GOTV: Pat Toomey thanks volunteers

I spent a few hours today making calls at the Bucks County GOP Victory Center, a very positive experience let me assure you. There was a good deal of enthusiasm and the phones were all in use making sure everyone who can vote casts a ballot today. One nice surprise, future Senator Pat Toomey stopped by about 2:00PM to thank volunteers. He was genuinely appreciative and posed for plenty of pictures with the young Republicans who wanted a facebook photo with their Senator. I took a few shots myself but didn't ask him for a picture for my facebook - oh well. I did get an autograph though. When I thanked him he was very warm and responded, "no, thank you for all your help." I really enjoyed meeting him.

Anectdotally, I have heard Republican turnout is very strong. There were reports of lower turnout in parts of PA's 8th Congressional District that tend to vote Democratic. We'll see if that holds out until the polls close. I am preaching to the choir but every vote is needed today so whatever reports we hear about enthusiasm will matter little in the end if people don't vote to close the deal.

Here are a few of the photos I took when Pat Toomey stopped by to say hello:

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Dem Shenanigans in Pennsylvania

First, via JWF  and Memeorandum comes confirmation of suspicions I have reported in the past, Bryan Lentz, Dem candidate for PA07 is busted:

A Pennsylvania Democratic House candidate on Tuesday admitted to helping a third Tea Party candidate get on the ballot who he hopes will siphon votes away from his Republican opponent.

Bryan Lentz, the Democratic nominee running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), said that he knew that volunteers from his campaign helped Tea Party candidate Jim Schneller.

"If somebody's already made the decision to run, I didn't think that 'helping' with the process of signature petitions was improper," Lentz told told the Delaware County Daily Times editorial board in an interview.

Republicans have accused Democrats of helping set up Tea Party candidates as spoilers in several House and Senate races around the country. Democrats face a tough political environment this fall, when they are trying to maintain their congressional majorities against a GOP wave spurred in part by Tea Party groups.

Lentz said he could not remember when he learned of his volunteers' work on behalf of Schneller, but he said "I didn't think it was a bad thing for the process or for my candidacy."

Republican nominee Pat Meehan and Lentz are locked in a tight race, The Hill's 2010 Midterm Poll last week showed last week that Meehan is narrowly leading Lentz 40-39 percent.

Meehan's campaign responded to the Lentz's claim in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"It's about time Bryan Lentz would admit what the media has been reporting on for months," said Meehan campaign manager Bryan Kendro. "Despite his efforts to fool voters about his role in supporting Schneller's candidacy, he was forced to come clean, and he should apologize for not being forthright."

If he didn't think it was improper then why did he try to cover it up?  If he would fool the voters now imagine what he would do in Washington.

Next, via Jim Geraghty, Lentz would fit right in with Patrick Murphy (D-PA08) who obviously thought he would take a final crack at fooling voters:

Workers at Bucks County's voter registration office fielded 70 calls on Tuesday and dozens more this past week from residents worried they wouldn't be able to vote on Election Day.

The reason: a series of Democratic Party absentee ballot letters -- under the letterhead of the fictitious Pennsylvania Voter Assistance Office -- warning recipients that their ability to vote in November could be threatened.

"They are concerned because, number one they think it is from us, and number two they don't understand why they are receiving it," said Deena Dean, director of Bucks County's election office. "They don't understand why their participation in the upcoming election might be in jeopardy."

Republicans blasted the letters, with a spokesman calling them "deeply troubling."

Concerned about an "enthusiasm gap" with Republicans, Democrats are going to great lengths to urge their voters to cast ballots in the midterm election. In Bucks County, Democrats have a voter registration edge, but recent polls suggest 8th District Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy is trailing Republican Mike Fitzpatrick.

The Voter Assistance Office letters, spearheaded by the Bucks County Democratic Party, are part of the turnout effort.

The last of the three mailings warns the recipient that it is the "THIRD and FINAL notice.""By failing to return the enclosed documents, you may be placing your ability to participate in this year's general election at risk," the letter reads.

Read the rest of that sordid mess then take a shower.  If you have to threaten and coerce voters into returning an absentee ballot...  Oh never mind, this is business as usual for the Dems isn't it?  If they can't threaten enough people they'll just dig them up.

Despite consistent polling that has showed Republicans cleaning up in Pennsylvania, recent evidence suggests the polls are much tighter than they have appeared.  The Hill released a poll this morning that showed Murphy leading Fitzpatrick by three points.  This is well within the margin of error but it is the first independent poll showing Murphy in the lead.  Polls that show Fitzpatrick ahead are based on greater turnout by Republicans and Independents favoring Republican candidates.  It is all going to come down to who can turn out the vote. We know what lengths the Dems will go to turn their voters out, we must not be complacent.

I absolutely believe Fitzpatrick and Toomey will win but it is up to us to make that happen.  Fitzpatrick is holding a GOTV blow out event on Saturday.  More info on that available here.  Kitchen Table Patriots have many events scheduled and there is plenty to do at the Bucks County GOP Victory Center as well.  We need to turn out every vote to insure the election of Pat Toomey, Mike Fitzpatrick, Corbett and a slew of other great GOP candidates.  Let's Roll!
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Chuck Hagel endorses Sestak because he cares about his career just like Sestak

Former Senator Chuck Hagel (NE- RINO) is expected to endorse Congressman Joe Sestak today in Pennsylvania.  The endorsement necessitated the creation of an entirely new category in the Fix Endorsement Hierarchy.  "The "Me for Me" Endorsement," is aptly named as the endorsement is of dubious value to Sestak but it will do wonders for Hagel as he auditions for a job with the Obama administration.  Needless to say the endorsement offers Pennsylvania voters absolutely nothing:

The simple fact is that Sestak won't gain anything of significant substance from the endorsement; he may get some residual benefit from the perception that Hagel, like Bloomberg, is independent-minded or the expectation-turning that a Republican not backing former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) creates.

On the other hand, there could be genuine benefit for Hagel -- albeit symbolic. Hagel is rightly understood as trying out for a Cabinet job and the more he can show a willingness to put party aside to do what he believes is the right thing, the more attractive he will be to President Obama and his inner circle.

Actually, Hagel is far more independent than Sestak who seems only able to stand against his party when it suits his career.  Hagel voted with his party 78 percent of the time.  Sestak, however, has trouble spotting a liberal like Nancy Pelosi despite the fact he voted with her 97% of the time.  Since we know that "Sestak is actually Slovak for job offer," I wonder who put the bug in Chuck Hagel's ear that a Sestak endorsement might be appreciated - Bill Clinton maybe?  No really, I am sure Hagel thought this up on his own with little concern for his own credibility.  Heck, Hagel and Sestak are just two wild and crazy independent guys who care about Pennsylvania.  PA2010 adds the Arlen Specteresque "no room at the Republican Inn" spin:

The Nebraska Republican is the type of moderate who has found there is increasingly little room for his kind in Washington, and chose not to seek reelection in 2008. He’ll formally back Sestak during events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, just a week after the Democratic nominee was endorsed by New York’s independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Somehow I think the phrase "birds of a feather" seems appropriate here.

PA2010 offered a bit of news from the Toomey campaign as well:

Meanwhile, Democrats in Pennsylvania were reacting with glee over the weekend to an Associated Press story reporting that Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul got money from the operator of a pornographic Web site. The reason it matters here? Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey also got $4,800 from the site’s owner. Naturally, Democratic operatives were e-mailing the story around like candy.

Imagine that - the same porn site operator donates to Toomey and Rand Paul and AP writes a story about it. I  can't remember, were the press very concerned about campaign contributions when Obama ran for office? Let's be honest here, if Democrats are "reacting with glee" because they found a porn site operator donating to Rand Paul and Pat Toomey they are in really desperate shape.

“Sestak is actually Slovak for ‘job offer"

Ed Morrissey has an interesting wrinkle in the Joe Sestak job offer brouhaha. It seems Bill Clinton has denied any involvement in the whole sordid job offer controversy:

WBRE-TV has reported that former President Bill Clinton, who until yesterday has not spoken publicly on the controversy, denied any involvement in trying to maneuver Sestak out of the race:

“Clinton denied it to EyeWitness news, saying he never tried to get Sestak out of the race and has never been accused of it.” (WBRE-TV, 8/10/10)

Sestak told a different story on May 28th:

“Last summer, I received a phone call from President Clinton. During the course of the conversation, he expressed concern over my prospects if I were to enter the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and the value of having me stay in the House of Representatives because of my military background. He said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had spoken with him about my being on a Presidential Board while remaining in the House of Representatives.”

Sestak is wedded to this version of events having used it as proof he is able to stand against the party he votes with a mere 97% of the time. Moreover, Sestak used it as fodder for a comedy skit at at Stu Bykofsky’s 20th annual Candidates Comedy Night last night.  Sestak's routine, a riff off of Letterman's top ten list, counted down a list of jobs he was offered in order to drop from his Democratic primary challenge to Senator Arlen Specter.  Sestak was said to have quipped, “Sestak is actually Slovak for ‘job offer.’ During his routine Sestak suggests he was offered the position of Rahm Emmanuel's etiquette coach.  While this is clearly a joke, Sestak mentions that he said "Mr. President sometimes the party clearly does ask too much."



Clinton's denial leaves him some wiggle room. While he denies specifically being involved in attempting to persuade Sestak to drop from the race, he doesn't flatly deny relaying a job offer. His claim he has never been accused of it either is perfectly true as well; the controversy always centered on White House involvement. This does, however, put the whole issue back in the race. Toomey may or may not find this helpful as Sestak seems to believe this incident proves his independence from his party. His comedy skit last evening seemed intent on putting some distance between himself and Rahm Emmanuel as well as other unpopular Democrats in Pennsylvania - namely Ed Rendell.  As I have said before the only time Joe Sestak stands against his party is when it suits his career plans. If I were Pat Toomey I would repeat that point until every Pennsylvania voter knows it by heart.

Side note:  Toomey's comedy skit was actually very well received according to PA2010.  The site awarded the skit, Best Policy-Focused Routine:

Ever the conservative wonk, the GOP Senate nominee continued to riff on bailouts, stimulus spending and health care. Chevrolet’s new hybrid sedan, he said, “runs on a combination of gasoline and bailout funds.” But his best joked hinged on the idea that a lame-duck Congress will take up Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell, immigration reform and marijuana legalization: “If you’re a gay Mexican drug dealer looking to sneak across the border to join the Navy, then this is your year.”

Video available at the link for anyone interested.

Really Congressman Sestak? Really??

H/T:Hot Air

Less than 100 days out from the November elections Congressman Joe Sestak hands the Pat Toomey campaign a sound bite that will live in infamy. In what has to be the weakest attempt of any Democrat to distance themselves from Nancy Pelosi to date, Sestak says he can't decide if Pelosi is a liberal:

Sestak, speaking at the Pennsylvania Press Club, was asked whether he believes Speaker of the House Pelosi is a liberal or a pragmatist. Sestak describes himself as the latter.

He said he didn't know, but also said he never looks at her voting record.

Really Congressman Sestak? Really??


Aww, poor guy he is so sensitive about being unfairly linked with Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama:

The subject is especially sensitive for Sestak, who recently lost a battle with Pennsylvania television stations to pull a commercial that says he "gives it 100 percent to Nancy Pelosi." Sestak argued that he hasn't voted with Pelosi every single time (it's about 97 percent ), but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which paid for the ad, won the argument that on the big issues of the day — health care, energy, economic stimulus — Sestak has voted with Pelosi.

High-profile political figures, such as Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who are linked to so-called liberal policies, are not viewed favorably in many areas of Pennsylvania. For Sestak, his general election rhetoric has been explaining that why his votes with them on most issues is a matter of personal principle, not staunch ideology.

"I will stand up against my party's interest whenever it doesn't help Pennsylvanians," he said.

Make no mistake, Congressman Sestak stands up against his party if and when it suits his career plans. The rest of the time he can be found voting arm-in-arm with the Obama/Pelosi agenda. Perhaps he is hoping that Pennsylvanians are too busy clinging bitterly to their guns and bibles to notice .

Benedict Arlen's Bachmann Buffoonery

Arlen Specter's defection to the Democratic caucus is the gift that keeps on giving to Republicans.  Never have I been so grateful this guy is no longer our problem.  Witness his attempt to make a fool of Michelle Bachmann in a radio debate when he tells her to "act like a lady."


As a PA voter, I can't wait to go to vote against this clown. He is the poster child for term limits. Right now, things are not looking very a positive for Arlen's re-election. Pat Toomey is leading in the latest Rasmussen poll 49 to 40. Toomey leads by 8 points over Arlen's challenger Joe Sestak. Specter is beating Sestak by a mind boggling 21 points. oh, and there is more:

Political analyst Larry Sabato now rates the Pennsylvania Senate race as a toss-up, but, given the current political climate, he says Toomey would be the winner if the election were held today. Sabato also projects that if the election were held today, the Democrats' 59-seat majority in the Senate would be down to 52.

Specter is viewed very favorably by 16% of Pennsylvania voters but very unfavorably by more than twice as many (33%).

Twelve percent (12%) have a very favorable view of Toomey, while 10% regard him very unfavorably. For Sestak, very favorables total eight percent (8%), and very unfavorables stand at 11%.

 While Democrats have tried to cut their looming losses in November by urging certain losers to spend time with their families in the joy of retirement, try telling that to Arlen.  Better still, Obama promised to campaign for Arlen as part of the package of goodies used to assure Arlen jumping ship would get him what he desperately wanted another term in office.  Hello Arlen - Obama has quite the track record campaigning doesn't he?  Good luck with that.

PA2010.com points to another problem for Democrats in PA:

  Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman T.J. Rooney made case for Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) to drop out of the Democratic primary against Specter

I guess they're afraid they might have a little trouble getting another Democrat elected to fill Sestak's seat and the party could preserve resources:

 Rooney said a Sestak withdrawal would allow Specter to focus more on the general-election campaign, while Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral, could lock in his seat representing the 7th District in suburban Philadelphia for two more years _ saving the party money in an important election year.

"To use a Navy metaphor, we need hands on deck this year," the party chairman said.

Sestak's campaign responded that it's staying the course.

How's that party switch working out for ya Arlen?