rssWhy Is Chuck Hagel Endorsing Joe Sestak?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 9:18 am
- 13 Comments
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) will endorse Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) today in his Senate bid against former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Hagel told the Associated Press yesterday that Sestak, a fellow veteran, will put the interests of the nation ahead of his party:
“I think he’s exactly what our country needs more of. I think he’s what the Senate needs more of — courageous, independent thinking,” Hagel said. “That’s what the job is about. You are supposed to use your judgment.”
Hagel’s endorsement comes just shortly after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also intervened from outside the state and the Democratic Party to give Sestak a boost, and Sestak will doubtless be happy to point to both nods when courting Pennsylvania’s independent voters.
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, however, doesn’t think Hagel’s endorsement will help Sestak as much as it will help himself, calling it a “me for me” endorsement:
Hagel has made no secret of his interest in serving in the Obama Administration and was mentioned as a possible successor to National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair when he resigned in May. (Hagel currently serves as the co-chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.)
And, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates making clear last week that he would like to step down in 2011, the timing of Hagel’s Sestak endorsement has to be more than coincidental. (Hagel was mentioned as a possible Secretary of Defense in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 election but the President chose to keep Gates on.)
I’ll proffer a third, rather obvious explanation as well. Hagel, a moderate Republican, never got on well with the ultra-right, Club for Growth element of his party. Pat Toomey is a former president of the Club and is now one of its biggest beneficiaries. If Hagel wants to demonstrate his bipartisan credentials by sticking it to a Republican, Pat Toomey represents the best — and sweetest — option for revenge.
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Pingback posted August 24, 2010 @ 9:32 am
[...] full post on The Washington Independent advertising Share and [...]
Pingback posted August 24, 2010 @ 10:44 am
[...] Chuck Hagel is endorsing Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. This will surely galvanize the Nebraskans who live in Pennsylvania around Sestak, a crucial swing vote in the state. It is telling that the coverage on Hagel’e endorsement runs to the “what is he trying to purchase” route — a job in the Obama Pentagon? — as opposed to something about favoring Sestak. [...]
Pingback posted August 24, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
[...] that the Democratic nominee's independence gives him the potential to be part of a …Why Is Chuck Hagel Endorsing Joe Sestak?The Washington IndependentPat Toomey hits Joe Sestak on estate tax, but leaves out some [...]
Pingback posted August 25, 2010 @ 4:25 pm
[...] liberalYorkdispatch.comHagel to Endorse SestakNew York Times (blog)Philadelphia Daily News -The Washington Independent -Newsweek (blog)all 279 news articles » reddit_url = [...]
Comment posted August 25, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
Chuck Hagel is one of the few Republicans that I respect. His close relationship with Joe Biden spoke well of him when he was in the Senate and they agreed on many issues. I can just imagine the disgust he has for today's D.C. Republicans, with their total obstruction of everything that would benefit the people of this country. I was sorry to see him leave the Senate, and I hope that he lands a good job with the Obama administration.
Comment posted August 28, 2010 @ 2:33 am
@genierae
My only question for you is don't you think that there's also a second party that is hurting America. Now I can tell you as a libertarian who is equally socially liberal as fiscally conservative (giving me the most unbiased perspective), both parties in Washington get it wrong.
While the Republicans may be obstructionists, you still do need to realize that the Democrats have continued to push through highly unpopular legislation that, in many cases, is opposed by as much as 60% of the American populous.
I think that you must, if at least you are trying to give an unbiased perspective, see the faults in both parties, because quite frankly, they're so strikingly evident in each. Not everything that the Democrats push through will benefit this country and quite frankly, the majority of it is highly unpopular as stated above. It is important that we realize that and that you continue to maintain your skepticism for the GOP as well.
Overall sir, never trust a politician and never trust the R or the D. Neither will solve the problems of this country and until we move past that, we will never reach prosperity.
Comment posted September 1, 2010 @ 9:20 am
dispersed or cleaned up. The University of Georgia released yesterday a report countering those claims, arguing that up to 79 percent of the oil in the Gulf “remains a threat to the ecosystem” there.
Comment posted September 3, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Hagel is putting his own ambitions ahead of God and Country… He's endorsing a full blown pro-abortionist… That's a lot blood on his hands! I was born and raised in Omaha and boy do I regret voting for this clown!
Pingback posted September 7, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
[...] former Sen. Chuck Hagel reached across the aisle last month to endorse Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) for the Senate last month, Sestak gladly accepted the [...]
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