I think we can chalk PA-12 up to a failure of the GOP Establishment in PA. How do you let a career political operative from DC run to the right of your candidate in the current political environment?
Go take a look at Critz issue page. He ran as a Republican. He hypes how he is Pro Life, Pro 2nd Amendment, Pro Domestic Energy production and Pro Military. He also stressed his ties to the US Military and his getting some big award from the National Guard.
Burns on the other hand has no solid creditably with the military plus he is easy to caricature as an “Evil big businessman” in a solidly blue collar district. In addition to that the GOP Establishment threw over solidly conservative, ex military man Russel to run the light weight Country Clubber Burns.
On the surface PA-12 voted for the more Conservative candidate. We all know that is nonsense but most voters are not so involved in the process as Freepers
Once again it seems the GOP was more interested in a candidate that could self fund then one who actually had a serious shot at this seat.
The questions for Nov are:
Are there enough of these sorts of newbie Dems running as Republican Lite to hold these districts for the Dems?
Is the GOP Establishment so uniformly incompetent that they cannot find credible candidates who have a serious connection with the voters in these sorts of district?
How would these voters break if they are confronted with a serious Establishment Democrat vrs a serious challenger Conservative rather the being forced to choose between a faux “Republican lite” Democrat and a Establishment Country Club Republican?
PA 12 indicates nothing about Nov.
PA-12 was the Dems seat to lose and they didn’t. Big Whoopie! Kerry carried in in 2004 and McCain won it by like 1% of the vote. It is NOT a “Swing District” it is a solid “Safe D” district.
The take away from PA 12 should be that the Dems had to work this hard to win this safe seat. Those facts should be ringing warning bells in DNC circles not generating the sort of arrogantly smug complacency being expressed by Democrat Propaganda Press
I have another entirely personal view with absolutely zero intel to confirm, but Burns is apparently divorced, because there is no wife mentioned on his bio and all his TV commercials featured only his sons — no spouse whatsoever. This may have hurt with RAT social conservatives — he was just too GOP country club.
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.