And while my reply will probably not be read or noticed by the President or any of the other top-down leadership that have tried to force Arlen Specter onto PA Democrats, writing it did make me feel better:

President Obama:

I am deeply and personally disappointed to see you supporting Arlen Specter.

Arlen Specter cannot be counted on to be there for you or for the Democratic Party when his vote is needed. The only reason he has been a reliable Democrat thus far is because Joe Sestak is in this race.

For 30 years, Arlen Specter has opposed everything our party stands for. We should not reward him by annointing him as our candidate. I welcome him into our party, but I will NEVER work for him or accept him as my Senator.

Shame on you, Mr. President, for this endorsement!

A Proud Democrat and Sestak supporter,

Bruce Bailey
Democratic Municipal Chair and County Executive Committee member
Upper Providenc Township (Montgomery County), PA

Bruce-

Nobody cares about your letter. Looks like u’ll be hidden in the bunker w Joe and Rich on election day?

WestPADem-
Don’t put Bruce with Joe and Rich in the bunker. It’s family only there.

Bruce is a good Dem who has understandable concerns about Specter, but doesn’t understand that Joe is more self-serving that Arlen ever dreamed of being.
If Arlen was like Bruce suspects, Arlen would get a picture of Joe on his dresser mirror and say to it every morning, “I want to learn to be as self serving as you someday. You’re my inspiration.”

Westdem, you should come over to SE PA on May 19th and help the Sestak’s pack up their office here. You can handle the Pittsburgh office before breakfast.

I’m glad writing letter made you feel better because you’ll be feeling pretty awful on May 18th.

My goal is to feel awful the day *after* the primary. And win or lose, that’s usually the way it happens. But it is always better to feel awful because of celebrating the night before.

Bruce I hope you’ll be at the Victory Party on May 18, I know I will.

Bill-
You will be welcome at the Specter Victory party.

If you go to the Sestak pity party, PLEASE take lots of pictures of Sestak. Try to get him before he when he hears he’s lost, but before he puts on his false face for his concession speech.

BTW, to save Joe time, I’ve written one for him.
“I’m sorry I wasted your time, money and resources. Enjoy the food and refreshments. Goodbye.”

It was great in 2006, I’m sure 2010 will be even better. Radnor Hotel again, I guess?

Bruce-

I did what you did. As you said, no one will read it; but perhaps someone will keep stats.

So, this is Obama’s different kind of politics? we have worked for decades as Democrats to rid ourselves of the specter vermin in Pennsylvania…now the dem party leaders turn their back on a real democrat to help a republican we have all for so long hated? The democrats posting here in support of specter should be ashamed of themselves…Obama, Biden, Rendell, Rooney…all tone deaf.
If Arlen Specter wins this primary, it will marshal in a new era of republican political prominence…senator toomey, governor corbett, congressman meehan, right on down the line to the state senators and state reps…all republican control over reapportionment,,,will be like the lord punishing us for turning away and worshiping a false god…another proverbial 40 yrs in the desert for Pennsylvania dems and progressives.

Healy: The President of the United States. The Vice-President of the United States. Every prominent Democrat in the state of PA. Every reputable labor organization in the state of PA. Both The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. And, according to every public opinion poll taken thus far, the majority of likely primary voters. All are supporting the Senate bid of Senator Arlen Specter. Given these empirical facts, your comments strike rational adults as delusional. Clearly, both Sestak and his flunkeys are becoming unglued. And it is quite satisfying, incidentally.

Dem Voter: May 18 will unquestionably be an embarrassing, mortifying experience for Representative Sestak. But Sestak’s post-May 18 experiences will be far, far, more distressing and unpropitious. Sestak is a charlatan and a fraud – and he will be exposed as such. No matter what politically expedient strategy he employs. No matter how much he blusters and clamors. No matter matter what strong-arm tactics he uses. Sestak’s facade – this guise of conscientiousness and dependability – will soon crumble. We will all see beneath his veneer – and it will not be a pleasant sight.

SOIA – I don’t blame President Obama, he needed the Specter vote at the time and certain assurances were made. I understand that. But it still disappoints me.

But I agree with you that this is a hugely important election that will shape the PA Democratic Party for many, many years.

I will say it every chance I get: this is a once-in-a-generation, party-defining primary. And the choice is simple: Do we elect a frail, sickly, 80-year-old Republican Senator because we are being ordered to support him, or do we vote for a real Democrat whose voting record far surpasses the endorsed candidate?

Most Democrats I know are voting for the Democrat in this primary. And obviously, that’s Joe Sestak.

Bruce-
Where was Joe’s 2008 party?

I doubt that Joe will spend for a big party if he’s going to lose. I don’t know if he can take the pain of losing and writing a big check at the same time.

I will say it every chance I get: Do we elect a political newcomer with a cloaked 30 record who claims to be a Dem, or do we elect a guy who has a proven record as a tough campaigner and beating Toomey?

Most Democrats are voting for Specter. I wish I knew more of them.

I think we had something bigger to celebrate in 2008.

Dave if Arlen wins it’s a loss for the Democratic Party nothing to celebrate about having to choose between two republicans in November.

Dave where do you find most Democrats will vote for specter?

Well said “sick of it all” aint it the truth.

Dave the Victory party will be on no matter what,do you think you just walk into a hotel and they give you a banquet room with no prior notice? Guess you’ll be hanging with the Repubs and the other Pseudo-democrats that support republican for life,democrat for a year Specter.

Bill-
If Sestak wins, it’s a guaranteed win for Toomey.

Where do most Democrats support Specter? Everywhere outside of the 7th district. In the polls. In the leadership. Probably among the majority of ex-staffers.

If Sestak wants to throw a party, that’s up to him. I just don’t see him splurging on a big event, when it’s only going to underline his loss. Just because you get the room, doesn’t mean you spring for all the amenities or extra rooms, band, sound system, stage, etc.

The 2006 party was a like a Hollywood ending, with the cameras, press attention, and the backdrop of taking back the House and Senate.

The bigger the 2010 party, the bigger the disappointment will be when Joe loses.

“Pseudo-democrats” that support Specter? Is Obama a Pseudo-democrat? Biden? Rendell? and every prominent Dem in the state?
If Specter’s supporters are all Repubs and Pseudo-democrats, then what is Sestak supporter, Eric Massa?

Bill, you’ve expressed here Joe’s version of the Bush mantra: If you’re not with us, you’re against us.

In Joe’s little bunker-world, everybody who doesn’t join his cult, swear him fealty, and follow him is somehow “disloyal”. Yeah, it’s “their” fault that Joe’s not enough of a leader to inspire them or that they “accidentally” discover what Joe really is.

Well, I was thinking of celebrating my driving around the block of Sestak’s HQ all night honking my horn in celebration.

What I probably will do is treat myself to a really expensive dinner at a nice relaxing restaurant and enjoy watching the returns come in. For the past several years, I’ve taken the day off from work (and lost a day’s pay) to work the polls. So, this year, I’ll go to work and put part of that money toward treating myself. The rest, I’ll put aside to help Dem candidates in November.

Healy: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (which, again, enthusiastically endorsed Senator Arlen Specter over the weekend) cited a recent poll which indicated that upwards of 58% of likely primary voters were unfamiliar with Representative Sestak. Sestak’s apparent reluctance to launch TV advertisements on a large scale all but ensures that this number will not increase substantially in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Specter’s ads slowly ebb away at what little support Sestak enjoys, and blemish and scar the congressman’s reputation. Sestak can bluster and fulminate all he wishes on Wednesday – it simply will not have any impact on the election outcome.

specter beat toomey barely…once…in this environment he will not energize dems and will energise repubds to vote against him. 40 yrs in the wilderness

sick of it all (well, more of “you” than “all”)

Let’s check your math..
In 2004, Specter beat Toomey in the GOP primary by about 17,000. Very narrow. Toomey got the hard-core, right-wing neocon votes. Specter got the GOP moderates and a lot of DEMS who switch their registration to Republican to save Specter.

Fast forward to 2008..
200,000 Republicans left the GOP for the Democratic party. This 400,000 flip contributed to the Dems having a 1 million voter registration advantage. The 200,000 that switched were NOT the hard-core, right-wing GOP-ers, but the moderate Republicans. This left the PA GOP more right-wing, further from the center, and closer to the edge of cliff.

Jump to 2010-
Dems still outnumber Republicans by over 1 million registered voters.
Toomey controls the far-right GOP that is the current PA Republican base, but the moderates and independents are still going to prefer Specter. The Dems are certainly going to prefer Specter over Toomey. Specter OWNS the middle and in a state like PA, you can’t win without the middle.

Specter still needs to drive out the Dem base and make them as afraid of Toomey as they were of Santorum (this is where Toomey’s low name-recognition helps since he hasn’t been demonized for years). Toomey’s GOP base will be fired up, which is the only real danger he proposes. If the GOP turns out in 3-2 ratios compared to Dems, we are sunk. If Specter can stimulate Dem turnout, we win.

Part of the key for Specter will be the job numbers improving in a clear trend over the next six months. If they are good, he can make the case that the stimulus package worked.

Hater just because the party leaders have to stand with specter because of the bad deal they made with him doesn’t mean I do. Endorsemants by right leaning publications do little for me either. I will continue to support Joe Sestak since he is the only real democrat in the race.Obama and Biden can make all the lemonade they want with that lemon Specter,but I am not required to drink it. The idea of this frail old man going for another 6 years to gratify his ego is not enough to get democrats or independents to vote for him. Most Dems I speak with and I have spoken to thousands across the state hate Specter and are dismayed that the so called leaders of our party have embraced him. Anyone but Specter seems to be the prevelent attitude.

Bruce,I assume the Victory party will be the Radnor again.

Dave pseudo-democrats are people like you who profess to be democrats,but support a republican for the Senate. Obama,and Biden are just living up to the deal they made when he switched parties because he could no longer be elected as a repub.

Bill-
I guess every Dem PA congressman, party leader, state rep, mayor, etc. that support Specter are all “pseudo-democrats” too? Gosh, by your standard, there are hardly any “real” Democrats outside the Sestak campaign.

However, Sestak’s the pseudo-democrat. He’s a member of the “Sestak party” not the Democratic party, though he likes to play a Dem on TV. If you think Joe Sestak gives a rat’s ass about the Democratic party, you must know a second guy named “Joe Sestak”.

No Dave they are bound by the party to support Arlen, a deals a deal, but rank and file democrats are not bound by that same deal,we can exercise our individual judgement. Why not try one post where you can support Arlens total record over the past 30 years as a republican instead of cherry picking the few times he stood against his party. Bet you can’t do it.

Bill-
Actually, they are NOT bound by the party to support Specter. Eric Massa wasn’t.

It’s an open primary, the state committee had a vote. Arlen didn’t get every vote, but it was a rout!
I’ve posted that Specter’s vote for the stimulus package balances out all his previous votes. It saved the country from another Depression.
Specter’s support for health care, stem-cell research, pro-choice, minimum wage, unions, civil rights, etc. are not isolated “cherry picks” but rather a consistent pattern of votes that have earned him the score of the GOP’s right-wing and the votes of Dems, independents and moderate Republicans.
Joe showed what he was “made of” when he rolled over for George Bush, betrayed his 2006 campaign promises and voted for funding the Iraq War without timetables (twice). That proves he can’t be trusted when he claims as a core value in his campaign.

The problem with the Sestak campaign is that they are steering the ship by looking at the wake, instead of what’s in front of them.

Gee Dave this is how he is rated by different interest groups:
NARL-21% ANTI-CHOICE
ACLU-60% MIXED ON CIVIL RIGHTS
HRC- 67% HOSTILE TO GAYS
NAACP-32% ANTI AFFERMATIVE ACTION
US COC-87% PRO BUSINESS
NEA – 36% ANTI-TEACHERS
CAF – 50% MIXED RECORD ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
CHRISTIAN COL.- 87%
CATO -75% FREE TRADE=JOBS LEAVING THE COUNTRY
APHA- 12% ANTI PUBLIC HEALTH
AFL-CIO 46% ANTI LABOR
ARA – 0% ANTI SENIORS
NAT.TAXPAYER UNION- 65% SATISFACTORY
CEN.FOR TAX JUSTICE-0%
DOESN’T SOUND LIKE SOME ONE DEMOCRACTS CAN BE PROUD TO SUPPORT. MORE LIKE A REPUBLICAN IN DEMOCRAT CLOTHING.

Given that the President of the United States, the Vice-President of the United States, every prominent Democrat in PA, every reputable labor organization in PA, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have voiced enthusiastic support for Senator Arlen Specter, one would think that Representative Sestak would at last abandon his delusions of grandeur. Given that recent public opinion polls indicate that an overwhelming majority of likely Democratic primary voters are entirely unfamiliar with him, you would think that Representative Sestak would bring his ill-considered Senate bid to a halt. But Sestak’s self-regard and self-worship are such that he cannot deal with empirical reality.

It is far too agonizing, far too painful. The realization that his Senate bid has been an unprecedented fiasco, and that he is now the laughingstock of PA (and perhaps national) politics. The realization that his name will be forever associated with unsubstantiated allegations against the incumbent Democratic President of the United States, ex-congressman who fondle the reproductive organs of innocent young men, dismal fundraising, abrupt staff departures, and minimum wage payments to long-suffering employees. The realization that the military record he touted has now been tarnished and blemished, beyond all hope of reconstruction. The realization that his once-promising political career is coming to an ignominious end.

Bill-
You are pretty selective in your ratings. You don’t indicates dates, time ranges or the votes. You number appear to some out of thin air (or handed to you by a Sestak staffer). Either way, you got it wrong.

For example, in 2008, Specter got a 100% rating from NARAL. He got a 76% rating from the NAACP in 2008.
For the AFL-CIO, he got a 70% score in 2008 and a 68% score in 2009. His life-time rating is 61%.

Note: 2008 AFL-CIO score was based on 10 particular votes, and 2009 on 23 votes. The votes were of unequal importance, but the “percentage” is computed with all votes having equal weight. I got this directly from the AFL-CIO site, and cannot find were Bill got his 46% number.
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/legislativealert/votes/index.cfm?location=Senate&termyear=2009&memberid=&statecode=PA&Go.x=13&Go.y=4&Go=Go&act=3

Specter enjoys a lot of support in the Gay community for his support going back to the late 1960′s. He’s gotten a lot of key LGBT endorsements over Sestak.

Next time, Try providing some sources for your numbers, instead of foisting bogus one on us.

Gee Dave it looks like you are equally selective in what you cite. 61% from the AFL-CIO when I went to school that was a failing grade,you tout it like some kind of badge of honor. Specter still supports his vote in favor of the DOM law and DADT, with friends like that does the LGBT need any enemies.

this is my source Dave
.www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Arlen_Specter.htm

Bill-
In politics, 50% is the passing grade.

For Iraq War votes for Timetables, Sestak’s score is 0%.

As for the “on the issues” site, you failed to indicate the years for those scores.
The ACLU score you site was from 2002. The NAACP was 2006. The years and number of votes for each aspect varied.
The overall conclusion was “Arlen Specter is a Centrist.”
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_060.gif

Specter has now launched additional advertisements – and some are scathing beyond belief. These ads are taking a heavy toll on Sestak’s already tarnished reputation. Nonetheless, Representative Sestak has not responded. The 7th District demagogue commands $5 million, but remains reluctant to invest it in TV ads. Even Sestak’s most ardent supporters (if any truly exist) must be growing suspicious. Why would a supposedly viable primary contender refrain from advertising? Unless, of course, the so-called contender recognizes that he will have to reckon with federal authorities as soon as the campaign comes to a close. Such a shame.

Arlen was a Senator in 2002,as he was in 2006,howmuch do you think he haschanged his Republican ways in the past few years Dave? These aren’t old ratings. I doubt he stands much higher in the ratings today among minorities and labor than he did a year and a day ago when he was a solid republican vote. I guess that being good for one years absolves him from 35 years of solid republicanism,at least for you.

Noted commentator Michael Smerconish acknowledged today that Senator Specter’s “party switch dramatically increased the odds that he’ll extend his Senate reign.” No argument there. Meanwhile, Sestak has finally launched an ad in an attempt salvage his tarnished reputation! Of course, it hardly represents the “ad blitz” many anticipated or predicted. Meanwhile, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other news organizations have verified that Sestak was indeed terminated from his post in the Navy. Sestak’s protestations, therefore, are an exercise in futility.

Hater your full of the same thing Goldman Sachs was selling to it’s clients. Sestak is still advertising. Why respond to out right lies by Republican Specter,that are only hurting him with Demcratic voters. You remind me of a song that was popular when I was younger “Thier coming to take me away,ha,ha,their coming to take me away,hee,hee,hah,hah.” Oh the feds are coming or is it interpol, or maybe the C.I.A. You are a cowardly joke,hiding behind a name that makes you look even dumber than you are. Don’t you realize that by hiding in the shadows,you lose any credibilty you might possess?

Healy-
Maybe Hater knows something that the rest of us don’t know. I remember someone posting here about reading documentation that was very convincing. Who knows s/he could be right. Why else hasn’t Sestak launched is media blitz? I mean it’s do or die time for Sestak and he’s pretty much dying before our very eyes. He waited too long to advertise and botched the entire campaign. He might have won if he had a decently run campaign.

I was spaking with a Lanco Dem chief last night who was going on and on about the “inappropriate” and “unethical” things Sestak has done. So maybe there’s something there.

Anyway…only time will tell about these supposed allegations. In the meantime, we’ll be rid of Sestak on May 18th!

Bill-
You can “doubt” Specter stands higher in the ratings, but that doesn’t change the fact that his ratings have gone up.

Joe is going nowhere. I predict he loses Westmoreland by 20 points.