That's where Toomey lost, 51 to 49% in the primary. If Santorum and the GOP establishment had strongly supported him who knows what the outcome would have been.
No. There was no guarentee that with the president's and Santorum's support that Toomey would have been elected. It would have been a risk for the president not to support Specter. As I said before, I doubt Specter would have supported both Roberts and Alito if Spector was elected without the president's support. And even if Toomey did win the R primary, if a president and the other senator have to push -- and I do mean push -- Toomey accross the finish line in a Republican primary no less, then how the heck would the more conservative Toomey win in the Pa. general election.
Sure it's individual responsibility but if you think conservatives are just going to forgive and forget Santorum's sellout to his supposed principles and let bygones be bygones then we might as well let them do whatever they please with never a worry for potential consequences since they'll know without a doubt they'll get away with it.
The bottom line: Why should the president have taken the risks that I described, when instead all the registered Republicans of Pa. had to do was vote for Toomey??? -- They didn't.
BTW, when it comes to priciples, if you would notice the procedural part of the Constitution, it is about politics and pragmatism. If it wasn't, all you would have is the BOR and a libertarian philosophy.
The voters of Pa. will be making another mistake, if they don't vote for Santorum against the Democrat in the next election. It is their individual responsibility not to make such a mistake.
JMO
That's pure conjecture on your part for which you have no way of knowing what Specter would have done. His liberal record is well known and if he didn't go with the Senate leadership on important issues such as USSC justices could easily be stripped of his chairmanship.
Frankly at this point I don't care what Specter thinks anymore than I do Harry Reid since philosophically they're practically one in the same. I'd go as far to say that Casey is more conservative than Specter since he at least opposes abortion.
The voters of Pa. will be making another mistake, if they don't vote for Santorum against the Democrat in the next election. It is their individual responsibility not to make such a mistake.
Again you're making the mistake of implying conservatives should ignore Santorum's sellout and pretend it didn't happen. At the very least he should have kept his mouth shut and not supported anyone rather than go with Specter. Democrats don't compromise their principles, why are conservatives expected to do it all the time?
Btw I get the feeling when 2008 rolls around you'll be telling us we need to back McCain in the name of pragmatism. If so no thanks, I've had enough of the Rockefeller Republicans to last a lifetime.