I don't think it's too too suprising. And I am sure the folks over at SantorumHQ aren't surprised either. I can almost hear the cries of "typical liberal media outlet response" right now. Anyway, here are some snippets of the editorial outlining the P-G's reasoning.
Point one:
There was a time when conservatives ran against Washington, D.C., but Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, in fighting the challenge by state Treasurer Bob Casey this year, has a problem doing that. He is Washington, D.C.Point two:
More precisely, the 12-year incumbent is the sort of calculating politician who has made the 109th Congress the out-of-touch and ethics-challenged institution that has added to the store of public cynicism.
For all his talk of being just "an Italian kid from a steel town," Mr. Santorum, 48, was entirely in character when he was playing happy host every week to well-heeled corporate lobbyists of K Street seeking to shape the public's business in ways denied to ordinary people. That is what he has become.And so on. They save the big stuff for the end:
Sen. Santorum has a bigger problem. This self-described fighter has a black belt in hypocrisy. The issue of his non-residence in Pennsylvania is rooted in his slamming of Rep. Doug Walgren 16 years ago for moving to Washington, D.C. The hypocrisy got worse when Mr. Santorum, the alleged champion of taxpayers, stuck the public for the bill to educate his children in a cyber school when his residence in Penn Hills is just a legal fiction.There you have it. Out-of-touch, ethics-challenged, happy host to K Street corporate lobbyists who stuck the public for the bill to education his children.
Rick Santorum - A Blackbelt in hypocrisy
Santorum is as good as gone. It looks like they've diverted their money to George Allen in Virgnia, and given a little to Michael Steele in Maryland instead.
ReplyDeleteAllen should be cruising to re-election. But he's gaffe prone, so it turned into a close race.
Steele should be defeated in Maryland. But the Democratic nominee (Rep. Ben Cardin) has been MIA since the primary. He's run exactly one ad, while Steele has run five or six. His ad is negative. That said, given the political winds, Cardin will probably eek it out. Still, it's a rather sad campaign.
Casey wins--easily. The Republicans have given up on people like Nancy Johnson, and instead are focusing on people like Hart. She probably loses too, as that's a conservative, but Democratic, district. If the waves of all waves comes--50/50 on that--I could see Tim Murphy losing as well.
It's a shame the Democrats couldn't nominate an actual person to run against a schlemiel who was going to lose anyway. According to Qunnipiac, way more than half of the people who are voting for Casey are actually voting against Santorum. Hell, they could have put up an actual Democrat. Maybe even one who wouldn't vote with Bush most of the time. Oh well, maybe next lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI get tired with the "real Democrat" comments. It's been 6 months.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying you don't want pro-life persons to vote Democrat, John?
Was JFK a democrat?
If we want people of a certain socio-economic status to not be fooled by GOP wedge-issue politics, than perhaps we should lead by example.
If Bob Casey were only anti-abortion, I might be able to hold my nose and vote for him, especially to rid (temporarily) the Senate of Rick Santorum. But look at his agenda:
ReplyDeleteConsiders the USAPATRIOT Act to be a "vital tool" in the "war on Terrorism"
Supports the recently-passed Military Commissions Act that strips habeas corpus from our judicial system
Would have voted in favor of confirmation for Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court
Opposes embrionic stem-cell research
Supports Defense of Marriage amendment
Supports the death penalty
Supports posting the Ten Commandments in government buildings
Opposes increased regulation on firearm ownership
Supports warrentless wire-tapping
All this is in addition to the fact that he wants to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
No, the problem is not that Bob Casey is not a "real Democrat." The problem is that he is a real Republican. He believes in theocracy. His positions are well to the right of many Republicans already ruining this country.
From everything I see, the Democratic Party is positioning itself to become a second right-wing party. That's not good for this country, because right-wing rule has proven itself to be a disaster. But after this election, I will be represented at the federal level by Casey, Doyle, and Specter. Guess which of these is the most progressive. That's right, the Republican Arlen Spector.
So let me ask you a question: Who is fooling the people with wedge-issue politics? Hint: It ain't me.
John,
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and complain that Casey is not ultra-liberal - just don't claim he isn't a Democrat. Plenty of Democrats in the Congress (and out of it) support those positions you listed.
The Democrats have [finally] made great strides in informing the voters that support for gay marriage, abortion and gun control, and opposition to religion, are NOT pre-requisites for Democratic party membership.
Remember, you don't live in California - in PA the Democratic coalition is a bit more inclusive. We like to win some elections every now and then.
Sorry if this shows up twice, it didn't seem to take the first time.
ReplyDeletePatrick, I think you're right. The Democratics leadership is now so desperate to win that they are willing to give up on essential liberties.
You know, it wasn't always just liberals -- and I am proud to be what they now call a liberal -- who thought that the Constitution meant something; that we couldn't throw people in jail without charging them; that people were innocent until proven guilty.
Not any more.
Now the Democrats put up a guy who is willing to tear up the Bill of Rights to win an election.
Now even card-carrying ACLU members support a man who opposes everything they believe in.
So when they "win" this election, what have they won? Perhaps an oppressive right-wing government labelled R will be replaced with an oppressive right-wing government labelled D. Pardon me for my subdued celebration.
I'm not a Democrat anymore. I didn't leave the party. The party left the America I have loved for almost 60 years.
The terrorists have won. The ones in Afganistan and the ones in Washington.