Join me in Welcoming Democrat Arlen Specter!

[PADEMJES12]

I was rather curious how Senator Specter would do at State Committee this weekend in Pittsburgh. I was intrigued by the whole switch, but Arlen certainly did not disappoint with a great speech discussing his streak of independence at the first annual Catherine Baker Knoll dinner. I guess his track record speaks for itself as to why he always gains a 70% - 80% approval rating amongst Democrats. Specter's support of Judge Sotomayor's confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice was something that I needed to hear. It will be good for us to have a Democratic Senator with such influence and a chairmanship in the Judiciary Committee particularly since the next few years will likely yield multiple replacements on the Supreme Court. Specter was very friendly and outgoing while working the crowd. I for one join Senator Casey and Gov. Rendell in welcoming him to the Democratic Party. We are the "big tent party" now, which means with Specter's arrival thousands more Republicans will join the Democrats in PA. Specter's arrival also will be a tremendous asset in the 2010 Gubernatorial race, which looms large. Also, anyone who has seen Pat Toomey, Specter is correct in labeling him as "making Rick Santorum look like a liberal". Toomey is a dangerous neo-con who hates Specter. Im going with a proven leader and winner.... Help defend this Democratic seat now on Act Blue at: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/22204

[PADEMJES12]

1. Anyways.... here is the link to the speech in Post Gazette

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/earlyreturns/archive/2009/06/06/specter-s-pgh-speech.aspx

[ebbie15644]

2. until the primary

I will welcome him until I can vote for Sestak

[PADEMJES12]

3. Democrats would certainly lose Sestaks congressional seat?

It would be a shame to see the Democrats lose Sestaks seat, if he ran... particularly since we put all that time, money, and effort into getting it. I saw an article that Sestak got the seat because party officials talked Lentz out of running against Sestak in 2006. From what I've seen of Joe I like, but when all the positives and negatives are added up, I have to pick Specter.

[JPZenger]

4. The numbers for Sestak's district aren't bad

The Repub-Dem numbers for Sestak's district in Del Co aren't that bad - it has been trending towards Dems. The much feared Republican machine in DelCO is a shadow of its former self. If the Dems nominate a strong moderate with military credentials (Bryan Lentz), there is a good chance of holding the seat.

[JPZenger]

7. Sestak Won District by 20 percent

The 7th District has a large number of registered independents. The GOP majority in registrations did not prevent Sestak from winning the district by by 20 Points in 2008. Yes, the GOP may have a stronger candidate and Lentz is not currently as well known, but let's not say we need to live with Specter simply because otherwise the district will be surely lost.

Also, I am more concerned about having a loyal Dem in the US Senate, where the vote is needed to offset some conservative Democratic Senators, vs. the the threat of one less US House seat where the Dems have no trouble passing legislation with a large majority.

From www.cnn.com:

"Sestak beat 10-term Republican Rep. Curt Weldon in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District in 2006, taking 56 percent of the vote to Weldon's 44 percent. The Democrat handily won re-election over Republican challenger Wendell Craig Williams in 2008, taking 60 percent to Williams' 40 percent."

[PADEMJES12]

12. Sestak does not have name recognition....

and it could hurt our gubernatorial candidates.... im thinking big picture here.

[PADEMJES12]

8. Again, it would be a shame

to see all that time effort and money wasted on Sestak's election just to lose the seat. Particularly after
Lentz wanted the seat in the first place, but was talked out by party officials.

[T Wolf]

5. Spectre CANNOT be trusted. He is a puke at his core and always votes with them

if his votes is decisive.

Only if the bill is a sure-winner or loser has he gone against his real party.

I only hope that enough Pennsylvanians are not fooled by this asshole.

[PADEMJES12]

6. Alren is a moderate who Ill support as a moderate Dem

and i think there is a substantial reason Senator Specter has a 70-80 percent approval rating amongst Democrats, which is undeniable. Specter has a lot of influence in the judiciary not to mention directing funding for vital projects to Pennsylvania. Additionally, im not going to dabble in an Eastern PA squabble and blow our chances at gaining a decisive advantage going into the 2010 Gubernatorial race.

[JPZenger]

9. Specter is only at 50% in Dem polls

The polls among Dem voters show Specter as only having 50% of the vote, even though everyone knows him. There is a large undecided percent because most people do not yet know Sestak in most of PA. Once Sestak starts to spend his war chest, his percent will go up.

[PADEMJES12]

11. Specter is ahead by like 30 points duder....

according to ALL of the polls I saw. You rely on 1 trend of 1 poll, 52-44. The overall number of that poll was a 30 point difference, which is why it is lunacy for Sestak to run.

[JPZenger]

13. Here's various recent polls

Yes, there is always a danger of cherry-picking one poll, so here's a few. Of course, these polls have little meaning because Sestak has not begun to campaign or spend any money in most of PA.
----
http://www.openleft.com/diary/13695/complete-spectersestak-polling-memo

"The toplines, showing Specter ahead 55%-34%, have already been reported upon in a number of sources. However, there is a lot more to see than those numbers.

Sestak Leads Specter 52%-44% Among PA Dems Who Know Both Candidates

Specter leads generic Democrat 50-37: In addition to the trial heat against Sestak, the poll also tested Arlen Specter against a generic Democrat, showing Specter with a 50%-37% advantage. However, a closer look shows that Specter's support is soft:

Notably, "Definite Specter" and "Definite Generic" begin statistically even. There is a lot of room for persuasion on both sides, and no clear advantage in hard-core support.

Sestak already leads among voters who know both candidates: Perhaps the most remarkable number of all in this poll is that Joe Sestak is already leading Arlen Specter among the 30% of voters who know both candidates. Among voters that know Sestak (mostly in the Philadelphia inner suburbs) he enjoys an 18 - 4 favorable-unfavorable ratio, and among voters who already identify both candidates, Sestak actually leads Specter in the initial head to head 52 - 44 percent."

More at the link
----
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/politics_nation/2009/05/pa_sen_poll_specter_leads_toom.html
A Quinnipiac poll

Dem Primary
Specter 50
Sestak 21
UNDECIDED 27%

(The Research 2000 poll had 33% UNDECIDED)
----
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/poll-specter-has-big-lead-over-sestak-in-dem-primary.php

From a GOP polling outfit:

"The numbers: Specter 57%, Sestak 20%.

Intuitively, this makes sense. Specter has much more name recognition than Sestak, having served as a Senator for nearly 30 years, compared to Sestak's only having been elected in 2006. And Specter's high-profile defection from the Republican Party has probably done him a lot of good with the state's Dem voters."
----

I'm very suspicious right now of people who are trying to talk Sestak out of running. Some of them may be people who are trying prevent a true Dem from becoming a Senator. Some are saying that Sestak should not run because it may cause the Dems to lose a State House seat.

I doubt Specter could serve out a full term until 2017 (especially with the high level of energy that is needed for an effective Senator). That runs the risk of a possible Republican Governor appointing a Republican replacement.

---
If people want Sestak, now is the time to donate before the June 30th reporting deadline. A donation now shows popular support for Sestak's run.

[PADEMJES12]

15. Bill Kortz will hurt Sestak badly too

Thanks for the polling. Specrter's lead is big. We need to see some three way polls down the road. Bill Kortz will take away support from Sestak around the Pittsburgh area. I would also like to see what impact having Sestak's name on the ticket will affect the gubernatorial race. It will hurt the democrats chances of winning the guvs race in 2010 which will totally screw us.

[JPZenger]

17. Spiro Who?

I never ever heard of Bill Kortz, so I looked him up. He's a state rep from the Pittsburgh area who announced he was running for this Senate seat in April. Here's his latest press release:

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/earlyreturns/archive/2009/06/08/wwct.aspx

[PADEMJES12]

18. I think its rather ambituous to pre-suppose

that an un-known Sestak will wrestle away all the votes from Pittsburgh area voters. Kortz is better known in that area. That being said, Kortz and Sestak will split votes. Specter will win handily

[PADEMJES12]

10. From Specter's speech.... very solid democratic positions Specter supports

And if I've been popular with Democrats, it's because I've stood for what you've stood for.

Yes to increasing the minimum wage, because every working man and woman deserves a living wage.

Yes to the right of a worker to organize a union.

Yes to the right of every citizen to be healthy, to get healthy and to stay healthy.

No to those who would eradicate stem cell research.

Yes to liberating science to cure cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and other maladies.

Yes to reproductive freedom.

Yes to civil liberties even in time of war, because the defense of the Constitution is a battle to be fought and won in every war.

No to judges who are stuck in the 18th century like Robert Bork whom I helped defeat and caught hell from the far right along the way.

Yes to educational opportunity for every American of every talent or skill.

Yes to a clean environment and to the green jobs we need to create.

And last but not least, yes to a stimulus for our economy when we are facing the greatest threat to our economic security in three generations.

[JPZenger]

14. I will not attack Specter

I will not attack Specter. I do welcome him into the party and I will treat him with respect. However, I think you have to judge him based upon his long record, and not what he says in one speech right after he switches sides. At a minimum, Sestak's run will help to keep Specter honest in voting Democratic (as Specter promises on odd-numbered days).

[PADEMJES12]

16. I will not attack Kortz or Sestak

and thank you for welcoming Senator Specter to the party. We will need him to "carry the Democratic banner" in 2010 and help lead us to victory over Toomey and Corbett or Meehan. They will have a powerful ticket. Good thing our party is broad and diverse. We have Democrats with a broad array of views. One small example, Im pro-life whereas others are pro-choice.

[blue neen]

19. I'm sorry...I will never forget the Arlen Specter of the Anita Hill hearings.

He was by no means at Democrat at that time. Specter barely won the 1992 Senate race over a relative unknown named Lynn Yeakel because Pennsylvanians were very angry at him.

Google it...it was an ugly time in our nation's history. It sure did seem like Arlen Specter was George Bush's puppet. Clarence Thomas did become a Supreme Court Justice because of Specter's hateful, spiteful, and sexist questioning of Anita Hill. Thomas was then, and always will be an arrogant, pompous ass.

[PADEMJES12]

20. If one incident or issue were a case where u

disagreed with a politician and that applied across the board, then we would not have the broad and diverse coalition of the Democratic Party we thankfully have now. Thats why the Republicans are in trouble... they are holding onto the past. We are the "big tent" party and thankfully so. For example, since you mention Anita Hill... I was furious that Joe Sestak voted with the Republicans and "NO" to HR 1664, a bill to amend outrageous executive compensation in the midst of the corporate executive thievery we've seen from AIG and others. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2009-182
In my mind, the vote was a moral vote and left me extremely disappointed, particularly given the "russian roulette" that execs were playing with entire companies and their employees future, when all the while they were receiving millions in bonuses for failure. Luckily all of our other Democratic congressional reps voted for the bill so it passed. Sestak disappointed me on this issue by siding w the Republicans. However, thankfully it passed. The point is... you don't see me screaming for Sestaks head on this one issue. As Democrats, we're lucky to have Senator Specter as a Judiciary chairman, particularly given his influence in the committee. We're the big tent party.... Arlen, Joe, Ed, Bob and all of us.

[blue neen]

21. I did not say I was supporting Sestak...I did not say I was supporting Specter.

I did say that I will not forget the Arlen Specter of the Anita Hill hearings. Maybe you are too young too remember how outrageous Specter's questioning of Ms. Hill was. He was an embarrassment to our state.

This is not about one issue. What Specter did during those hearings help lead to Thomas' appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court...WHO AWARDED George W. Bush the presidency in 2000, WHICH as we can plainly see devastated our nation in EVERY possible way. The "corporate executive thievery" you speak of became rampant and thriving under the Bush administration.

I hope our nation can dig out of the hole that the Republicans (and some Democrats) dug for us. IMHO, it began with the Reagan administration. Arlen Specter was a Republican during that time and not in name only.

I will weigh the options for the Senate when they become available. In the meantime, forgive me for being angry at one of the Republican enablers, Arlen Specter.

[PADEMJES12]

22. Democratic victory in 2010 vs. past grudges

We've essentially summed up two options here. 1. Vote for Senator Specter, a sure fire candidate to lead us to victory over Toomey, not to mention help our entire ticket 2. Vote for Sestak or Kortz who will run around essentially saying "Arlen Specter/ George Bush". This type of tactic will fly in the way of progress and hurt us as a party because it will be devastating to our party's ticket in the 2010 Gubernatorial race. It will also hurt our coalition building with moderates across the state. We're in power now, George Bush is not in power anymore. Senator Specter is the one out telling us what he's going to do... the others have essentially only criticized him.

I just want you to keep in mind that I welcome the Senator to the party because alot of moderates (gun rack democrats), which make up most of the state of Pennsylvania are behind him and that includes a hell of alot of otherwise Republicans. No mistake about it... if we lose the 2010 guv's race.... we're screwed.


A couple of other thoughts:

The Bush v. Gore decision involved an "intent of voter" state. The initial ruling by the Fla appeals court ruled in Gore's favor. However, the fatal flaw was made by the court in not directing a uniform procedural system by which to recount the votes. Thus, some counties were interpreting votes one way and one county would interpret a challenged ballot another way. The failure to establish a uniform guideline for recounting doomed Gore in the end. If the Democratic Appeals court would have done so, chances are it would be a different story today. I say so because I refer you to the Justices opinions where atleast two justices make note of this fatal flaw as a major error that they relied on in deciding for Bush. Counting ballots differently was indeed an equal protection violation. My criticism of the decision is that it should have been remanded to the Fla. Sup. Ct with instructions to establish a uniform procedure for re-counting the ballots. The Supreme Court's logic that there "is no time because the President needs to be sworn in on January 20th" did not pass muster with me. Bush really screwed up the country, and Arlen was not very popular because he did stand up to Bush.

You fail to explain Mr. Sestak's vote on HR 1664 amidst all this "corporate executive thievery". I am very disappointed by this vote as well are others. I hope you'll help us dig the nation out of a hole by making sure we win big in 2010, from the Senate, to the Gubernatorial races, to all the local races across our state. That starts w having Senator Specter on the ticket to lead us to victory. He indeed will carry the democratic banner high!

[invictus]

23. GO JOE SESTAK - DEMOCRAT - US SENATE 2010

nt

[PADEMJES12]

24. Im from western PA..... Joe who on the ballot in 2010????

Im happy we have a good chance to win in 2010 over Toomey w Specter and are in much better shape w all of our races because we'll have the Senator on the ticket.

[Pat Riot]

25. Welcome him, sure

I would welcome anyone turned away from the dark side. Voting for Sestak though. Your recommendations seem rather over enthusiastic. I don't like a lot about Specter and I don't think he's such the gauranteed winner you say. Republicans think he's a turncoat probably, and Democrats don't trust him, after his blatant honesty on MTP especially. Besides, I don't vote that way, just to say I voted for the winner. I try to vote for whom I consider the least of all evils, or actually a couple times, I voted for someone I thought/think was/is a good man. And I think there's still enough time to get rid of the Joe who? factor (damn you inspired me to do some work for Sestak) and I think there will be many who vote for Sestak just because he's not Specter or Toomey.

Who are you anyway? Specter's press secretary? Why no profile? (I know that probably comes off wrong over the internet, but I ask it in a respectful way as possible.)

[PADEMJES12]

26. Specter will lead us to victory in 2010!

Hi Pat, Ill reply by sentence and likewise be respectful as possible re: your questions/ thoughts.

Sentence 1 - Thanks for welcoming more moderates and "new" Democrats to our coalition, which are crucial to winning in 2010 and helping more Democrats get elected from the Senate and Guvs race, down to the local races. Senator Specter will be a huge asset to our Democratic ticket in 2010.

Sentence 2 - You can vote for Sestak in the primary, you'll have to write him in in the general if its the Senate race because Arlen will be our nominee. Hopefully, you'll vote for him in his congressional re-election race. It would be a shame if we lost that seat we spent all that time and money on it. Particularly when party officials talked Lentz out of running so we could get the seat.

Sentence 3 - If my recommendations are "over enthusiastic", its because Im excited we have Specter, a nominee who will help alienate the GOP in Pennsylvania and help our chances to beat the dangerous Toomey and reverse the trend of losing the guv's race after 8 years to a Republican. I would submit my recommendations are practical and a little more reality-based. Over enthusiastic is a vague and subjective classification.... over enthusiastic pending on your preference. However, i would simply reply that the Sestak blogger cheerleaders on here and have far more "over enthusiastic" than lil ol' me and the fact that Sen. Specter will be our nominee.

Sentence 4 - You are entitled to your opinion. I've welcomed Specter to our party. Joe's a good guy. There are a couple of things that turn me off. Others with their own ambitions have not. Im thinking much more bigger picture in terms of the political climate we could likely face in 2010. Specter is a must have on our Democratic ticket, to beat Tommey, and he will give a vital boost to all our incumbents and challengers. You say Specter isn't a guaranteed winner. Im telling you it would be a foolish mistake for our party not to have him on the ticket in 2010. You'll hurt our chances against Toomey and you'll hurt our Democratic Party in all of the other races including the Guvs race. Having Sestak and screwing over our Guvs... would be like "clinching defeat from the jaws of victory" in that re-districting year. That hurts our ticket. Specter is our best bet to beat Toomey.

Sentence 5 - being a "turncoat" to Republicans is a compliment for Specter. He has and will bring thousands of moderate votes with him from all voer the state. Arlen has consistently had a 70 - 80 percent approval rating among Democrats, which is pretty impressive.

Sentence 6 & 7 - You may vote for who you wish, Im going to do what's best for all of our Democratic candidates, as opposed to just one potential candidate (Sestak). And thats making sure Senator Specter leads us to victory in 2010.

Sentence 8 - Im glad i inspired you. Senator Specter's speech in Pittsburgh was inspiring to me. Maybe we can do volunteer work together for Arlen after the primary as we take on Toomey in the 2010 election race. As far as getting rid of the Joe who?.... I hope thats not an issue, or our party is screwed in PA. I must admit im not as familiar with him. Im much more familiar with Bill Kortz. It would be a shame for the Dems to lose Sestaks seat.... affter all that effort.

Who are you? - I am Batman... no just a moderate Democrat that is an Arlen Specter supporter.

Specter's press secretary - No, lol! Im not a staffer or employee... just someone from western PA who enjoys politics. I like to blog when i get the chance. Im excited Arlen is on our side. I liked when he treated Alberto Gonzalez like crap... that was kick ass.

Why no profile? Never bothered to... not much of a fan because of the identity theft and such going around all of these days.

GO ARLEN!

:dem:

[PADEMJES12]

27. Pat Riots responses....

Computer error... here's my response Pat.

Hi Pat, ill likewise be as respectful as possible in answering your inquiries and replying. I've pasted your paragraph with my replies to your questions and thoughts inside the brackets.

I would welcome anyone turned away from the dark side . Voting for Sestak though . Your recommendations seem rather over enthusiastic. I don't like a lot about Specter and I don't think he's such the gauranteed winner you say . Republicans think he's a turncoat probably, and Democrats don't trust him, after his blatant honesty on MTP especially. Besides, I don't vote that way, just to say I voted for the winner. I try to vote for whom I consider the least of all evils, or actually a couple times, I voted for someone I thought/think was/is a good man. And I think there's still enough time to get rid of the Joe who? factor (damn you inspired me to do some work for Sestak) and I think there will be many who vote for Sestak just because he's not Specter or Toomey

Who are you anyway? Specter's press secretary? Why no profile? (I know that probably comes off wrong over the internet, but I ask it in a respectful way as possible.)

[Number9Dream]

28. Will reserve welcome until Specter casts some liberal votes

"Senator Santorum's reelection is my top priority in 2006" - Arlen Specter

http://rittenhouse.blogspot.com/2006/03/sen.html

When Specter first ran against Toomey, he ran TV ads bragging how he'd voted with Dubya 95% of the time, and showed him with his arm around Dubya.

Joe Sestak has voted with a majority of his Democratic colleagues 97.2% of the time during the current Congress. Does anyone think that Specter will come close to that record?

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/s001169/

Only PA Congressman to have 100 % rating from the League of Conservation Voters, PennEnvironment, and has been endorsed by the Sierra Club.

http://joesestak.com

Sestak supports Healthcare Coverage for all Americans:
"While affordable and accessible preventive care is so essential to reducing the overall costs of healthcare, we must also provide healthcare to all Americans through a system that is cost effective for families, businesses and providers."

http://joesestak.com/issues/health-security

Sestak, who had served as a three-star Admiral and who spent thirty-one years in the Navy is one of seventeen veterans in Congress who are co-sponsors of legislation to lift the ban on openly gay service.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS144555+05-May-2008+PRN20080505

[PADEMJES12]

29. Again, past grudges vs. Democratic coalition building and team work.

Im not going to sit here and bash Congressman Sestak, who is a tough cookie. We're Democrats and I welcome more democrats to our team. I welcome Senator Specter because I recognize his traditional Democratic stances, stances hes taken in the past and will take in the future with us:

From Sen. Specter's Pittsburgh, PA speech (via Post Gazette)... how are these for "liberal positions"... pretty good eh?

Yes to increasing the minimum wage, because every working man and woman deserves a living wage.

Yes to the right of a worker to organize a union.

Yes to the right of every citizen to be healthy, to get healthy and to stay healthy.

No to those who would eradicate stem cell research.

Yes to liberating science to cure cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and other maladies.

Yes to reproductive freedom.

Yes to civil liberties even in time of war, because the defense of the Constitution is a battle to be fought and won in every war.

No to judges who are stuck in the 18th century like Robert Bork whom I helped defeat and caught hell from the far right along the way.

Yes to educational opportunity for every American of every talent or skill.

Yes to a clean environment and to the green jobs we need to create.

And last but not least, yes to a stimulus for our economy when we are facing the greatest threat to our economic security in three generations.

....... with his vote for Obama's stimulus, supporting Sotomayor and such, he's gotta be off to a great start w/ you in terms of liberal positions!

I was looking for some of Sestaks positions. He has a pretty good record too from what little i know about him. However, I was troubled by his vote against HR 1664 as it was not the liberal position, but luckily all of our other PA Democratic members of Congress got it passed. Since he has not been around very long and is not from my neck of the woods, but has received positives from me (for as little as i know him), I was looking for his political courage test results on Project Smart Vote. What is the Political Courage Test u may ask?

The Political Courage Test is a key component of Project Vote Smart's Voter Self-Defense system. Major leaders of the media, major parties and Project Vote Smart repetitiously ask candidates one central question: "Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?" The Political Courage Test is administered to all candidates for presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative offices.

The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=58333

Project Smart Vote says the following on Sestak's page:

Representative Joseph A. 'Joe' Sestak, Jr. repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on the issues through the 2008 Political Courage Test when asked to do so by national leaders of the political parties, prominent members of the media, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball, and Project Vote Smart staff.

[JPZenger]

31. Sestak: Specter Killed Hillary's health care plan

Sestak recently noted that Specter took a leadership role in mocking Hillary Clinton's health care plan in 1994. Sestak said that if Specter had instead tried to work out a compromise at that time, tens of millions of people would have had health insurance over the last 15 years.

[MrMickeysMom]

30. ...

Pffffft!

:*

[PADEMJES12]

32. Here is an interesting article

on Senator Specter and Healthcare reform. Senator Specter will be a huge addition to the Democrats because I think he can break up the bi-partisan gridlock on this issue and get something into place. Its one thing to talk about it... it's another to be able to get it done, which is why Specter will be an asset to the Obama Administration and the Democrats on this vital issue.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=04&year=2009&base_name=arlen_specter_on_health_reform

Aside from having great rapport w the Dems, he has good rapport w Senator's Collins and Snowe from Maine (who I think should both leave the GOP and join the Democrats).

[AlinPA]

33. I don't trust Specter. He is a republican (45 years). He only switched to get the Democratic

vote in his try for re-election. If he wins,and after we put our human energy into helping him as well as our money, he will switch back the day after he is sworn in and will laugh at us and say "sorry, suckers". My money will go to the Democrat, Sestak.

[PADEMJES12]

34. My money and vote are going to the Democrat with.......

the best chance to win in the 2010 general as well as help us retain the governors post. That candidate is....
Arlen Specter, who will be an asset to the dems. Your "he was a republican" one trick pony is exactly the
short sighted kind of talk that would leave Toomey with a war chest and 2 democratic candidates with significantly less
money after a primary. Luckily, our Democratic Party does not stereotype people like you attempt to, or else we would
be no better than the right wing neo-cons in the republican party. Further, you'd seek to hold it over and use the same
scheme against a moderate such as myself, which is not very smart in Pennsylvania. "He's going to switch back to Republican"
is scare talk from someone who apparently knows little about the political dynamics of the current republican
party. You must of picked up the fear mongering from Dick Cheney. We are party builders in the Democratic Party, which is
the exact opposite of your mentality. Midterms as anyone well knows, traditionally go against the party w the Presidency, esp. when having
the house and senate. That being said... for Sestak to leave his seat and then lose in the primary would be foolish,
and reverse an important gain we made together as a party in PA.

Me, myself... I've often wondered if raising taxes will hurt the dems in 2010.(it will) Which is all the reason more we need the
"steady hand" like Specter in there.

[PADEMJES12]

35. PAT TOOMEY IS ADVERTISING ON DU.... THATS GOTTA

be just about border line illegal. We look forward to whipping you in November 2010 Pat!
See you then. Good luck w your fundraising venture here on Democratic Underground Pat.... Im projecting you'll have the same
success with it that as you will against us in Nov 2010.