While most here have no love for Snarlin’ Arlen, aka Scrapple, it’s hard to get revved up for Joe because of FISA. We here at FDL love a good fight against the evil doers, but will find it hard to get really stoked on this one—I think.

Here’s the problem. Scrapple’s death bed conversion to the donkey party is about as crass as they get. We all know it. He knows it. Scrapple is only out for himself. Always was and will be. He became a dem because he knew he’d lose a primary to whomever ran against him, whether it was Toomey or someone else. So he decided he’d rather switch than fight.

That leaves us—those of us living in PA and those of us activists on the intertubes—to deal with a conundrum. Do we come out for Sestak and put some energy and money into it? OR do we let the chips fall where they may and sit it out? (as you can see I didn’t even entertain the idea of actually supporting Scrapple)

I’ve got very mixed emotions about it. Mr. Rev. is ready to work for Joe in a heartbeat. But after having dinner a couple of weeks ago with our Queen Jane, the cold hard facts hit.

1. Specter will find a way to vote for EFCA. He has to. He needs labor.
2. When he does, he’s got Labor and the people and money they bring.
3. Rendell, Biden, the PA Dems are all lining up behind Scrapple.
4. Joe voted for FISA.

That last one is important. We called, we faxed, we cajoled, we did everything possible to get him to not do it. We lost. I, for one, spent 40 minutes with him expressing my "disappointment" in that vote. As Jane pointed out to me, FISA was a bottom line issue. We can’t now turn around and pretend it didn’t happen and support him full bore or we no longer have any credibility. That’s the way it is.

Joe has made several votes that I strongly disagree with. He has disappointed. And yet, he gave me that 40 minutes to yell at him even while his staffer was trying to rescue him repeatedly starting at the 15 minute mark. His votes on the whole are more in line with the dems than Specter’s will be with some big disappointments.

On the other hand, this IS PA. We don’t have no librul democrats and won’t outside of deep Philly (and those could never get elected state wide anyway). As so many have said, PA is Philly and Pittsburgh surrounded by Alabama. If we’re looking for a real progressive senator, we’d better move to a different state.

All in all Joe has got to be better than Arlen ever will be. He is not Chris Carney, thank the goddess. The question is whether we can feel good about jumping in and fighting the good fight.

So I’m opening it up for discussion. It’s a tough call. We all want to find more Alan Graysons and Steve Cohens, I know. But they are hard to come by and almost never make it to the Senate. And surely not from PA.

What say you all?

Update: Duncan is in for $100 once it is announced. It’s a start.