Representative Sestak Hopes For Another Colbert Bump
In 2008, then retired Vice Admiral Joe Sestak appeared on the Colbert Report to discuss his bid to become a Representative from his home state of Pennsylvania. Last night, now Representative Sestak appeared again on the show having announced his candidacy for to unseat Democrat turned Republican turned Democrat turned future Republican Senator Arlen Spector. The hope is that the Colbert bump would happen again. Indeed, Stephen Colbert pronounced that Representative Sestak would be the victor in this race. Colbert has, in the past, hosted a large number of political candidates in an effort to get people to better know their local races. Sestak was one of those prospective candidates who appeared on the show a while back. In 2008, Sestak discussed his role in Deep Blue, the Navy’s counter terrorism task force and joked about the plans to mount lasers on dolphins to submarines.
Representative Sestak, who has written an op-ed for Lez Get Real in the past, is a huge supporter of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA). If passed, the MREA would put an end to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. In the past, Sestak has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show in order to discuss DADT.
Colbert’s hair is still recovering from his shave with the military. Recently, Colbert traveled to Iraq as part of a USO tour in which he did have his head shaved as part of his trip.
Unfortunately, the Colbert Report, like the Daily Show, does not allow for embedded video. The interview is roughly seven minutes into the episode. It is fun to watch, especially since Colbert wanted Sestak to talk about how he was going to use his laser dolphins to protect Pennsylvania.
Representative Joe Sestak On The Colbert Report
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Colbert’s “prediction” was a sarcastic joke.
At the end of the interview, he asked Sestak “One day into the race, how you feel?”
Sestak’s response was the felt great, then Colbert cut him off and joked that “Well there you have it. It’s a lock.”
The entire interview was 3 minutes and didn’t illuminate anything about Sestak, though he managed to squeeze in the story about his kid’s illness. He’s got a great kid, but he trots out that story even when it doesn’t naturally fit into the conversation or question. I don’t think he even realizes that he’s turned his daughter into a talking point that make him look like he’s exploiting her. While I’m sure that it is not his intent, that’s the way it’s begun to come off.
I saw one report on his appearance where the reporter actually mocked how Sestak keeps bringing her up.
Specter has hit a new low, when his talking points include criticizing the relevance and sincerity of Sestak’s concern for his cancer surviving daughter. Sestak’s daughter’s health treatment is an excellent example of what health care could be in this country. Instead of saying no to anguished privately insured parents whose children need treatment, a program could have a public option that saves the day and save the child, as did Sestak’s military coverage for his daughter. Sestak’s daughter is lively now. Her dad’s aged opponent, who likes to tell how he was saved from cancer too (by Senate heath care) ought to take a good long rest and let a true progressive fight our battles.
Actually maybe Joe keeps bringing up his kid to help run for office. She’s outsurvived Ted Kennedy and has more spine than Harry Reid. And she would be good at correcting the Republican nonsense.
Yeah… her father has more spine then either Reid or Spector has … that is why I’d like to see Joe get in there