Joe vs The Sidekick?

From Today's Daily News:
GOP delays nominations

The Delaware County Republican Party's nomination convention has been postponed from today until next Tuesday, putting off the selection of candidates for the 7th Congressional District and other races.

The party is considering nominating W. Craig Williams, an assistant U.S. attorney working under U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan in Philadelphia, to run against Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, according to party sources.


So, if true, the GOP scramble to "duel" Sestak has resulted in the GOP's primary dueler failing to show up and leaving his "second" to take the bullet.

The "W" stands for "Wendell". Wendell Williams does satisfy one of the comic book staples of having names with alliteration. (Lex Luthor, Peter Parker, Lois Lane, etc.)

Three New Bat-Villains

In today's Philadelphia Daily News, Bill Bender takes a peek at three new names being floated to take on Sestak, especially Michael Chitwood.

Chitwood confirmed yesterday that he has been asked by Upper Darby Republican leader John McNichol to consider running for Congress.

If McNichol is backing him, what's McNichol hoping to get out of it? The GOP is certainly desperate to knock out Sestak now, while he is still a freshman, and they perceive him as vulnerable. (Clue: Joe was most vulnerable last year when he had no money, no name recognition, no political experience and running against a popular 20 year incumbent.)

Also on the list are John McMeekin II, a Philadelphia attorney and Radnor school board member, and Stephen Elliott, a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department.

McMeekin said he is "very serious" about a congressional bid, but would back anyone the GOP selected. Elliott could not be reached for comment.

How serious is McMeekin if he will just go along with whomever the GOP machine picks? There's a little thing called a Primary for those that are "very serious".

The rest of the article focuses mostly on Upper Darby Police Chief, Chitwood. (Let me guess, he's going to run on a platform of "law and order".) I don't know a lot about Chitwood's politics (yet) and it's unclear how his local experience will translate on nation issues like energy policy, education, Iraq, environment and health care. I wonder if he is for or against gun control. Does he think that terrorism is a military or police matter? Would people be concerned that a cop-turned-legislator would be a good defense against the trend to turn the US into a police state?

The article also mentions that Chitwood turned down an opportunity early last year to enter the gubernatorial race in Maine, where he had served as a police chief.

Now, that is interesting. Would the former Weldon-zombies repeat their chant of "carpet-bagger"? While I suspect that Chitwood is tough-as-nails and in good shape for his age, that I doubt he is ready to run a marathon campaign. Chitwood is 63 and I doubt he can maintain the same level of energy as Sestak (who outlasted his staff of twenty-somethings).

My recommendation for Chitwood: end your career with successes in Upper Darby, not as a sacrificial lamb for the Delco GOP machine.

Spencer speculates on potential GOP candidates for 2008

In DelcoTimes' Gil Spencer's latest rant about Joe Sestak, he peeks into the minds of the Delco Republican power mongers who are not pre-determining for the voters of the PA-7 region who they will put up against Joe Sestak in the 2008 election.

Spencer talks to John McNichol, recently retired from his Delaware County patronage job, now spending time trying to figure out how Sestak defeated their top elected official Curt Weldon last year, and plotting Sestak's demise. McNichol talks about two potential candidates: real estate developer Tim Pulte and attorney Steve Elliott. Spencer speculates that McNichol prefers Pulte. Spencer quotes McNichol: “The family has a ton of money,” McNichol says, and the candidate would have his own “personal fortune” from which to draw.

It's nice to know that McNichol is holding with long-standing Republican traditions. It would be disturbing to see the local GOP machine appoint their candidate based on something like positions on the issues or track record for service. Anything but complete self-interest and power-mongering would be a complete break with the local GOP ideals!

As far as Spencer's attacks on Sestak in his latest diatribe, he says, "Unfortunately, Democratic congressmen like Sestak have a vested interest in seeing America fail in Iraq." You have to wonder why editor-in-chief Phil Heron allows Spencer to continue to shoot himself in the foot with junk like that.