I absolutely hope Sestak still runs. Very simply put, the age of interventionism needs to die out, and anybody as hawkish as Specter needs to be out of Congress. Sestak has also proven to be dedicated t preserve civil liberties. And while he still falls a bit short to Arlen's war chest, he has the money to compete.

Very interesting to see who would win over the Philadelphia area with Sestak, Torsella, and Arlen.

and if you've flip flopped for most of your political career, you might seem out of touch with PA voters who five months ago turned out in record numbers to choose a younger, less compromised candidate over an older, historically janus-like candidate.

Now, I'm glad the president welcomed Arlen. I welcome him too.

Welcome back, Arlen. Philly For Change Meetups are first Wednesdays at 7 at Tritone, 1508 South Street. I've heard you're a gin drinker; I like my Sapphire with tonic.

Every Philly Dem in this year's major primaries showed up, btw.

But after the prodigal son's coming home party dies down, we should turn a cold eye and ask, "Why should I vote for Specter in the primary?"

Because he'll beat Pat Toomey? Joe Sestak would beat Pat Toomey today, and he's never spent a minute or a dollar campaigning statewide in his life.

The only Democrat Toomey has a strong argument against is Specter, as the flip-flop thing is never pretty. I'm not suggesting Toomey would beat Specter in the general, nor am I suggesting that I'd withhold my vote if Specter were the Dem.

I'm just saying that this is just one chapter in a saga that could and should go on.

I'm also suggesting that if Sestak and Torsella have time to mount statewide campaigns, it will be interesting to see who polls best against Toomey at this time next year.

Heck, it'll be interesting next year just to see if PA Dem primary voters really would prefer Specter to Sestak or Torsella.

I mean, that poll a few months ago suggests Specter probably wouldn't beat Chris Matthews in a Democratic primary (though I'm not trying to encourage anybody). It was neck-and-neck in the general, suggesting PA Dems probably already preferred Matthews.

Eventually, PA voters are likely to catch on to the fact that one thing about Specter's desperate act is that it reveals him to be, um, desperate.

Desperate is not often a good look for a candidate.

And PA Dems don't need Specter to beat Toomey. The Dems can beat Toomey very well without him.

It is Specter who needs us to hold onto his seat in the U.S.'s most exclusive political club.

Let's see him work as a Democrat in order to win a Democratic primary.

Let's remember we have other options.

At this point the only thing I care about from Specter is will he vote to end cloture and vote yes on the Employee Free Choice Act. If yes I will support him, if No then I will not, no matter what Obama, Rendell, Casey or Biden want,

b/t/w "Obama" still comes up as misspelled when you type.

i was talking to someone about this just last night.

specter's move is nothing like the Jim jeffords jump. When Jeffords quit, it was during the party's ascendance. It took actual courage and was based on real principles.

and now specter has the nerve to say he's going to rein in presidential abuses and re-open wiretap cases? Dude, where were your principles, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2, and 1 year ago?

not impressed. he comes off as desperate (and a carpetbagger)

Sestak may run, and he may not, and while I agree with the political positions reflected in your post, I respectfully have to disagree with your conclusion.

I wish we lived in a state (or a country or a world, for that matter) where voting with majorities on wiretaps and funding Cheney's office were as politically disadvantageous as you suggest, but we don't.

As you know, if Specter is reelected, we'll get another six years of a politician who has taken exactly those positions.

Your blog suggests you're very aware of Sestak's strengths and shortcomings from an up close Delco perspective (while we're on the subject, dude, why can't Greg Vitale find a likely successor for State House and finally run for State Senate, where the Dems NEED seats?). Most people here can empathize with being frustrated by moderate Democrats.

But what's relevant in this discussion is Sestak's version of moderate Democrat versus Specter's, and who could win a Democratic primary.

And the one reason you raise that I think is relevant to Sestak's chances is the president; but even there I'm pretty sure you are overstating his vindictiveness. I don't recall many cases of Clinton supporters getting punished the way you suggest Sestak would. That doesn't fit the president's m.o., particularly considering his choice for Secretary of State.

He said he'd campaign for Specter, and I believe he will. The nature of his campaigning is the issue. It could be a contractual obligation photo-op kind of thing, which might not matter that much, or it could be real stumping for Specter.

Under no circumstances can I imagine Obama's going negative and criticizing another Democrat in the race, particularly a member of Congress.

We'll see what it is. I very much suspect that Specter's Senate performance in between now and then likely will determine the extent and enthusiasm of the president's support.

His support will have an affect on Sestak and perhaps on his fundraising capability.

But he's never faltered there before, his funding base is different from the president's both in the state and out, and moderate though he is, he seems at first glance preferable to a guy who's been a Republican for more than 40 years.

And it does seem to hurt Meehan a lot. Dude's been waiting along time however. Nothing short of PA Supreme Court is likely to get him to step aside entirely. Don't think being handed Corbet's current job will be enough.

Both parties, both Senate and Gov races, should have sparks aplenty.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.

No one cares about positive endorsements from pols. They care even less about guilt by remote associations about which they know absolutely nothing.

If you have to explain something for fifteen seconds or more to make your point--hey, did you know Arlen and Pat go way back to--then it is absolutely useless as a campaign tactic.

as I adn lots of other Ds who couldn't stomach our candidate voted for him. It was, I think, the first Republican vote I cast since my Dad ran on both tickets in the seventies and I thought it might be my only chance to vote for someone on the Republican ticket.

Cunningham should have a lot of appeal in Phlly and its suburbs. He is pro-choice and anti-gun and strong on women's issues, health care and education, the kinds of issues that are important in the burbs. He has a great record on economic development, having overseen a revival of Bethlehelm after the closure of the steel mills. He's not raised taxes something else that appeals to new democrats in the burbs.

Most importantly, as he said at my house, ask yourself what kinds of issues are going to dominate the debate in 2010, especially in SEPA? Is it going to corruption in government and putting Mike Veon in jail? We know that hasn't played all that well in SEPA even when the economy was doing well. With the economy still in trouble, the candidate with best record on economic issues will have the advantage.