Posted on 10/06/2005 10:54:49 AM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robert Casey, Jr., has opened a 52 - 34 percent lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
(Excerpt) Read more at quinnipiac.edu ...
That's immaterial to the point I was making. Casey is strongly identified with pro-life belief mostly because of his father and somewhat because of himself. That's why he's polling well, and that's why it's evidence that PA is conservative, not liberal.
IMHO, Arlen't pay back for support in the 2004 primary was his loyal support of Bush on Federal judgeships.
I live in one of those growing-bluer Philly suburbs and yes, you're right about that. I also used to live in a safe Republican seat that has been taken by ... can't remember his name. Fox's old seat. Doylestown's state senator, though Republican, is liberal and he says that he must be to be re-elected. New housing developments are going up so fast that I have a hard time getting to work these days. My new next door neighbors moved down from NYC and are more Kerried than John Kerry who typically can't decide what he is.
I like your idea about what Santorum should do. My husband who is Catholic is guessing he won't get the Catholic endorsement because Casey is also pro-life. Evangelical Christians and other conservatives are his best bet.
"That means that inside of six years, PA will have two permanent Democratic senators. Spector will be gone either through his health or through retirement and many of his Philly supporters will shift Democratic."
I'm not ready to go that far. What if state AG Tom Corbett decides he wants to succeed Specter in the Senate? He won his post by defeating a better-known opponent.
Well not quite, Bucks County elected Mike Fitzpatrick a very pro-life Republicans to replace the RINO Greenwood. Fitzpatrick had a lot of good local experience that was appreciated. But he is drawing some flak lately as he becomes more 'Washington'. We'll see.
I live in Pa,the the people here are liberal.
I really believe that Santorum is cooked. He's done some pretty (politically) boneheaded things of late. When he has a chance to do something positive, he passes on it. I don't get it.
The whole school scandal doesn't help him in SWPA. There's still a lot of folks here that are really PO'd about it. IMHO, Santorum is in very bad shape. Alot of conservatives are still pissed that he supported Arlen instead of Toomey and may well stay home. Especially the single issue (abortion) voters who see Casey, Jr. as being solidly pro-life (regardless of whether he is or not). They see it in terms of still having the pro-life vote, so if Rooster Rick (what they used to call him behind his back at Kirkpatrick Lockhart)is gone, they really haven't lost anything.
I have some personal issues with Santorum, but will still vote for him...I just wish that he would act like a candidate for office and get off his ass and do something to help himself.
Agreed.
Frankly, Santorum has peed in his water bowl here in PA. There aren't all that many conservative voters who have more than tepid support for him. He's perceived as just another politician now, not the principled conservative we thought he was when we elected him. He's sacrificed his (evidently loosely held) principles on the altar of political expediency too often for us to really trust him. He seems to have contracted a bad case of Potomac Fever.
There is a lot of truth in that comment. Bob Casey, Sr. was a successful Auditor General who lost to Milton Shapp for Governor and disappeared for a while...meanwhile, anyone named Casey appearing on the state ballot, including a nonentity who just happened to be named Bob Casey, was elected to statewide office. Bob Sr. was not so much a conservative as a New Deal liberal who remained true to his old style liberalism and to his Catholicism at the same time without giving in to the more radical elements of his party. The name will certainly help his son.
Oh, it's a Quinnipiac poll. Nuff said :)
Actually da burgh region is actually expected to start increasing in population (for the first time in 50 years) in the next census....
Philly is last dem stronghold left in PA... Pittsburgh old FDR folk are dying off.. younger 30s and under are far more conservative, and while the city proper my stay democratic for many more years... the Dems have lost districts consistently every pres election for a while out in these parts, and its a trend I expect to continue....
Its only a matter of time before the Philly region will no longer carry the state Dem in national elections... We aren't there yet, but PA will become the next OHIO as Ohio moves from battleground to solid R.... PA will move to Battleground and then to R as well... its just a matter of time.
Now this assumes Republicans don't self destruct and run good canidates in national elections.
"Bob Casey, Jr. is a lump and has as much charisma as warm spit."
:D! Sounds charming!
Yes, I would agree that there is enough red left in PA that strong GOP candidates can win there. And I hope your right that there a strong candidate may emerge. If I were a betting man, though, I would be betting the other way on most state-wide races. The Philly suburbs are being filled with the "soft" left and those suburbs are growing fast.
Disagree.
They'd see he was meddling, from the federal level.
And he'd just look dumb, a US Senator beating up on state-level pols.
Agree on all else: hate Rendell, Wettick's a clown, prop. taxes, etc.
Twigs:
I have seen GOP candidates do what I just described in various places and at least nullify the emotion against them.
Santorum MUST demonstrate that he really can be Senator of all of Pennsylvania without giving up his ideals. Therefore, I would hope he will get into SE PA and walk into those places which are less than wild about him.
Would like to see some upstate polls in PA.
This is a sign of things to come for the GOP all over the country in 2006.
Santorm is not well liked here in PA, by the left or the right. These numbers look accurate.
Quinnipac polls aren't that accurate, but every poll I've seen has shown Santorum losing. Casey is boring, but people really don't like Santorum. Obviously the left hates him, but look at how many people on FR do. For a person who needs a solid united conservative base to win, that is not good.
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