A public discussion nudged by Joe Sestak would likely be a noticeably better public discussion

"The Senate needs an independent leader accountable only to 'We the People,' not any other interests . . . a leader accountable for deeds, not intentions."

-- former PA Rep. (and former three-star Adm.) Joe Sestak,
announcing a campaign for "Leadership for a Better America"

by Ken

I trust everyone remembers Joe Sestak, the retired three-star admiral who was elected to two terms in Congress before deciding in 2010 to run for the Senate seat then held by then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, eventually defeating Specter for, yes, the Democratic nomination and then losing by a respectably and frustratigly narrowly margin to the egregious "anti-tax" imbecile Pat Toomey (who ironically is discovering just how ignorant and insane you have to be to maintain standing among present-day right-wingers), in a year when Pennsylvanians generally were giving considerably larger margins to a panoply of subhuman life forms.

I didn't and don't think of Admiral Sestak in terms of ideology, but more as a man with an impressive range of life experience who seems genuinely committed to problem-solving, real-problem-solving. I'm fascinated to find, in the bio accompanying the press release we'll get to in a moment, stuff like this:

In his first term, he was named the most productive member of his Congressional class by the Majority Leader’s Office. He was also recognized for servicing four times the constituent cases than the average Congressional office, while hosting an average of 15 large summit gatherings in his district each year on key issues.

As I noted here during the Senate campaign, I was impressed, at times even overwhelmed, by the stream of real-world issue discussion that came out of the campaign. Not so much on the handful of hot-button issues that we pretended were the real issues of the day, but on a really staggering array of issues that affect the way people live their everyday lives.

Naturally (i have to conclude), no one paid attention. We always pretend that we want "issues-driven" campaigns, but we don't. Real issues require real thought and real attention to all kinds of real-world detail that most people don't give a crap about -- even though the issues at stake affect their lives a whole lot more than, say, abortion.

Which is a prelude to passing on some thinking about "leadership" that Joe Sestak is sharing with the announcement that he is launching a campaign for "Leadership for a Better America."

Here's what the release has to say:

"I believe that Pennsylvanians are exceptional because we are hard-working people who strive for our own achievement, but always with a sense of being part of a larger community. But we pay a price when our leadership fails to confront our challenges except when in crisis, and it is the loss of trust by those they represent. We need to restore that trust by leaders who are American before they are partisan."

"I have spent a lot of time listening to and talking with the people of Pennsylvania . . . in their homes, at diners, coffee shops, in labor and small business gatherings, and VFW halls. The government of the people has rarely been held in such low regard by the people, undermining our sense of unity -- what we stand for and what we are capable of."

"In particular, the U.S. Senate’s lack of leadership and lack of accountability has meant our nation careens from crisis to crisis, paralyzing the governing of our nation. Its failure to lead gravely affects how well state and local leaders can serve the people, and worse, the economic strength of our working families. We need leaders who serve the people and what they need -- not themselves, not ideology, nor party; leaders who commit themselves to pragmatic leadership for the people, with Pennsylvanian values and common sense."

"I want to begin that change, starting right here in Pennsylvania.  The Senate needs an independent leader accountable only to "We the People," not any other interests. . . a leader accountable for deeds, not intentions," said Admiral Sestak.

If you want me to tell you what this all adds up to, I'm afraid I can't. The release goes on to note, "The committee is filed with the Federal Election Commission as 'Friends of Joe Sestak,' an exploratory committee for the U.S. Senate." Which I suppose tells us the underlying intention here. Except that with PA Sen. Bob Casey having just been reelected, the state doesn't have a Senate seat coming open until Pat Toomey's seat is put before the voters in 2016.

So I'm left to think that, just as he says, Joe has as his principal goal to influence the nature of the public dialogue. As if anybody gives a damn about that.

Once again, I worry that the legitimate concerns voiced here about leadership will fall on deaf ears, because just as with the pretense we make that we want issues-based campaigns, I don't think "we the people" want real leadership, except in the fascistic sense of power-made loons who tell us how to live while stroking our prejudices and tickling our terrors.

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