OK. I'm officially mad. I want Sestak to run for Senate and will back him with $$

[PretzelWarrior]

and will do my darnedest to get many others to do so. We are the insurgents fighting an insurgency against a GOP in sheep's clothing getting the Pennsylvania seat in 2010.

Mr. Emmanuel may be a great power broker, but it wasn't his darling little strategies that got them the 2 houses in 2006. It was Howard Dean's money strategy to all 50 states. Yes, Emanuel deserves credit and to a degree so does Schumer in the Senate, but we are facing battles with a Dem majority and Dem president largely on the foundation of a 50 state strategy from a guy who had the cajones to do it and who said the Democrats needed to be the party of the redneck in the South with a gun rack and pickup way back in 2004.

Since the 2006 victory, Howard Dean is sidelined by the power brokers as having done his service and now thank you but time to move on.

Well, I hope I make it into Blumenauer and Dean's discussion of health care in Portland next week. I want to support the guy who is still the leader of the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

Fuck YOU, Rahm. Fuck YOU, Chuckie Schumer. Fuck YOU, all of you DLC'ers. We have the power and the numbers.

[MADem]

1. Fellow Democrats are not the enemy. I'd save the "Fuck Yous" for the GOP.

That's not the way you win friends OR influence people. I don't think that attitude would be much help to Sestak either, if he does go ahead and run.

[PretzelWarrior]

2. I'm still mad at how they sidelined some really good Democrats

such as Howard Dean. What a powerful force. But he is dismissed by the Cajun Lizard and other "insider" Dems who pull the levers of the capitulating DLC.

P.S. My "Fuck You" was an informal homage to the "Fuck You" king, Rahm.

[MADem]

6. I was a Dean supporter in the early days of his campaign, too.

Despite being from Kerry's state. Dean's problem is that he's too impulsive--he doesn't subordinate himself very easily. He also speaks his mind too readily, and can't be relied on to follow a script.

Plainly, there's bad blood between him and the Obama bureaucracy--otherwise, they wouldn't have done him like they did as he stepped down from the DNC chair. That was a clue, right then and there, that there would be no high profile cabinet post for Howard.

[vaberella]

4. Actually some of them are...Bayh comes to mind. ~sigh~

[depakid]

5. Sorry to say, but some "Democrats" are even bigger enemies than the GOP

to the extent that replacing them- even with a Republican, would be in the best interests of both the party and the nation at large.

[MADem]

8. Well, I can't agree with that even slightly. A horrible Democrat is better

than almost any Republican, with the exception of the Linc Chaffee types (even he became an independent). Why? Because Republicans know how to enforce party discipline better than we do. We only bring knives--they bring guns.

Although, Democratic politicians' arms can be twisted, and they can be bullied into doing the right things for the "wrong" reasons, especially if they are short of campaign cash and facing a tough opponent.

[Celtic Merlin]

10. But Arlen Specter isn't even a Democrat !!

We certainly don't need the likes of him anywhere near DC.

Sestak really IS a Democrat. He's even a fairly progressive one.

Celtic Merlin
Carlinist

[MADem]

14. They want Arlen's vote on health care. They want Arlen's associations and associates, too.

You aren't in business that long without having a long donor list.

Sestak isn't going to win. That's just the truth. He has insufficient name recognition and no backing from the state machine, to say nothing of the Senate club. He's also not quite up on the "warm and fuzzy" persona, yet.

It's just not his time.

IMO.

I like the guy, mind you--I've met him. He's very sharp. But it's just not his time. He should understand timing better than anyone--it's why some people make flag/general, and others don't. Luck plays a huge role in all that, along with assignments and "opportunities to excel." I think he's trying to create just such an opportunity. We'll see what comes of it all. I wouldn't put money on a near-term Senator Sestak. Within the next decade? Sure, why not?

[John Q. Citizen]

11. A few of your fellow Ds will smile and knife you in the back. It's naive to

view the world in black and white.

Some people with Ds behind their names aren't our friends. That's just the truth.

You are right about a poker face though. Threatening is just ego, and it's self defeating. Winning is where it's at.

[MADem]

15. Sure they will. But like I say, the Dems bring knives, the GOP brings guns.

I'd rather take the knife in the back than the shotgun blast to the face.

The former is often more survivable, depending on the ammo used!

[John Q. Citizen]

16. Huh? That makes almost no sense. Better to say something like

"I would prefer to be stabbed by a Dem than by a Repo."

Which makes about as much sense.

But hey, who said making sense was a prerequisite for posting? Or for voting?

[MADem]

17. It makes perfect sense. The Dems fight amongst themselves more frequently, but they

often use weapons that wound but don't kill. People get cut and scarred, but they come back to fight another day.

When the GOP decide to kill off one of their own, they bring a gun and they don't miss.

[vaberella]

3. I like Rahm but I'm with you on Schumer and other Senate Dems like Bayh. n/t

[SamCooke]

7. I love this guy more and more every time he speaks. He seems so real and down to earth.

I still don't understand why we need Arlen. The GOP doesn't even miss him.

[Celtic Merlin]

9. I live in PA. I've lived here all 50 years of my life.

And I can state without reservation that NOBODY needs Arlen Specter - especially not PA, and especially not the Democratic Party. Sestak must run and he must win. Anything else is an unacceptable outcome. I believe that Sestak has already announced his candidacy. We Pennsylvanians need all the help you folks can provide as he's running against the party machine.

Specter is a DINO, and it's time he got fossilized. God knows he's old enough...

Celtic Merlin
Carlinist

[SamCooke]

12. If Its like u say, Obama and Biden have a problem. THey really put their neck out for Arlen.

If he loses, Obama and Biden will look bad and powerless.

[AllentownJake]

22. Fine by fucking me.

They don't get a public option on healthcare, they are powerless.

[Jakes Progress]

13. The GOP doesn't miss Arlen because they still have him. nt

[Darth_Ole]

18. Correct me if I'm wrong

But I seem to remember Obama and the rest of the Democratic machine endorsing Lieberman in the 2006 democratic senate primary. Of course, Lieberman lost the primary convincingly, forcing him to run as an independent.

In my opinion, Obama/Biden got this one wrong, but it wouldn't be the first time they had a grand strategy that made us wannabe pundits look silly.

I have a hunch they promised Specter they'd endorse him in exchange for his vote on EFCA.

I love Sestak, but I have doubts he could win a statewide race. His foreign policy credentials are as good as anyone, and he's a capable fundraiser. But from what I understand, he doesn't have the name recognition to win across PA. We folks who visit the blogs, watch Rachel Maddow, etc., have a skewed perception of Sestak's actual chances.

Specter, if he wins, will be 86 next time around and surely will not run again. With any luck, we'll still have control of the White House and Congress and can give Sestak the full backing he deserves in 2016.

[AllentownJake]

23. To get name recognition its about one thing

Money.

If Sestak can promote himself, he can recruit people to knock on the doors.

I expect Specter to be holding rallies, with Obama, Biden, and Ed Rendell.

Sestak is going to have to wage a guerrilla campaign where he gets real democrats to talk to other real democrats why Specter is unacceptable.

[Jakes Progress]

27. I agree with you, but

he will be running against the President in his race for the nomination. May be what the state needs and what the Democratic party as a whole needs to have happen, but it will be a mess.

[AllentownJake]

19. Add the President and Vice President to that list

I was for Sestak before Specter switched, was undecided for a few weeks, and now am hoping to volunteer for Sestak.

I don't give a shit if Arlen getting primaried embarrasses our leaders. The leaders shouldn't have done this shit when they had a clear path to a real democrat getting elected and holding that seat for years.

[TreasonousBastard]

20. "We" don't have shit, or "we" would be running the show...

The "Democratic Wing" is what-- 20% or so of the total population? And you demand that it run the country because you say it is correct on everything?

Well, maybe it is right on a lot of stuff, but since when did that EVER mean anything in politics?

Deals were made, and Sestak is cut out this time around. Just ain't a whole lot anyone can do about that.

[AllentownJake]

21. So glad to see we've become the Roman Republic prior to the fall into the Empire

Fuck Obama's deals. I'm campaigning for Sestak.

[onenote]

24. revisionist history at work

Yes, Dean deserves credit for a fifty state strategy. But that strategy only worked because the candidates that were recruited were candidates that had the best chances of winning. And that meant a lot of "DLC" types were among those recruited because they could win in their particular states/districts. Among those that helped the Democrats recapture the Senate in 2006? Jim Webb, a candidate I supported over a more progressive Democrat in the primary because I was convinced the progressive candidate had no chance of winning in Virginia and Webb did. And given the narrow margin of Webb's victory, I'd say I made the right call. In the House, the Democrats majority was built with progressive candidates in some districts and not so progressive candidates in others. I dont recall Howard Dean complaining about -- or the national party not supporting -- Heath Shuler, for example.

I have no problem with wanting to increase the number of progressives in Congress. But I will take a "DLC" type over a repub every day. And if it took a deal with the devil to get Specter's vote for the next 18 months, then I'll live with that because the first two years of a new administration are the most important and short term gains now can help solidify the party -- and give it the room to move to the left -- over the longer haul.

[ClarkUSA]

25. "Fuck YOU, all of you DLC'ers." Does that include Sestak? 'Cause he's a DLC New Democrat.

The New Democrat Coalition was formed in 1997 by Congressmen Cal Dooley (D-CA), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Tim Roemer (D-IN) to establish an ideological home in the U.S. House of Representatives for the New Democratic movement started by the Democratic Leadership Council in the late 1980's and led nationally by President Bill Clinton in the 1990's.

This link contains the 50 state member list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democrat_Coalition#Pennsylvania

Sestak is no liberal/progressive. Not even close. He's a bonafide DLC New Democrat though no doubt he will be talking and voting left now that he's courting the netroots for his potential run.

You may want to read this analysis by Nate Silver which asks, "Is Sestak the Right Choice for the Left?" When Nate Silver speaks, it's wise to listen.

For the time being, however, progressive Democrats have ample reason to be wary of Specter. Their problem is that Joe Sestak, the PA-7 Congressman who has refused to rule out a primary challenge, might not be any better from the standpoint of progressive policy.

In fact, it's plausible that he could be a bit worse. ProgressivePunch.org ranks Sestak as the 158th most progressive member out of 221 non-freshman Democrats, and notes that he's an order of magnitude or so more conservative than you'd expect of a Congressman from his Democratic-leaning district. Sestak's DW-NOMINATE score in the 110th Congress was -.287 on a scale that runs from -1 for extremely liberal to 0 for moderate; this is actually slightly more conservative than the score that we'd projected for Specter, which was -.303. The National Journal, moreover, found that Sestak took the liberal position only 63 percent of the time in the votes they tracked in 2007.

Nor would a primary challenge be without its downsides. For one thing, Sestak would have to give up his seat in the House in order to challenge Specter. Although the Democrat would still be favored in an open seat race in PA-7, which is 3 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole, giving up the incumbency advantage might reduce their odds of retaining the seat from, say, 95 percent to 75 percent.

More here.

[Clio the Leo]

26. What is the name of that GOP organization that supports more conservative candidates...

... over more moderate ones?

The organization that many think were partly responsible for some many Democratic candidates winning last November because, by the time the GOP nominee made it to the general election, their money had been drained during a hotly contested primary?

It's early and I cant think of their name.

Anyway, I appreciate the sentiment, but I think we have to be careful, knowing that a particular candidate has almost no chance of winning a primary, engaging his opponent in a serious challenge and thereby risk losing to GOP candidate later simply because he has a greater war chest.

Just a thought.

[ClarkUSA]

28. Club For Growth?

[Clio the Leo]

29. That's it! Thank you, now I"ll be able to sleep tonight as not remembering was driving me bonkers. N