Election Day is tomorrow. For two candidates, we lack some important records.
Senatorial candidate Joe Sestak, forced to retire from the Navy because of a "poor command climate," still refuses to release his service records. State house wannabe Justin Simmons still refuses to e-file his campaign expenses, or make them available on any one of his three different web pages, while simultaneously questioning his candidate's finance report.
It's a safe bet neither believe in transparency.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Monday, May 17, 2010
37 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
You are right about Specter's transparency: he only cares about getting re-elected.
ReplyDeleteSo I've read in countless pieces. But what about Sestak? Is this a guy who will do or say whatever he needs to do or say to get elected, and then forget about it?
ReplyDeleteSestak is trying to appeal to the left end of the Dem party by portraying himself as a "liberal," but this is a 31 year military man who could not even pay his campaign staff minimum wage.
This is a guy who, despite all the swiftboating claims, really was relieved for creating a poor command climate. He's in his first term in Congress and already has his eyes on another star. He's spent so much time running that he has basically igored his job as Congressman and has misssed important votes that the supposedly frailer Specter has not.
Did you read the article you linked to about Sestak? If so, do you still insist on making his military career an issue?
ReplyDeleteAs for his being a liberal, did you not pay any attention to his campaign for Congress last time? If so, you'd realize you are all wrong about the man.
Bernie,
ReplyDeletePermission to Post;
Did you attend last night's Cunningham concert? How was it?
"So I've read in countless pieces"
ReplyDeleteAnd so we have heard him say with his own mouth. We've also heard him tell a congresswoman to "act like a lady", effectively call Anita Hill a tramp, and perhaps his best hit: the single bullet theory. Moreover, he engaged in a quid pro quo with Santorum to get two extremist judges on the SCOTUS (who in turn gave us the fantastic Citizen's United ruling... great work Arlen). I'm sorry, give me a Democrat with some credibility over this opportunist any day.
"He's in his first term in Congress and already has his eyes on another star."
Second term. He was elected in 2006 after defeating a corrupt politician in a corrupt machine-based county. He was re-elected in 2008 by a wide margin. He's not one of those candidates that will get to keep his office if he loses this primary. That's it: game over. He's take a risk to pursue something he feels qualified to do (unlike Dent, Callahan and others who wouldn't dare give up an office to run for a higher office). If he loses, he goes home to be a citizen.
I don't think any of us have enough knowledge of military politics to understand what happened with Sestak's career except that you don't get to Admiral without kicking some butt and making enemies. I'm sure you will find a way to claim that you have such knowledge, but be real: you don't. So let it die. Further, even John Kerry, a Specter supporter, asked that the subject be dropped entirely.
As far as his underpaid staff, they were volunteers who were given a housing allowance and food stipends. They were unpaid and told they would be unpaid when they started. Question: have any of them made a big deal of it in the press? Wouldn't they have been heard loud and clear if it was really an issue?
Sestak is hard-nosed and doesn't take crap (whether it be from his DC/district staff, the president who tried to buy him out of the race with a job or the party machine). We need some more people with the mind-set take on political insiders that it takes a tough personality to get things done in Washington.
I look forward to Weds morning when you have the opportunity to turn your attention to transparency and ask Pat Toomey how he got so rich off of derivative trading.
Well, at least Obama and Pelosi believe in Transparency and clearly proved such all with their actions all last year!
ReplyDelete"Did you attend last night's Cunningham concert? How was it?"
ReplyDeleteMissed it. The sunburn from that weekend tournament was killing me.
Specter's TV ads make very clear that Sestak is lazy, cheap, and covering up a military career that went down in flames.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Specter.
It's difficult to believe that one would stoop so low during a primary.
Many of us would have preferred an issue-oriented campaign. Instead, we got this. And this blog supports this kind of crap? I find that difficult to believe as well.
I have no problem with anyone who notes Sestak was relieved of command. I think it's a factor to be considered in deciding whether hee should be supported. Another imnportant factor, at least to me, is his refusal to release his military records.
ReplyDeleteTo me this demonstrates a fundamental lack of transparency, something on which I attach great importance.
I call on Specter to reveal his conversations with Rick Santorum on matters involving the Supreme Court. Voters have a right to know what promises Arlen made to Santorum. Santorum has told us his side of the story. Come on Arlen. Release all the emails related to it.
ReplyDeleteFurther, I would like the Dem Machine to disclose every offer ever made to Sestak to get him to duck out of the race.
I don't get specter: two years ago he endorsed McCain and Palin. In 2006 he endorsed Santorum over Casey. Why the heck do D's feel the need to support this guy? He didn't support them when it mattered.
Just curious - Did you have the same concerns about Obama not releasing his academic records or, for that matter, his birth certificate (which I bring up only because he won't do it, not because I think it will render him ineligible)? Given that Obama was a career "academic" those records are as germaine as Sestak's military record.
ReplyDeleteSestak or Specter, no matter. This is Toomey's election to lose in the fall.
Any candidate who makes an issue out of something needs to be transparent about it. In Sestak's case, he starts off nearly every conversation by reminding people he was an admiral. Thus, he needs to be transparent about his military career.
ReplyDeleteObama, to the extent he has made his academic careeer an issue, needs to be transparent about it. What claims has he made that makes that an issue?
That whole birth certificate thing, however, is silly nonsense.
Nice tap-dance with resepct to Obama's desire to hide his past.
ReplyDeleteYou should go pro.
According to Friday's Mcall article, Lehigh County Commissioners voted on giving Row Officers a pay raise. A motion by Roman to table the pay raise bill failed on a 4-5 vote. Guess who voted for the pay raise? Browning, Jones, Hansell, Hamm & McCarthy. I thought the Republicans had a 5-4 majority? I guess not. Browning is a RINO. bad. bad. leroy brown...ing
ReplyDeleteIf you want quality people in office, you pay them. Right now, LC Comm'rs make about half what is paid to members of NC Council for the same amount of work.
ReplyDeleteSimmons Finances have been up all weekend. Also they have been at the LC government office for weeks. Sorry maybe you are not allowed in there anymore.
ReplyDeleteNo. They have not. This morning, the very first report appeared, and it is only his personal report, not the one for his campaign committee.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.campaignfinance.state.pa.us/ReportSearchResults.aspx?RequestID=450092&StartRow=1&RowsPerPage=10
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 3:26 PM:
ReplyDeleteIf I may, I might suggest you re-read The Morning Call article your refer to as there was no vote by The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners to increase the row officer's salaries.
To give some background, the row offices in Lehigh County consist of the Sheriff, Coroner, Controller and Clerk of Judicial Records. The annual salary for the 4 current officers holders is fixed at $62,500 for the duration of their current term (2008 through 2011). The elections for these positions will be held next year with the winners taking office at the beginning of 2012. Legal opinion given to us is that the salaries for these positions is to be determined by the Board of Commissioners and any change must be made so that it is in place at least 365 days before the new officials take office. So if there is going to be any change in the salary for the row officers for the next term (2012 through 2015), it must be made before the end of this year. Otherwise the salaries will remain at $62,500 for another 4 years.
The bill approval process in Lehigh County is that bills are brought forward for first reading at one meeting and then given a second reading and a vote at the next meeting. The bill to change the salaries for the row officers was presented for first reading and discussion at the meeting held on May 12. At that time, a motion was made to table the bill. I voted against tabling the bill as I felt the issue deserved an up or down vote at the next meeting scheduled for May 26.
I would urge anyone who is interested in this issue to attend the meeting on the 26th since that is when the actual vote will take place.
Thanks,
Dean
pa131expenses.com
ReplyDeleteJustin's website, that you say you have been watching and waiting for him to be transparent on. Wow now I know why you are on a blog and not working for the papers you need people to spoon feed you information. You probably were a hell of an attorney. Looks like Beyer spent more money on food for herself then he spent on the whole campaign. Maybe Karen can buy you a drink tomorrow night and she can cry on your shoulder when she loses!!! BUt you will have to pay because she has nothing left.
Obama's campaign made great claims of teh One's intellect, professor of Constitutional Law, editor of the Hahvahd Law Review, etc. "Extraordinary intellect" is how Mr. Plouff put it. It was certainly made an issue in the campaign.
ReplyDeleteAs for the birth certificate - my sense is, again, that it would be no smoking gun. But McCain produced his when the issue was raised. Obama will not allow the original out, wasted lots of money keeping it out of the public domain, and allows people to keep clogging up the courts with all those filings. Seems to me the most transparent POTUS in history would do the right thing, rather than stonewall, especially when he knows the outcome is in his favor.
I do agree Sestak should release his records, just the same.
It would make sense for Obama to just release those records.
ReplyDeleteLet's see:
ReplyDeleteSestak graduated from Navy Academy
First, he was an Ensign,
Then, he was a Lieutenant JG
then, he was a Lieutenant
then he was a Lieutenant Commander
Then he was a Commander,
then, he was a Captain,
then, he was a Rear Admiral Lower 1 star
then, he was a Rear Admiral Upper 2 stars
then, he was a Vice Admiral,
3 stars.
I guess there had to be something wrong with him to get all the way from NAVY Plebe to a 3 star Admiral. Read the guy's biography and you will see how foolish your question is about releasing his military record.
And, another thing. He was in the military. He has no business releasing his record to anyone. Only the President or the Secretary of Defense can release it and they should never unless there was a national security reason to do so.
Your reasons are petty. Now, tell me how good of a Republican Arlen Specter is,
talk about lacking transparency. NEither Rorher or Benol have filed 24 hour fianancials to explain wher they got the quick infusion of cash after the last reporting period. THey are not tellinga anyone who is paying for their week long dirty tricks and smears campaigns. THey are truley not ready for prime time
ReplyDeleteONe question for Arlen Specter and his fans.
ReplyDeleteAll officer ranks are commissions approved by Congress.
Exactly how did Senator Specter vote on all of Sestak's ranks?
Arlen Specter is the only candidate in this race to have actually given money to Pat Toomey.
ReplyDeleteThat will be such an easy ad in November. Arlen Specter is the man that guarentees a R sweep in PA this fall.
Anon 6:41, I was looking at the state site, were they are supposed to be. I also last checked Simmons sites on Friday. I see that Simmons has finally loaded his expense report on one of his three web pages, hours before the election. Good for him. That's all he had to do. Was that hard?
ReplyDeleteHas Specter ever served in uniform, aside from his years on tour as a Village People groupie during their In The Navy tour in '79?
ReplyDeleteHe has no shame and no record of any significant achievement in all his years on the dole. He's never been called a statesman and has never uttered a clarion call to alert the country of anything that has happened in his tenure. He's an unremarkable hanger-on who's never done anything that didn't benefit himself, first and always. That's his uncontested record.
He's a flawed, unaccomplished and largely upopular hanger-on. No wonder he enjoys the support of this blog. He's a kindred spirit.
"I support this man. Arlen Specter is a good man. I need his continued support to keep getting things done in Washington."
ReplyDelete"I love you and I love Arlen Specter."
ReplyDeleteBarack Obama
"He's a flawed, unaccomplished and largely upopular hanger-on. No wonder he enjoys the support of this blog. He's a kindred spirit."
ReplyDeleteAnd here you are!
Sestak will be declared the winner by 8:30 on Tuesday night by the major networks. So ends the Long, Dertinger, McClure, Barron Democratic machine.
ReplyDeleteSestak was a decorated career military man. He retired. His service record is his business. You have nothing and are reaching. How about releasing your psych evaluations Ohare or Angles or Stoffa's.
ReplyDeleteIn any organization a job performance review by someone can be and is often a subjective appraisal based on personal feelings.
You have to do better. Your lack of convictions "pay to play boy" Specter is 30 hours away from defeat.
amen!
Knowing that the 3 am troll backs Sestak is the best news i could hope for. thanks
ReplyDeleteSestak should have served his country bravely like Bush and Cheney.
ReplyDeleteIn the navy
ReplyDeleteYes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)
They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit
The Village People
Another fine prediction by our esteemed blogger. Hillary Clinton, anyone?
ReplyDelete