All signs 'go' for Joe

All signs continue to be “go” for Joe.

That would be Congressman Joe Sestak. He wants to add a new title. That would be U.S. Senator.

Standing in his way is longtime Sen. Arlen Specter. That comes as a surprise to a lot of party leaders who were thrilled when Specter saw the writing on the wall that his days in D.C. as a Republican were numbered. He simply switched parties – and was welcomed with open arms by Democratic leaders, including Gov. Ed Rendell, Vice President Joe Biden and even President Barack Obama.

Sestak’s not on that list, and it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise to those who know him.

Sestak hasn’t been enamored with the way party leaders welcomed Specter, and what he thinks is the heavy-handed way they shoved his “coronation”
down the rank-and-file’s throat.

All that’s left now is a formal announcement. Sestak is playing coy with that one. But it seems like each day, another drip comes out of the Sestak faucet that says he’s running.

A recent e-mail to contributors tells of Sestak asking his father if he should run, and his dad answering in the affirmative.

He also apparently has the blessing of his wife to take on Specter in what will be a grueling, statewide battle. Sestak had indicated a few weeks ago that he wanted to sit down with his family and talk about their plans before signing off on a decision to run.

That now appears done. Sestak says he will also talk it over with his 8-year-old daughter, a brain cancer survivor.

Sestak faces an uphill battle, but not an impossible one.

He had to be boosted by new polling last week indicating a dip in Specter’s favorable ratings.

Sestak’s biggest challenge is his lack of name recognition outside the Philly suburbs and the 7th Congressional District. Walk down the street of any town west of West Chester and ask who Joe Sestak is and you’ll likely get a blank stare. Which I suppose says something when we’re agog over the antics of Jon and Kate Gosselin, the troubled marriage at the heart of the reality TV show, “John & Kate Plus Eight.”

There’s one sure cure for a lack of name awareness. Money. And Sestak is furiously raising lots of it.

This one could get very interesting.

Now about that announcement, Mr. Sestak……

Comments