witness, victim or an informant), Section 1513 (relating to retaliating against a witness, victim or informant), Section 1341 (relating to mail fraud) and a host of other provisions. Yep…the operative word is definitely WAS.

Philly Guy: Oh my. After being endorsed by Rep. Barney Frank (who, in the midst of an ethics inquiry, was forced to admit that he had once paid a male aide for sex) and Rep. Massa (who now stands accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward a male aide), the last thing Sestak needs is a “civil union” with a male labor union chieftain!

Dan-
I think you might have a typo here.

I’m pretty sure that the endorsement for Sestak was from ONLY the UFCW LOCAL 1776, and NOT the “International” Union.

Also, I think that Young misspoke on the issue of Card Check. Sestak started working on the “compromise” version before he even had a chance to vote on the full version. In an interview last spring, Rendell made a point that Sestak and Specter were BOTH working on basically the same compromise version.

Philly Guy-
Do you demagogoue, take this labor racketeer…

So, let’s see if I’ve got this straight – Wendell Young nominates Sestak at the State endorsement convention. Shortly after, these ugly, anonymous comments start appearing on the internet with all kinds of slander against – surprise! – Young and Sestak. Longtime Sestak adversary Dave Diano jumps aboard. And the slander, the lies, the promise of a scandal that somehow never quite happens and is never quite spelled out, just pours forth without end.

It’s tough going up against the State Committee.

Bruce-
You’re a bit off on your timeline. The allegations by Hater began appearing here on PA2010 weeks before Wendell’s nomination of Sestak at State Committee. So, you are simply mistaken on that point.

The allegations from Hater’s Source, were filed (signed and notarized) with FBI against Sestak and Young about 10 months ago, long before the State Committee meeting.

So, you didn’t “have this straight”. Now you do.

As for the allegations being reported on… they are being investigated by non-biased (non Sestak-haters) journalists. The toughest part is getting a quote from the FBI to confirm if an investigation is underway (but there are ways to get confirmation, without getting a direct quote).
As for the “scandal”, it’s not something “somehow never quite happens”. It’s about actions that have already occurred.
The details have been pretty well spelled out here. I’ve left out the names of the specific witnesses, but they were spelled out to the FBI in the allegations. Plenty of people to interview.

[...] Read the pa2010 story here: [...]

[...] pa2010.com, [...]

It is clear, Wendell is NOT his father. I worked for him and went to the 1980 Democratic convention. He tried to do what was right but his son doesn’t seem to try. Yes they do have members but not all of them will stick with this losing endorsement. Seems like he only wanted Sestak since the union is in Blue bell, PA. Gee does that mean it is also in the 7th CD ?I have a uncle and three cousin’s in 1776 and they are supporting Sen Spector as they always had even before he was a Democrat.Joe talks a good game but look at his votes and attendance records. Sad to say the most. What has Sestak done for card check. Nothing !

Wow, Lana — you worked for Sestak (per previous comment) AND you worked for Wendell??? What a busy gal!

Things must be pretty boring over there in the Specter office, eh? Well, I’m glad to see you guys are spending your time posting on the Internet instead of doing real campaign work.

Diano:

Your observations fail to cut any ice. A homophobe has no credibility! But I have news break for u, gay rights is importnt to many people!

A clear right wing hachett man running a false flag operation on this blog.

I thought we defeated you people in the ’60s, but I guess we failled….

Best

Bruce-
I think she meant she worked the father, Wendell Young III. The 1980 Dem convention was 30 years ago, so she wouldn’t have been working for # IV.

Working for Sestak over 25 years later doesn’t automatically make her a “busy gal”.

BTW…
Today is the last day of petitions, and it looks like Sestak has not gathered signatures for the 7th CD in addition to the Senate, so that ends that rampant (and ridiculous) speculation that he might try to retain the seat and get on ballot for both offices.

No, Sestak is all in for Senate. And I think you and I are both Lentz fans – we can agree on that.

I believe that Blue Bell is in the 6th Congressional District (Jim Gerlach-R), not the 7th.

Bruce-
I know Sestak is all-in for the Senate, so I’m glad to be rid of him, soon.

However, there was speculation that he would file for the PA-7 as well, especially considering the abysmal poll numbers. The speculation got a boost when the campaign received congressional ballot petitions (supposedly unsolicited from some automated process in the Democratic party).

The Lentz campaign was prepared (though not eager) to take on Sestak in a primary, if it came to that.

Brandon-
I think that the union is in the 6th district, but I think that Wendell himself is in the 7th district.

Well, Dave, Joe Sestak will be your US Senator, so it’s not like you’ll be “rid of him.” Thankfully, though, we will be done with fake Democrat Arlen Specter. There was never any reasonable or attributed speculation that Joe was even thinking of filing for the 7th, just more of the nameless, faceless sludge-stirring that surfaces on these message boards.

Bruce-
The Lentz campaign was genuinely concerned enough about it to the point of Lentz himself addressing the possibility when he visited our local committee and vowing to stay in the primary. Also, the possibility of Joe re-entering the PA-7 race was considered realistic enough by donors that they were holding off on Lentz’s campaign. (I expect that with Joe now out running for PA-7, that Lentz’s fundraising will improve.)

Earlier this week, a friend of mine in West Chester told me that very early in the campaign, Joe’s sister was asking the bigger donors if they would stick with Joe if he dropped back to defend his seat.
I agree that Joe himself (publicly) didn’t talk about the possibility. But, then again, Joe doesn’t “publicly” talk about any possibility of losing in May, either.

I still haven’t heard a realistic path for Sestak to overcome a 24-point deficit in the polls, especially if the polling shows Specter as the only one of the two ahead of Toomey.

Sestak causing a scandal with the Obama administration over a job offer isn’t making Joe any friends. The Massa endorsement blew up in Joe’s face.

The NOW endorsement was a good “get” for Joe, but it’s not going to carry the day.

Representative Sestak, according to PAWatercooler and other sources, is once again making unsubstantiated accusations against the incumbent Democratic President of the United States. How, exactly, do such remarks enhance the various causes that Representative Sestak purports to believe in? How, precisely, do such comments advance the progressive agenda? Do the denizens of PA benefit from unfounded allegations concerning the President of the United States? If not, then would a Sestak supporter (if one truly exists) shed some light on why this unprincipled demagogue continually reiterates this baseless claim?

Some in this forum have accused Mr. Diano and myself of making groundless accusations and furnishing no evidence (even though I have provided evidence to Mr. Hirschhorn and others). Why is it permissible for Representative Sestak to repeatedly make accusations concerning the incumbent President of the United States without furnishing any evidence to buttress his claims? Why doesn’t this stir outrage? Hmm..I detect a stench – the stench of hypocrisy among Sestak’s minions.

Diano:

Or should I call you “eagle-eye”, thers no reason to beleive, as you suggest, that Shestak will have anything more or less that a primary fight on his hands.

Your allegation that Sestak is essentially “knocking down” key endorsements and setting himslef up for victory is popycock.

Then

When is it OK to slam Spector on his pro-union, and anti-femenist approach, but yet not OK to deal with Sestaks long history of belonging to the worst sector of teh grass roots tea party movement?

You use a clear douible standard that you use, and I seen it time and time again in what you say.

Specter will clearly only prevail (accoording to my inside sources) if Toomey endorses Shestak.

That may, or may not, happen.

Get a few clues Diano.

Bruce Bailey: If Joe Sestak is destined to become a U.S. Senator, then why did his Political Director, his Communications Director and other critical staff members abandon him weeks ago? Would these all-important staffers abandon Sestak’s Senate bid if they were supremely confident that he would emerge victorious? Of course not. Sestak for Senate is little more than a means to an end at this juncture. His aims: to raise additional moneys for a Legal Defense Fund, and to set the stage for his only possible defense, namely, that the charges against him are politically motivated and were orchestrated by vengeful Democrats and the White House. Nothing more.

Mr. Diano: Massa is now claiming – as Sestak undoubtedly will in the very near future – that there is a conspiracy among prominent Democrats to remove him from office. The fact that he made unwanted sexual advances to a male aide is utterly irrelevant, apparently. Empirical facts are of no consequence to corrupt office-holders like Massa – and Sestak.

Sestak will adopt a similar approach, insisting that the federal probes he faces stem from a vast Obama-inspired conspiracy. Bribes, labor racketeers, frame-ups of innocent people – its all a conspiracy! Good luck with that strategy, Joe. You’ll need it.

The polls show that among voters who know both candidates — Sestak and Specter — Joe Sestak leads. Why else would the Arlen Specter supporters be throwing around all this garbage on the web?

Lana: The UFCW Local 1776 is actually headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, PA, not Blue Bell. And yes, Wendell Young III is indeed a revered figure in the labor union movement. His son, Wendell Young IV, however, is most assuredly not. Young IV is noted only for his utter incompetence (as reflected in the Local 1776′s pension fund, which is teetering on the brink of total collapse/federal intervention – check it out for yourself) and his alleged improprieties (most of which are currently being probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other major federal agencies).

Bill: Don’t know – garbage and ol’ Joe just seem to be a perfect fit somehow. Maybe its because they’re both being disposed of by PA voters.

Diano:

If you cant respond, just ask your pals Dr Bob Skalroff and Guzzradi. They gonna setcha straight…

According to Politico, the allegations against Representative Massa include groping various young men. Good to know that ol’ Joe has such reputable, upstanding friends, isn’t it?

Update: Now Representative Massa is publicly acknowledging that he groped various males, but insists that it was “not sexual.” Perhaps the time has come for Massa’s dear friend, Representative Sestak, to comment on this matter. Does the 7th District demagogue condone such behavior? If not, why the reluctance to comment?

Mancini-
I’ve got no idea who “Dr Bob Skalroff and Guzzradi” are.

I didn’t respond to your last round of randomness, because I could find my “insane” to “sane” decoder ring.

You seem to be substituting Sestak and Specter in your ramblings. I realize that both names begin with the letter “S”, but the similarities end there.

Can anyone else make heads or tails out of what Mancini is saying?

Hater-
Massa keeps digging himself a deeper hole with his changing stories. First he was quitting for health reasons. The we find out that a staffer had filed a complaint a month early. Now we find out it’s more than one staffer.
I don’t see how Massa can claim it’s a conspiracy from the powers that be, when the allegations are coming from with his own staff.

Mr. Diano: And yet Representative Massa continues to make TV appearances and issue absurd public statements. How dare he even show his face in public? The audacity, the temerity, of some office-holders never ceases to amaze. Those who have wondered how Representative Sestak can continue his ill-fated Senate bid in the midst of ongoing federal investigations should bear this in mind. The effrontery, gall and foolhardiness of some politicians should not be underestimated.

My theory- Diano and Hater are one and the same. Altre-egos, if you will.

So Diano is a comic book fan…superman, agua-man, solomon grundy metaphores abound. And bizzoro.

I never said Shestak and Spector are companions, or that tight as buddies (as Diano claims they are), but they are more or less in the same party. And as they say, “speak softly, and carry the biggest weapon” is what they both parctice.

Its a rough and double world, if you have the stomach for it. And I think both Hafer and Shestak do.

Spector is a changling of a man, with many illusions to present to the lemming voters. And he may yet stay alive for one more term, but we’ll all have to embrace his version of isklam, if he does.

You are always so incredibly off of the point and swimming out of the stream of centrist thinking. I cant figure, are you an ultra-conservative, or do you inhabit the nether reaches of liberslim, where the right and the left meet up?

It happended to sheldraje in 1972, o’fallon in 64 and Proxmire in 1987. Remeber Sandy Serafim, from harrisburg? Kay-why-doubleyou – news-radio……1060.

Massa was set up by the capos and scions of leftism because he would not toe the line for the Pres. So he goes down.

I see from Di-Diano’s comments that he is offended by gays, so there is persaonel animus at play for him.

Go the way of the true and the just Diano, abandon the air of your ways pal.

It can work, I seen it….

Mancini-
You continue your batting average of .000

Hater and I have nothing in common but a dislike for Sestak.
Are you Spanish? aguaman? Try Aquaman. BTW, it’s spelled Bizarro.

Seriously, is English a second language for you? That would explain the typos and incorrect idioms. (It’s a rough and tumble, not “double”, world.)

Did you actually put together Specter and “his version of isklam”? Are you smoking crack?

Where do you get than I’m offended by gays? I’m on the record for removing DADT. I’m not only for gay marriage, but for a Constitutional amendment protecting gay marriage.
The only gays that offend me are the gay politicians in the closet that vote against gay rights.

I think the Massa thing is a riot. I was talking to a fellow member of my committee about how Massa endorsed Sestak. And he went, “You mean the guy that quit over the sexual harassment scandal?” He didn’t even realize the guy endorsed Sestak the day before. LOL!

Still no public comment from Sestak concerning Massa’s conduct. Endorsements reveal a great deal about a candidate. Sestak has been recently been endorsed by a nefarious labor racketeer under investigation by federal authorities and a sexual predator that gropes young males. Revealing indeed.

The Glen Beck interview was bizarre. Massa was talking about how “tickle-fights” were common in the Navy.

At the time of his Sestak endorsement, Massa also said that he and Joe served together.

I wonder if he was “tickled” to endorse Joe.

Mr. Diano: Bizzare indeed. As mentioned previously, the fact that the only notable members of Congress to endorse Representative Sestak, Barney Frank (who reluctantly admitted paying a young male aide/prostitute for sex) and Massa (who apparently believes that groping young males without their consent is acceptable behavior) have both faced ethics/illicit homosexual conduct allegations in the past is also rather bizarre. Very bizarre, in fact. Representative Sestak’s continued silence on this issue is also quite interesting. Shouldn’t Representative Sestak be voicing support for his longtime friend? Or is friendship valuable to him only when it is politically expedient?

Things are going down hill rapidly for ol’ Joe. On MSNBC, Senator Specter has challenged Sestak to substantiate his ludicrous claim that the White House offered him a cabinet position last year. To make matters worse, Senator Specter openly suggested that Sestak’s claim was patently false. Meanwhile, the PA Democratic Chairman has publicly lambasted Sestak for not complying with state and federal minimum wage laws. Oh – and these feeble attempts to blackmail the White House, rather than deter the various federal probes against Sestak, are only exacerbating the situation.

Wow, specter believing something is false really shouldn’t be taken seriously. Does specter still believe that mccain/palin was the best ticket on the ballot in 2008? Does specter still believe that we should institute a flat tax? Does specter still believe in republican values? I think his 30 years of being a republican are an insult to the democratic party. This political opportunist would rather save his job than stand up and fight for working pennsylvanians. It’s time we finally voted specter out of office.

hatespecter-
Even if I agreed with everything you stated, Specter is still better than Sestak and Toomey.

I have been reading the past two weeks of articles and I find a trend that the only articles about Specter and Sestak is support from Big Labor and Gays. I guess these are the only two groups that Democrats can get to vote for them anymore. Also I am sick of hearing about republicans being slaves to special interest. Andy Stern could take a crap on a plate and get a democratic congressman to eat the corn out of it. Just in case you were not aware unions are as much a special interest as the NRA or chamber.