Hi all,
I trust you had a good weekend!
I was all set to do today's diary on the Reading Eagle's actual reporting of candidates' positions. Granted, they were just cut-and-paste blurbs that the candidates submitted, but at least they were informative.
But this morning, I got an email from the Sestak campaign, saying that they were reactivating GoJoe, the social networking site that enabled Sestak to beat Arlen Specter in the primary. If you're not already active on that site, I urge you to go and sign up now. No matter if you're in PA or not, there's a lot at stake and a lot you can do. We need all hands on deck to make sure Admiral Sestak makes it to the Senate, and Pat Toomey is kept from the halls of power.
Also, if you haven't already, please make sure every PA resident you know is registered to vote! Today is the deadline!
I know this diary is coming a little later than average today - this week is hectic, to say the least, and so I may not get these up on any kind of a schedule. I will do my best to still do one a day.
First things first, of course - anyone, anywhere can help the campaign by Donating or Calling (through the campaign's virtual phone bank) --- this is one race the Netroots should get behind. Sestak challenged Republican-turned-Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter in the primary and beat him, despite a complete lack of support from the establishment, and is now in a serious contest with one of the most extreme right-wingers this election cycle. '
AND, THE CAMPAIGN HAS JUST RE-LAUNCHED GOJOE, THE SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOL THAT HELPED WIN THE PRIMARY. PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO GO LOGIN, CHECK IT OUT, AND GET (even more) INVOLVED.
As I said in the intro, I also wanted to remind everyone that today is the PA voter registration deadline. Please make sure all the Pennsylvanians you know (friends, family, neighbors) are registered to vote!
Lastly, in order to insure you stay motivated, I'll leave you with some quotes from the Reading Eagle, which apparently decided to actually inform the public about the candidates' positions on stuff(!). The whole article is available here: (emphasis mine)
Toomey:
One of the first things we've got to do is clear away the threats that have been imposed by this federal government. Serial bailouts of failing companies, nationalizing whole industries, spending on a staggering scale, deficits and debt that are not affordable, cap and trade, card check and government run health care are preventing us from having the recovery we need. We need to clear away these threats to small businesses and entrepreneurs who might be otherwise starting businesses. We need to make the 2003 tax cuts permanent for everyone, so that we have some certainty and an ability to plan. If we did those things, then I think the natural entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of Pennsylvanians and Americans would really take off, and we would have the kind of recovery we've typically had in the past after a severe recession.
...
The Environmental Protection Agency has been very aggressively hounding a lot of our agricultural interests. Even the Department of Transportation is making things tougher on farmers who need to drive a tractor. The death tax is a huge threat to the family farm...
...
Sestak
If we did not have Social Security, we'd have almost all seniors living in poverty. It's almost all the retirement income for two-thirds of our seniors. It must be preserved. You can do that by various ways. One example would be to have the top 1 percent of Americans, the millionaires, pay the same as they did during the Clinton administration when we created 23 million jobs. We would keep Social Security solvent for 75 years. We could close tax loopholes. If a large corporation invests in a factory in China they don't get their profits taxed. They can just reinvest them overseas without paying any taxes. That would provide $340 billion. That's how you fix the solvency without any impact on benefits. I believe in preserving Social Security and making sure solvency is taken care of in ways that don't affect the middle class.
...
What strategy would you prefer to protect national security? Why?
Sestak
We should bring the parties together in direct negotiations....
Toomey:
It starts with a strong economy. We need to have a strong economy that generates the resources needed to maintain a very strong military...
---Reading Eagle
They're night and day, people. Let's put Sestak over the top.
And for everyone, here are the newly-expanded important to-do items:
- Donate (I set up a new ActBlue page, it seems to me this series ought to be able to get at least 50 contributors - my email - feel free to cut-and-paste - got us several new donors!)
- Canvass --- getting out the vote is critical. You can also go to their contact us page --- they just opened four new offices!
- Call - they have a Virtual Phone Bank, so you can make calls from anywhere! (h/t angel65)
- Send email (link takes you to the diary yesterday with a template) or call or talk in person with those you know in Pennsylvania about this race.
- Go to go.joesestak.com (GoJoe for short) create an account, and look for ways.
- And, if you are in Pennsylvania, plan to vote, and bring as many people with you as possible.
Other diaries in the series:
#12 - The narrative begins to change.
#11 - Matching funds until tonight! And, Sestak in his own words.
#10 - New Poll, We're Gaining Ground!
#9 - Toomey's outlandish beliefs on parade
#8 - Knocking on doors in Pittsburgh this past weekend
#7 - The Admirable Admiral weighs in on tax cuts.
#6 - Sestak v. Toomey on crime
#5 - Mobilizing Pennsylvania's Progressives
#4 - Why is dKos advertising for a Tea Party Republican?!
#3 - Obama's other engagement today
#2 - Lies, Damn Lies, and Pat Toomey's ads.
#1 - Let's do better than the teabaggers in DE. Seriously, people, fight for it.
Thanks for reading, and make sure to check in tomorrow to see what a new day brings in this incredibly important contest.