After Murtha

The Weekly Standard ^ | May 3, 2010 | Jay Cost

[Scanian]

Pittsburgh

Later this month, voters in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District will go to the polls to elect a replacement for John Murtha, who passed away earlier this year. The race promises to have major implications for the November midterms.

Pennsylvania’s 12th District stretches for more than 100 miles across the southwestern corner of the state. Like the rest of greater Pittsburgh, the district has been trending Republican in recent decades, but voters here are not really “Reagan Democrats.” Whereas places like Macomb County, Michigan, famously swung to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, southwestern Pennsylvania voted for Jimmy Carter, then Walter Mondale. Nixon won the region in 1972, but that was a blip brought about by the disastrous McGovern campaign. In reality, it was George W. Bush who broke through in the historically Democratic counties of this region in 2004—and, amazingly, John McCain topped him four years later.

If the electoral history of the 12th District is unique, the political challenge facing the Republicans there is most certainly not. Like tens of thousands of voters in the Ohio River Valley, Democrats who live in the 12th District belong to a party that—on a national level—does not really exist anymore.

[pnh102]

To use Murtha's own words, the voting majority of PA-12 are racist rednecks.

And frankly, if they are dumb enough to keep sending socialists to Congress then that place deserves to be screwed over economically.

[Doc Savage]

Just drove over from my palatial Valley Forge compound to piss on this POS’s grave the other night! I mean you can’t really buy beer, just rent it!

[muir_redwoods]

I have two dogs. Every morning they each deposit on my back lot a fit replacement for Murtha.

But PA Can do way better

[Old Teufel Hunden]

This guy has nailed this district in Southwestern Pa. It is very conservative. Yet, there is still the union mentality here. Even though a lot of people were never in a union!!! Their daddies were! People here are conservative in so many ways, (socially, taxes) but have not made the leap to vote for the Republican.

Crist has come out with an add that says Burns supports a national sales tax of 23%. Of course he’s talking about the flat tax and does not mention the other part of that theory. Doing away with the income tax.

[pburgh01]

All the recent polls say this district is a goner for the Donkeys. They will not waste any resources saving it. Dems have problems everywhere, Florida, Pa, Ohio, NY. The House looks lost for them. Right now for them its about not losing that Ca Senate race and then the Senate.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"All the recent polls say this district is a goner for the Donkeys."

Do you have any links for recent polls? I have not seen anything lately. The last poll I saw showed Russell in front of Burns for the primary, but nothing for the special election of Burns against Crist.

[GitmoSailor]