Posted on 05/19/2010 7:12:16 AM PDT by neverdem
In Pennsylvania’s 12th District, Republican Tim Burns has conceded to Democrat Mark Critz.
One reader’s on the ledge:
Pa12 is more than a disappointment. It is a disaster. You know politics as well as I do (even though I’m probably your senior by at least thirty years). When there is a political wave the following happens: parties win special elections in normally difficult districts; they win with weak candidates; they win all the close elections. They just win, win, and win. Burns’s defeat shows, as of now, the Rs will unlikely take the House. Perhaps they’ll do well; as today’s generic Gallup indicates around a gain in the low thirties. But not what we need. I didn’t read much about what Burns’ campaign was like, perhaps you can offer some meaningful analysis. My guess is that the Republican label is still a liability in many areas; areas that they have to win in order to take the House.
A point: Tim Burns’ task was complicated by the fact that he was running against a pro-life, pro-gun Democrat who ran against the health care bill and the cap-and-trade legislation. The Burns campaign did everything they could to tie Critz to Democratic figures and laws that polled badly in the district – Pelosi, the health care bill — and it appears that in the end, voters in the district weren’t buying it.
But I am wondering about the Burns campaign’s get-out-the-vote operation at this hour. Also, another conservative blogger mentioned to me a few days ago that some supporters of Bill Russell, the Republican who ran against John Murtha in 2008, wouldn’t be supporting Burns in the special election. (Russell is competing against Burns in the primary election for the November ballot; at this moment, Burns leads Russell, 56 percent to 43 percent.) I was skeptical that enough Russell supporters would do this to effect the race, but now I’m wondering. Did the Russell folks keep their ballots blank?
UPDATE: Jay Cost: “I count about 95,000 votes in special election and 111,000 in primaries.” (UPDATE: Nevermind, it’s a glitch on the Pennsylvania site.)
Yes, Critz ran as a conservative and will vote as a liberal. He is Murtha's clone. When someone serves as COS and aide for a congressman for 12 years, he is really the alter ego and in many ways runs the show with the congressman as the figurehead. Critz knows the district much better than Burns and had more political connections. The idea that Critz is going to give Pelosi heartburn is ludicrous.
The crux of the matter is that Murtha brought home the pork and the people of PA-12 expect Critz to do the same. It is as simple as that.
The Reps may have a better opportunity to win in November because of turnout and the fact that Critz will have a voting record to campaign against. Still, I am not sanguine about Burns' chances. In hard economic times, those dependent upon the government for their jobs want a congressman who will continue to bring home the bacon.
What we NEED is to clean house of RINOs(follow Rab's and other's leads.) . What we NEED is to pick up enough seats to make democrats job of passing things impossible. That will allow us to beat Obama in 2012. Don't be fooled into joining the MSMs horse-race on love-hate Obama here. There is a bigger long term picture to worry about. You can't put out a fire with more gasoline (bailout big government Republican leadership can't undo democrat socialism.)
In two years this new congressman will have a record supporting Obama too. If Obama still owns the economy and deficit democrats will have another big loss. Let's see what the Republican’s record is like then. I always said, just opposing things (especially stuff you were for when you were in power) is not enough to win a majority. Rab's has it right, take out the RINOs. Don't get discouraged by letting the MSM set taking over congress 2010 as being our low bar for victory and Obama's defeat.
Why 2010 should be the year of the conservative, and to dump the RINOS
I disagree. A vote for Critz was a vote for Pelosi & Ob0z0 the commie pig, and an endorsement of their agenda to destroy & bankrupt the U.S. If Burns hit Critz hard on his support for Pelosi & socialist 0b0z0, and still lost, then I am not optimistic that the House or Senate will shift from demoRAT to Repub in Nov 2010. There are just too many unbelieveably stupid voters in the U.S.
Re. Critz's supposed "pro-life & pro-gun" credentials, as we already know from Bart Stupak, there really is no such thing as a pro-life demoRAT or pro-gun. A demoRAT is a left-wing idealogue who will ALWAYS do whatever is necessary to advance the socialist-marxist agenda. This is another heartbreak for those of us who wished & prayed & contributed financially to the PA-12 election in hopes that the demoRATS would lose a House seat. Just like we hoped & prayed & still lost in NY-23. Sadly we are now 0-2 in House elections that should have been won by Repubs. The level of stupidity & dumb ass ignorance in American voters is mind-boggling. I know...I have a boss who is a liberal Phd from U of W-Madison, and he would vote for demoRATs including 0b0z0 the commie pig, even if 0bozo raped & pillaged 10 yr old girls on stage in front of a national audience. My younger brother & his fat ugly liberal wife are the same way. Such is the stupidity of liberals to vote forever in support of demoRATs & their evil agenda.
BS.
Hawaii on Friday ???
They’ve got to milk this D victory for all it’s worth before they lose the Hawaii seat.
“
The PA-12 Results Are Bad For the GOP. Just How Bad?
“
Not bad.
After Murtha spent DECADES of bringing pork home to his district...
the parasites, er, voters can’t be expected to jettison their identification
with the welfare party (D).
Pennsylvania: Castle Doctrine Self-Defense Bill to be Considered on Tuesday, May 25!
NRO failed to mention the effect of the Specter/Sestak primary on PA-12. If "Fast Eddie" vetoes the Castle Doctrine bill, that will probably help in November, IMHO.
I’m completely with you. I was speaking academically. I’m still in Seattle. There is no such thing as a conservative democrat here and it is VERY difficult to find a conservative republican.
And I especially liked your reference to 30 years ago. That was exactly what I was thinking when I wrote my post. :)
B U M P
Lot of Murtha’s clout in PA-12 was based on Defense Contractors.
What happens when the Crtiz type backwook guys in the Democrat Party, who rely heavily on bringing home the Defense pork, run into the Congressional Progressive Democrat leadership's ideological need to gut the US Military budget to fund their Utopian Socialist spending habits?
So the guy that won, won by putting as much distance between himself and The Kenyan as possible. And this is a setback?
They will just shift to bringing home Utopian Socialist pork. It matters little what kind of pork funds the jobs.
“..RE :”Burns’s defeat shows, as of now, the Rs will unlikely take the House.“
Steady on, mates...one battle does not a war make.
We got rid of Specter, and that’s a plus on ANYBODY’S tally board. We traded in a turncoat RINO/Liberal POS who’s been buggering us for a long time for a bonafide Liberal POS, who will be beaten in November by a conservative.
One victory at a time. Pick the fights we can definitely win, and win them.
This ain’t over by a long shot.
Amen, brother!
Gloom and doom are most decidely NOT in order.
I’m drinking a shot (or two...or...) of Jack Daniel’s tonight to celebrate the “End of Snarlin’ Arlen” fouling up my state and my country...I might even start singing old Confederate Battle songs in Belorussian by the end of the night...and not knowing the words...but who the hell cares!?!?!?
This makes for a great day!!!!
Look at any and all articles by Linda Chavez and search their website and past covers for any and all things Romney.
“Sounds like a southern democrat. Some of those guys are more conservative than a lot of republicans.”
There are no conservative Democrat politicians (at least at the state and federal levels)any more, all Democrats must abide by the leadership and we have seen ample evidence of this the last two years. Conservative Democrats have existed in the past and were relatively common in the 1950s and 1960s. The problem in PA-12 is that we have an old demographic that still believes in this lie. There are also no pro-life Democrats as Bart Stupak proved.
Pelosi will have Crtiz’s vote if she needs it. Let’s pray that there will be no speaker Pelosi in the future. The majority in PA-12 are simply ignorant, irresponsible and loathsome people that explain the reason for the rise of dictatorships.
We need to find some true blue conservatives who will run as liberal Democrats and then vote with the conservatives when they are elected.
Rubbish.
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