DSCC wants Sestak out of the race against Specter.

madfloridian

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Sat May-30-09 01:01 AM
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DSCC wants Sestak out of the race against Specter.

DSCC, White House want Sestak sidelined

This happens a lot, so I totally believe it. There have been too many cases of hand-picked candidates who were promised open fields with no opposition. It has happened in my state a lot. Right out in the open.

Word out of Washington, D.C., is that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the political wiseguys from the Obama administration plan on "visiting with" Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak.

Their objective is clear: Get him off the stage and out of a primary race against incumbent (and now Democrat) Sen. Arlen Specter.

"I have received a call" from DSCC chairman Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Sestak said, "but we keep missing each other."

So the battle lines are drawn: Sestak is not inclined to be pushed out of the race, and Menendez's marching orders from the White House are to shove, not just push

Sestak is right. Washington is trying to be a kingmaker. I admire him for standing up and speaking out.

As of last week, Sestak had no plans of going anywhere but forward. "I felt when everyone was told to get out of the race that it was violating a principle of why I got into politics. Rather than being upfront and letting Pennsylvania Democrats have a choice in an election, they have cut a deal," he said.

The downside for Sestak is that he would have to give up his House seat to run. But fear is no deterrent for a guy who was a Navy admiral and won his House seat by defeating an incumbent, Curt Weldon, in eastern Pennsylvania's 7th District. "Last time I checked, there was no anointing of individuals to seats in America," Sestak said. "Washington is trying to be a kingmaker. ... This is a primary; it is open to all."

Ed Rendell is already speaking out with a warning to Sestak. Just think about that. The party's top leaders recruited Arlen Specter, a Republican, to become a Democrat. Word is he was promised no opponent in the primary.

Think about that. The Democratic governor is warning off a fellow Democrat and supporting the recent Republican turned Democrat.

Rendell: Sestak Would "Get Killed" And "Marginalized" If He Runs Against Specter

Appearing on the "Ed Show", Rendell didn't apply even the slightest bit of sugar coating to his advice. Specter, he said, would kill Sestak in a primary largely because he has a history of aiding constituents, has the backing of the party machinery, and is supported by the president.

"I'm a great admirer of Joe Sestak and worked hard to get him elected and re-elected," Rendell said. "And I'm going to work hard to get him re-elected when he runs for Congress next year. Not for the Senate. Joe should not run for the Senate in the Democratic primary. He would get killed."

" doesn't want to be marginalized," Rendell reasoned. "He doesn't want to get 15 or 18 percent . Joe should run for Congress again; establish some seniority. His time will come... but it is not this year."

And what if it was this year?

"We will lose a terrific Congressman," Rendell said. "Joe Sestak runs against Arlen Specter, he is out of the Congress after just two short terms. We will lose a terrific Congressman and when he loses to Arlen, he fades into political obscurity."

That is how the DSCC and the DCCC do business. They pick the candidates, warn others off, and if that doesn't work they dry up their fundraising.

Democrats recruit wealthy conservatives to run, push good Democrats out of races.

David Lutrin, a school teacher, union activist and staunch supporter of immediate withdrawal from Iraq, decided to run against Foley before Mahoney entered the race. After Mahoney declared his candidacy, Lutrin was contacted by field organizers for the DCCC who asked him to drop out and let Mahoney run unopposed.

Lutrin said that he also met personally with Mahoney. During a three- hour breakfast meeting, Mahoney offered Lutrin a higher-paying job if he agreed to drop out of the primary. "Mahoney tried to get me to run in a different district. He offered me a job at one of his non-profit organizations where he said that I would make more than I was making as a teacher. He said I could campaign full time while working at his non-profit as long as I agreed to drop out of the race," Lutrin said. Lutrin declined the job offer.

According to Lutrin, when he refused to step aside, the DCCC shored up local political support for Mahoney. The local AFL-CIO chapter, of which Lutrin was a member, came out with an early endorsement of Mahoney's campaign. According to Lutrin, the union told him that "they would like to back a fellow union brother, but Mahoney has more money and more political support from the party." Lutrin eventually dropped out of the race when the local teachers' union decided to support Mahoney.

They also did it to Christine Cegelis in Illinois, a DFA candidate who had made the race competitive the time before.

From Truth Out:

Recruiting wealthy conservatives to run.

According to Spidel, Emanuel worked against Cegelis because of her support for withdrawal from Iraq and her outspoken opposition to "free trade" legislation like the Central American Free Trade Agreement. "In 2006 the DCCC was Emanuel's personal weapon. He executed based on his needs. He needed votes on 'free trade' legislation that he supports, and he knew that was one of the Democrats who would vote her own way," Spidel said.

They did it to Dr. Jan Schneider in Florida.

Schneider sat down with Emanuel in 2005 to address her concern that Jennings might get preferential treatment from the DCCC during the primary. According to Schneider, Emanuel told her that the DCCC's policy was not to choose sides during primaries. On May 26, 2005, Emanuel wrote a letter to Schneider reiterating the policy of the DCCC: "You expressed concerns about the DCCC getting involved in party primaries. While our preference is to avoid having them, our policy is to remain neutral," stated the letter, signed by Emanuel.

Schneider claims that Emanuel broke this policy during the 2006 primary race. "Emanuel caused the Schneider campaign to be removed from the DCCC website and circulated solicitations for contributions to Democratic candidates indicating that there was no primary in the Florida 13th," according to a memorandum Schneider prepared.

The party has been playing God with our candidates. Now they are going to shove Joe Sestak aside to give Arlen Specter an open field.

If Sestak runs, we will donate to him. We have stopped most of our political donations now...but that would be an exception.