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LEVTOVERS: Biden stumps, another 12th District fact-check, an endorsement for Madeira

Vice President Joe Biden was in town to campaign for Arlen Specter on Friday, and that meant political theater all around. Inside the rally at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport, Biden was calling Specter “my single best friend” in Congress. “This is a man who has as much energy, as much passion, as strong a commitment to ending the injustices that surround us, as anyone I’ve ever known,” Biden said.

Outside, military veterans dispatched by Joe Sestak’s campaign were protesting Specter’s attack ad that cites a Navy Times report in saying Sestak created a “poor command climate” at the Pentagon. Bill Walsh, a close Sestak friend and a veteran himself, said that Specter’s “political attack on the service of a veteran” is a “dishonor to every man and woman who has worn the cloth of this nation.”

And as usual, both Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey were able to share some glee in any bad news nugget for the longtime incumbent: Both campaigns pointed out an observation by prominent Scranton reporter Borys Krawczeniuk that the rally with Biden was “one of the smallest crowds I’ve ever seen for someone of his stature. Only about 200 people in a half-filled hangar, most of them local politicians or the politically active or just volunteers for U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s re-election campaign.”

Meanwhile, FactCheck.org continues to have a field day with ads in the 12th Congressional District. After taking Democrats to task for an asserting that Republican Tim Burns supports tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, the best referees in the political-journalism game zeroed in on the GOP side. Examining an ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Web site found that the spot took some liberties with the truth when it came to tying Democrat Mark Critz to party leaders in Congress. Check out their latest analysis here.

And finally, even though 10th District Republican hopefuls Tom Marino and Malcolm Derk have so far garnered the bulk of the party support in their looming primary, Luzerne County chiropractor Dave Madeira had his own endorsement to roll out on Friday—that of former Congressman James Nelligan. A one-term representative in the early 1980s, Nelligan called Madeira “the best we have in the 10th Congressional district,” and said that he is “yearning for somebody with David’s qualifications, David’s philosophy and David’s heart to go back to the days of Reagan, and go back to the days when we had true freedom.”

share001btn LEVTOVERS: Biden stumps, another 12th District fact check, an endorsement for Madeira

April 25, 2010 at 3:26 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

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  1. David Diano

    Apr 25th, 2010

    Dan-
    “Bill Walsh, a close Sestak friend and a veteran himself, said that Specter’s “political attack on the service of a veteran” is a “dishonor to every man and woman who has worn the cloth of this nation.””

    Bill is more than a “close friend” he is Sestak’s VERY well paid employee who managed Sestak’s 2006 campaign has has since run the local 7th CD office. Bill has a vest financial interest in the outcome.

    BTW, in the photos of the event, Bill is wearing a heavy Navy jacket, similar to Sestak’s, but around him are people without jackets and a girl with short sleeves.

    Once again, we see the Sestak campaign using military service as a political prop.

    The day before this even was “Earth Day”.
    So… what did it cost in terms of tolls, gas (+ pollution) and wasted man-power to send all those people to and from Scranton compared to putting a stamp on a letter or sending Biden an email?
    The Sestak campaign is very “green” with their gimmicks and childish stunts, but not very “Green” for the environment.

  2. sick of it all

    Apr 25th, 2010

    DD–u really need to check your personal hate at the door…it is really unbecoming of you. not surprised at Specter’s lukewarm response in NE PA…shame to see Biden prostituting himself like that

  3. Barry

    Apr 26th, 2010

    Specter represents Washington values. We need someone to represent Pennsylvania values!

  4. bill healy

    Apr 26th, 2010

    Dave it was chilly in Scranton on Friday,wish I had a warm jacket myself. It was quite a pitiful turnout for the VP. Barely 200 people most with Specter Volunteer nametags with about 20 of those in attendence being Sestak supporters.

  5. David Diano

    Apr 26th, 2010

    Bill-
    YOU posted this photo at the event of this girl with short sleeves standing next to Bill Walsh.

    http://joesestak.ning.com/photo/biden-specter-scranton-pa-7

    If it was that cold, maybe Bill should have offered her is jacket? :-)

    The other two men visible in the photo aren’t wearing jackets. If you guys didn’t think it would be chilly enough for jackets, why did Walsh?

    Still, it was a campaign event, and Walsh is Sestak’s highly paid District office manager. Scranton is far from the 7th district on a “work day”. I’m sure Walsh will claim a “personal day”, but it’s funny because the staffers who’ve quit complained that they had trouble getting personal days off. I guess campaigning for Sestak makes it okay for Walsh.

  6. David Diano

    Apr 26th, 2010

    Barry-
    Please list and explain 3 “values” for PA vs Washington.
    Also, explain how Sestak, who hasn’t lived in PA since he graduated high school, (and has lived in Virginia the past 12 years) is better to represent PA.

  7. bill healy

    Apr 26th, 2010

    Sestak lives in Edgemont,Pa.

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