Murtha's outburst (Updated)

Timothy McNulty | May 29, 2009

It's been a busy day, following Jack Murtha around in Johnstown, driving back to Pittsburgh on gloriously foggy (and construction-filled) Route 22, and then writing a story for Sunday's Post-Gazette.

But it was fun, and here's a breaking news story I wrote this morning: (And see update below)

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.-- Congressman John Murtha -- hosting his 19th annual convention for military contractors here -- was in no mood this morning to take questions about federal investigations of companies tied to him, or the federal largesse he spreads around his congressional district.

In January, federal investigators raided the offices of one of the local firms -- Kuchera Defense Systems -- with ties to the military appropriations subcommittee chairman. The congressman has steered millions of dollars in contracts to the Windber, Pa., firm and its affiliate Kuchera Industries, and its executives are among his biggest campaign contributors.

"So what's that got to do with me?" he said, when asked by a reporter about the investigation. "Wait a minute. What do you think, I oversee these companies? That's the Defense Department's job. That's not my job. You guys write these stories [but] you don't have a clue what this is all about."

He then left the morning press conference, which was held after the annual announcement of federal contracts getting awarded to local firms. This year's tally: $110 million in funding, to three local companies.

CTC -- another firm under investigation -- received two contracts: one of $16 million for a Marine Corps data program and another for $50 million for services to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. (Federal agencies subpoenaed records from a CTC subsidiary earlier this year.)

JWF Defense Systems of Johnstown won a $24 million contract for assembly of military vehicles.

Martin-Baker America -- a Johnstown subsidiary of the English firm -- won a $20 million contract for Air Force ejection seats.

The announcements were made during the second day of the Showcase For Commerce, a trade show at the Cambria County War Memorial arena that matches international defense firms with local businesses.

The show kicked off last night and ends today.

UPDATE: A grand jury is looking into the defense contracting connections of another Democrat on the appropriations committee, the AP reports:

Grand jury subpoenas Visclosky's offices

By HENRY C. JACKSON The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal grand jury has subpoenaed records of Rep. Pete Visclosky in a criminal probe involving a Washington-area lobbying firm that specialized in providing congressional earmarks to defense contractors.

The Indiana Democrat said Friday that the subpoenas went to his congressional office, campaign committees and some of his employees and that they demanded documents related to the firm PMA Group.

The founder of the now-defunct company, Paul Magliocchetti, is a former staffer on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense chaired by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa. Visclosky is also a member of the panel, and chairs another House appropriations subcommittee.

Visclosky says he will cooperate with the investigation, which he described as being in an early stage. He says he will not comment further. "I am confident that at the end of this process, no one will conclude that I have done anything wrong or harmed my constituents in any way," Visclosky's statement said.

Visclosky has longtime ties to PMA, which employed his former congressional chief of staff. One out of every four dollars in political donations to Visclosky over the past seven years came from clients of PMA. Magliocchetti is under criminal investigation and Visclosky is faced with a paper trail that shows he collected $1.4 million in donations since 1993 from the firm and its clients, most of them defense contractors.

The financial clout of Visclosky, a relatively obscure congressman, stems from his chairmanship of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water and his status as the third-ranking Democrat on Murtha's defense subcommittee. From those positions, Visclosky has helped dispense billions in federal contracts to defense and other firms that have financed his re-election campaigns.

The money has made Visclosky immune to any serious political challenge in his northwest Indiana district, where he routinely wins re-election by margins of better than 3-1. In the House since 1989, Visclosky never has faced significant Republican opposition. His money machine went into high gear after chief of staff Richard Kaelin jumped ship to PMA. From 2005 to 2007, Visclosky's contributions from PMA and its clients averaged a quarter of a million dollars a year.

Murtha slaps away critics

Timothy McNulty | May 29, 2009

Jack Murtha ain't backing down from national criticism of his earmarks (aka, "stimulus") or his Johnstown trade show, which is packed with international defense contractors inside the old War Memorial Arena. From the local Tribune-Democrat:

On the eve of this morning's expected announcement of more than $100 million in government contracts for local companies,

Rep. John Murtha did not apologize for delivering the funds.

His opening remarks Thursday at Showcase for Commerce commended area defense contractors and employees for providing a strong return on the government's investment. The event's success and growth is a credit to the local community, Murtha said.

Murtha welcomed a record 170 exhibitors, filling 215 booths at Cambria County War Memorial.

Standing before some of the national media reporters who have criticized the Johnstown Democrat's earmark funding for the local airport, police department grants and other projects, Murtha laid out some local history.

"When we started this Showcase in 1991, we had 24 percent unemployment," Murtha said.

"We've had a stimulus package here in Johnstown for a long time. This Showcase has been the key to our economic survival."

Giving a verbal nod to the recent criticism, Murtha said he drove past the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County airport on the way to Showcase.

"I went by to make sure the airport was still there," Murtha quipped.

Tough talk from Sestak

Timothy McNulty | May 28, 2009

Sorry for the lack of posts today -- we're in Johnstown for Jack Murtha's big confab with military contractors, called the Showcase For Commerce -- but we know there was enough G-20 news to keep everyone occupied anyway.

In the meantime, more on Sestak and Specter.

Sestak told the WashPost's PlumLine blog some amazing stuff, including that Dems were thinking about running him before Specter's party switch, and that no big-time pressure -- even from Obama -- could force him out of the race (if he runs.) Here it is:

In another sign of his determination to challenge Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic primary, Joe Sestak just told me in an interview that not even a personal plea from President Obama himself could dissuade him from making the race.

Sestak also said that he wouldn't back off even if the major unions reached a deal with Specter on health care and on the Employee Free Choice Act and endorsed Specter in the primary.

And in an ironic twist, Sestak also revealed that a few months ago, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had commissioned a poll testing him running against then-Republican Specter in a general election - and that it showed Sestak winning. Specter, of course, is now the DSCC's candidate.

I asked Sestak in the interview if a direct plea from the White House not to make the race - Obama officials similarly intervened to protect Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from a primary - would stop him from running.

"No," Sestak said. "I think the President said it very well. I have great respect for him. He said that the core mission of the office of the Presidency is to ensure opportunities for everyone. Pennsylvanians should not be foreclosed on who they want. I believe in the bottom of my heart that the President does believe this."

Asked what he would do if Obama himself made the request, Sestak reiterated his respect for the President but said it wouldn't make a difference. "At the end of the day my responsibility is to [the people] here in Pennsylvania," he said.

Obama has said he'll back Specter to the hilt for re-election, but Sestak said even a Presidential endorsement isn't insurmountable for him. "As important as the President's endorsement is, and who wouldn't want President Obama's endorsement, at the end of the day I don't believe that most voters vote because someone else endorsed someone," Sestak said.

Sestak - whose intention to challenge Specter was first reported yesterday by TPM - also said he'd make the race even if major unions such as SEIU and the AFL-CIO cut a deal on EFCA and health care to back Specter against him.

"Although [the race] is much more daunting if you don't have the unions and others, I still don't see that it's not achievable," he said. "Nothing you have brought up makes me feel that this isn't a race that deserves someone who would be better for the future of Pennsylvania."

Sestak added that even if he didn't get the big unions, he'd still corral some labor support. "My belief is that there will be a number of unions that still wouldn't be for Arlen," he said.

Sestak brushed off a new poll today showing Specter with a huge lead: "These polls right now are interesting but they aren't really close to what will be being assessed by the public eight to ten months from now."

And here's Chris Cillizza on this morning's poll results, which should provoke "outright alarm" for the incumbent despite his leads over Sestak and Pat Toomey:

But, inside the numbers there are warning signs -- if not outright alarm -- for the newest Democrat.

The most important number in the poll is 70 percent. That's the proportion of Pennsylvania Democrats who don't know enough about Sestak to offer an opinion on whether they feel favorably or unfavorably toward him.

Compare that to Specter, about whom only 14 percent of Democrats said they didn't know enough to offer an opinion, and you begin to see the potential for problems for the recent party convert.

Sestak is an almost totally unknown commodity at this moment. And, while Specter is beating him soundly in a Democratic primary matchup, the margin is not so large as to be entirely conclusive as to the result with Specter just at the magic number of 50 percent.

Follow us on this hypothetical: Sestak gets into the race and, helped by the $3+ million he has sitting in the bank, prosecutes a case to Democratic primary voters that Specter is a Democrat in name only using the former Republican's votes for things like the 2001 Bush tax cut or the 2002 use of force resolution against Iraq as evidence.

Remember too that for any party switcher there is an underlying level of distrust from his new party with some (many?) believing that he is still a wolf in sheep's clothing.

In many ways, the primary dynamic between Specter and Sestak is not all that dissimilar from the 2004 Republican primary between Specter and former Rep. Pat Toomey. Toomey began that race as an unknown congressman trailing Specter badly. The entire party establishment lined up behind Specter and the incumbent drastically outspent the challenger. And yet, Toomey came within two points of pulling the upset due, in large part, to the fact that he was more in line ideologically with the average primary voters than was Specter.

Five years later and in a Democratic rather than a Republican primary and the scenario isn't that different. In fact, arguably, Sestak has a far stronger issue set to run against Specter than Toomey did in 2004.

To be clear: Specter is the favorite in this primary. But, don't be fooled by the current poll numbers. This could be a real race if Sestak runs.

More musing on Sestak

Timothy McNulty | May 28, 2009

Here's the take from the liberal DailyKos:

A Sestak bid, while rumored for weeks, seemed a bit curious, especially in light of the clear signals of the Democratic leadership's preference for a clear Democratic primary for Sen. Arlen Specter. While a Sestak bid would certainly set up one of the most intriguing races of the 2010 primary cycle, he would also seem to be swimming against a pretty strong tide. Just this week, stories were circulating that both the White House and DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez were trying to talk Sestak down.

A Sestak candidacy, if it were really going to develop, would be an uphill climb.

This was made clear in an afternoon statement to TPMDC by the head of the PA Democratic Party:

"Our position is that Arlen Specter is the incumbent and Pennsylvania has a history of supporting incumbents in races," said Abe Amoros, Acting Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Democratic party.

Amoros also implied that both Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey would be endorsing Specter in a Specter-Sestak matchup. Still unknown, and a topic for interesting discussion, is what the Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation would decide to do.

By the late afternoon, the campaign of the other player in this drama, presumptive Republican nominee Pat Toomey weighed in:

"There would be no lack of substantive policy differences in a general election race between Pat Toomey and Joe Sestak, but Pennsylvanians would get the kind of refreshing campaign they deserve - honest and straightforward, without the distortions and mudslinging that characterize Arlen Specter's tired old approach to politics."

That gem came from Toomey's communications director. Team Toomey, to be sure, seemed to be delighting in the impending Democratic fracas. This, of course, willfully ignores one simple fact--it is exceedingly likely that either Democratic candidate would be a solid favorite against Toomey in a general election. This fact has to give the DSCC some comfort, potential primary hi-jinks aside.

Spielberg, Obama, Rogen, Specter

Timothy McNutly | May 28, 2009

Here's Variety's roundup of the Obama/Specter/DNC fundraiser in Beverly Hills last night, via GrassrootsPa:

But the protesters created little if any disturbance at the event itself, where a heavy entertainment industry presence including Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ari Emanuel and Casey Wasserman were expected to help bring in more than $3 million to the DNC, which is trying to erase a fund-raising gap with the Republican National Committee this year.

The more exclusive of the events was a late-afternoon dinner, where couples ponied up $30,400 each at smaller gathering that allowed for photo ops and some face time. Among the 250 or so who attended were stars like Seth Rogen, Ron Howard, Kiefer Sutherland and Tyler Perry and politically active industry types like Chris Albrecht, Bruce Cohen, Bryan Lourd. Peter and Megan Chernin, Ron and Kelly Meyer, Skip Paul and Alan and Cindy Horn. Also present were Nicole Avant and Charles Rivkin, the Obama campaign's Southern California finance co-chairs, along with John Emerson, chairman of the Los Angeles Music Center.

Hundreds of other donors paid far less for a general reception, where Jennifer Hudson and Earth, Wind & Fire and the Crenshaw High School Choir were among the performers before a crowd that included Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish, Zachary Quinto and Jamie Foxx. Perhaps reflecting the need to open up the event to a wider array of donors in tight times, tickets originally set at $2,500-per-person were re-priced at $1,000 per person and $2,500 for VIP seating.

Joining Obama were Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), the latter of whom was making his first appearance at a Democratic fund-raiser since switching parties.

In speeches at both events, Obama outlined accomplishments of the administration's first four months, including his economic recovery plan and lifting the ban on stem cell research funding. He received warm applause when he talked about his nominee to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor.

"I would put these first four months up against any prior administration since FDR," Obama said at his dinner speech, adding that he is "not satisfied. I'm confident in the future, but I'm not yet content."

GOP mayoral bid fails

Timothy McNulty | May 28, 2009

This is probably good news for the two independents running against Luke Ravenstahl in the fall -- the Republican going for a write-in nomination for mayor thinks his bid has failed. That means three candidates instead of four, and more of a chance (even if it's a very very very small chance) to get their messages through to voters.

Here's Rich Lord:

Josh Wander, a Squirrel Hill Republican who launched a last-minute write-in campaign in hopes of representing the GOP in the November general election for Pittsburgh mayor, conceded today that his bid fell short. The May 19 Republican primary winner, he said, was Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a lifelong Democrat.

Mr. Wander said he spent all of yesterday counting Republican write-in votes on the primary results tapes at the Allegheny County Elections Division and identified 147 votes for himself, versus 497 for Mr. Ravenstahl and 245 for a variety of other people. He was not able to count any write-ins on absentee ballots but said there are not enough of those to change the result.

Elections Director Mark Wolosik could not verify the count, saying it could be two weeks before write-in votes are tallied.

Mr. Wander, who launched his write-in bid the Friday before the primary, said he didn't have the time or the money to make it work. Mr. Ravenstahl, by contrast, sent mailers to Republicans weeks before the election requesting their write-in votes.

Mr. Ravenstahl's campaign manager, Paul McKrell, could not immediately say whether the mayor -- a lifelong Democrat -- would accept the Republican nomination. The mayor won the Democratic nod with 59 percent of the vote, topping Councilman Patrick Dowd and attorney Carmen Robinson.

If Mr. Ravenstahl declines the Republican nomination, and if Mr. Wander's tally is correct, the GOP may not have a nominee, since it takes 250 write-in votes to appear on the ballot for mayor.

Mr. Wander said he is endorsing Kevin Acklin, a former Republican running for mayor as an independent.

More on Sestak and polls

Timothy McNulty | May 28, 2009

While Pat Toomey is gaining ground on Arlen Specter in the latest Quinnipiac poll, there are a couple other interesting tidbits too. Specter leads fellow Dem Joe Sestak by 29 points, but Sestak leads Toomey by 2 points.

Sestak has not yet officially announced a run for the Dem nomination, but -- like Toomey before his announcement -- he appears all but in. There was the story yesterday in TPM saying he "intends" to run, as well as these comments to Wolf Blitzer on CNN:

     Wolf, I personally have made a decision that I intend to get in this race with one other item.  I haven't sat down and had the time to sit down with my 8-year-old
daughter or my wife to make sure that we are all ready to get in.

    And I say that, if you don't mind, because when I got in this after
getting out of the military 31 years in the first race two years ago, my
daughter had a brain tumor.  And we needed to make sure we were getting in this to pay back for this great health care we have been given, together, as a unit.  And so that's where the final decision will be
made, with us as a nuclear family.

. . . Maybe [Specter]'s changed, but I'm not sure we can take that chance.  And so that's why I'm not sure he's for, more importantly, the right issues, Wolf.  And that is -- I haven't -- I haven't heard at all from him, out there in the public, that is.  And I honestly believe that when you look someone in the eye to see the cut of their gib, we have to ask the question -- will he be with the right policies that our president presently has put out there to retool our economy in health care and
education through 2016?

    There's too much doubt in my mind not to have the intent right now to get in this race, pending just a little bit of time with my family to
make sure we're all together.  Like the military, it's going to be a deployment for a period of time.

Here's the WashPost's Chris Cillizza:

Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak is planning to run against Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter in 2010 but those familiar with his thinking caution no announcement is imminent and that he could well change his mind on the race. "I have heard from people close to him that he is in but will not announce for months because he does not need to announce yet for a fundraising bounce," said one senior Pennsylvania-based Democratic operative of Sestak.

The source added that Sestak will likely serve as a "stalking horse" to the incumbent through the fall -- watching to see if Specter embraces his new party sufficiently well -- and gauging whether he can continue to raise significant money for a primary against Specter.

Sestak, who had been mulling a challenge to Specter prior to the incumbent's party switch, had more than $3 million in the bank at the end of March -- a significant downpayment on what could be a double-digit million dollar primary against the always well-funded Specter.

A number of sources the Fix spoke to in an attempt to divine Sestak's intentions warned that the Congressman keeps extremely close counsel -- his sister and brother are his two closest advisers -- and, as a result, it's very difficult to know exactly what he is thinking at any time.

Sestak's office offered no comment on his intentions.

The news of Sestak's seeming decision to challenge Specter was first reported by Talking Points Memo's Brian Beutler.

Assuming Sestak makes the race, he is going up against the titans of Democratic politics -- from President Barack Obama who has endorsed Specter and promised to campaign for him to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Specter was scheduled to attend a Democratic National Committee fundraiser with Obama tonight in Los Angeles.

Sestak takes his anti-establishment credentials as a point of pride -- repeatedly noting that he was not the candidate the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wanted to run against then Rep. Curt Weldon (R) in 2006 but he was elected and re-elected last November.

Polling suggests that Specter would start the primary as a decided favorite. A survey done for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in early May showed Specter leading Sestak 56 percent to 16 percent. A poll done for a labor-backed 527 group, however, showed significant softness in Specter's numbers when voters are informed of some of the votes he made as a Republican.

And Tom Fitzgerald at the Inquirer:

Sestak, who had been considering the Senate race before Specter's switch, had more than $3 million in his campaign treasury at the end of March - significant seed money, but short of what most experts believe could be a primary that costs tens of millions.

"Fund-raising has an immediate impact on credibility.. . . I recognize the practical side of politics," Sestak said.

He said his decision would be driven by issues and his family rather than how much cash he could raise in the next month. He said he would announce a decision in the "next number of weeks."

Amid Memorial Day events Monday, Sestak told The Inquirer that "odds are great" he would run and that he was "moving closer to getting in."

Sestak has been highly critical of Democratic leaders for anointing Specter as the presumptive nominee and questions whether the former Republican can be relied on to advance the party's agenda.

"I'm not convinced he's the right person to bring change in our economy, health care, and education through 2016," Sestak said.

His critique has resonated with liberal Democratic activists and union leaders angry at Specter's opposition to a bill that would make it easier to organize workers. The question is how big the base is for an alternative to Specter.

In recent weeks, Specter has been involved in negotiating a compromise on the pro-union legislation, and has softened his earlier opposition to a government-run health plan to compete with private insurers - a central element in Obama's proposed reform of the health-care system.

Report: Sestak to run v. Specter

Timothy McNulty | May 27, 2009

That's the claim of Talking Points Memo, which is running the story (and photo of a Sestak note) below. No "final decision" has been made, but he's racing against a June 30 fundraising deadline:

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) is privately telling supporters that he intends to run for Senate, TPMDC has confirmed. "He intends to get in the race," says Meg Infantino, the Congressman's sister, who works at Sestak for Congress. "In the not too distant future, he will sit down with his wife and daughter to make the final decision."

The move would constitute a primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), who intends to run for re-election in 2010, after having switched parties earlier this year.

Earlier today, a Sestak volunteer and contributor received a handwritten note from Sestak himself, announcing his intent to run and asking for a contribution. The source provided TPMDC a scan of the letter:

The note says, "I am writing you as especially dear supporters to let you know I intend to run for the U.S. Senate...my candidacy's credibility will have much to do with my fundraising success by the 30 June FEC filing deadline at the end of this quarter. Would you help me bring the change for the future we Pennsylvanians need[?]"

Infantino confirms that the note is genuine and that "Joe Sestak has written a number of similar notes."

The way of the world

Timothy McNulty | May 27, 2009

Here are more details on the L.A. fundraiser we mentioned earlier, from Hotline (via Pa2010):

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) will make his debut appearance this evening at a national Dem event since switching parties. Specter will join Pres. Obama at the Beverly Hilton in LA for a DNC fundraiser, a national democratic campaign staffer tells On Call. It marks his first outing with Obama -- and with Jennifer Hudson, we should note. The Academy Award winner will sing at the event. As will Earth, Wind and Fire.

Tickets for the concert range between $1K and $2,500. A separate dinner will run $30,400 per couple. Party officials expect to raise between $3M and $4M.

Acklin's spokesman: Channel 11 vet

Timothy McNulty | May 27, 2009

The spokesman for the Kevin Acklin mayoral campaign will be . . . former WPXI-TV reporter Andy Gastmeyer.

Gastmeyer worked for Channel 11 for almost 25 years and was the station's lead reporter on Grant Street. You can find out more about him on his blog, Beyond A Minute-Fifteen.

Here's the statement from Acklin, a former Republican who is running as an independent against Luke Ravenstahl in November:

PITTSBURGH - Independent Mayoral Candidate Kevin Acklin announced today that veteran news reporter Andy Gastmeyer will join his mayoral campaign and serve in the position of Press Secretary.  

"I'm honored that someone of Andy's impeccable reputation and journalistic integrity has agreed to join our campaign team. Andy has always been committed to making our city a better place, and I'm grateful that he's joining our effort," Acklin said.

"Kevin Acklin has what it takes to win this race and be a tremendous mayor for the city of Pittsburgh. I've covered Pittsburgh politics for many years, and I've seen first-hand how Grant Street runs. I know we can do much better. So I look forward to this new challenge, to working with many of my former colleagues in a new capacity, and to bringing Pittsburgh the kind of leadership it deserves," said Gastmeyer.

PS, there is precedent for TV reporters getting into politics: Former WTAE-TV reporter Meghan Jones Rolla, an attorney, was spokeswoman for Republican candidate Mark DeSantis in 2007 and is currently representing the NRA in its lawsuit against the city.