Congressman and Senate candidate Joe Sestak, D-Delaware County, promised new, energetic leadership in the Senate during his visit to Penn State on Thursday, stressing the need to pass important economic, health, and education initiatives.
In a meeting with Penn State College Democrats, held in 129A HUB-Robeson Center, the retired Navy admiral said he would bring leadership to the Senate that could provide the change that democrats promised in the 2008 campaign.
"What is absent down there is true leadership," he said of the democratically controlled Senate. Sestak is running in the democratic primary against incumbent Senator Arlen Specter.
In an interview, Sestak highlighted his attempts to bring down the cost of college education, citing bills he sponsored in the House that would bring transparency to college tuition increases and lower interest rates on student loans.
Both of those bills passed the House but died in the Senate, Sestak said. He vowed to move those bills through the Senate if elected. He said he "fought" to be on the House Education Committee, because his experience in the Navy showed him the importance of investing in higher education.
"In the Navy, I learned to invest in your sailors," he said, a principle Sestak said holds true in education, as well.
Among the audience of about 60 people were some individuals frustrated with what they saw as a lack of leadership in government, particularly among democrats.
"We're seeing more and more the Democratic Party looking like a herd of cats," said David Peery, an 80 -year-old veteran of the Air Force who was in attendance.
Peery said he hoped Sestak's military background could contribute to improved leadership in the Senate.
Penn State student and National Guardsman Giovanni Mendoza (junior-political science) said Sestak's military background convinced him that Sestak could bring strong leadership to the Senate.
The congressman also said he wanted to pay back Americans for the good healthcare he received in the Navy by passing healthcare reform.
In closing, Sestak pushed his pledge for strong leadership.
"All I can promise is the hardest-working, energetic leadership. I think we need more of that," he said.
