Media — Celebrating what might be his best ghostwriting effort to date, Sestak for Senate staffer Jason Turner Wednesday put the finishing touches on a 750-word op-ed about the importance of raising the minimum wage.
The achievement came just hours after Turned deposited his biweekly paycheck of $448.50.
“Without a living wage, the American dream remains out of reach for too many working people. Pennsylvania deserves a leader who will be accountable to the middle class,” Turner read aloud from the first draft of the Admiral Congressman’s forthcoming essay.
“Nailed it.”
Turner took particular pride in his use of a recent analysis from the Department of Labor.
“How can we expect anyone to live on $7.25 per hour,” wrote Turner, whose effective rate is $1.78. “Every single study shows that indexing wages to inflation boosts productivity and actually improves economic growth.”
The DOL analysis listed the poverty level for a single person at $11,770, $70 more than Turner’s annualized salary.
He said he hoped to see the piece published on Sestak’s website or perhaps even DailyKos.
“Campaign life can be hard and any 1am deadline is difficult, but the mandatory 18 hour days are worth it at times like this,” Turner said.
Turner, who recently graduated with a double major in philosophy and classic literature from Haverford, said Sestak’s next op-ed will address the student loan crisis.
At press time, Turner was reviewing 16 pages of notes and revisions from Sestak.
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10 Responses
Ideals and volunteerism is great, until you realize it means no one can afford to work on a campaign who isn’t personally wealthy (or related to someone who is) enough to underwrite their campaign work. Everyone should be able to participate in democracy, not just those able to suck up laughable pay, zero job security, and no unemployment insurance (because the campaigns specifically time the date of hire so they can lay you off the day after election day and you’ll be three days short of qualifying to UI)
No, it might not be enough to live on, but when you work as a volunteer for a candidate it is because you believe in his or her goals. I volunteered( no salary at all) long hours for George McGovern, Milton Shapp, and Joe Hoeffel, school board , county and local commissioners. When they lost, I started on other campaigns, but never regretted my efforts to make my town, my state, or my country a better place. My reward, when they won, was to leave my children and grandchildren a more wonderful future. So, perhaps
So when wages are low, perhaps the staffers believe in the candidate enough to work for more than money. Maybe they have ideals!
The sad thing is, this isn’t even really an exaggeration.
I thought this was an April Fool’s hoax.
Is this true?
He says he can’t live on less than $7.25 and then proves that it can be done because he does it. No…this is a hoax.
It took me a few minutes to believe this was an April Fool’s story, because it just was too true.
$1.78/hour ? Sestak must have given him a raise. 🙂
If only this were outlandish
That’s more like it.
Pundits and politicos across Pennsylvania reacted with stunned silence today when it was revealed that Joe Sestak, David Diano and Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D. had not only called a halt to their long-running (and long-winded) comment-section feuds, but had decided to form an accapella trio that will perform under the name “Get Shorty.”
The sarcasm is especially acerbic this year.