DelcoTimes endorses Joe Sestak
Today's Delco Times continues its extensive coverage of the PA-7 Congressional race between Joe Sestak and Curt Weldon. In a mild shocker, the conservative Times endorses Sestak. In twisted fashion, they also run various pieces in the same issue that question both Sestak and Weldon.
In the endorsement, they mostly point Weldon's ethics problems as the reason to endorse Sestak, along with Weldon going along with Bush on the Iraq war. They do tout Sestak's ability to do the job well. But they seem to think that all was going well for Weldon "until two weeks ago" when the FBI raided the homes and offices of Weldon's daughter, Charlie Sexton, and Russian energy company Itera. Wouldn't it have been interesting if the editorial staff of the Delco Times would have been paying attention all along and called Weldon on these transgressions?
The Times continues with two articles by William Bender. In one, he follow Weldon and his supporters in the United Aerospace Workers Local 1069. Seems to be some glorious romp through a group that is very enamored of Weldon. One Boeing employee and shop steward asks, "Why would you want a guy starting at the bottom when you got one of the guys that’s close to the top?" The answer is pretty easy as I see it. Weldon has abused his "at the top" status, and the challenger has better positions on the war, the economy, etc. Is anybody else sick of this "Weldon has always been there for us" line? Weldon has been there for his friends and family first and abused the privilege he was given.
Bender gets around to talking about Weldon's ethics violations in an article Weldon’s lobbying ties nothing new. He asks the readers to "Judge for yourself." He describes other ethics issues with Novavax (who hired Weldon campaign fundraiser Stephanie Reiser as a lobbyist), International Engineering & Manufacturing (more lobbyist/campaign contribution conflicts), Analytical Graphics (more of the same), Rajant Corp. (more of the same using Ridley Park Councilman Alex Rahn and John McNichol as lobbyists), and the FBI raids.
Isn't it obvious that it all smells very bad? This is a repeating pattern, and it reeks.
It's not obvious to Gil Spencer. Of course not much with Spencer is reasonable. Spencer is able to find one Navy guy who thinks that Weldon is the better choice. So he does an entire opinion piece on one guy who admires Weldon because he has a lot of seniority and is willing to overlook all the corruption. I wonder if Spencer will also find a former Navy guy who sees Weldon as part of the culture of corruption and bad foreign policy decisions and backs Sestak because he wants a man of integrity representing him?
Wrapping up this rant, the Delco Times could not back Weldon because of the corruptions, which they did not delve into until the FBI raids, but they can do a lot of propping Weldon up with nice fuzzy stories and side-slaps at Sestak. We remember that shortly after the FBI raids on Oct 21, in the Times' Darts and Laurels section they said: "LAUREL: To U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon. Nothing much else has gone right for him this week. Yes, the timing of the probe stinks. But it is what it is. Hang in there, Curt."
I say:
Hang it up Curt!
In the endorsement, they mostly point Weldon's ethics problems as the reason to endorse Sestak, along with Weldon going along with Bush on the Iraq war. They do tout Sestak's ability to do the job well. But they seem to think that all was going well for Weldon "until two weeks ago" when the FBI raided the homes and offices of Weldon's daughter, Charlie Sexton, and Russian energy company Itera. Wouldn't it have been interesting if the editorial staff of the Delco Times would have been paying attention all along and called Weldon on these transgressions?
The Times continues with two articles by William Bender. In one, he follow Weldon and his supporters in the United Aerospace Workers Local 1069. Seems to be some glorious romp through a group that is very enamored of Weldon. One Boeing employee and shop steward asks, "Why would you want a guy starting at the bottom when you got one of the guys that’s close to the top?" The answer is pretty easy as I see it. Weldon has abused his "at the top" status, and the challenger has better positions on the war, the economy, etc. Is anybody else sick of this "Weldon has always been there for us" line? Weldon has been there for his friends and family first and abused the privilege he was given.
Bender gets around to talking about Weldon's ethics violations in an article Weldon’s lobbying ties nothing new. He asks the readers to "Judge for yourself." He describes other ethics issues with Novavax (who hired Weldon campaign fundraiser Stephanie Reiser as a lobbyist), International Engineering & Manufacturing (more lobbyist/campaign contribution conflicts), Analytical Graphics (more of the same), Rajant Corp. (more of the same using Ridley Park Councilman Alex Rahn and John McNichol as lobbyists), and the FBI raids.
Isn't it obvious that it all smells very bad? This is a repeating pattern, and it reeks.
It's not obvious to Gil Spencer. Of course not much with Spencer is reasonable. Spencer is able to find one Navy guy who thinks that Weldon is the better choice. So he does an entire opinion piece on one guy who admires Weldon because he has a lot of seniority and is willing to overlook all the corruption. I wonder if Spencer will also find a former Navy guy who sees Weldon as part of the culture of corruption and bad foreign policy decisions and backs Sestak because he wants a man of integrity representing him?
Wrapping up this rant, the Delco Times could not back Weldon because of the corruptions, which they did not delve into until the FBI raids, but they can do a lot of propping Weldon up with nice fuzzy stories and side-slaps at Sestak. We remember that shortly after the FBI raids on Oct 21, in the Times' Darts and Laurels section they said: "LAUREL: To U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon. Nothing much else has gone right for him this week. Yes, the timing of the probe stinks. But it is what it is. Hang in there, Curt."
I say:
Hang it up Curt!
posted by Seventh Watch at 11:57 AM
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