Pennsylvania Leadership Forum
As local residents and interested citizens across the country turn their eyes to what promises to be the most-watched Democratic primary of 2010, we thought it only natural to provide our attendees with an opportunity to interact with Pennsylvania leaders Rep. Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter.
The Netroots Nation Pennsylvania Leadership Forum, scheduled for Friday morning at 11 a.m., will give you and your fellow attendees an opportunity to engage both leaders in substantive discussion about issues of the day.
Rep. Sestak and Sen. Specter will each participate in an interactive session moderated by Pennsylvania blogger Susie Madrak and The Nation's Ari Melber. Much like our Presidential Leadership Forum back in 2007 and our Ask the Speaker session last July, each participant will be asked questions solicited online in advance, as well as from the audience.
Since elected to the United States Senate in 1980, Arlen Specter has brought independence and a tenacious work ethic to Washington. Senator Specter is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary, Appropriations, Veterans Affairs, and Energy and Public Works Committees. On the Judiciary Committee, he has participated in the last 12 Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings. Senator Specter believes health and education are America?s greatest assets and has played a key role in significantly increasing the funding of medical research and education. Senator Specter places constituent service high on his priorities and regularly visits all of Pennsylvania?s 67 counties.
Joe Sestak, elected to Congress in 2006 after 31 years in the Navy, represents the District where he grew up and lives with his wife and daughter. A Naval Academy graduate and former 3-star Admiral, Joe served on President Clinton's National Security Council and, after 9/11, Joe directed the Navy's anti-terrorism unit. He commanded an Aircraft Carrier Battle Group in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to Congress. Joe holds a Harvard PhD and was named the most productive member in his legislative class, passing historic autism, working family and elder abuse legislation.
Ari Melber (www.arimelber.com) is the Net movement correspondent for The Nation magazine, columnist for Politico and a contributing editor at Personal Democracy Forum. He previously served as a Legislative Aide in the U.S. Senate and as a national staff member of the 2004 Kerry Presidential Campaign. Melber has spoken at each Netroots Nation since its 2006 founding. As a commentator on public affairs, Melber appears on national television and radio, including NBC, CNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and FOX News. He received a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a J.D. from Cornell Law School.
