Sleestak is not going to help himself doing it. He is kind of an idiot.

So hypothetically speaking let’s fast forward to 2016 and assume that Joe Sestak this time around is the incumbent. Would he reject an endorsement from the President and recommend that the Democratic Party entice others to challenge him the primary? I don’t think so.

Lets see how Bill Healy and the other Sestak-Rats try to spin this one.

Classless. Totally classless. That is NOT the way to unite the party.

Has it ever occurred to any one that Sestak doesn’t care about uniting the Party? His political philosophy is starting to border on a post-party Utopian Republic in which the middle dominates and voters are pulled toward a candidate based on the merits of his arguments on the issues. This would have wide appeal in the independent electorate.

Wow. I can’t even begin to understand this mentality. This is absurd, revolting, childish, petulant, self-obsessed, discordant, and totally pointless and counterproductive. What value and purpose could such statements possibly serve?

So much for the “we’re all Democrats,” “I’m really a team player” rubbish. I suppose he’s making these criticisms to endear himself to the undecideds who hate the Obama administration but are still tepid on Toomey.

Why doesn’t he just defecate in an envelope and send it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? In his mind, the contents would smell like roses, and the President should be grateful for such a gift.

Unbelievable.

Oh, and by the way, it’s not “there’s no more kingmakers.” The ‘to be’ modifies kingmakers, which is plural, therefore the sentence should be “There are no more kingmakers.”

What a disgrace.

Sestak didn’t mind the party getting involved in a primary when it knocked Bryan Lentz out of the running in 2006. That “kingmaking” I guess was ok, because he was the one being crowned. Pretty self serving position.

In Sestak’s world he’s the only king allowed.
Unfortunately he’s more of a spoiled prince, constantly lusting after the crown.

Despite the primary having ended and while we believed that both our organizations had moved on, candidate Sestak has chosen to devote his personal media coverage to personal plugs and scandalmongering, which comes at the expense of advancing the policies and principles of the Democratic Party with the Pennsylvania electorate.

This conduct distracts the electorate from the important decisions on the issues it must be prepared to make in the next few months, and detracts from our party’s singleness of purpose in developing our agenda to achieve access to healthcare, improve scientific research, and promote our economic recovery and reform of our financial markets.

To ensure that the maximum number of candidates who share these ideals are elected to serve in Congress, we suggest that OFA and the DSCC revise its 2010 electoral strategy in Pennsylvania as follows:

1. DSCC: divert fundraising efforts away from the PA senate race to other competitive senate races, especially those in Nevada, Ohio, and Colorado. These are states that the President won in 2008, and in which we need to maintain an active and competitive presence to win again in 2012. Picking up Ohio will effectively “neutralize” a potential loss in Pennsylvania, and will retain an acceptable balance of power in the senate going into 2011. Pennsylvania has cast its electoral votes for every Democratic presidential candidate since 1988 while simultaneously electing Republicans high up on the ticket, including Tom Ridge, Arlen Specter, and Rick Santorum.

2. OFA: re-deploy volunteers, financial resources, and other assets that were earmarked for the senate race to the PA house races, especially PA-7 and PA-6. The former district is in a critical phase, where losing it to the Republicans would scorch ground that took the party years to gain. Moreover, a pick-up in PA-6 would strengthen our organization’s presence in SEPA, a voter-rich area that has become increasingly blue and where our message loudly resonates.

These measures will ensure that our scarce resources are deployed to the races where they will produce optimal results, not only for our short-term electoral prospects, but for the continued development of our national agenda to bring reform and prosperity to this nation we love so much.

TB is right. Everyone else commenting must be party hacks – republican or democrat- who simply want to protect their own political lives and maintain the status quo which may work for you but fails to work for the majority of Americans. Your comments simply show your fear.

Re DSCC memo

when it is noted that pa elected republicans as gov and senate, it fails to note that Santorum was an abberation. Ridge and specter were moderates. Santorum won his seat because he was young and hard working. Santorum lost his seat because he became preachy and right wing— the place where Toomey starts. Yes pa splits tickets and will probably elect Corbett (R) as governor. But it doesn’t guanantee a win for Toomey who falls even farther to the right than Santorum. Yes, farther to the right… One whiff of his extreme right wing views will turn voters off in a big way. Pennsylvanians may be pro- life but they also prefer freedom and want Government out of their lives.

Preachy and left-wing with not win any hearts and minds either…Sestak is trying to run against the “establishment” when he has been part of it for 4 years in the house. Give me a break.

Extreme left wing turns just as many people off as extreme right wing so I feel that Sestak has the chance of knocking himself out of this race early.

Onorato should get the full support and efforts of the democratic party of PA. If anyone is a moderate it is Dan Onorato.

I agree with TB. Sestak is right to go after the state Dems establishment and the Prez. It’s time to stomp on the party elite and their corporate allies. The rank and file Dems in PA are not happy with their Dem “leaders”. Things are starting to change in a lot of county Dem committees and the local powers that be that are loyal to the corporatists are going to be shoved aside real soon. Rendell, Rooney and their ilk wanted to subvert the primary process again like in 2006, which pissed off the rank and file who believe in democracy.
Remember when Hoeffel ran against Specter? Where was Rendell and the state party then? They never supported Hoeffel for the general because Specter was Rendell’s friend and the state party support was tepid for Hoeffel. Where was the party then?

Joe Sestak is running as an independent voice in the party, he doesn’t owe his victory to anyone but himself and his supporters, he doesn’t owe the party establishment,state or national,the unions or anyone else. People are disgusted with politics as usual,it undercuts any attacks Toomey might make on him as an incumbent. In the 2006 election there was no primary, Bryan Lentz graceously(sic) stepped aside to allow Joe to run.

Here, Here, David D.

To know the little Adniral no one would vote for Sestak nor Toomey

I will vote for the Green party candidate if he gets on the ballot after getting 15,000 names on his petions.

What a bad system we have in PA against 3rd party candidates. The two evil guys of both parties only needed a meager 3,000 signatures to run but the third party needs 15,000 names on their petitions. What a messed up system we have and no real choice in November

Wake the hell up PA voters, you are being gang rapped and not having any fun while being rapped.

Wake Up PA ! What a poor choice you have set up for the fall. Voting for Sestak or Toomey, you lose big time. The beat goes on

Lana resign as a committee person do the honorable thing if you can’t be a loyal Democrat.

Mike.

Sestak is more than a idiot. If you live in the 7th CD that would be very clear If you want a good man. vote for the Green candidate. He is not owned by the banks nor anyone else !
Both of the candidates are owned by the same people that put us in the toilet. The choice is yours.

We all pick our own poison don’t we now ?

Well, here’s one party leader we don’t have to worry about any more:

Last night, in an annoucement that should be welcome news to all Sestak supporters who had to suffer through this guy’s unforgivable over-the-top cheerleading for Arlen Specter, TJ Rooney quit his post as State Democratic Chair.

Thank God for small favors.

Read all about it here:
http://www.wfmz.com/news/23834319/detail.html

Even though i dislike Joe spitting on the party, which will be to his obvious detriment, I dislike TJ Rooney just as much. Glad to see him go, his last few months with the 12th congressional scandal and his constantly interjecting himself into races makes it obvious that he is not welcomed anymore. A new chair will be a breath of fresh air.

Bill-

Are you a loyal democrat? Are you on a county committee? Have you ever worked for any other democratic candidates or the greater good of the state and county party besides being Sestak’s personal propoganda minister?

Question to Bill Healy, Intelligentvoter, Judy C:

You all appear to agree with Sestak’s opinion on this matter in that during the 2010 Democratic Primary it was wrong for the President to endorse the incumbent and that the Democratic Party should encourage challengers to get into the race.

So if that’s the case, if Joe Sestak becomes Senator and he is up for re-election as an incumbent in 2016 then 1) would it be wrong for the President to endorse incumbent Joe Sestak in 2016 Democratic Primary and 2) would you be critical of the Democratic Party if they discouraged ohters from making a 2016 primary challenge to an incumbent if it was Joe Sestak.

I know that this is a hypothectical question but I would really appreciate an honest answer because I’m curious to know if 6 years from now you would also criticize the President and the Democratic Party if they were to fully support Joe Sestak as the imcubent in a potential 2016 Democratic Primary.

Lance Whatever your real name is maybe you missed it but Specter was a democrat for a year and a republican for life,he wasn’t a democratic incumbent he was a republican incombent. It really mattered to rank and file Democrats who had voted against him for 35 years. Did you switch your party registration along with him?

Matt whatever your real name is yep, I supported and continue to support Democrats,not a committee person, butif I was I sure as hell wouldn’t dishonor myself by opposing the parties elected nominee. Lana has no honor.

Bill- Forget about Specter because he’s yesterday’s news and just because you didn’t like him that doesn’t change the fact that he was the incumbent in the 2010 Democratic Primary. So Would you please just answer the question:

If Joe Sestak becomes Senator and he is up for re-election as an incumbent in 2016 then 1) would it be wrong for the President to endorse incumbent Joe Sestak in 2016 Democratic Primary and 2) would you be critical of the Democratic Party if they discouraged ohters from making a 2016 primary challenge to an incumbent if it was Joe Sestak.

bill healy whatever your real name is yep, Arlen Specter was and has cumulatively been a Democrat for more years than Joe Sestak: 15 years to Sestak’s four. Just a quick fact check.

As ‘Anonymous’ correctly pointed out, it’s nakedly hypocritical for Sestak to decry the “party elite” who opposed his campaign against Specter given how that elite’s intervention in 2006 essentially handed him the PA-7 nomination.

When it works in his favor, it’s a non-issue. When it doesn’t, it’s offensive to basic democratic (little ‘d’) principles. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.

Bruce-
The election for new state chairman is in less than two weeks. TJ’s resignation is meaningless

Westdem-
Healy is a loyal Sleestak troll. If Joe left the dems to be independent, Bill would follow right behind him. You’re right. Bill does sound like he’s Joe’s minister of Propaganda. I guess it’s one of those prestigious “unpaid advisory positions” that are so valuable.

Lance-
In 2016 people like Bill would be hypocrites and expect an endorsement of Joe.

Of course they’ll be hoping Joe runs for President.

Bill Healy is my real name,unlike certain snakes on here I have no need to hide my identity. Arlen hasn’t been a Democrat for 45 years so you seem unable to count too. No party elite intervened in 2006 unless you think Cliff Wilson is some kind of Party elite. Lance the real Lance chang’s of the world wish you would quit sullying their name by stesling their identity. One thing your correct about is that Arlen is yesterday’s news and while he may have been an incumbent noone seriously considered him the Democratic incumbent. Of course it wouldn’t be wrong for the President to endorse Joe Sestak he would be the Democratic incumbent. The pres. made a deal with arlen and he had to live with it, the Democratic rank and file made it quite plain that they didn’t agree with that deal and did not support electing a republican to represent us in 2010. As for your hypothetical postulation it’s pure conjecture,a waste of time to even discuss what may or may not happen 6 years from now. At this point I think Obama will have a hard time holding off a Clinton challenge in 2012,after the way the WH dissed labor over Blanche Lincoln.

Hillary Clinton would not and will not challenge President Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012. She’s the nation’s Secretary of State, our emissary to the rest of the world, and to think that she’d subordinate those responsibilities to the ambitions of a presidential run is patently absurd.

Regardless of whether he wins this year, Sestak will never be a candidate for president. The clamor over his departure from the Navy would be far too loud for anyone to focus (rightly or wrongly) on anything else. He could, however, position himself for a bite at the no. 2.

U folks are all just a little nuts…Sestak is the candidate to whom the majority of PA voters will relate.

Bill-
Sestak has been a life-long non-Democrat, and only registered as a Dem a few years ago so he could run for office.
Thanks for showing your hypocrisy so soon (and not making up wait 6 years) in agreeing it would be okay for Sestak to be an endorsed incumbent, but not Specter as a endorsed incumbent.

You are an idiot if you think Clinton has any intention of running in 2012. She has categorically ruled it out and acknowledged her time for it has passed.

A clinton run in 2012 is about as likely as a Sestak run for President in 2016 agreed.

Bill- You’re hypocrisy is flat-out disgusting. What you’re saying is that it was wrong for the President and the Democratic Party to endorse an incumbent because Joe Sestak was the challenger. But if the tides are turned and Joe Sestak is the incumbent then you’d expect them support your guy. You’re not a “Real Democrat” but instead you’re a Sestak-Rat and the only thing that you’re loyal to is your almighty lord and savior Admiral Joe.

And another thing Bill, I’m having trouble understanding why you are so obsessed with Arlen Specter? The 2010 Democratic Primary is over and Specter endorsed Sestak that night in his concession speech. And then Specter stood tall with Sestak as he introduced him to the Senate Democratic Caucus. Specter has been nothing but gracious after losing to Sestak, so why do you feel the need to still rip him?

Now on the other hand Sestak has not been a gracious winner. His victory speech sounded more like a coronation ceremony with Joe basically pointing the finger and saying that “I told you so.” Then in the aftermath he had the audacity to call-out the President and the Democratic Party. So far, Sestak has not done anything to “pass the torch” to Brian Lentz in a manner similar to how Specter “passed the torch” to him? Basically Sestak’s approach is to say “shame on you” to Democrats who didn’t support his primary candidacy. Admiral Joe should be acting gracious and doing things to unite the party but instead he’s calling-out the President and the Democratic Party which proves that Admiral Joe is in fact an insecure self-obsessed egomaniac.

No hypocracy, I don’t think it was right for the Democratic President and the Democratic Party to endorse a lifelong Republican to represent Pennsylvania Democrats in the Senate. I don’t understand how you can seperate who the incumbent Senator was from the Party he was in. Thankfully Pennsylvania Democrats were able to make that distinction and elected Joe Sestak to be the Democratic candidate. Joe Sestak has endorsed Bryan why would you not consider that as passing the torch.

Lance, you seem to embrace the idea that because the party leadership has endorsed a candidate that the rank and file should fall into line and cast their votes as mindless followers,its like you prefer the idea of the bosses sitting in smoke filled rooms should make our choice for us. That’s the republican model,it doesn’t work that way in the Democratic Party anymore. The truth is the party leadership in DC made a deal with Arlen,held their noses and stuck to it,it wasn’t a good enough reason for Pa. Democrats to cast their ballots that way. I admire that the Senator has kept his part of the bargain even after the election.
BTW it takes a lot of brass conjones for someone who posts with a fake name to call someone else a hypocrite,your a phoney. I suspect your a disappointed Toomey supporter,who was hoping to capatilize on Specter party switch.

Bill-
You know full well (or could find out if you bothered to ask around) that Joe’s endorsement of Bryan had to be “brokered”, because Joe doesn’t like to “do endorsements” and had to be talked into it. Even then, it was only after Bryan was the only one left on the ticket.
Back in 2006, when Bryan first ran, the Sestak campaign used to give Bryan a hard time about showing up at “Sestak events” and treated Bryan rather shabbily.

Bill, please stop acting like Joe is a “life-long” Democrat when he only become one a few years ago. Don’t give me the BS about “because he was in the military” because the non-military members of his family also switched to Dem when Joe decided to run. Beside there are plenty of military personnel who consider it sacred to vote in every election, including Primaries, and would be rightly offended by Joe’s claims that it’s improper to have a political affiliation while serving.
BTW, during this last Primary, did the Sestak campaign try to get any votes or absentee ballots from active military personnel?

Also, please stop trying to act like every Sestak critic is a Toomey supporter. Many of us oppose Toomey, but feel that Sestak was the weaker choice and is damaging to the party and other candidates.
Joe is merely one candidate out of hundreds this Fall. The money that will likely be spent on his one race could do more good spent and spread out over a dozen more critical races.

So you’ll be supporting Joe against Toomey in Nov?

Reading these comments is like watching a circular firing squad from the safety of the bleachers!

Sestak & some of his people may be classless, ungraceful winners. But they won, however one autopsies the results.

I was rabidly anti-Sestak.

Isn’t that all history, and isn’t Toomey the real enemy here? Or does the behavior illustrated above persist til 2016 when Toomey will be running as an incumbent because of infantilism in 2010?

It’s troll-ism of the highest degree, Rick.

And if you think it represents even an iota of actual PA Democratic thought, you have bought into the very snake oil that they’re selling.

They want readers to think there is a real anti-Sestak undercurrent among Democrats, when that is about as far from reality as you can get. Democrats and independents are uniting behind Joe Sestak and against the far-right extremism of Pat Toomey.

I am gratified to see that your support of Specter hasn’t carried over into this race. And I salute you for being a good Democrat.

It’s too bad that this small band of axe-grinders and Republicans-pretending-to-be-Democrats who post here have wasted so much space with their disjointed ranting.