Foreign Policy Issue of the Day

Noam Neusner, former Whitehouse Jewish liason, writes the following open letter to Pa Treasurer Bob Casey, dated Jan 29th.

Dear Candidate Casey:

It has been four days -- and counting -- since Hamas was swept into office by the Palestinian people. And what does Bob Casey, who wants to serve Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, have to say on the matter? Nothing.

Despite obvious opportunities to make his views clear on the matter, Casey -- who only recently has started to dip his toe in the waters of the Middle East -- has remained stalwartly silent. Why the wait? Does Casey need more time to read up on Hamas' objectives with regard to Israel, Jews, and America?

The U.S. Senate is no place to learn on the job. If Bob Casey can't figure out what to say when proto-Nazis such as Hamas take over, placing the future security of Israel at risk, what other clear-cut choices will he fail to make in time?

Sincerely,

Noam Neusner

The Senator's position is here.

Update: Here's the Treasurer's position, which came out Jan 30th.

The United States should not associate with and should immediately suspend all foreign aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government until the terrorist group renounces violence, recognizes Israel's right to exist, and agree to peace negotiations with Israel. Providing aid to a terrorist organization intent on the destruction of Israel is unacceptable.

As an aside, is it possible to link to pages within BobCaseyForPa.com? I can't seem to do it with Firefox or Safari.

Analysis: Casey and the "moderate" Democrats.

We are told that Bobby Casey will be a moderate, or even a conservative Democrat. Recently, Casey came out in support of judge Samuel Alito's appointment to the Supreme Court, courting the ire of NARAL, NOW, People for the American Way and all the usual suspects. Shouldn't conservatives be pleased with such a stance? Casey is pro-life, and has said he does not stand with calls for an immediate pull-out from Iraq. Doesn't this indicate that Casey will be a different kind of Democrat then, say, Harry Reed?

As it happens, Casey is not the first Democrat to wrap himself in the mantle of moderation. Senator Ken Salazar from Colorado was another Democrat who portrayed himself as a red state moderate capable of reaching across the partisan divide. In particular, Salazar indicated that he would support Bush's judicial nominees. Salazar voted against the confirmation of John Roberts. Evan Bayh from Indiana has previously had a reputation as a conservative Democrat. In fact, some conservatives even hoped that he would become the next Zell Miller. But Bayh quickly disappointed conservatives this term: voting against the confirmation of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, and against the confirmation of John Roberts. Even arch-liberals like Tom Daschle, Harry Reed and Al Gore all once declared themselves to be pro-life red state Democrats. Daschle became too liberal for the people of South Dakota and Harry Reed has acted abysmally as majority leader. Who can forget the way in which he insulted conservative African-American jurists such as Clarence Thomas and Janice Rogers Brown. As for Al Gore, I doubt anyone to the right of Hilary Clinton would have a problem admitting that the moderate Democrat from Tennessee has gone completely round the bend.

Granted, Bobby Casey is not Ken Salazar, Evan Bai or any of the rest of the moderates-turned-radical. There is always the possibility that Casey will stick to his moderate convictions. Yet let us also consider that Barbara Boxer, Chuck Schumer and Howard Dean have all reassured the radicals within their party that Casey will be one of them. Put this together with the above analysis of moderate Democrats, and the conclusion seems inevitable. Bobby Casey may be a moderate Democrat today, but we cannot be sure that he will be anything other than a liberal in the next few years.

Analysis: Bobby Casey and the teacher's union endorsement.

Some time last year, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (more commonly known as the Pennsylvania Teacher’s Union) endorsed its preferred candidate for US senate: treasurer Bob Casey. The TEACHER’S UNION is currently the most well-funded political action committee in Pennsylvania. This endorsement does not necessarily help Casey financially; the PENNSYLVANIA TEACHER’S UNION cannot directly give money for federal races, though the NEA, its affiliated federal PAC, will doubtless give Casey all the money it can.

What does this endorsement mean for Bob Casey? It's worth examining where the PENNSYLVANIA TEACHER’S UNION stands on a few issues.
1. They oppose school vouchers with ferocity, and they have no love for charter schools. The TEACHER’S UNION has opposed legislation which would allow charter schools to hire non-certified teachers to teach in non-core classes. According to the TEACHER’S UNION, a successful small business owner cannot teach a business class, a computer programmer cannot teach programming, a well-known conductor cannot teach music without a bachelors in education. So much for practical experience.
2. When a tax-payer bill of rights was suggested for Pennsylvania, the Teacher's Union was quick to oppose it.
3. Tax-payer's choice. The thing which the TEACHER’S UNION opposes more staunchly than anything is the so-called "back-end referendum", which would require increases in property taxes at a local level to be approved by the voters. Heaven forbid!
Clearly, good government is not an issue with which the PENNSYLVANIA TEACHER’S UNION seems overly concerned. Given their strong, early support for Bob Casey, can we expect anything better from him in the US senate?

Casey's base problem

Yesterday Bob Casey, Jr. announced his support for the Alito nomination. Today, the liberal base - particularly in the blogosphere - is fuming.

Americablog writes:

What Mr. Casey needs to learn is that the game isn't decided simply by saying "the Santorum-haters have nobody else to support, ha ha ha." We can still be dispirited by your candidacy, and sit back and not help very much, and write lots of bad things about you on a regular basis because you often kind of make us sick. That will affect your fundraising, your media, and your get-out-the-vote. And if you don't think any of that matters, then you don't deserve to be a Senator.

Daily Kos:

I don't understand why given his poor relations with the Pennsylvania Democratic base -- you know, the people supposed to bust their humps for him in October and November -- he thought it necessary to give them a big middle finger.

Eshaton:

Casey hasn't just demonstrated he's an a#$@%, he's also demonstrated that he has the political instincts of a fig.

Booman Tribune:

No one I know wants to vote for Bob Casey Jr. No one I know wants to work for Bob Casey Jr. I can't tell you how many people are so pissed off about Bob Casey Jr. that they don't feel like voting or working for any Democrats this year.

One wonders why Chuck Schumer, Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer are not fuming? Oh yeah, this is why...

Why Casey Can't Win

With all the comments I've read from the left, I just had to comment.

Here's why Casey can not win - Campaigns that run an anti-whoever do not win. I honestly can not think of one off the top of my head. I'll give you a few examples off the top of my head:

Dole - the anti-Clinton campaign
Kerry - anti-Bush campaign

When running for office, you have to give the people a vision and a reason to vote for you. Santorum has that. Casey does not. What is Casey's campaign about - "I'm not Rick Santorum." Big deal, tell us something we didn't already know. These I'm not so-and-so campaigns are mostly negative, have no vision, and really give no one a reason to vote for the candidate. Who wants to support a cause, or non-cause really, based on negativity? Not me. People want a positive vision, a positive message, something to believe in. Compare these two candidates and it becomes clear that Casey's campaign will end the same way that Dole's and Kerry's did - people won't know what it was about except that is was against the incumbent. That is why I call these campaigns Seinfeld campaigns - they are campaigns about nothing.

Casey and the editorial boards

Well Bobby Casey Jr allowed the Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer to affect the way he looked at the Sam Alito nomination.

I am wondering if he would have the courage to stand up to another editorial board that influences the Democratic party bosses that are pulling the strings and writing the checks to Bobby Casey Jr's campaign, The New York Times.

In what is surely going to be a rallying cry for the left who are calling for a filibuster the New York Times editorializes this morning:

"A filibuster is a radical tool. It's easy to see why Democrats are
frightened of it. But from our perspective, there are some things far more frightening. One of them is Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court."

Hopefully Bobby Casey doesn't follow this particular editorial.

Building Trades Threaten Split with Philadelphia AFL-CIO Over Casey. UPDATE: Additional Details On The Apparent Casey/Philly AFL-CIO Internal Friction

Looks like Casey is having some problems securing the Philadelphia AFL-CIO's endorsement.

This line jumps right out at you. "Today, Santorum can probably count more Democratic Ward leaders on his team than Casey."

Apparently, memories of the 2002 Democrat Gubernatorial primary against then Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell appear to still be looming in the air...

More Casey & Alito

Boy... the left has been set off.

Here we have a perfectly good Blue state, with a republican candidate that every democrat loves to hate, who is eminently vulnerable. And the DLC republicrat leaders foist a republican look-alike upon the state's Democrats, bringing in heavy hitters like John Kerry and Barack Obama to raise millions, so this right wing fake Democrat is stuffed down the throats of PA democrats.

We see, in Illinois, DLC darling, Rahm Emanuel, going with the latest fad, shoving an Iraq war vet down the Illinois Dems throats, when Christine Cegelis did a superb job in her last effort against retiring incumbent Henry Hyde.

It is time for the mainstream members of the Democratic party to tell the right wing extremist DLC members to GO TO HELL. Get out of the party. Take a hike. Come out of the closet as the right wing republicans you really are. Start voting Republican. Maybe you can help the remaining sane republicans to take back their party from the nutcase theocrats who took over their party.

Interesting proposition, for sure. But would it not be better for the non "right-wing extremist" Democrats to take their balls and make their own new party? Why kick'em out when you can walk out? Call me pro-choice on that. Choose to leave the current "right-wing" Democrat party.

Casey's supporters tout that he won by big margins in his latest election. But that election was a backwater minor league, minimal competition nothing compared to the race that will be held against Santorum. Casey will be attacked with withering Swift boat ads, because the right wing will do anything to keep Santorum in power.

Whew. That's a long step out there. I didn't realize Bobby Casey Jr was in Vietnam. Maybe one day the political chattering class in this country will get over Vietnam. The rest of the country pretty much has.

Casey has ZERO history of showing spine. He's been a stealth candidate who has been afraid to take a stand, or state publicly what his policies are on his campaign website on any of the tough issues. Well, now that we see where he stands on the Alito nomination, it's no wonder he's left his website bare on the tough issues, why he's refused, with lame excuses, to debate his democratic opponents, why he's refused to answer pollster questions (more on that soon.) It's not surprising Casey's supporting Alito. He's taken the same approach to avoiding questions that Alito took. You might even call Casey the Alito of the "democratic" party.

Bob Casey Jr is in quite a pickle. Those of us on the right call him a liberal because among other things, Senator Barbara Boxer said so. (She wouldn't lie, now) Those on the left call him a conservative because he's not any number of leftist issues.
He has to straighten everyone out on his positions, or he's going to piss EVERYONE off and crater.

Again.

Filibuster?

The Democrats have a difficult question. Its going to be a question of winning over their base or showing themselves to be a responsible party understanding that elections matter, meaning the president picks the judges.

What do I mean? If the Democratic party is successful in getting their caucus to vote against Judge Alito [So far only Ben Nelson of NE is voting FOR Judge Alito] that would mean that Alito would fall short of 60 votes. If Alito falls short of 60 votes you can bet that the left will be demanding a filibuster on what they believe is the most extreme nominee since Robert Bork.

Here's the thing. If the Democrats do not filibuster their money from their party activists will dry up. The Democrats are already way behind in funding, as this Washington Post story from yesterday indicates.

The Republican party is very adept at spending money and desperately wants Rick to win. The Democrats won't be able to match the onslaught and answer the attacks.

So which will it be? An up or down vote lets them to seem reasonable to the public but isolates their base. A filibuster excites the base but puts them outside of the mainstream of America.

There are no easy answers; only tough choices for Democrats when it comes to Judge Alito

Left unhinges

Here is some of the reaction from Left wing bloggers on the endorsement of Judge Alito by Bob Casey:
Daily Kos post: [warning strong language]

2 Political Junkies: Choice quote: "All of you who only care about getting rid of Santorum no matter how Santorum-like (Lite?) the person is who you would support in his place want to explain to me again why I should support Casey???"

RowHouse Logic: "Casey is dying to lose"

Lawyers Guns and Money: "the idea of someone who endorses him being the Democratic candidate for Senate in a state carried by both Gore and Kerry is unacceptable"

PSoTD: "AAARGH"

The Left is in panic. Their golden boy has gone off the plantation. These are the people who will be funding any campaign against Santorum are feeling less and less confident about the man going up against Senator Santorum.
Not a good thing at all for team Casey.

Toomey on Santorum

For all those Toomey fans out there. I think this interview posted on Santorum's website is worth a read. In it Toomey outlines Rick's strength as both a candidate and senator.

Losing the Base

Treasurer Casey's brave support of Judge Alito's confirmation to the SCOTUS comes at a cost.

The potential loss of angry-left base.

Yesterday, Bob Casey made what I can only describe as a titanically bad decision: He stated that if he were in the Senate, he would vote to confirm all around nutcase SCOTUS nominee, Sam Alito. I have been trying to defend a lot of things about Casey, to a lot of people. But a decision like this is so bad, it sure makes me think twice.

Casey is pro-life. We all know that. So, if that were the sole reason of concern about Alito, then I might understand. The trouble is, that even as Casey acknowledges, Alito is incredibly dangerous on many more fronts, including the economic issues which Casey wants to highlight in his run against Santorum.

The far left has always been tenuously aligned with Casey. Casey's pro-life stance has made them nervous, and the fact that he was tapped to be the Dem's man by both the governor and DSCC Chairman and New York Senator Chuck Schumer doesn't make them happy either.

Before Republicans celebrate the further schisms in Casey's support, you have to ask yourself, who do they hate more? Senator Santorum or pro-life Casey?

Hate is a very powerful force.

I do agree with DanielUA on one point.

And, I put zero stock in the fact that Rendell said he would vote to confirm Alito, as well. Rendell's wife sits on the same court as Alito, and he is likely only trying to cover for Casey anyway.

More on Casey's endorsement of Alito

A few thoughts on Casey's endorsement. First it comes only after the governor of PA endorsed Alito which provided Casey with cover. The left is going nuts on this already. I'll be looking into the lefty blogs later today to see how they are reacting to this but Kate Michelman, former head of NARAL, is voicing her displeasure already saying:

"It's very disturbing and should worry, I think, Pennsylvania women and civil rights advocates and people concerned about unchecked executive power to wiretap and eavesdrop on Americans.....It will make his job more difficult in the state of Pennsylvania as he tries to appeal to progressive voters, and it should make his job harder....women "cannot count on a Senator Casey to protect our liberties."

Moreover If you read Casey's rational for his endorsement he says that his position jives with that of the editorial boards of The Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Um...HELLO!? A serious candidate for public office can't be basing his opinions on the editorial boards of any newspaper. Is Casey lacking that much in substance that he needs to rely on things like that to get his positions.

I want a Senator who has his own thoughts and doesn't use the editorial boards of notoriously liberal papers as a crutch for his lack of ideas.

Thanks God we do and his name is Rick Santorum!

FINALLY

Casey has announced that he is supporting Judge Sam Alito. Its about time.
Hopefully next time a major issue comes before him he won't wait to see what Senator Santorum says and what the polls or the editorial boards say.

Rendell Beats Casey!

No this isn't a recycled headline from the 2002 Democratic Gubernatorial Primary when Bobby Casey Jr squandered an early lead to be defeated by the former Philadelphia mayor; rather it is indicating that Ed Rendell announced his position on Judge Alit0's nomination to the Supreme court, he supports it, before Bobby Casey Jr. Rendell, who will never vote on a Supreme Court in the governor's mansion which he is seeking reelection to, said on the Fox News Channel that:

"As long as the Supreme Court justice is appointed who has high academic qualifications, significant integrity and Judge Alito certainly does, we should confirm him regardless of our disagreement on the way he may interpret one aspect of the law."

Casey has not said how he will vote on the nomination, even though these are the types of decisions he'd be expected to vote on if elected.

Only one Democrat has committed to vote for Judge Alito and no Democrat voted for him in Committee.

Which is it Bobby? Will you stay true to your pro-life roots or will you tow the line of your Democratic puppetmasters in Washington DC?

Inquiring voters want to know.

Just In Case You Missed It: Italian American Group Condemns Senator Reid for Ethnic Stereotyping In Santorum Remarks, Demands Apology

click here

Completely Unrelated News

WEEEEEE GOTTA FEELIN'...
PIITSBURGH'S GOIN' TO THE SUPERBOWL!

Name That RINO

Who said the following?

“I’m delighted to offer my personal, full, unequivocal and enthusiastic endorsement for Senator Rick Santorum for reelection in 2006. I’m joining his effort because on every one of the issues that are important to me, and that I’ve worked so hard on for so many years, the choice in this race is clear; it’s simple; it’s obvious; the choice is Senator Santorum,”

Arlen Specter? Tom Ridge? Dick Thornburg?

How about none of the above. The correct answer is Pat Toomey. So does this make Pat a Filthy Filthy RINO? Exactly.

I'm making this point because I want to make sure that everyone knows that the conservatives who say they're voting against Santorum on "principle" are really doing it because they're upset and want to teach Rick a lesson. Revenge is not a principle, and quite frankly, in light of Toomey's endorsement of Santorum as well as all of the fine work he's done with the Club for Growth, I don't see what there is to be vengeful about. Yes, I was upset too after the 2004 Senate Primary, but I've moved on--just like Pat.

TheRealBobCasey.com Starts Nickname Contest

click here

A Preview of Coming Attractions

Ken Salazar is the "conservative" Democrat from Colorado who, while on the campaign trail, said he'd support Bush's judicial nominees and be a different kind of Democrat.

What a difference an election makes:

Despite being a Senator for about exactly one year, Ken Salazar is developing quite the reputation for dishonesty. First, he lied to his future constituents on the campaign trail about judicial nominees, and now he shows no qualms about not keeping his word to other Senators:

Some Democratic members of the [Gang of 14] said Tuesday that it was premature to rule out a filibuster on Judge Alito's nomination.

"It certainly is a possibility," Senator Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat in the group, said. "It may include some Republicans as well as Democrats," Mr. Salazar said, criticizing the president for naming a man instead of a woman to succeed Justice O'Connor. "America deserves better than what we got here."

Bobby Casey...call your office.

Debate Petition

The Santorum campaign has an online petition that you can sign to show your support of the candidates holding debates.

Find the petition here:

http://www.ricksantorum.com/GetActive/Petition.aspx

Great idea from the campaign. Who knows, it might even spark Casey to take some kind of position of a subject. He might have to respond to the petition if all goes well. But I won't hold my breath.

It Takes A Family-My Take

I'm about half way through Rick's book and it's outstanding so far. I like to highlight when I read and my wife mentioned to me that it might be easier to highlight what I don't want to go back and reread.

The book explains the failed policy of the "village elders" in the war on poverty. More importantly, Rick lays out the conservative agenda and why it will work. As I sit and read it, I find myself thinking it's almost common sense.

In the first part of the book, Rick explains the concept of stewardship. He contrasts the "No Fault Freedom" vs the common good. We shouldn't live for ourselves, we need to live for the good of our family and the community around us.

If you haven't read the book, I'd recommend picking up a copy. I consider it the blueprint for future economic policies to help build up the family and in turn, build up the nation and Rick's just the man to lead it.

John Baer And Michael Smerconish With Two New Santorum/Casey Pieces

Check Out:

Michael Smerconish's Latest Huffington Post article: Santorum and Casey: Peas in a Pod?

And

The Philadelphia Daily News' John Baer: Casey-Santorum Boiling To Surface

It Takes a Family - Review

I started reading Sen. Santorum's book just yesterday. Unfortunately, I only made it through the intro - not because the book is boring, but because our 1 year old had trouble getting settled to go to sleep. In fact, the preface alone was enough to keep my interest through the book.

I have the same affliction that Thomas Jefferson had - we are both bibliofiles - meaning we love books. So, I do not say the above paragraph lightly. I've read hundreds of books, and I have hundreds more I want to read. I've read great books and boring, worthless books (although not all the way through, if it's worthless why read it?). I've read books on ideas I disagree with as well. In this case, I have read Hilary Clinton's book - It Takes A Village. I am excited to see where the similarities and the contrasts are between Clinton's and Santorum's books.

I'll share my thoughts on this book as I finish each chapter.

Rush on Santorum

From Friday January 13th program:


"The Santorum situation is it’s got some people concerned. His opponent, Casey, has got a very recognizable name. And is being passed off as a kind of moderate democrat. The problem that Santorum has in his race is that its PA. You know you’ve got Pittsburgh and Philadelphia the two biggest cities, big democrat cities. Even in the suburbs of Philadelphia where you have sort of republicans they are not republicans on social matters. They’re like Arlen Specter. They’ll be ok on foreign policy and economics and so forth but when it comes to social [issues] and by that I mean abortion these people are moderate as he can be.

I’ve run into these people, they come up to me frequently and say, "You’ve got to get the Christian right out of the party. We’re never going to get anywhere unless you get the Christian right out of the party." And what they mean is ‘you’ve got to drop this abortion business’ and what they mean by that is ‘my wife is nagging me I can’t stay a republican because my wife…" Philadelphia, suburban Philadelphia, where the republicans live becoming more and more like suburban New York City. And so those are the two big population centers and that’s one of Santorum’s problems.

I don’t think by any means it’s a loss cause for Rick Santorum but its going to be a real challenge. Look at the money that the Bush campaign spent in 2004; they loaded up in that state. They spent all kinds of money and it didn’t matter. PA is a blue state its like CT Mass and so forth even the republicans are not what you call full-fledged conservatives especially on social issues and Santorum’s identity is based on conservative social issues…."

Zito: Casey Not To Give Position On Alito Until After Senate Confirmation Hearings Complete

According to Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Salena Zito's Sunday column, Bob Casey isn't going to be giving his position on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito until after the Senate confirmation hearings are complete.

Zito quotes Casey spokesman Larry Smar as stating, "Bob Casey will reserve judgment until after the confirmation hearings."

Letters affirm and rebut Philadelphia Daily News story

In two letters to the editor the findings of the Philadelphia Daily News were affirmed and called into question.
Yesterday the Philadelphia Daily News ran a story titled "They're pro-Casey - but not that pro". It detailed how women would be cool to a Casey candidacy because of his pro-life views. It also stated that some women would be hostile to Santorum because of his so-called anti-working women views.

Today a woman detailed the reason she doesn't support Casey and three high-level Santorum 2006 staffers who are women proved those charges of anti-working woman views false in these must read letters.

Polling

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas there was a barrage of Casey / Santorum polling... yet I don't think there have been any polls this month.

Every article that I read about Casey or Santorum mention LAST MONTH's polling. Nothing fresh.

What's happening?

I've always thought that polling is a lazy way to make news, is there other news to talk about?

The Alito nomination, obviously.... there's an upcoming State of the Union... but not much.

Just throwing it out there.

Alito Scores Again

Via Powerline, Alito weighs in on the Supreme Court's reliance on foreign law when interpreting OUR Constitution:

"I don't think it's appropriate or useful to look to foreign law in interpreting the provisions of our Constitution," Judge Alito said in response to questions from Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, in the third day of the judge's confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

What is unbelievable about all of this is that some people will find Alito's statement shocking when it is nothing more than an elementary statement of logic. Interpretation of the United States Constitution must be done in the context of the law of the United States. And vice versa. Simple.

I've tried not to buy into the meme that there is only one American party left in this country, but the behavior of Kennedy, Biden, and the rest of the D's make that harder and harder every day.

RE: Advantage: Alito

Here is video of the Schumer Alito exchange that Fred Shared yesterday.
Good Stuff!

Shots Fired!

The shots are already being fired in this battle for the US Senate. Some in the media are not even waiting for their endorsements to have lopsided analysis. This is not a surprise for many of us on the right, but it is early. And we must fight it. That is one reason why Santorumblog exists - to get the truth out.

I call on Santorum supporters everywhere to keep watch of the newspapers in your area. When they have biased reporting and tilted editorials, do something about it - write a letter to the editor, call the editor, get others to write letters, be innovative in your approach. We can not sit back and wait for fair reporting and editorials. We must be proactive.

And to put my money where my mouth is, here is an editorial I received along with my letter to the editor in response. I call on everyone to do the same. Newspapers will generally allow you to send a letter to the editor once a month. That's 10 letters to the editor between now and election day. If you need help crafting a letter, contact me, I can help you. We are all in this together.

Here is the editorial:

Delaware County Times
Editorial: Hey conservatives: Santorum ‘Souljah’ out
12/29/2005

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., has always been known as a man of principle - rock-solid, conservative Republican principle, that is. A staunch abortion foe, he won his first term in the Senate by opposing national health-care reform. He wants to phase out Social Security and replace it with privatized stock market accounts. He blamed the Catholic Church pedophilia scandal on the liberalism of Boston, where the story first broke.


Perhaps most famously, he said the decriminalization of homosexuality would lead inevitably to "man-dog sex."


And he’s been a strong proponent of the teaching in public schools of "intelligent design," or "I.D." - the updated version of creationism that portents that some higher being is the master planner of life on Earth.

But wait.

Running now for a third term, way behind in the polls against likely Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Robert Casey Jr. (50-39 percent, according to the latest Strategic Vision, LLC poll), Santorum has seen the light.

After a conservative federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush ruled that the Dover, Pa., School District breached church/state limits by mandating I.D. instruction - and, perhaps more importantly, after Dover voters threw out the school board members who hatched the wacky scheme - Pennsylvania’s junior Senator is moderating his stance.

The man who wrote in a 2002 Washington Times op-ed that intelligent design "is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes" now says the Dover School Board made a big mistake. And the Thomas More Law Center, a right-wing legal advocacy group that defended the board in court, made a gigantic blunder in taking the case, Santorum now contends.

What about the fact that Santorum is on the board of directors of the Thomas More Law Center and must have been privy to its activities? Well, he quit it last week in protest.

This change of heart has enraged some of Santorum’s hard-right base, which was already annoyed by his active support last year for the re-election of moderate U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

One group, the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, calls Santorum’s switcheroo "yet another example of why conservatives can no longer trust the senator."

And the group means business.

"It’s a warning that he needs to be careful," the association’s president, Diane Gramley, told the York Dispatch newspaper, "that he’s beginning to lose his conservative base."

Somehow, though, it’s difficult to believe that conservatives are really so upset, or that Santorum’s new position is the result of deep conviction.

Indeed, this is likely Rick Santorum’s "Sister Souljah moment" - an instant when a politician deliberately goes out of his way to offend a segment of his base and thus prove to the world that he’s not the slave of his special interests.

The term originated during Bill Clinton’s first run for the presidency when he publicly rebuked an African-American rapper who suggested killing white people was a legitimate response to racism.

Clinton, of course, went on to win, and who can forget how well that turned out for the country?

Now Santorum - or "Tricky Ricky," as some are now calling him - is taking a similar stance. The only question now is how far he will go.

Well, looking at his poll numbers (miserable), his ambition (massive), and his ego (limitless), the answer seems obvious.

Don’t look for the senator to show up on any picket lines at abortion clinics in the next few months. Expect to see a Rick Santorum-Hillary Clinton Health Care Reform Act introduced in the Senate. Social Security privatization will be shunned, Boston will be embraced, and ..

Officials at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should be very, very afraid.

And here is my letter to the editor:

Letter to the Editor:

Re: Delaware County Times
Editorial: Hey conservatives: Santorum ‘Souljah’ out
12/29/2005

I think I have seen it all now. This has to be the first time that anyone has compared Sen. Santorum to Bill Clinton. Comparing Clinton’s rebuke of a rapper who advocates killing cops to Santorum supposedly switching his view on Intelligent Design is a bit of a stretch. If one looks at the Senator’s views on policies, he is far from Clintonian in his approach. Clinton being the master of saying what everyone wanted to hear; Santorum saying what needs to be said, regardless of public opinion.

Sen. Santorum has always believed that Intelligent Design “should” be taught in school, along with any other legitimate theory about our origins. “Should” is a lot different than must, or stating that Intelligent Design be the only theory taught in schools. If you look at the situation today in many schools, evolution is the only theory taught. And yet, it is only a theory, it has weaknesses, but are those weaknesses taught? In some cases no. Sen. Santorum is suggesting is that education be about informing our children about what we know, or theorize. It should be left up to each student to decide what to believe when it comes to teachings about theories. Is education only about forcing students to believe what the teacher believes? The role of a teacher is to teach students how to think, not what to think.

As far as resigning from the Board of the Thomas More Center, that makes sense. When you are a board member and do not agree with the direction that the organization is heading, you “should” resign. It’s a matter of integrity. Otherwise, you are being truthful to no one.

Santorum: Where are you Bobby?

Great story in the Boston Globe

Asks why Bobby Casey Jr. isn't giving his thoughts on Judge Alito.
I think the campaign likes the Silent Bob moniker that I first used way back on November 21st.

Also there's this and this from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, again using the Silent Bob moniker to deride Casey for his silence on the issue of Judge Alito.
I particularly like the 2nd one which shows how special interests groups are coming down on Alito and how much they have given or raised for Bob Casey. Its a good bit of info. Who owns Bobby Casey?

Advantage: Alito

From Captain's Quarters, an exchange between Senator Chuck Schumer and soon-to-be Justice Samuel Alito:

Like the bad lawyer he has proven himself to be, Schumer asked one question too many:

Q: Does the Constitution protect free speech?

A: Yes, Senator, the First Amendment protects free speech.

Q. Well, why can you give me a straight answer on that issue but not give me a straight answer on abortion?

A. Because the text of the Constitution explicitly includes the term "free speech".

Checkmate, Chuck-o. It's been a pleasure playing. And to think that this is the man that Bobby Casey can't bring himself to support? Give me a break.

Not All That Pro-Casey

Philly Daily News:

Don't count on many "Women for Casey" bumper stickers this year.

Lots of Democratic ladies are steamed that the party's leading U.S. Senate candidate, Bob Casey Jr., is anti-abortion - saying that women have been overlooked in the quest to take out despised Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.

"A lot of women feel ignored, like the boys decided that this is a throwaway issue," said Kathy Miller, outgoing president of the Pennsylvania branch of NOW.

But party insiders say that state Treasurer Casey - son of popular former governor Bob Casey Sr. - is their best bet. Reportedly Gov. Rendell and U.S. Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Chuck Schumer of New York recruited him to run.

My favorite quote:

"I think Santorum is such a threat to the American family that I will work for Casey," said Nina Walls, president of the Delaware County chapter of NOW. "Santorum is so far to the right of the average person in Pennsylvania. He doesn't want women outside the home."

The Blogosphere--Coming to a Voting Booth Near You

I'm jealous. Ed Morrisey of Captain's Quarters as well as Bob Hahn of RedState are participating in the RNC blogger forum in DC this week. Apparently this is a powwow between influential bloggers and the top of the top of the Republican Party including Darth Rove himself.

These two articles underscore the importance of blogs as well as the fact that the Santorum/Valium race really is the number one race in the country. When the RNC--as an official position--looks to blog to get their side of the story out, you know things have come to a pretty sad state in the mainstream media. Conventional wisdom on our side of the aisle is that newspapers and television stations might as well be on the DNC payroll anyway, but when the RNC is willing to bet an election on it, you know it's more than just conventional wisdom.

That's why this site needs to be more than just cheerleading for Rick Santorum. We need to get the truth out, be willing to throw down the BS card, and, most of all, police ourselves. Maybe the mainstream media will even learn a few things.

Oh, and Karl? If you ever need a blogger to wine and dine in DC, you know where to find me. And you can tell me everything. I won't say a word. Promise.

Calculations with Boxer

A few weeks back Barbara Boxer said that Bobby Casey Jr was not a perfect ten on the liberal scale but rather a 9, acknowledging his pro-life stands.

According to the Real Bob Casey she recieved a 95 from the liberal rating group Americans for Democratic Action. So get out your calculators. That means that Bobby Casey will be liberal by the following formula 95 * .9 = 85.5. Bobby Casey would be liberal 85.5% of the time? Doesn't sound like the moderate that the dems are trying to sell. WHOAA! Do you want that type of representation in the US Senate?

Bobby Casey Jr. Versus Bob Casey Sr.

A great point over at The Real Bob Casey:
Read it here

Santorum Aims to Garner Moderates' Support

So says Fox News in this AP report.

The story went through Justice Sunday and compared that with Santorum's withdrawal of his membership on the St Thomas More Law Center over the intelligent design case.

Ultimately I think this is a lot of puff about nothing. Santorum said it best when he said:

"I try to do my job. I don't worry about reaching out and holding on,"

What a novel idea. Doing your job and not worrying about the politics of the actions that you believe are correct. Can you say the same of Bobby Casey? Thought not.

Santorum remarks at Justice Sunday III

Senator Santorum, in an obvious attempt to distance himself from his conservative principles[note sarcasm], addressed the 3rd gathering of Justice Sunday, a Religous gathering that decries liberal activist judges and their effect on our society.
Santorum remarked that liberal judges were:

"destroying traditional morality, creating a new moral code and prohibiting any
dissent."

Adding:

"The only way to restore this republic our founders envisioned is to elevatehonorable jurists like Samuel Alito," Santorum said. "Unfortunately, the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee seem poised to drag these hearings into the gutter, so they can continue their far left judicial activism on the Supreme Court."

Full ABC story here

Below is a roundup of coverage of Justice Sunday III:
Captain's Quarters
Family Research Council

NRO Update on Santorum

Read the full report here on all the 2006 races:

PENNSYLVANIA: Republican senator Rick Santorum appears to be gaining ground on his Democratic challenger, state treasurer Bob Casey Jr. Unfortunately for Santorum, there's still quite a bit of ground to gain. A December showed Casey ahead, 50 percent to 39 percent; in October, the spread was 16 points. The latest wrinkle involves former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann's decision to run for governor as a Republican. Will this lead to improved GOP turnout, helping Santorum? Or will it increase black turnout, helping Casey? TOSS UP