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Divernan

(15,480 posts)
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 09:05 PM Jun 2015

Sestak independent of Old-Dem-Party-machine pols-Running on his own.

http://joesestak.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Statement-on-Marriage-Equality-Ruling.pdf

NEWS RELEASE
Statement by Former Admiral Joe Sestak on Marriage Equality Ruling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2015
Media, Pa.

"Today’s ruling affirms what I learned in my 31 years in the U.S. Navy, where I went to war
alongside men and women who were gay. I could never fathom a justification for any of these warriors going home to the one he or she loves and not having the same equal right to marry that person. I will always remember the day I was least proud of the Navy I love so dearly – a day in 1993 when an official Navy spokesman, commenting on what would become Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), told the New York Times that 'homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous' and if allowed to declare their sexual orientation openly, heterosexuals showering with gay men would have an 'uncomfortable feeling of someone watching.' I was ashamed.

When DADT was passed, a two-star Admiral asked me, “What do you think about this policy?” I said, 'It’s unconstitutional and I have no doubt that the Supreme Court will throw it out in a couple months.' Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So when I got to Congress, I was proud to co-sponsor legislation to end DADT and prohibit the military from discriminating based on sexual orientation.

In my view, we need the best of our communities in the military, regardless of sexual orientation, so that each of us together can truly 'be all you can be.' The same can be said of our entire society, and it’s why today’s ruling is such an important step. I am running for
the United States Senate to continue taking the further steps on the path to true equality
–in veterans' benefits, public accommodations, adoption refusal laws and so many other fundamental areas. If we’re serious about restoring the American Dream, we need 'all hands on deck.' We must ensure that all Americans regardless of sexual-orientation and gender-
identity–are guaranteed the opportunity to achieve a better future for themselves and their families, and contribute fully to our shared common enterprise."

For more information, contact:
Danielle Lynch
[email protected]

Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3 - star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years. He served as a Congressman for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District from 2007-2011. As a Congressman, Joe served on both the Armed Services and Education & Labor Committees, and was Vice Chairman of the Small Business Committee.

According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. As an Admiral, he led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of “Deep Blue,” the Navy’s anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the “Global War on Terrorism.” He served as President Clinton’s Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and also as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations responsible for development of the Navy’s five-year $350 billion warfare requirements.

He holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Joe most recently taught courses on Ethical Leadership and on Restoring the American Dream at Carnegie Mellon University and Cheyney University, and was the General Omar N. Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership, a joint faculty appointment at the United States Army War College, Dickinson College, and the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs.

He also remains active in foreign affairs, education, disaster response, small businesses, energy and the environment, and health care, among other issues, through a variety of non-profits and other organizations, including the U.S Department of State. When he officially announced his bid for the U.S. Senate in March of this year at Independence Hall, he walked 422 miles on foot from Philadelphia to the Ohio border in order to show people how he wanted to serve them, earning their trust by a willingness to be held accountable. Joe’s book, “Walking in Your Shoes to Restore the American Dream,” focuses on the hopes and challenges he saw as he walked with people across Pennsylvania.

Friends of Joe Sestak
P.O. Box 1936
Media, PA 19063
This email was sent to [email protected] |

Update from Sestak's Senate campaign.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/13/1393017/-PA-Sen-Cup-Of-Joe-Sestak-D-6-13-15-Edition#
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dsc

(52,130 posts)
1. To be fair, their problems with him aren't ideological
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 09:12 PM
Jun 2015

they think he is a bad candidate. I don't know enough to discern if they are correct or not but that is their issue with him.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
2. To Old Dems, "bad candidate" =s independent & ethical, not unlike Bernie.
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 09:28 PM
Jun 2015

He refused to bow out to Arlen Specter. Specifically, he refused the offered bribes from Obama, Bill Clinton and Rahm Emanuel.

Job offer to Sestak
In an interview in February 2010, Sestak responded affirmatively when asked if the Obama administration had offered him a high-level White House job if he would end his candidacy for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, held by Arlen Specter. Sestak stated that he had quickly refused the offer.[60] When questioned about the specifics of the offer on Midweek Politics with David Pakman, he stood ground on refusing to add information to or comment further on his prior statements.[55][61][62] He continued to offer no further details to the media of what transpired until the Obama administration released its official report on the incident.

On May 28, 2010, the White House released an official report on the matter, authored by White House Counsel Robert F. Bauer, clarifying that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel enlisted former President Bill Clinton to approach Sestak about potential, uncompensated executive branch positions on senior advisory boards and stating Bauer's official opinion that nothing inappropriate, illegal or unethical had taken place.[63] The official report also stated that the offer had been made by former president Bill Clinton, on behalf of the Obama administration. [/b
]


Some background on the Arlen Specter issue.

"Sestak was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and re-elected in 2008. He declined to run for re-election in 2010, instead running for the Senate. He faced incumbent Senator Arlen Specter (who had recently switched from the Republican Party) in the Democratic primary and defeated him 54% to 46%. In the general election, he was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Pat Toomey, 51% to 49%, a margin of 80,229 votes out of almost 4 million cast. He is seeking a rematch with Toomey in the 2016 election."

Sestak refused to be muzzled by Rahm Emanuel.
Sestak is said to been a prime example of receiving the Colbert Bump.[36] After appearing on The Colbert Report in 2008, Sestak spoke of the positive impact of social media and viral video clips of the appearance. Sestak appeared on the show even after Democratic leaders Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi issued a moratorium against the show and instructed Democrats to not appear on it.[37] After his first appearance,[38] he won his election with a landslide in a Republican majority district, and after appearing again in 2009[39] as a part of his announcement to run against incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 democratic primary, Sestak won with a surprising 8-point victory. Sestak, however, did not appear on the Report during the 2010 general election, which he narrowly lost. The day after the loss, host Stephen Colbert lamented the loss and called Sestak a "friend" on air.[40]

Whispers of a possible U.S. Senate campaign appeared in 2008 after his landslide victory and $3 million campaign surplus after his re-election. Even before Arlen Specter's announcement to switch parties, draft efforts were organized. However, once Senator Specter switched, nationwide support mounted on a possible senatorial campaign. Most prominent was a straw poll conducted by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, entitled "Should a Draft Sestak movement be created to take on Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary?" Nationwide, almost 8000 votes were cast with 86% responding yes and 85% of Pennsylvanians responding yes.[47]

Sestak faced significant opposition to his candidacy from President Barack Obama, the national Democratic Party and the state party. Then-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell appeared on national television and stated that "Joe Sestak should not run for the Senate in the Democratic primary."[48] Sestak responded, "there’s no more kings, there’s no more king makers in America,"[49] and proceeded to visit all 67 counties of Pennsylvania.

dsc

(52,130 posts)
3. that was part of their problem
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 09:38 PM
Jun 2015

but they also have problems with the way he ran his campaign after he beat Specter. The specific problems that were mentioned was staff issues (mainly retention) and fundraising.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
5. Staff problems were because Sestak runs a top-down operation.
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 10:00 PM
Jun 2015

He's well-informed and knows what he wants to do, as opposed to many in D.C. who rely on their staff to direct their actions and votes. He also ran a tight ship, military style. He had a high staff turnover to begin with but worked that out.

As to fundraising, what have you got on that? What I recall is that he got little of the traditional help from national Dems since he defied them on opposing Specter in the primary. Plus he had to spend a lot on the primary and couldn't match Toomey's GOP $$$ in the general.

Currently, "Whatever your opinion of him, ex-Rep. Joe Sestak has always been a strong fundraiser, which makes his weak first-quarter haul quite surprising. Sestak pulled in just $312,000, a small sum for a big state like Pennsylvania—especially when many local (and even some national) Democrats have been thirsting to see an alternative challenge him in the primary. (By comparison, in his very first fundraising report during his first run for the House in 2006, Sestak pulled in $427,000.)

So what's going on here? There are a few possible alternatives: 1) The DSCC and Pennsylvania Democrats are trying to dry up his fundraising and succeeding; 2) Sestak, the Honey Badger of Pennsylvania politics, is just campaigning his own way, doesn't give a damn if people are gunning for him, and will raise money when he feels like it; or 3) Sestak is yesterday's news and simply lacks the fundraising firepower he used to have.

The first and last options would spell real trouble for Sestak, but if we're behind door number two, he may yet be able to pour it on. However, the sharks are swarming, and Sestak already has a rival for the nomination, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Pawlowski's no one's idea of an instant threat, but Sestak just flashed a sign of real weakness, whether he intended to or not.

He does still have $1.7 million banked, but that doesn't look impressive compared to GOP Sen. Pat Toomey's $7.2 million war chest. That gap might be enough of an inducement for a stronger candidate, like Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, to enter the race after all. Sestak's going to have to turn things around if he doesn't want to see that happen.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/22/1379295/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Morning-Digest-What-s-up-with-Joe-Sestak-s-weak-fundraising-quarter

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
9. So the national Dems have the $$$ to win, but demand a yes man.
Sun Jun 28, 2015, 08:30 AM
Jun 2015

It's fair to say that with the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee pushing for someone (anyone? anyone? Buehler?) to oppose Sestak, he has to be promising competitive bucks - particularly to a county commissioner with NO campaign chest. The question is, should Sestak win the primary, will the national Dem leadership support a man who will not let them call all his shots. Speaking as a Pennsylvanian, I prefer a Senator who has the guts to tell puppeteers to pound sand - that he will vote for his constituents' best interests - not theirs.

That is why I long ago stopped donating to party fundraisers, and donate directly to the candidates. The party bureaucracy demands a quid pro quo of following their orders. One of the reasons the national Dems "are uncomfortable" with Sestak is that he had the audacity! the temerity !! to defy Rahm Emanuel and appear on the Stephen Colbert show without Rahm's approval.

As I've pointed out, our new Democratic governor rejected our decrepit state Democratic committee and ran his own campaign & fundraising. If we had campaign finance reform, an honorable, eminently qualified candidate like Sestak would win overwhelmingly.

Joe Sestak could provide great leadership within the Dem. Senate Caucus, if they welcomed him in. It seems his personal integrity and independence makes them cringe. Let's hope they wise up.

Shapiro last week telephoned the three Senate Democrats who had been encouraging him - Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; New York's Charles Schumer; and Montana's Jon Tester, the chairman of the national party's Senate campaign committee - to decline. He also informed Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Montcos_J osh_Shapiro_Will_not_run_for_US_Senate.html#DlzMVlRslXWHK4zW.99

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
6. You won't believe the joker the Dem Old Guard is backing in the Senate primary.
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 10:17 PM
Jun 2015

Meet Ed Pawlowski, a proud graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and three term mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania. During his time as mayor, he fought tooth and nail to privatize the city's water and sewer system with a 50 year contract.

Things got very heated. Fortunately, public opposition prevailed over Pawlowski's position, and the city leased operation to a non-profit, over Pawlowski's dire warning that this would result in bankruptcy. He was wrong & the city avoided bankruptcy, and in fact Standard & Poor’s Rating Services lifted Allentown’s bond rating by three notches from BBB+ to A+. The rating agency noted that the dramatic one time rate increase was due to city’s “significantly improved budget flexibility” as a result of its water and sewer system lease-concession agreement. The LCA is a public water and wastewater utility governed by a nine-member board of directors appointed by the county, whose ratemaking practices are governed by the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act. [23]

According to Food & Water Watch, the deal with the county authority (which Pawlowski opposed) saved Allentown residents “from rate gouging and other poor practices of the private companies who bid on their system. It also highlights how private companies just cannot compete financially with nonprofit public entities. Because the Lehigh County Authority had access to low cost public borrowing and because it did not have to make a profit, the authority was able to bid substantially more than the private companies while offering a better benefit package to the water workers. The authority will keep the water workers’ pensions, which would have been lost with privatization.[24] This is the clown which the state Dem. party has persuaded to run against Sestak.

So this bible-thumping, privitization promoting, no state or federal experience clown is the choice of the State Democratic Party!

First let's compare education. Moody Bible Institute & a master's from a state university versus U.S. Naval Academy (Sestak graduated 2nd in his class of over 900 midshipmen), with a Bachelor of Science degree in American political systems.[6] Between tours at sea, Sestak earned a Master of Public Administration and a Ph.D. in political economy and government from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1980 and 1984, respectively.

Then compare political/job experience: Sestak was pushed out of the Navy for pushing for budget cuts in the military budget. "Controversy stirred over his leaving of the navy, as it was reported that it was because he "ruffled feathers" within the Bush Administration and conflicted with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (who later resigned) because Sestak pushed for spending cuts. In an investigative report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Chief of Naval Operations Vern Clark stated that he,

"wanted straight talk, and this put [Sestak] in the crosshairs. People are going to say what they want to say, but Sestak challenged people who did not want to be challenged. The guy is courageous, a patriot’s patriot."[10]

Sestak has held high level administrative positions and served in the U.S. Congress for 2 terms. (Even though Rahm Emanuel told him not to run because he couldn't win.) Pawlowski has never held state or federal level office, or worked for those levels of government in any capacity.

Look, Pennsylvania's Democratic party is old, tired, lazy, in-bred, and rife with nepotism. Our great new governor Wolf froze the state party out and successfully ran his own campaign. I expect Sestak to do the same.

That's basically it, except here are the dirty details of how Pawlowski's push for privitization would have screwed up the city's finances and was, fortunately, defeated.

Residents expressed concerns over the safety of water systems in private hands, evidence from prior sales in other cities that suggested rates would skyrocket if the systems were handed over to a private or public firm, the importance of water staying a public asset, and several ethical concerns regarding the transparency of the process. Several residents also argued why the systems needed to be leased, considering that, if the lease succeeded, profits from the water and sewer systems would go into private coffers instead of public funds. Additionally, the Mayor's administration spent an undisclosed amount of public funds on hiring Public Finance Management (PFM) to research the situation and sell the public on the idea of leasing water and sewer systems. The amount spent to hire PFM was later discovered to have totaled $500,000. A conflict of interest was also purported when it was announced that PFM would negotiate the request for proposals for the water lease, thereby giving the firm a stake in the success of the water lease proposal.

In April 2013, more public meetings were held as Allentown City Council prepared to commence with a final vote on the water lease. Mayor Pawlowski continued to defend his proposal despite the concerns of the public, stating that “In less than 24 months Allentown would be just another Pennsylvania city making very ugly headlines about bankruptcy and its leaders lacking the political courage to address its fiscal problems.” [20]

Over a hundred residents were in attendance at the final meeting on the water lease, where the lease was approved by City Council by a 6-1 vote. The highest bidder for the water lease was Lehigh County Authority with a bid of $220 million.[21][22]

The lease-concession provided the city an upfront payment of $211 million, with annual payments of $500,000. The payments helped the city reduce its unfunded pension liability by $150 million, eliminate $30 million in water and sewer debt and reduce its annual Municipal pension obligation from $28 million to $6 million in a single year.[25
]


As a result, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services lifted Allentown’s bond rating by three notches from BBB+ to A+. The rating agency noted that the dramatic one time rate increase was due to city’s “significantly improved budget flexibility” as a result of its water and sewer system lease-concession agreement. [26]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Pawlowski

dsc

(52,130 posts)
7. clearly he isn't a good alternative
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 10:39 PM
Jun 2015

I hope that Sestak can win. Toomey is far and away the best politician of the accidental Senators that got elected in 2010. We should be able to take out the likes of Johnson for example but Toomey has shown some staying power thus far. We need to win in PA, OH, FL, NV, and IL to get the Senate back. The one we are currently polling the worst in is PA.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
4. I know exactly who that two star admiral was, too. He was looking for his biases to be confirmed.
Sat Jun 27, 2015, 10:00 PM
Jun 2015

He never got a third star, and just as well. He likely didn't like Sestak's answer at all, though he got it from a lot of people, particularly those who had been working on the military inclusion plan after Clinton was elected.

I can't speak to how well Sestak did as a PA legislator, but he was a pretty decent Naval officer.

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