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4/15 Ups & Downs

Sestak confounds, Fitzpatrick benefits and Kasich falls behind. See who made this week’s list!

Up ArrowDown ArrowJoe Sestak. Guess you should count us among the professional pundits because we can’t quite figure out Joe Sestak either. For example, this week the former Congressman caused a tweetstorm, was the subject of an unflattering Politico piece, and missed out on the SEIU’s endorsement. Additionally, McGinty posted an impressive fundraising quarter and recruited the President to do radio ads while Fetterman won over the college crowd at Saturday’s PSU debate. Yet, Sestak won the praise of the two biggest papers in the state and is still considered the front-runner a week and a half out. We’ll find out on April 26th if he truly can pull off another political miracle.

Up ArrowBrian Fitzpatrick. Sometimes being under-the-radar is where you want to be. That’s certainly the case for Brian Fitzpatrick. The younger brother of retiring Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, the newcomer was able to raise $450K this quarter despite his campaign’s late January start. At the same time, Democrats Shaughnessy Naughton and Steve Santarsiero are locked in a bitter fight for their party’s nomination. It’s still a long road to go but the first stretch has been kind to the first-timer.

 

Down ArrowChaka Fattah. Congressman Fattah just can’t catch a break. After winning some labor endorsements, circumstances were starting to look up. Nevertheless, Dwight Evans continues to prove a prolific fundraiser, bringing in enough cash to run TV ads through election day. Even one of Fattah’s lesser known opponents, Dan Muroff, got a boost when he won the support of Daylin Leach. April 26th is set up to be either the best or worst day of Fattah’s political life and right now it’s leaning towards the latter.

 

Up ArrowJohn Rafferty. The State Senator and GOP candidate for Attorney General continued to rack up endorsements this week. Six County Commissioners and 14 District Attorneys publicly declared their support. Furthermore, Rafferty won the endorsement of the Philadelphia Inquirer. At the moment, he is in the pole position in the AG race.

 

 

Down ArrowJohn Kasich. The McKees Rocks native thought that Pennsylvania could be the state to catapult his electoral chances. Instead it may be the place his candidacy runs aground. Three new polls this week showed Trump leading the field and two of them had Kasich behind Cruz in third. Meanwhile, his opponents hit the stump in the Keystone State. To top it off, our readers concluded Trump would emerge victorious. It’s hard to see how a man who can’t win a second state could possibly be the Republican party’s presidential nominee, although this year anything seems possible.

The tweet of the week goes to Dan McLaughlin’s comment on Donald Trump’s puzzling shout-out to Joe Paterno.

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  3. Dave:
    Sestak did not agree with neo-con hawks like Rumsfeld as I recall seeing in Wikipedia and Sestak stood up to them. Check out Sestak/Wikipedia and other sources.

  4. Mcginty’s revolving door to $$$-

    Sestak is the baby with a diaper full of sh*t he’s calling “experience”. Joe’s foreign policy philosophy is war and overwhelming military force. Joe’s wasn’t a “leader” in Congress. He provided cover for the Republicans voting to continue the Iraq War (a war that Sestak supported without objection).

    Saying Joe’s experienced is like saying Rumsfeld or Cheney have experience.

  5. Mcginty’s revolving door to $$$’s comments make me want to vote for McGinty … 10 times.

  6. Yes, Sestak IS the serious adult in the room! Fetterman has a future if he gets his philosophy together and maybe runs for a more modest office like Congress. Sadly political operative McGinty is THE opportunist who navigates the revolving door between political and corporate benefactors. She in no way is for the middle class, her phony campaign theme. Having received over $1,000,000 in compensation from the corporate fracking industry, McG is a phony……..McG is a light-weight who has no clue about foreign policy—-what is ISIS????—-she probably thinks ISIS is a pharmaceutical corporation. Actually ISIS WAS the name of a pharmaceutical company which changed its name for OBVIOUS reasons. McG has no clue about keeping America safe. She is likely for the neo-con’s “regime change” which is what her benefactors associated with the Hillary campaign seem to favor, even when this tragic theory has had such unintended consequences. More to the point: Her kids will never go to war. Her kids will never die in a foreign theatre. She will never know the intricacies of foreign policy which Admiral Sestak knows so well. She NEVER served!!!!!! She is totally out of her league. And, while I’m a dove on foreign intrigues, I know the Admiral knows the intricacies and nuances of foreign policy and defense spending—He is no blowhard, tough guy. He gets it. McG is so far out of her element that it is dangerous to our future to have this neophyte think she is ready for the important position for which she seeks. Katie, go back to fracking……or, run for a lesser office ———and climb the ladder. Really! Delusional aspirations are not an appealing sales point.

  7. tommyd:

    BTW, here’s a posting from a retired Navy guy who runs a blog about military topics:

    This is from July 2005, before Joe entered politics (and came up with the BS about his firing being due to his stance on budget issues). So, let’s not pretend it’s a story cooked up for politics:
    cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2005/07/new-cno-speaks-out-and-unsheathes-his.html

    And this later posting:
    cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2007/09/joe-you-got-fired-because.html

  8. tommyd-

    That isn’t why Sestak was demoted. That’s a story Sestak cooked up with his buddy Vern Clark (who has protected Sestak for years from retribution for his misbehavior).

    The Wikipedia article has been “massaged” (by Sestak supporters) over the years and no longer contains the link to the Navy Times article, and downplays the Philly Inquirer coverage about “ruffled feathers”

    The key line is: “Pentagon sources have confirmed the Navy Times report to multiple news organizations.”

    ——-
    “FROM: May 06, 2010
    A heated dispute around Rep. Joe Sestak’s Navy record has become a central issue in his Democratic primary Senate race against incumbent Arlen Specter.

    The best way for Sestak to resolve the issue would be for him to release his Navy records.

    The dispute centers on an ad by Specter’s campaign that said Sestak was relieved of his post as chief of planning for the Navy because he created a “poor command climate.” That’s according to a 2005 Navy Times article cited by the TV ad. Pentagon sources have confirmed the Navy Times report to multiple news organizations.

    But Sestak denies the report, and said he retired in part to let the new chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Mullen, put his own team in place. Sestak says his push to downsize the Navy ruffled feathers that also contributed to his ouster.”

    ——–

  9. Well said, and dead on, Irish. EXCEPT that:

    Fetterman will never finish second. Not a with a half a million on hand, while Katie has several individual $500,000 donors (albeit all from outside PA).

    Her cash and connections won’t overcome the face-to-face respect Joe has earned with most of the Dems who will show up though.

    Sestak for Senate!

  10. McGinty wins Primary. Goes on to beat Toomey in the Fall. Joins Elizabeth Warren as voices in the Senate who are voices of the average people of this great country. Sestak goes home to Virginia. This time to stay. Toomey goes back to The Club For Growth or goes back to trading derivatives for Chinese billionaires.

  11. Yes, David, Sestak did get demoted, but it was really a badge of honor (Rumsfeld didn’t like him). From Wikipedia:

    In the summer of 2005, Sestak was administratively removed from his position as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs (N6/N7), the three-star position in which he’d served since 2004.[8] His removal was one of the first changes made by Admiral Michael Mullen when he took over as the new Chief of Naval Operations in July, 2005, according to Navy Times.

    Sestak was reassigned as a special assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, and then opted to retire when his daughter was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer.[9]

    Controversy stirred over his leaving the Navy; it was reported that he was pushed out because he “ruffled feathers” within the Bush Administration and came into conflict with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over Sestak’s advocacy for spending cuts.[4] 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 he challenged people who did not want to be challenged. The guy is courageous, a patriot’s patriot.”

  12. Note – Rafferty “won” endorsement in Republican Primary. The Inquirer endorsed Shapiro in D Primary.

    Rafferty IS NOT in “pole position.” I can almost guarantee that the Inquirer will endorse Shapiro over Rafferty in the General Election.

  13. Two thoughts-
    (1) Kasich Stinks- last thing Nation needs is
    an old line republican like John Boy. Almost as
    Inept as Corbett.
    (2) Sestak is far better than clueless Katie- whatever his shortcomings he is qualified – McGinty is a clueless hack unworthy of Senate.
    Sestak might beat Toomey- McGinty has been , is and will continue to be a loser- voters of all
    persuasions see her total lack of qualification.

  14. Fred-

    Actually, he retired as a two-star admiral, as he did not hold the rank of three-star Admiral long enough to retain it for retirement purposes.

    But, even though he’s retired as two-star, he’s really a zero-star who wanted to be treated as a four-star.

  15. @irish: Sestak was actually a Vice Admiral, which is a three-star admiral, not a four-star.

  16. I am somewhat incredulous by some of the stories that I read here. [have never posted, but sometimes read stories]. Here is a complete factoid about the Sestak-McGinty-Fetterman battle.

    First, while the powers to be in Washington including Obama, Biden, Reid, Schumer et. al. hate Joe Sestak, the people like him. He is a four star admiral, which is impressive. He ran a good race against Toomey and in an ordinary year could have won.

    Except that the powers to be in D.C. including those named above led the party into one of the worst defeats in history in 2010, worst since the Civil War, yet Sestak stayed close during a landslide. These same Dems have dug themselves into such a hole that they will never take the House again until the 2020s.

    Then in ’14, they let go of something that they had held for right years in another landslide.

    So, why should anyone listen to these jerks? I am a Dem, definitely left of center, favor Bernie but know limitations.

    Obama has been a disappointment although he will probably be ranked 20th or so in 50 years.

    Nevertheless, how are these characters even credible? Sestak went around the state talking to people. He listened, and people like that, though talking heads do not understand that.
    Memo to Politico and PoliticsPA, you are talking to the wrong people.

    I watched a portion of the last debate. I do not want to be sexist, but McGinty came across as an “airhead.” Again, just trying to be accurate. Remember, she ran for governor and ended up fourth in a field of four, and one of them was indicted or accused and resigned but still drew more than 9% more than McGinty (7.66%). She has never won an election for obvious reasons.

    She is receiving endorsements, but has a chance of finishing behind John Fetterman, who was actually impressive but too far behind to matter.

    Finally, if the Dems cannot knock off Toomey, that will go back to Obama, Biden, Rendell, and the other idiots who are trying to punish Joe Sestak for running against Arlen Specter and beating him.
    Imagine, punish a Democrat for running against a Republican.

  17. The lousy choice the American voters have is much the media’s fault as any one else. You say something stupid or incendiary you get all kinds of coverage. That’s why a crook, a commie, a blowhard, and an a nut are leading in these races. A competent sensible individual like John Kasich doesn’t get any coverage. Yes he may be a little boring, but what do you expect from an Ohio Governor. I may be a dreamer; I hope the Republican Party comes to its senses and selects some one like Kasich who can win the election and govern the country.

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