Democracy Has Prevailed.

December 6, 2006

More Santorum News

I don't mean to gloat, but...

OK maybe just a little.

Via our "Early Returns" friends at the P-G, I was led, via this post at Pennsyltucky, to this post
at a blog called Polysigh.
I finally had a chance to look into something that's been in my mind since the election. I noticed that Rick Santorum didn't just lose his Senate race, he got crushed, 41.3 to 58.7 percent. Incumbent Senators sometimes lose reelection, but incumbency advantages being what they are, not by this much. Plus, Senators in serious trouble usually retire rather than risk defeat and public humiliation. That got me wondering whether this was some kind of a record for worst defeat for an incumbent senator at the end of a full term (John Seymour R-CA lost with 38 percent of the vote in 1992, but he was appointed to the seat when Pete Wilson left to become governor--voters can't necessarily be held responsible for tossing out someone they never picked in the first place). It turns that Santorum's is the worst showing for an incumbent Senator in over 25 years. In 1980, George McGovern lost to James Abdnor with only 39.4 percent of the vote. Of course, McGovern was running against the Reagan landslide, so Santorum might still hold the record for a midterm loss.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, huh?

Let me reiterate - in recent political history, only George McGovern lost bigger than our Lil Ricky and he was washed away by the Reagan landslide of 1980.

But that's OK - John J. Miller at the National Review thinks that Lil Ricky would be a great replacement for John Bolton.
How about Rick Santorum for the UN job? Yeah, there'd probably be a confirmation fight. And he may want to take a breather after 16 years in elected office. But it's worth thinking over.
I'm done thinking, John. IT'S A BAD IDEA, John.

Though Ricks' gonna be OK. His initial pension, writes JD Prose, will be more than a lot of people make.
U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn Hills, would receive an initial annual pension of $39,600, said Pete Sepp, spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union in Alexandria, Va.
This is where it's confusing. Prose writes later:
As for Santorum, Sepp said he can wait until he turns 62 to collect or take an immediate pension that would be permanently reduced by 30 percent.
Does that mean that the $39,600 represents 70% of what his pension would be if he waited until he's 62? If that's the case, Rick's looking at a pension of about $57,000 per year starting in 2020, though I am sure whatever it turns out to be, it'll be adjusted for inflation.

How long do you think it'll take Rick to jump onto the lecture circuit?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Personally, I am surprised he hasn't slithered from beneath his rock YET.

Anonymous said...

I am working on a banner to welcome Rick, Karen & family back to Penn Hills.
Does anyone out there have a friend at the Penn Hills Welcom Wagon? Or know about a home school support group they can join to help them with their transition back to full time Western PA residents?
How about contractors who can help them add a bedroom or two to the little cottage on Stevens Lane?

At least the Santorums will have the profits from the sale of the Virginia McMansion to put away for college expenses for all of those kids. Or do you think they'll decide to home-college the kids??

It will be so good to have them home again!

EdHeath said...

You know, as far as Santorum for UN Ambassador, I go back to the David Brooks piece in the NYTimes before the election. Bono would, I expect, endorse Santorum for the post. I suspect there would be less of a confirmation fight than you think (he was a Seantor), if this was done right now. UN Ambassador for two years would be a place for Santorum to go and end his political career (maybe getting a judgeship somewhere afterwards, or teaching at Robert Morris or Saint Vincent). But, most importantly, we would have a UN Ambasador that, by Brooks account, actually cares about global poverty. He might be the best thing yet for America's global image to come out of the Bush administration.

Well, the bar's pretty low.

Remember, only Nixon could go to China (and only Bill Clinton could reform welfare).

Anonymous said...

Bono would not endorse Santorum for dog catcher much less Ambassador at the UN. What are you smoking? Santorum doesn't give a rat's behind about any poor people here in the US or in other countries.

Rick is all about saying and/or doing whatever he needs to in order to line his pockets. He's all about the money.

I hope he catches a disease from one of his boyfriends and gives it to the little incubator wife he keeps locked up at home.

Anon #2

Anonymous said...

Bono is a freaking musician. While I support what he does, he is not the best judge of people.

As for Rick as a UN ambassador. You put that ass in there and here comes WWIII. However, I doubt he will take the job and pass up his coushy lobbying job that he has had for teh past twelve years.

Anonymous said...

How long do you think it'll take Rick to jump onto the lecture circuit?

If I were a betting man, I put money on Ricky landing a plum job at a K-Street lobbying firm before he's finished cleaning out his desk on Capitol Hill.

Anyone who thinks Santorum and his brood are going to move back to their little 2-bedroom house in Penn Hills, I have some wonderful swamp land in Florida for sale..