Former two-term Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak, who twice ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, announced Sunday evening that he is ending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“I want to thank you for the honor of running for President of the United States of America,” Sestak said in a statement. “It has been an endeavor filled with immeasurable wisdom, passions, humor and insights to, and from, the people of America.”
Thank you for this opportunity! pic.twitter.com/mW5Qdi3bhT
— Joe Sestak (@JoeSestak) December 1, 2019
In addition to thanking supporters during this bid, Sestak said that the country needs a leader who can lead and unite all Americans in this current time.
“A moral compass for our great ship of state is the beacon most needed today,” Sestak said. “And it is for the Captain of State who offers it that all Americans will provide the fair winds and following seas to advance us. That is necessary for us both at home and abroad, to convene the world to advance our policies and commitment to democratic values for our collective good.”
When Sestak formally announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in June, he touted his three decades of military service, earning the rank of 3-star Admiral in the Navy, as proof he’s capable of taking on the country’s challenges.
His website’s campaign slogan was “Adm Joe: Accountability to America”.
Sestak served 31 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of three star vice admiral prior to running for Congress in Delaware County.
Sestak ran for U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2016, losing to Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) by 2 points in his first run and falling short in the Democratic primary to Katie McGinty by 10 points.
12 Responses
I saw the headline and though “David Diano must be devastated!”
Exactly. Now, I’ve got too much free time on my hands. LOL
BTW, Joe got about 300 replies on his twitter feed announcement of dropping out. This is more than he normally got in a month. The BEST was:
Sir, this is a Wendy’s
Joe finally did get the “national press coverage” he craved (CNN, USA Today, etc.) on the reporting of his quitting. At least half of the comments on his Twitter feed, and the news articles were variations on: “Who?”, “Running for President of which country?”, and “I learned you were running after you dropped out”.
Truly a pathetic and well-deserved end for a guy who was a blight on PA Democratic politics. He will not be missed.
Negativity brings everyone down. I have spoken personally and have walked with Jos Sestak. Because of his intellect and experience he will be a great asset for a new Democrat President.
From his tweets, Joe seems hell-bent on escalating a cyber-war (and possibly a preemptive real war) on China.
There are PLENTY of current and ex-military advisers for a new Dem president to choose from. Sestak will have been out of the Navy for over 15 years by the time the next president takes office, and his “experience” is out-dated.
Sestak has been trashing Biden for his Iraq War vote, but Joe voted to continue funding the Iraq War once he got elected (in contradiction to his campaign promises).
Joe was relieved of command for good reason.
Also, after the trouble he caused Obama with “job-gate”, no Dem president will ever pick up the phone to call him.
The BEST job for Sestak would be as a park services tour guide, rambling on about history, and getting to wear a uniform.
The campaign was over four months before it officially started when Sestak bought some lists in Feb.
His message of “accountability” was a hypocritical joke. When he voted to continue Iraq War funding in 2007, his constituents in the peace movement complained in a town hall local Quaker friends meeting house. Joe specifically said that he was NOT accountable to them, because they “elected him for his judgement” and had no right to question it. Then he threatened not to run again if they didn’t like it.
What a tool.
His recent campaign was a joke. His HQ was a room he was renting cheaper at an econo-lodge undergoing reconstruction.
His live-stream (from a dunkin donuts) during the Oct debates was beyond pathetic and amateur hour. He answered the first debate question in two minutes. Then he sat there with basically dead air, because it was 20 minutes until all 10 candidates answered the question. He’s asking his staffer “What are they doing?”, and you can see it dawn on him what a clusterf*ck He got himself into. Ironically, one of his favorite campaign quotes was: “Piss poor planning leads to piss poor results.” (It’s even an internet meme gif, if you search memes for Sestak)
I broke his balls every day on nearly every tweet, calling out his lies about his record/behaviour, and how stupid his “plans” and campaign materials/videos were..AND HE NEVER BOTHERED TO BLOCK ME (until the day he quit).
There was a presidential primary poll for just Pennsylvania, and Sestak got ZERO percent in that.
He even did his “walking across the state” nonsense in New Hampshire. One night he spends 4-5 hours in the pouring rain, walking on back roads, with his staff riding behind him filming him. Whose “shoes” is he walking in? Who walks hours in the rain at night, with their chauffeur driven car behind them? Especially, with no one giving two f*cks about his walk, he could have been safe/dry in bed, and tweeted that he walked, and no one would care or question it.
BTW, for any idiots thinking he should run against Toomey: Joe sold his PA house and dropped his PA registration, and now officially back at his Virginia home with his wife (which they bought in 1998). Under recent court rulings in PA, Joe’s fake residency in PA would not survive a challenge. (The house was used to store campaign materials, and occasionally pit-stop.)
I do not know Admiral Sestak but it is obvious he is intelligent enough to understand that he was embarking on a long shot effort. We need folks who stand on principle and not with the bosses. Oh, of course, the David Diano’s of the world will find fault but it is important to be idealistic and, in a sense, altruistic too. Getting an office at the Econo Lodge or trying an idea that doesn’t work is not the end of the world. I was at a presentation years ago and very few showed for the person hosting–it happens–no one is a lesser person as a result. I think Admiral Sestak should run for office in Pa as he has something to offer. Obviously you will not support him but others may. We shall see.
“obvious he is intelligent enough to understand that he was embarking on a long shot effort”
Not really. There seems to be a touch of disassociation with reality with many of his “assertions” during the campaign. He spend several months in Iowa, visiting every parade, picnic, BBQ, local committee meeting, etc he could find. Presumably, he was reaching many caucus goers active it local Dem politics.
Now, where he disconnects with reality is his interviews explaining his strategy: After two months he “established a beachhead” in Iowa and was ready to expand for the “air campaign” in New Hampshire.
This is part of his military “expert strategist” persona, but is completely ridiculous as he was polling ZERO in every Iowa poll of likely caucus goers. There was no “beachhead”.
Combine this with “not having enough sense to come in out of the rain” (with his staff driving behind him) as though this would connect him with anyone.
There is some serious delusion going on here, and Joe should really check himself in for a mental exam.
The econo-lodge is Joe being cheap, and not having enough money for a real campaign, HQ, or a quality staff.
Joe is a TERRIBLE candidate, and there is no office he could run for in PA, because he DOESN’T LIVE HERE, and would not survive a residency challenge. And, frankly, no sane people want his toxic bullsh*t here, courting GOP by trashing local Dems, and trying to control/bigfoot local Dem parties.
As for “We need folks who stand on principle and not with the bosses”.. That’s NOT Sestak at all. Joe’s only “principle” was his own advancement to satisfy his own ego. Joe got helped by the “bosses” to avoid a primary in 2006.
Joe was asked by the “bosses” in early 2009 to run against Specter. He declined, so the Dems flipped Specter. Then, Joe whined and cried like a f*cking baby that he was being cut out of an opportunity that he turned down, like it was owed to him.
And let’s not forget the spring of 2007, when his district manager told a young mid-20s female staff to “Shut the f*ck up. You were hired for your looks, not your opinions. Your job is to look good for Joe.”
Where were Joe’s principles when he wrote the woman a recommendation letter to buy her silence, instead of firing his @sshole district manager?
(Answer is that the manager was a 30-year navy buddy of Joe’s who didn’t wipe his @ss without checking with Joe for how many sheets to use. That was the hiring policy, per Joe, and the manager just blurted out the truth as part of the misogyny endemic to his and Joe’s navy background.)
Joe’s just few oars short of a rowboat.
Anytime you go against the system or challenge authority figures like Admiral Sestak did you are going to be called names. That is how life works. But what you miss and fail to discover is that it is essential to have people like the Admiral to annoy you because that is what makes life interesting and moves things forward. It is good for democracy. I hope Admiral Sestak runs for a statewide office. As much as you dislike the man, it is probably a newsflash that one does not get to be Admiral by being hapless or stupid.
Before 2016, one would think you didn’t get to be President being hapless or stupid, either. Sestak’s rise was due to his technical ability, as well as kissing the right @sses. It’s pretty obvious that Vern Clark had protected Sestak from disciplinary actions, and Admiral Mullen had to bring the hammer down and relieve Sestak of duty.
The ONLY military skill that served Sestak in politics was that he was a tireless worker. Unfortunately, he was terrible boss and overworked his staff, creating the highest turnover and loss of institutional knowledge (and loss of continuity resolving constituent issues, requiring new staffers to restart help).
As for “challenging authority figures”, I’ve called Gov Wolf “a ball-less wonder” for his failure to challenge the frackers. I’ve publicly gone after Seth Williams (in jail), Ed Pawlowski (in jail), Rob McCord, Daylin Leach (condemned by the party and asked to resign by Gov, Senate, and Montco Dems), Marcel Groen (forced out of PA Dems chairmanship), Bob Brady, and probably a few others that don’t immediately come to mind.
But, Joe isn’t some anti-establishment maverick. Noooo ! Joe tried to cut backdoor deals with the establishment, but his ego got in the way. So when he couldn’t get the deals he wanted, he pretended he was a maverick, and idiots like you bought into it. Sad.
You also have missed the point that it’s more essential to have people like me to annoy people like Sestak, and expose them for the political frauds they are.
Diano…judging from your long-winded rambling and obsession with Sestak, maybe they can squeeze you in for a mental exam as well.
Jake-
There are A LOT of examples of Sestak’s (and I really can’t do justice to the sheer bizarre-ness of his videos and posting with mere words).