DSCC 'is pouring cash into funding Specter's TV ad campaign'

[whiteroses]

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
DSCC 'is pouring cash into funding Specter's TV ad campaign'
by Joe Sudbay (DC) on 5/12/2010 12:41:00 PM

In 2004, the GOP hierarchy, led by George W. Bush, went all out for Arlen Specter in his primary against Pat Toomey. In April of 2004, the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent over $500,000 in support of Specter.

In 2010, the Democratic hierarchy, led by Barack Obama with the support of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is going all out for Arlen Specter in his Democratic primary against Joe Sestak. Greg Sargent reports that the DSCC is funding Specter's latest tv ad, which features Obama:

In a sign of just how heavily invested the Dem establishment in Washington is in protecting Arlen Specter from Dem primary challenger Joe Sestak, the national Democratic Party is pouring cash into funding Specter's TV ad campaign starring President Obama, I'm told.

The ads are being funded by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meaning national party money is being spent to prop up an incumbent who was a Republican for most of his career -- and to help him defeat a longtime Democrat. ...

http://www.americablog.com/2010/05/dscc-is-pouring-cash-into-funding.html

[wisteria]

1. And, the Republican establishment has been pooring money into Sestak campaign

and even holding him fundraisers- that is how invested they are in getting back at Specter.

So what. Really, Specter may have been a Republican at one time, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have the friendship and respect of many of the Democrats he served side by side with. And, you seem to forget, Specter is a Democrat now.

Um, I would bet you aren't from PA are you?

[MH1]

3. Links?

[disillusioned73]

8. More like... LIES

[Divernan]

6. You are geographically in the heart of "red" Pennsylvania.

Here's how Pennsylvania politicians and analysts describe Pennsylvania. You have two blue "bookends" in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh/Allegheny County. Then in between those two you have the vast, blood red, uberconservative, Republican, rural areas, long referred to as "pennsyltucky". Greensburg (Westmoreland County), identified by Wisteria as "home" in her profile, is painfully red, albeit with a soupcon of Libertarians. So simply being "from Pennsylvania" in no manner establishes one as a true blue Democrat.

A true blue Democrat would approach this primary as I do. I vastly prefer one of the candidates, Joe Sestak, but will not hesitate to vote for Specter in November, should he win the primary.

Wisteria, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated over the past months that he/she would never vote for Sestak in the fall.

[Cosmocat]

9. Centre County here ...

Westmoreland is really an odd country, was fairly D a while ago but has broken R over the years ...

I live in Centre County, but of what the pundits refer to at the heart of the "T" ... County has more regular voting Rs, but has a darn good D party for a rural country - only central PA county to go BO, I think ...

Anyway, the party regulars are mostly pretty strongly supporting Sestak. I was surprised, I thought they would follow the state party to Specter.

I hate Lieberman with a passion, and there is absolutely no intellectual honesty in hating him and supporting Specter if you are a D. He is a self serving douchbag, and Sestak is a solid middle of the road dem, which is what you get in Pa - you don't get highly liberal Ds at the state/national level ...

IF Specter wins, I will drag myself to vote for him cause Toomey is Santorum redeux, but I will work for Sestak ...

Put Specter out of his misery and get behind Sestak ...

[wisteria]

2. And, this is also because the Democrat's challenger in the gerneral election

-Toomey has raised a huge amount of money that he does not have to use in a primary because he does not have a challenger. Specter-if he wins, will need all the money he can get to take on Toomey.

[MH1]

4. As will Sestak

which is why DSCC should have held their cash and let people from Pennsylvania make this choice.

Funny you ask every poster who doesn't like Specter "I bet you aren't from Pennsylvania" but then have no problem with the national party meddling in the race.

[Divernan]

5. Which is why I donate directly to candidates, never the Dem. committees

Our government would be a lot more representative of its constituents if both national parties would keep hands off the primaries.

[Divernan]

7. A vote for Specter is a vote for his long-time, self-promoting Republican staffers

These are tough times, calling for an extraordinary level of energy and effort on the part of members of Congress and their staffs. I'm talking about both PHYSICAL and MENTAL stamina.

Given Specter's health issues and age -he's EIGHTY YEARS OLD, you know, and wants to hang onto his seat until he's EIGHTY SIX - his senior staff will be heavily influencing, if not outright MAKING the policy decisions.
Since this would be his last term, and could end "prematurely", to put it delicately, it's High Noon at the OK Corral from day one of the next term for those staffers who have their own futures to promote and cement with special interest lobbyists. A career in government is all about contacts, and Specter's staff's contacts and history are of the Republican nature. That's who they will be sucking up to. I seriously doubt that any Democratic Congressman would take on one of Spector's staffers with their GOP heritage. Staffers just don't cross the aisle, except in the unique circumstances of Spector's switch. Why don't they cross the aisle? Because they know too much of the inner workings and history of their party caucuses.

Look, I'm a senior citizen myself, and come from a long-lived family. I've watched a lot of older friends and relatives slow down with age - although many of them cannot face the reality that they have slowed down. Just like all our older relatives who fight tooth and nail to keep driving when they are dangers to everyone on the road. I shudder everytime I see some elderly person barely able to walk while using a cane or walker, and then they get in their car at the mall. Nobody maintains their full physical and mental capacities as they age. I wouldn't choose to vote for ANYONE who would be 70 when taking office, let alone EIGHTY! That being said, choosing between an 80 year old on the Dem ticket versus a conservative Republican, I will vote for the lesser of two evils, ie., the 80 year old. Hopefully, next week's primary will put Sestak on the November ballot, and I won't have to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Would you select as your surgeon a doctor who was 80 years old?
Would you fly with an airline whose pilots were 80 years old?
Do trucking companies hire 80 year old drivers for their big rigs?