Silence of the Sestak gets … literal

When Rep. Joe Sestak repeatedly refused to name names after accusing the White House of attempting to bribe him out of the US Senate primary in Pennsylvania, I jokingly referred to it as The Silence of the Sestak.   Maybe it was more prescient than I thought.  Politico reports that the Democratic nominee to face Pat Toomey in November has mainly gone silent after Sestak’s narrow win over Arlen Specter, and Democratic Party organizers have begun to worry over what that means:

Four weeks after claiming the Pennsylvania Senate nomination, Rep. Joe Sestak continues to have an awkward relationship with many leaders of the state’s Democratic establishment — with the two-term congressman so far neglecting to check many of the boxes that ordinarily would be routine for a candidate trying to unify his party after a hard-fought primary.

It’s been nearly a month since the May 18 primary, and key local party leaders have not been in close contact with Sestak. His unorthodox campaign organization is unnerving Democratic officials, and his public comments suggest he hasn’t forgotten the rough treatment he received from the White House and the state party establishment, both of which worked furiously to deliver the nomination to party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter. …

Some key local party leaders said they had not talked to the congressman since congratulatory calls after the primary.

“Not yet. I’ve called to congratulate them. I look forward to having a conversation at some point here,” said Allegheny County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn, the front-runner to win the upcoming race for state party chairman and the party leader in the most populous county in western Pennsylvania.

“I’m not sure who they’re reaching out to in terms of the party,” said Chuck Pascal, another candidate for party chairman from Armstrong County, who said his first substantial conversation with Sestak’s campaign since the primary was Monday morning. “It’s my impression that the Sestak campaign was a little bit hesitant to do that after the way the primary played out with various party leaders.”

The Democrats have done everything possible to screw up their race in Pennsylvania.  Had they not enticed Specter to cross party lines, Republicans would have had the big primary fight this year, with Toomey possibly unseating the incumbent and eating up most of his resources while straining party loyalties.  Democrats could have had Sestak sailing to an easy nomination and enough momentum to overcome the hostility towards Democrats in the midterms.

Instead, they angered Sestak first with their open-arms embrace of Specter, and then with the clumsy bribe offer to get Specter a clear shot at the nomination despite Specter being a Democrat for less than a year.  Party leaders in the state had little choice but to play along with the White House while their party divided.  They wound up hitching their wagon to a weak horse that was on his last political legs no matter which party he attached himself like an old carbuncle.

Now the same party leaders whine to Politico that Sestak hasn’t called to get them on his side.  Well, perhaps he’s waiting for some apologies, from both the party leaders and from the White House, which are pretty clearly in order.  Still, though, politics ain’t beanbag, and Sestak won’t win a US Senate race by pouting.  The longer the Silence of the Sestak continues, the more Pat Toomey will fill the vacuum with Pennsylvania voters — and don’t expect Republicans to celebrate that quietly when it succeeds.

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