I like Joe Sestak. I have been pushing Sestak over Specter for a while. But let's be fair ........

[Stinky The Clown]

...... painting Joe Sestak as some big, lefty, liberal is wrong. He simply isn't. What he is, over Specter, is an actual Democrat.

[laughingliberal]

1. Agree. Not as liberal as I'd like but more to the left than Specter. eom

[AllentownJake]

2. Depending on the position

Specter is more liberal and has been consistently more liberal on certain things for his entire career, except when the old man had a panic in 2004. He has always been an opportunist and will be till the day he breathes his last breath.

2 things on this race.

1) The Maine GOP has gone batshit insane. Depending on what tact you wish to take with Collins and Snowe depends on what you want in this race. Believe me, those two are watching to see if Arlen survives this. The question is do you want Collins and Snowe in the democratic party or do you want to gamble. Pros and Cons on either side. I'm not big for party switches but those two are not happy with what is going on in their party either nationally or now at their state level.

2) This November is going to be a fucking shitstorm for democrats politically. Sestak's people are assholes. I don't know if I want to deal with that bunch. They have run one good campaign ad. I've not been impressed by the field team, and Sestak himself is notorious for working people like they are building a Pyramid...to his honor. I've seen him debate both Arlen and Pat Toomey and walked away unimpressed both times. The Toomey debate made me feel like I was watching a puppy get kicked it was so fucking bad and he looked so inept. I even got to ask a question and gave Sestak a very slow pitch right over the plate and he fucked it up. Toomey's operation is going to eat Joe for Breakfast because quite frankly Rich isn't capable of a statewide campaign and Pat has been laying groundwork for this for 6 years.

2010 is about salvaging what you can....Sestak is a walking disaster.

[old mark]

3. Sestak is no liberal. His politics are simple - do what is necessary to get elected, period.

He now represents a mainly republican area and he is to all intents and purposes a Blue Dog, and I have no doubt he will remain so.

He was an Admiral in the navy, and there just ain't too many "liberal" admirals...think John McCain's dad. He was not impressive in the only debate between the candidates - he appeared shifty and dishonest.

Specter seems like he may lose in part because of a backlash against the support he has from the Democratic party machine...we will see on Tuesday.

Toomey is a very scary alternative - if Sestak wins, Democrats had BETTER turn out in November and vote for him...

mark

[AndyA]

4. Sestak has refused to release his Navy records. There's something there he doesn't want revealed.

I don't know any details, but I could tell how he reacted when Chris Matthews asked him why he wasn't going to release them. Sestak's answer was bullshit, and you could hear it in his voice. His response didn't make sense, either.

I'm sick of politicians that lie to get elected. If Sestak screwed up, he should admit it. Nothing I've seen of him indicates he's a liberal in any way, in fact he'll likely be (yet another) DINO.

[old mark]

9. I have changed my mind on this particular election several times -

it's not easy when you have 2 bad choices and a really tough opponent in Toomey.

I will vote Tuesday, but I must do more research before I finally decide who I will vote for.

mark

[mucifer]

5. check out their voting records here. To me Sestak's is better. I don't know about his debating

tactics or how his workers are but check out the voting records of each of them:

http://www.votesmart.org/summary.php?can_id=53340

http://www.votesmart.org/summary.php?can_id=58333

Sestak seems to be more pro environment and gay rights to be called a blue dog. Maybe I'm missing something. Yeah, he's pro war. But, so are most dems. He wasn't in congress for the vote to enter Iraq so we don't know how he would have voted on that.

[saltpoint]

6. I'm rooting for Joe.

[mochajava666]

7. Exactly right. Not a big lefty, but at least a real Democrat

Arlen "magic bullet theory" Specter needs to get out of politics.

[whyverne]

8. I still haven't decided. It seems to me whoever has the best chance

to win in the fall is the only important point. So I'm probably leaning towards Arlen. ABAR. Anybody But A Republican.

[socialist_n_TN]

10. Not a Quaker stater, but.....

From what I've seen in polling, Sestak polls better against Toomey than Specter does. This should be enough to vote Sestak, even leaving out the fact that Sestak is a LITTLE more left than Arlen. Have later polls in PA shown differently?

[AllentownJake]

12. Sestak will run a disaster of a campaign

Hopefully if he pulls it off, the DSCC will oust his family members for professionals.

[Skidmore]

11. Thank you.

The more I've listened to him, the less I've come to believe that he is only somewhat better than Specter. He doesn't appear to have that party jumping credibility problem. However, the last couple of times I saw him on Hardball, I cringed at something and I'm not certain what it was other than it has to do with sincerity and smarminess. I can't put my finger on it. But I cringed and my husband actually commented on it to say that as much as he'd wants Specter to be defeated, he's not certain that Sestak is an improvement.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Yeah, I know the quality you mean. Its evident all the time.

As I said, his only teal redeeming value is that he has always been an actual Democrat, unlike bhis primary opponent, Senator Arlen "I'm Baaaa-aaack".

[Radical Activist]

14. Right. He doesn't need to be a liberal.

The impact of defeating Specter and Blanche Lincoln is much greater than how liberal their primary challengers are.

The greatest obstacle to passing a progressive agenda is the US Senate. Primary upsets of two right-leaning incumbents will alter political realities in a way that may open up the floodgates for more progressive legislation passing the Senate.

Halter, Sestak and the entire US Senate will know that two incumbents were defeated because they weren't liberal enough. That would be a big fucking deal.

[w4rma]

15. Very true. And that is why the DLC fights fpr Specter and Lincoln in the primaries. (nt)