Ok, so on the front page there is a discussion about Senator Jon Tester (D. MT) being selected to become the new Chairman of the DSCC. Tester will have to recruit candidates in a year with a more favorable map for Senate Democrats in 2016. Tester made a few things clear about his new position:
http://thehill.com/...
Tester told reporters Thursday he would seek out candidates that can "lead, that can win, that can advocate for the middle class."
“I’m accepting this position to recruit and support candidates who understand the issues facing regular, working Americans,” Tester continued later in a statement. “Our country needs leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and responsibly govern to move our nation forward. We need senators who support policies that strengthen the middle class, continue to grow our economy, and create prosperity for all Americans. As Chairman, I recognize that every Senate race in this country is different and I understand the need for candidates to have the flexibility to run their own races.”
“Jon Tester knows how to win tough races and will have the trust and loyalty of the entire Democratic caucus behind him in our fight to take back the majority in 2016,” Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement. “I’m extremely confident in Jon’s ability to lead our effort to elect new Democratic leaders and reelect our incumbents across the country who will stand up for the people of their state and fight for American middle class families.” - The Hill, 11/13/14
Ok, that sounds fine. Now I know Kos and others aren't thrilled about a red state rural Democrat being selected to run the DSCC. There are some legit concerns because Tester isn't a full blown progressive. Yes, he voted against the DREAM Act in 2010, voted against Obama's jobs plan in 2011 and favors building the Keystone XL Pipeline. But Tester also has several good points that I have pointed out in past comments:
He helped kill Larry Summers' nomination to be the new Federal Reserve Chairman.
He helped kill the Monsanto Protection Act.
He voted for background checks in 2013.
He voted for the Senate immigration reform package which included the DREAM Act in 2013.
He is one the biggest opponents of the NSA and the Patriot Act.
He can help win over rural, working class white voters with an economic populist message.
He's won tough races and ran on defending Social Security and Medicare.
He voted against Obama's job package because he didn't agree with renewing the payroll tax cut because it takes money away from Social Security.
He can help get Native American voters out to the polls which could make real differences in places like Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Arizona. If McCain wins his primary, he still has the Abramoff connection.
As chairman of the DSCC, he has to pick candidates that can win, even if they don't see eye to eye with him. He's backed candidates Daily Kos endorsed Senator-Elect Gary Peters (D. MI) who is on the complete opposite side of Tester when it comes to the Keystone XL Pipeline.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Now Kos made a good point about Native Americans opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline which I can see as a legit concern. Now when Senator Patty Murray (D. WA) was in charge of the DSCC, she helped get great progressives like Elizabeth Warren (D. MA), Mazie Hirono (D. HI), Chris Murphy (D. CT), Martin Heinrich (D. NM) and Tammy Baldwin (D. WI) elected to the Senate but I guarantee you she didn't see eye to eye with Joe Donnelly (D. IN), Tim Kaine (D. VA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D. ND) on every issue. Yet the DSCC helped them win as well. Now if Tester wants to immediately get on the good side of progressives, I have a proposal for him: immediately back Joe Sestak's (D. PA) comeback bid in Pennsylvania.
2016 is going to be a very different year for Sestak in his rematch against Tea Party Senator Pat Toomey (R. PA) for several reasons. Toomey is vulnerable because he won in a midterm election with the Tea Party wave but Pennsylvania has been trending more and more blue every year. Pennsylvania was the only state Democrats made any significant gains this year. But Toomey isn't Rick Santorum (R. PA) in the sense that he can keep his mouth shut about the social issues (with exception of the repeal of DADT, Toomey and Santorum see eye to eye on the social issues). But he's still a hardcore conservative who's economic ideology is incredibly harmful to the middle class. Lets not forget he was one of the lead Congressmen in 1999 who pushed for the repeal of Glass-Steagall. Sestak has hit Toomey on this issue. He also hit Toomey on this issue:
Toomey has also been labeled the "original Tea Party" candidate by FreedomWorks founder, Dick Armey, when Toomey came very close to unseating Arlen Specter in the 2004 GOP primary. It took Santorum and Bush to help bail out Specter from a humiliating primary loss. in 2010, Toomey finally ousted Specter from the GOP once GOP voters finally soured on Specter. Now the Club for Growth is ready to help their former President win a second term even though Toomey, who has a long been an advocate of purging moderates from the GOP, has been making moves to prove he can work with members of the opposite side. He co-sponsored a watered down background checks bill with Senator Joe Manchin (D. WV). He also co-sponsored ENDA but tried to sabotage it by weakening some of the provisions but his efforts failed. Now Pennsylvania voters views towards guns and marriage equality have shifted to the left. Even Senator Bob Casey (D. PA) shifted his position on banning assault weapons and gun control after the Sandy Hook massacre. Pennsylvanians may love to hunt, but they want to keep their loved ones safe. Toomey didn't even support banning assault weapons. Sestak has long been both a strong supporter of gun control and LGBT rights. He has an excellent record when it comes to standing up for the middle class, standing up for Wall Street accountability, standing up for workers rights and for protecting consumers. As a decorated Admiral of the Navy, he has a strong record fighting for Veterans whereas Toomey's record is hypocritical. Toomey was the same Congressman who voted in lock step with George W. Bush on invading Iraq and funding the unjustified war yet voted against giving the very troops who put their lives on the line pay raises. Most importantly, Sestak is a true blue climate hawk. His record on the environment would make him an excellent addition to a Senate caucus who are working to combat climate change. Toomey lost the Northwestern PA area because he advocated for BP to drill in Lake Erie. A lake that was once of the most polluted areas in Pennsylvania and now has been cleaned up and serves a tourist attraction and place of business for fisheries. Tom Wolf (D. PA) was able to win the Erie area against Tea Party Governor Tom Corbett (R. PA) and Sestak can win that area again. If Tester can fundraise for climate hawk Gary Peters, he can certainly do it for Sestak. Here's a brief look at the election results from 2010:
http://www.pennlive.com/...
Toomey clinched the midstate counties of Cumberland, York, Lebanon, Perry and Adams. He secured wins in the Democratic strongholds of Dauphin and Centre counties.
Toomey got a crucial boost from GOP-leaning independent voters, who gave him a 54-to-46 percent advantage over Sestak, and the majority — 55 percent — of the female vote.
An avowed fiscal conservative, Toomey, a 48-year-old former restaurant owner, ran a campaign focused largely on classic GOP talking points of limited government, and limited spending and taxation.
Toomey also steered clear of hot-button social issues such as abortion and gay rights.
“I don’t think you can say he did anything wrong,” said Jack Treadway, retired chairman of the political science department at Kutztown University. “I think he transformed himself very well. A few years ago he was considered an ultra conservative, but he transformed himself into a moderate.”
“You can’t point to any gaffes in his campaign,” Treadway said. “His message is the message Republicans have been winning on across the country. Let’s help small businesses. Let’s have smaller government and less government programs. Let’s reduce the deficit. It’s playing well everywhere else.”
Toomey, who consistently led at the polls, went into Election Day with a five-point advantage. Sestak registered a slight surge in the final weeks, coming within 3 percentage points of his rival, but failed to overtake him. Political analysts had almost unanimously predicted a GOP sweep in Pennsylvania.
Toomey’s win did not tip the balance for the GOP to reclaim the majority in the Senate, although it gave Republicans a highly coveted prize. The GOP regained control in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Toomey’s sprint to the finish line came at the end of a nail-biting race that put his rival ahead most of the night, as the massive voting bloc of Philadelphia and its moderately leaning suburbs showed early strong results for Sestak. Sestak gave his rival a run for the money in Toomey’s home turf of the Lehigh Valley, coming within 4,600 votes of his lead.
Sestak secured 84 percent of Philadelphia County’s massive vote, tallying 350,000 votes.
Toomey eventually took and maintained a narrow lead as the roughly 3.9 million votes were tallied. The turnout nearly matched the 4 million votes cast in the 2006 U.S. Senate race, where Democrat Bob Casey Jr. upended Republican Rick Santorum.
Indeed, a Sestak win would not have come as a shock. The 58-year-old former Navy admiral and two-term congressman from Delaware County has made a career of pulling out unexpected victories.
In the May primary, Sestak knocked out five-term Sen. Arlen Specter, the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania’s history. He upended 20-year incumbent Curt Weldon to win his seat in the U.S. House in 2006. - The Patriot-News, 11/3/10
Sestak's mistake was trying to compare Toomey to Tea Party nut job and U.S. Senate candidate, Christine O'Donnell (R. DE). Toomey and O'Donnell are cut from the same Tea Party cloth but voters had a hard time believing Toomey was as crazy as O'Donnell because he didn't say as much crazy shit as O'Donnell. But Toomey isn't exactly Mr. Smooth either. Check out this interview from 2009 where Chris Matthews pushes Toomey to say if Sarah Palin would've made a better Vice President than Joe Biden:
Sestak has proven to help get high turnout in the Philadelphia area and other Democratic strongholds. His real focus this time around will have to be winning the Philadelphia suburbs which Obama won in 2008 and 2012. While this area has been gerrymandered, it's still winnable for Sestak because the folks there still sour up when they hear Santorum and Bush's names. Sestak repeatedly brought up Toomey's record working with guys like Bush and Santorum and it did have an effect. These people are very pro-choice and Sestak has long been a champion for reproductive rights, gender equality and equal pay. This particular Senate reminds of the 2008 New Hampshire U.S. Senate race. Then Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D. NH) lost to fellow Club for Growth backed candidate John Sununu (R. NH) in 2002 but Shaheen defeated him in 2008 in her comeback bid. Shaheen's record is very similar to Sestak's record and I'm sure she would love to have him as a colleague. Sestak is from the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party and with Warren's new role in the Democrats' leadership ranks, it would be smart on Tester's behalf to respect the leadership's direction and back an excellent candidate like Sestak. Plus lets say Hillary Clinton is the Presidential nominee. Pennsylvania is still Clinton territory and you can sure bet that both Bill and Hillary would love to have Sestak in the Senate. He served in the Clinton Administration and was a delegate for Hillary in 2008. They will help rile up voters for Sestak that will help Democrats win both pennsylvania and this Senate seat in 2016.
Now Pennsylvania Democrats will have a deep bench of candidates like Attorney General Kathleen Kane, Treasurer Rob McCord, Montgomery County Chairman Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Rep. Matt Cartwright just to name a few. But Sestak is the only one who knows what it's like to run against Toomey and that's why he's getting a head start. He's already raised over a million dollars but he will need to raise more. Plus none of these mentioned Democrats are eagerly rushing into this race unlike what we saw in the crowded Democratic primary for Governor. Democrats were so confident they could beat Corbett this year, that's why we had a lot of options. We can still have plenty of options in this primary but Sestak still remains the best positioned candidate to defeat Toomey. Sestak's views are in line with the majority of Pennsylvania voters from protecting the environment to support for medical marijuana and health care reform. If you agree that Sestak is the best candidate, be sure to contact the DSCC and tell them to get behind Sestak's campaign:
http://www.dscc.org/...
You can also get involved and donate to Sestak's campaign right now so he can get ready for one long battle to help the Democrats take back the Senate:
http://joesestak.com/