Joe's Ses-tacking Strategy

Pres. Obama's 10/23 fundraisers for Dodd and Patrick represent his latest stumping in states where he cruised to victory but where a Dem incumbent now struggles. To be sure, Reid, Corzine, Deeds and Specter - like Dodd and Patrick - have their own unique troubles. But can Obama's appeal (and $$) convince last year's "change" voters to stick w/incumbents today?

-- One person who says he's happy not to be getting Obama's help is Joe Sestak. In a 10/22 interview with The Hotline, Sestak took the WH's embrace of Specter as a badge of honor. "Washington DC doesn't want me," he told us. This, he argues, allows him to run as an outsider who's not afraid to challenge the establishment. "Democrats," said Sestak, "have set me up well for the general election."

-- An interesting take, but will it work? After all, the guy's been in DC for the last three years and has been a reliable vote for the Dem House leadership. And it's that voting record, esp. on issues like cap-trade, that Pat Toomey and the GOP are sure to highlight if Sestak wins the nomination. The ret. admiral knows a lot about ships, but tacking from liberal in the primary to "maverick" in the general may not be an easy task.