Obama greeted by Specter in Pennsylvania, but Sestak is Absent

[KoKo]

(Obama seems to have a very credible explanation for why he flew with Specter....so I'd look at this with some grains of salt...still it's kind of cruel for us Progressives to see him fly with Specter/Clarence Thomas and tons of other stuff Specter did against Dems through his years in the Senate. I think Obama is sending a message to PROGRESSIVES..."SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

-------

Obama greeted by Specter in Pennsylvania, but Sestak is absent
June 2, 2010 | 11:05 am

When President Obama arrived in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Sen. Arlen Specter deplaned to greet the local dignitaries.

There’s nothing unusual in the president bringing a local senator to a speech. What was unusual, however, was who was missing: Rep. Joe Sestak, who defeated White House favorite Specter and won the Democratic nomination for Senate.

The White House minimized Sestak’s glaring absence.

“There was a little confusion,” spokesman Bill Burton told reporters on Air Force One. Sestak “was invited to a political meeting before the speech with some other community leaders from around the state and was certainly welcome to stay for the speech if he was so inclined.”

Sestak was not on the plane and not at the speech because “he apparently had a previous engagement,” Burton said.

The White House strongly – and unsuccessfully – backed Specter, who was forced to leave the GOP because he could not win that party’s primary. He was embraced by Democrats because he was the 61st Senate vote, giving them a supermajority at the time.

Just how far the White House went in helping Specter is very much in the political maelstrom. The GOP wants an impartial investigation into the Obama administration’s effort to enlist former President Clinton to discuss a possible unpaid post for Sestak if he stayed in the House.

Having Sestak and Specter at the same place at the same time would have give the GOP a talking point as well as creating an awkward moment.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2010/06/barack-obama-arlen-specter-joe-sestak-pennsylvania.html

[Bitwit1234]

1. If Sestak keeps this crap up he is just about liable to loose the election

[KoKo]

2. I agree there's something strange about him...but he is a MESSAGE to RAHM ...

So, if I lived in PA...I would be supporting him as a thumb my finger to Rahm supporting Specter.

Sometimes...you just gotta take a stand..

[PopSixSquish]

5. FYI - Rahm Recruited Sestak to Run for the House in 2006

and as WH COS was trying to clear the primary field as part of a deal to get Specter to switch.

He probably isn't all that upset about the outcome...

[stevenleser]

22. See, now thar ya go spoiling the groupthink and narrative they want to paint

Why would you want to go and do a think like that with facts of all things?

[CBR]

19. Have you ever heard that he is a jerk to his staff? Some colleagues

of mine live in PA (they voted for him in the primary) all say he has a horrible reputation as far as treating people. They voted policies because, according to them, Specter is apparently nice. No clue here, just trying to see if this has any grain of truth or just nasty rumors. I hope he destroys Toomey.

[joe black]

25. Spector, yeah a real nice guy.

Hows that magic bullet working for your niceness.

[harun]

27. He makes them work long hours, not sure about the jerk part.

[activa8tr]

3. Governor Rendell, (Sp?) says Sestak will be supported by BOTH

Specter and Rendell, himself. So I think sometimes we read too much into this...maybe Sestak is taking a few days away with his family, or doing something else important.

Let's not start more rumor wars that we need to.

[harkadog]

6. Being with the President of the U.S. is usually considered more important

than receiving a routine endorsement from a labor union. He also declined to attend a political meeting with Obama before the event. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/02/AR2010060202435.html?sub=AR

[AtomicKitten]

4. "I think Obama is sending a message to PROGRESSIVES..."SHUT THE FUCK UP!""

Good grief where do you come up with this stuff? Granted it takes little provocation for this board to go off, but jeezus this is really fishing for something to bitch about.

[PopSixSquish]

8. The Funniest Thing of All is That Sestak Isn't a Progressive But a Moderate Democrat

more than one Penn poster on this board has said so...

[AtomicKitten]

9. I've been saying that from the get-go.

In fact, Nate Silver rated Specter more liberal than Sestak.
---> http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/is-sestak-right-choice-for-left.html

I think some here bought into this primary as a proxy war against Obama, ergo the delusion that Sestak's a progressive.

[Jennicut]

24. Yup, he is. He is not a progressive. But he has never been a Repub.

I guess that is what it came down to with Sestak and Specter. I would have voted for Sestak but he is not the most socially competent politician I have ever seen.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AtomicKitten]

12. You do realize you're manufacturing your own outrage, right? nt

[emulatorloo]

15. DU seems to be all about "Dark Conspiracy Theories" these days.

A lot of bizarre conclusions being drawn on the big green blackboard.

[AtomicKitten]

18. Jon Stewart nailed it.

---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JnDY2Gv5YQ&feature=related

[emulatorloo]

26. Wow, thanks for that clip. n/t

[PopSixSquish]

7. Now I Know You Read the Article as You Posted It - Because You Put the Following in Bold Text

"Having Sestak and Specter at the same place at the same time would have give the GOP a talking point as well as creating an awkward moment."

Try it again, slower...

[KoKo]

11. I called it as I "see'd" it. Figuring it was a RW thing against Obama...but doesn't Excuse Obama's

message to Progressive Dems. "Fuck You...Shut the Hell Up!"

It's what it is. It's how he sees his Presidency and who he sides with. It's CLINTON II!

[AtomicKitten]

13. ""doesn't excuse Obama's message to Progressive Dems: "Fuck You...Shut the Hell Up!""

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jx24sv42x6Q/SasoNN8mifI/AAAAAAAAARM/rO0b9Sk_w3U/s400/rockyandbullwinkle+%282%29.jpg

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[emulatorloo]

14. "I think Obama is sending a message to PROGRESSIVES..."SHUT THE FUCK UP!""

Honestly what you think is not very relevant. And as far as I can tell not true,

Sestak says he supports Obama, Obama White House says thye support Sestak.

[Phx_Dem]

17. Sestak said he had other plans. But he probably didn't want to be seen

with the "establishment" he railed against in the primaries. What a dumbshit. That tactic didn't work out so well for Artur Davis (AL-Dem) who just lost the Dem primary by running away from Democrats. Ditto for Parker Griffith, also of Alabama. who actually switched parties to run as a Republican! Both lost their asses. Sestak is on his way to doing the same, except it's not a primary and he could lose our Democratic seat.

He makes me miss Arlen(words I never thought I'd say).

[Arkana]

20. So because SESTAK screwed up, you think this is some sort of subliminal message

from the White House to the self-declared "progressives" to go fuck themselves?

You know what? I'm starting to think it's not just the right-wing that has a persecution complex.

[stevenleser]

21. It's just amazing how some people are desperate to see their chosen narrative IN EVERYTHING!!!!

"Telling progressives..." What a crock

:wtf:

:mad:

:argh:

[DFLforever]

23. Sestak still has a bit of egg on his face about the not

so solid "job offer" would be my guess.

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato also wasn't there

Curious, as he the Democratic nominee for Governor.