I'll support Bob Casey as a senatorial candidate....

[LynneSin]

...provided that PA democrats don't just roll over and give the position to him but instead field a variety of candidates.

First, it's total bullcrap that says an pro-choice candidate can't get elected statewide in Pennsylvania because the first 2 names that come to mind are Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Arlen Spector (a republican no less). Also Tom Ridge was pro-choice and he got elected twice across the state.

I had a long discussion about Bob Casey with someone who I volunteered with during the Rendell primaries and she had some valid points. It is Rick Santorum we're trying to get out of office and there aren't too many democrats with statewide appeal that could beat him. I keep thinking back to 2000 when the 2 philly candidates in the dem primary split the vote and we ended up with a dud like Ron Klink (also anti-choice) running against Rick Santorum. Heck I never saw any Klink campaign ads in the Philly market until right before the election. Klink was a waste of time to run against what should have been a volunterable seat.

Pennsylvania is not an extremist state and even our republicans tend to be moderate (again - Spector and Ridge). But Santorum has to go and I think Dems are looking at the one candidate that has statewide recognition already and that's Bob Casey Jr. (maybe if he gets to be senator he'll give up running for governor - which frightens me even more because of his anti-choice stance).

So begrudgingly I'll support Casey, but I can assure you if there is a strong pro-choice candidate on the ticket I'll do everything I can to support that candidate first.

[MikeG]

1. I don't have a problem with a pro-lifer either.

They never do anything about it anyway.

Its a phony issue.

[Coastie for Truth]

2. My only issue with pro-lifers is stem cell research

according to MY community of faith (footnote 1), Stem Cell Research is the Pro Life stance. Unfortunately most self-described pro-lifers in the larger communities of faith are opposed to stem cell research, equating it to abortion.

But if I still lived in Pennsylvania I would support Bob Casey. Heck, I would even support Tom Murphy over Rick Santorum.

Footnote

1. "Stem Cell Research in Jewish Law," Rabbi Daniel Eisenberg, MD, Bio-ethicist and Radiation Oncology Professor, Thomas Jefferson Medical School, Philadelphia PA.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

3. Maybe we can have a 3-way race in PA General election

Santorum as the Republican, of course.

Casey as the Democrat who pulls the Catholic Dem vote from Santorum

Chris Heinz as an Independent with state-wide name recognition and the memory of his father's legacy.

Now, that would be interesting.

I want that hypocrite, zealot Santorum out of blue PA more than anyone but I have a tough time getting enthusiastic about Casey Jr. Sorry, just being honest here.

[LynneSin]

4. You and I are in the same boat

I'd like to see a primary with Chris Heinz and Bob Casey Jr. And I would like to hear Bob Casey's feedback on all the issues including choice. I remember the Ron Klink volunteers claimed that Klink would not make any changes to existing laws. But Stem Cell, along with Sex-Education and Family Planning political view points would all be interesting to here.

Then again I live in DE and have 2 pro-choice dem senators, pro-choice governor and even a pro-choice republican representative

:shrug:

But PA is my home state!

[JPZenger]

5. Dems Need to Save Their Money

The race against Santorum will be extremely expensive - it may be the most expensive Senate race in the eastern U.S. The Dems need to save their money for the general election. I hope the party can join behind one strong candidate instead of wasting millions beating up on each other.

Look at the last time Santorum ran. I believe their were 5 candidates in the Dem primary - none with Statewide name recognition. We ended up with a former TV newsman, Klink, who had the charisma of Colonel Klink and the fundraising ability of Sgt. Shultz. His main claim to fame was that Allegheny County voters like to vote for one of their own. He was an awful candidate - who more recently went on to endorse republican candidates if they helped his lobbying clients.

Because of that, we are stuck with this statewide embarassment of Santorum. This race needs to be our highest priority.

Hoeffel seemed like a nice guy whose heart was in the right place. However, he ran such a weak campaign that few people on the street knew his name on election day.

[LynneSin]

6. Sorry - not buying that line whatsoever

Spector had an expensive campaign against Toomey while Hoeffel ran virtually unopposed and yet Spector still won.

And the 2002 democratic primary for governor ran near $30mil and yet Ed Rendell, the dem nominee still won the general election.

The problem with all the candidates that ran in 2000 was the fact that 2 candidates ran from the Philadelphia region and they ended up splitting the vote coming in 2nd & 3rd place (Tom Foley and Allyson Schwartz). That split allowed Ron Klink to win the actually primary even though his total vote count was well below the combination of the 2 philly votes. So after the expensive primary that Klink ran he ended up having no money to run for in the general election.

We need to have a candidate that differentiates themselves from Santorum and that candidate cannot ignore the Philadelphia Market. Ed Rendell won big in both the primaries and general election in 2002 because he pulled big-time numbers in the Philadelphia Market.

I lived in Bucks Co during the 2000 Senate election and I never saw a Klink commericial until a day or 2 before the elections. Yet Santorum was on all the time with an add that basically said Santorum="Warm & Fuzzy", Klink="Really Bad Man".

Hoeffel is a great guy but he was boring as hell. He also ran against a candidate that is very popular in the Philly area and that drew away votes. You cannot use Arlen Spector's camapaign to gauge how we should run a campaign against Rick Santorum because these are two totally different types of candidates. Personally, I think Joe Hoeffel could win against Santorum and give Pennsylvanian's a pro-choice candidate!

[GroverH]

7. Enough with the Caseys

I agree that Hoeffel could probably beat Santorum. He came surprisingly close to ousting Arlen Specter. As far the choice issue goes, Bob Casey Jr. has some serious baggage: Bob Casey Sr. It's not just that he was pro-life, not in and of itself: it's that he was very actively pro-life, to the point of his administration taking a fight for abortion restrictions all the way to the US Supreme Court. I'm concerned that if Bob Jr. did get in he'd be all too happy to hook up with the first RW anti-choice initiative to come along. We need a Senator whose priorities will be with Pennsylvania.

[LynneSin]

8. Welcome to DU and I agree but...

Bob Casey Jr. isn't done running for office. I mean, his daddy ran for Governor like 3-4 times until he actually won (and I don't think Sr. ever bothered with Lt. Gov either). So knowing that, do we want Casey Jr. in the Senate or the State House?

My biggest fear is if the Senate somehow manages to overturn RoeVWade it's all going to come down to states rights. And even though Casey Sr. made a devestating blow to choice overall, at least it's still legal (albeith somewhat restricted) in the state of Pennsylvania. And you know Ed Rendell is choice all the way.

So knowing that PA is pretty much stuck with Casey Jr. running for a bigger office until he's satisfied, I say give him the Senate seat. At least he'll get rid of Santorum and Spector will even out the choice factor (since Spector is a pro-choice repuke).

If Casey doesn't run for Senate then I can almost guarentee that he'll run for governor in 2010 and this time he'll probably win. Does Pennsylvania want a anti-choice governor in their state house if RoeVWade is overturned.

After writing all of this I can truly say one thing - thank goodness I moved to Delaware!

[Irish Mafia]

9. I spoke w/ Casey...

New to this board, so take it easy on the new guy! :-)

I spoke with Bob Casey Jr. at a function during the Presidential Election season. I asked him about future ambitions and whether or not a run for Governor would be in the cards after Rendell's term limit expired. He emphatically indicated that he has an eye on the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburgh and plans to run for the office again. It is almost like being elected to the same office that his father once held is a dream of his and he plans to do whatever he could to experience that dream.

That being said, I would understand if Bob took up Reid and Schumer's offer to run against Santorum in '06. If there is one thing that Casey believes in, it is loyalty. If Bob feels that this would be the best option for the state and for the Democratic Party, then he will run and most likely end up being the Democratic nominee. He's still young, so any ambitions towards Harrisburgh could be fulfilled down the road. Maybe he could go the route of Corzine and establish himself in the Senate and when the opportunity presents itself, make a run for Governor. All in all though, I firmly believe that Bob Casey Jr. presents the best alternative for Democrats in PA against Santorum. In a Santorum-Casey race in '06, I honestly believe that Bob Casey walks away the winner. The wildcard factor is whether or not the Philadelphia area comes out and supports Casey. With Rendell on the ticket, I think he would make sure everyone in Philly knew that when they go to vote for him for his re-election, make sure they also cast a vote for Bob Casey. Rendell's a master politician. If he could muster up a good showing on Election Day in the Philly area, then I believe that would be too much for Santorum to overcome.

[LynneSin]

10. But I don't think Corzine was trying to 'establish' himself...

...as you described.

Corzine spent like 40mil dollars to win his Senate seat and he could have easily done the same thing and just run for Governor instead of Senate.

Corzine knows that the NJ Democratic Party is on the verge of crumbling if they don't get a strong candidate in there to run for governor after the McGreevey incident. Corzine knows if he wins, the statehouse would be safe for democrats for 8 years AND he'll get to appoint his own sucessor to the senate which will give that person instant statewide recognition for when that appointee runs for that senate seat 2 years later.

Corzine is fixing a problem with the NJ democratic party. Casey doesn't need a senate seat in order to win the Governor seat. He already has the statewide name recognition. I'd just rather see Casey in the Senate because the senate is already a lost cause when it comes to choice and Casey does have some redeeming qualities in other areas.

[GroverH]

11. Anybody but Santorum '06

Believe me, if it comes down to Casey Vs. Santorum, I'm with Casey all the way. I agree with LynneSin's original post: we shouldn't just hand him the nom without debate.

Casey would be with us more than half the time, whereas Santorum would be with us none of the time. (Saying that, I feel like the Repugs who stuck with Specter in '04: they weren't thrilled with him, but they sure as hell weren't voting for Hoeffel.) Getting rid of Slick Rick should be the Number 1 priority.

[LynneSin]

12. I'm posting here being critical of Bob Casey Jr.......

and my own senator Tom Carper is about ready to break my last straw. He's trying to convince Seniors in Delaware that privatization might not be a bad thing

:grr: