| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Congressman and former admiral to challenge Specter for Democratic nod for Senate |
| 2009-07-16 |
| U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Springfield Township, enjoyed a long military career, retiring after 31 years from the Navy, where he attained the rank of 3-star admiral. Now, he feels it's time to give back. That's one reason he's running for the U.S. Senate in next spring's primary against U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Philadelphia. During a stop at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette on Wednesday, Sestak, 58, was quick to remind its editorial board and Publisher Bernard A. Oravec that while he respects Specter, he, unlike the senator, was not one to follow former President Bush. It was Bush, he said, with the help of lawmakers such as Specter, who helped "derail" the economy. "He (Specter) voted consistently with policies that got us there," he said. Sestak said he decided on a Senate bid even before Specter decided to switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. In further addressing his reasons for making a Senate run, Sestak said, "The defining issue is being in it for others and not for yourself." Sestak said he thinks President Obama's stimulus plan is working for the nation. While unemployment has grown, it has not been to the extent it would have, had the president and Congress done nothing. He said he's in favor of reforming health care, but not through a single-payer system. And he'd favor a model like that of Massachusetts, with everyone insured. "Eventually, what you pay is less because you mandate others be insured," Sestak said. Increasing numbers of people would receive preventative care, helping further drive down costs, he explained. Sestak noted that just two insurers in the state control 70 percent of the health care plans. "That's a monopoly," he said. "I believe if you get fair competition, you get the best capitalism with the best medical system." Doing nothing with health care, he added, is simply not an option. Sestak said the U.S. military still is a great one, but must improve its readiness. The real mission in Afghanistan is that of eradicating al-Qaida from neighboring Pakistan. "We must transform our military," he said. On Social Security, Sestak said there could exist various means of keeping it solvent, including having the more affluent wage earners pay stiffer Social Security taxes. "There should be several ways to to solve this problem. What's the right way to be fairest to everyone?" He said Specter has voted five times for privatizing Social Security, a solution that he opposes. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 I would have thought his expression of interest in running for the US Senate would have so sufficiently established his douchebag credentials as to not require further proofs. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-07-16 18:54 |
| #4 In further addressing his reasons for making a Senate run, Sestak said, "The defining issue is being in it for others and not for yourself." If that doesnÂ’t prove this guy is just another lying douche bag I donÂ’t know what does. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2009-07-16 17:19 |
| #3 Damnit Joe, stop complicating my primary choices! I *was* going to pull the lever for your not-Arlen ass, regardless of the campaign details. But lord, you seem bound and determined to make my decision problematic. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-07-16 13:01 |
| #2 It was Bush, he said, with the help of lawmakers such as Specter, who helped "derail" the economy. " Just run his fellow Donk Congressman Barney Frank enunciating that there's nothing wrong with how Fannie Mae et al were being run by his |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-07-16 12:05 |
| #1 Other than the three stars, he sounds like the same old Democratic face... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-07-16 11:49 |