Survival of the Weakest; A Darwinian Lesson for Rick Santorum

[Penndems]

I sometimes wonder about the priorities and interests of the viewers of PoliticsPA and the people I come in contact with every day throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You people live for elections! We have a mass transit crisis in our urban areas, Pittsburgh is in economic distress, and initiatives such as gambling and SallieMae’s $1 Billion offer to maximize the efficiency of PHEAA, but all people want to talk about are elections a few years away. Why?

Well you can e-mail me your answers, but in the meantime, lets look at the landscape since we last discussed Bob Casey and Lynn Swann. I don’t know if Casey is going to run for the Senate or even defeat Rick Santorum, but I bet he is considering sending a few of his daughters to Quinnipiac University. The poll that was released recently just confirms other surveys that have the Casey brain trust now strongly considering the race, a thought which would have been branded heresy by the “Bobby is destined to be Governor” Camp only a short time ago.

It is very impressive that Casey holds a solid lead over Santorum and that he leads in some of the incumbent’s strongholds. But I can’t help looking at the disconnect with Santorum’s 52% re-elect number. My guess is the lead is more about President Bush than Rick Santorum and there lies his problem. Bush is losing ground in Pennsylvania and the Social Security debate is one national discussion that will have significant local political impact. Santorum is expected to carry the ball for the President and he does this with a thorough understanding of the political minefield ahead of him. The preservation of Social Security is an issue that custom fits the Casey profile and he will talk about it without stretching his believability one inch.

The solution for Santorum is campaign cash and lots of it. He cannot allow this election to be a referendum on George Bush. Though Bush will be forced to re-visit PA to excite the base for Santorum, the stops will also energize liberals and moderates to come out for Casey. When President Clinton comes in for Casey, the inverse will occur, but at this point, surrogate advantage to Casey.
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Link:
http://www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/ceisler.htm

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

1. Hate Ricky.....but I can hardly get energized about Casey.

Personally, I wanted the polar opposite of Ricky: social moderate/liberal and fiscal conservative. That is NOT Casey. I'll swallow hard and pull the lever for him against Rick man-on-dog Santorum, but it will not be enthusiastically. :puke:

[rabid_nerd]

2. I can be uber enthusiastic about Casey

He is fiscally conservative - in a populist way, not a sell-out-our-trade way.

He's been auditor general and now treasurer.

And he is socially moderate/liberal.

Oh wait, I forgot.. The only thing that counts as a social issue is abortion.

Labor doesn't count, healthcare doesn't count.

He is the polar opposite on issues that matter

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

4. Sounds like the Dems don't even need a primary for 06, eh?

I'll wait to hear what he says during the primaries re: social issues and then judge.

Bottom line: He would have a tough time being more regressive than our current PA Senator but many moderate supporters of Kerry will not be enthusiastic when they pull the lever. Fortunately he will be less damaging to PA as a junior Senator than as a PA Governor.

[rkc3]

3. Considering that santorum is pond scum in a $700 suit, I'd vote for

my cat before I voted for that jackass - and I don't even like my cat.

Seriously, santorum is being groomed to be presidential candidate in the near future. Sending him to his defeat now might put a wrinkle or two in the repubs' plans for him.

[HockeyMom]

5. Far Right Christian Groups

I've been on several of these websites (know thy enemy), such as Concerned Women for America, Focus on Family, etc., and it seems whenever they have a speaker talking about "family" issues (gay marriage, abortion, birth control), Rick Santorum is always their guest speaker. Coincidence? Unbelievably, one of the topics he spoke on was encouraging marriage and the goal of BIG FAMILIES as the NORM. Duh? Well, maybe HE can afford 7 kids, but the rest of us can't. Which also brings to mind, a quote from DeLay few years ago, "Selfish married people using birth control and not having enough kids." DOUBLE DUH? What the hell is with these people? Reminds me of that old quote too, "First they came for the Jews and I wasn't Jewish, so......" Gays now, who next? Scary.

Also, is it just me, but whenever I see these groups of College Republicans they all look and dress like clones of Rick Santorum?

My daughter is a college Junior, an Independent, and avidly anti Bush. She is hardly an activist, though, but has made comments around campus regarding her feelings on Bush. She was subjected to hate email and phone calls from these College Republicans. This is at a Blue State College (one of the BLUEST states).

[rkc3]

6. ricky gets invited to these speaking engagements because of his

far right views on how Amerika should behave. It also gives him a greater reach than speaking locally in PA - which further goes to my point that he's being groomed by appealing to not so curious georgre's base of RW Nutters.

Sorry to hear about your daughter's problems. I hope the school took appropriate action against the knuckleheads.

[yellowcanine]

7. Hasn't Ricky accepted favors from Rev. Moon's sect? If so, this should be

pointed out to the PA voters.