Posted on 03/29/2005 6:40:35 AM PST by Conservative Goddess
Some very smart people believe that U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is poised to become ex- Senator Santorum, a casualty of his scheduled re-election contest next year with State Treasurer Bob Casey.
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In fact, a close look at the record suggests that his confrontational style and conservative rhetoric conceals more than it reveals. Too much attention has been spent on Santorum the cultural ideologue and not enough on his pragmatism and political opportunism; inside this raging bull of a conservative is a pragmatist for whom getting re-elected always trumps ideology, which may not make him any different than other politicians.
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The independent and much respected National Journal’s rating system cited here is probably the most highly regarded measure of its kind. What its analysis reveals is that Pennsylvania’s junior senator consistently shifts toward the center in those years just before his reelection. Santorum may continue to talk like a conservative, but he’s voting like a pragmatist. Last year, for example, according to the Journal, Santorum was actually narrowly left of the Republican center, with his votes placing him closer to Arlen Specter than to his more conservative colleagues.
Last year was not the only year he moved left. He did the same in the run up to his 2000 re-election. The year before the election, he supported a decidedly un-conservative sales tax hike in 11 western Pennsylvania counties to build new sport stadiums in Pittsburgh, campaigned for pro choice Christy Todd Whitman, and supported increasing the minimum wage. In 2000, he supported federal funding for several Pennsylvania projects, including money for aquatic habitat. He also fought to save the health care benefits of 560, 000 Pennsylvanians who participated in the Medicare+Choice program. Most revealing of all, he backed off his commitment for the 1997-balanced budget act.
Similarly, this election cycle, Santorum is showing renewed interest in transportation and other Pennsylvania pork barrel appropriations. Indeed, he has now become a key player in bringing the bacon back home. He has also held high profile press conferences with John Kerry promoting a measure that would accommodate workers’ religious practices and with Hillary Clinton for money to study the effects of TV viewing, Internet and other media on children. And he is now rethinking his position in favor of capital punishment.
Santorum even now supports Clinton’s Americorps program that he once ridiculed as a colossal waste of taxpayer’s money for kids to sit around campfires singing kum ba yah.
His conservative talk and moderate walk were on display recently in key congressional budget votes. Initially, the “conservative” Santorum voted against a variety of Senate initiatives to restore budget cuts by the House--from Medicaid to Homeland Security grants, to education, and even Amtrak funding. But then on cue, the “moderate” Santorum, voted with the majority, 51 to 49, on final passage to restore the cuts to education, Medicaid, and the other domestic programs he had previously not supported.
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But this focus on Santorum’s high profile rhetoric has been myopic, causing his adversaries to miss much that is important. In particular, insufficient attention has been paid to Santorum’s unflagging work at his party’s grass roots; how he’s established comprehensive constituency services; how he’s worked tirelessly for Republicans--ask Arlen Specter about this--and how he has joined Specter in the Pennsylvania pork brigade. And far too little notice has been given to how he has blended his conservative zealotry with political pragmatism.
Maybe Democrats will learn the lesson taught here. Maybe they will learn not to underestimate Santorum. Maybe they will learn to watch what he does more closely than what he says. Maybe they will learn to take him less seriously as an ideologue and more seriously as a politician. And maybe they will finally defeat him next year. Maybe!
REVENGE!!!!! If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!!!!
When it comes down to it, Santorum can only be held accountable for what he and he alone does.
"Ricky has been in office for over a decade, and as he ages, his votes become more liberal. Enough."
Which is now?
Being responsible for Specter winning two legitimate elections?
His 96% conservative voting record?
My problem with the 96% ACU rating of Santorum, etc., is that things that are important to ME, e.g., Specter, aren't included in that number. I wonder what that remaining 4% represents. Big things or little things? Sure, one can pile up a big rating by voting "conservative" on whether, say, we should give an additional $ 10,000 to Rwanda. But on the important issues that can be won--not the Marriage Amendment or other red meat, bread and circuses (forgive the mixed metaphor)--what is the record?
I admit that I may react stronger than my thoughts or feelings, but that's the nature of this board.
You got that right. I tire of the "if we don't get everything we want..." crowd.
Trolls are getting really obvious recently -- Howard Dean must have decided to use FR as part of their DNC propaganda that Democrats really are the conservatives as Hillary moves to the middle and right. Only explanation I have for the number of them spamming threads with their crap.
You act stronger then your feelings on here? You love it! Keeps the place lively! :)
The Dems are rubbing their hands in glee on finally getting a chance to get rid of the hated Santorum. I hope the pro-life Democrat voters in PA remember what they did to Casey's father. If Casey gets in we are doomed here in PA. VOTE FOR SANTORUM!!!!
Perhaps you didn't watch the primary closely. Rick and GWB came to the rescue, and Arlen narrowly defeated Pat Toomey, a true conservative.
Before the pro-Arlen ads ran, Rick called some of those people who supported and worked for him specifically because of the pro-life position. He knew and understood that what he was about to do would wound his base. The fact that we are now refusing to support him should come as no surprise. He made a political calculation, and he cannot feign shock at the predictable reaction.
For those of you throwing stones, I've yet to hear ANYONE offer a reason to vote for Santorum that sounds in anything more than: He's the lesser of the evils.
I'm looking for a reason to vote for Santorum, not a reason to vote against Casey. The fact is, Santorum, while his words echo my sentiments, his votes do not. There is no reason for my continued support.
I can't decide if she is a troll or not. Its hard to tell.
It even has a name. It's a rhetorical tactic called "making the good the enemy of the perfect". It's designed to convince people to starve rather than settle for half a loaf. Instead, the deluded end up with crumbs.
I have trouble with that reasoning.
Very well put! That says it all!
No, armchair fanatics like you erode the party from within (unless of course you are a troll).
In case you hadn't noticed, Pennsylvania voted for Kerry last year! Santorum would have been foolish not to support Specter, who like it or not has significant support within the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Not every Republican agrees with you on every issue. To expect every Republican Senator to agree with you 100% of the time is either naive or delusional.
If Santorum has to make a politically expedient vote once in a while to get re-elected, that's just an unfortunate political reality. Senators can't live in a perfect fantasy world; otherwise, they get trounced by the likes of Barack Obama.
If your goal is to purge every Senator who isn't to the Right of Santorum, then the Republican Party will have as much national relevance as Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes. There are plenty of turd parties out there that would be glad to have you and other fanatics. Undermining our Party with ridiculous attacks on men like Senator Santorum proves YOU are no friend of the Republican Party. Don't go away mad; just go away.
Not much of a conservative goddess are you.
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