There’s some bad news today for U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in his uphill battle to unseat Sen. Arlen Specter.

That hill just got a lot steeper.

Specter, the longtime Republican turned Democrat, is coming to town today. He’s bringing a friend with him. Maybe you’ve heard of him. His name is Barack Obama.

The president will appear at a fundraiser for Specter this afternoon in Philadelphia. He’s expected to raise $2.5 million for Specter’s war chest.

Most of the big-name Democrats have welcomed Specter with open arms.
Today they’re also opening their wallets.

In addition to the president, Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Ed Rendell also are in the Specter camp. Most have made it clear they are not particularly pleased with Sestak’s renegade effort to seek the Democratic nomination.

Sestak has made it equally clear he could care less what they think.
He’s giving up his 7th District seat in Congress and is taking on the powerful Specter.

One of the biggest challenges he faces is name recognition. The congressman himself learned that during a tour of the state’s 67 counties back in the summer. What he found out was that outside Delco and a few surrounding suburbs, almost no one knew who he was.

That view has been reinforced with polls that show Specter holding a commanding lead over Sestak.

Today that lead will get another 2.5 million reasons to bet the house on Specter rebuffing the Sestak challenge.

In politics, much like life, money talks.

Today the message from big-time Democrats will come through loud and clear.