Specter Wins 51-49 Republican Senatorial Primary: live thread

4/27/2004 | self

[rudy45]

My apologies if a thread already exists. I did a search on "Toomey" and found nothing.

I arrived at my polling area (suburban Philadelphia) at 6:45 am to hand out palm cards. The weather is terrific this morning, but turnout (I thought) was light (I had to leave at 9:15, but will be back).

Actually, I have a good feeling about Pat.

[sefarkas]

"This is good news for Republicans and good news for Bush. Toomey would have lost the general election."

You are clearly more interested in winning elections than getting conservative & libertarian policy enacted. Specter is no friend of anyone on this site. You will curse the day that Specter sits as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary. If a good conservative like Toomey cannot win, this site should be abandoned to the Clintonesque pragmatists on this site. For those who believe in conservative and libertarian policies, this is another bleak night.

[Once-Ler]

I voted for Toomey tonight, but if Specter is the GOP candidate, I will vote for him against Hoeffel.

This stunningly intelligent statement is bound to haunt you tomorrow morning when wave after wave of far right fringe FReepers renounce their Republican affiliations for the 2,305,376 time.

[GreatOne]

Who is Reed working for now? I've always really liked him. Seems he could be a more Christian version of Lee Atwater.

[HamiltonJay]

I agree the Dem canidate isn't Mr. Charisma, but I Toomey can't take him in the general. Even if he should pull the upset, which it doesn't look like is going to happen, it would only be by the slimmist of margins among only republican voters.

Toomey doesn't have what it takes for Statewide general in PA, I don't care how much cash the GOP and activists pump into the state. Dems and there activists will pump in just as much if not more.

Santorum is a conservative that can win state wide, and appeal to democrats in the state. Toomey can't, particularly after the primary campaign he has just run. Toomey defined himself as the Anti-Specter... that's it, that's all hes got, at least in terms of what message he has been putting out there for months. That's a great attack in the primary but it don't get you squat in the general.

Toomey will go down just like Fisher did for governorship. Republicans can win state wide in PA, and conservative republicans can win state wide as well. But Toomey is not one of them that can do it.. he just doesn't have the "it" factor to cross the line and get the voters on the other side to stand with him. Santorum can and does that, Ridge could and did do that... Toomey, like Fisher can't and won't do it.

[montag813]

Just watch, today's attacks will be stopped by Thursday as they go back to "talking".

Yeah, we'll have Al-Sadr surrounded in a mosque and then lose 50 guys taking it instead of just blowing the house of Satan sky high. I hate this obsession with Muslim opinion. I didn't sign up for "Arab Democracy" which is impossible anyway. I signed up for taking out Saddam, removing the WMDs from Iraq and Syria, banning an Islamic state in Iraq and getting the oil flowing again--with first revenues to pay back every penny we spent. Then on to the next terrorist vassal state. I don't give a damn about the demented "Iraqi Democracy" delusions of Wolfowitz. Just kill Al-Sadr and every other Iranian agent, get the oil flowing--OUTSIDE of OPEC--and get our boys out.

[Fledermaus]

Disgusting? Sorry the truth disgusts you. Personally, that disgusts me.

[Political Junkie Too]

Aren't there still 10 other Republicans on the committee?

Are there no rules to remove the chairman if the party finds his actions counter to their agenda, regardless of seniority?

-PJ

[Owen]

I wonder if the situation were reversed how we would feel. Suppose a conservative incumbent GOP Senator from . . . oh, maybe somehow he gets elected in Connecticut is facing a primary challenge from the "center" or "left" and the GOP president of the moment was also squishy as a centrist or to the left.

Both these things can happen. Suppose Bush's DUI had been splashed in 2000 the day of the South Carolina primary and McCain had won that night. And suppose our hypothetical GOP conservative from CT got elected because two nights before election day the Dem opponent lost his mind and got drunk and wound up on camera using the N word or whatever.

So there we are, McCain is president and we have a staunch conservative facing a leftist in the primary. Would you have McCain support his philosophical preference? Or would you have him support the incumbent?

You have to support the incumbent. It's how you hold the majority. Incumbents raise money more easily. They have big advantages. You can't squander them.

[Petronski]

I'm not telling you to leave, I'm saying anyone who dates from January 1998 can take whatever the noobs can dish out.



Show some spine, man.

[deport]

Yep..... November is the critical one now.....

Hopefully time will heal some wounds .... It will take a concerted effort to defeat the democrats.....

[free2freep]

far right fringe FReepers

Is that how you view Toomey supporters?

[Redbob]

"GOP and Bush just dodged a big bullet. Toomey would have no chance in November..."

OK, folks, it's all over, the nationally-known political expert has weighed in - uh, what did you say your name was...?

All kidding aside; principles mean nothing to you, do they?

[P.O.E.]

Actually, Specter, the unions and even the Guardian sent out a cry to all Democrats to switch party registration to Republican and vote for Specter.

That & the Bush/Santorum recommendation probably swung for Spectre. Still, a GREAT showing for Toomey. Wonder if this will help drag the RNC back to the right a little, or if this will confirm their "moderate" lean.

[LenS]

Sorry, but Yeakel won in Philly. Specter got only 39% of the vote in 1992. That was great for him in that Republicans usually only get half of that from Philly.

Hoeffel will win Philly. The question will be the margin. Since he's known there, he'll do better than Yeakel. But there's no way in hell that Specter wins Philly in November.

[ClintonBeGone]

Well Ralph Reed is helping a lot. I do like him too. Well, Rove got him into the WH that's all that matters.

[Fledermaus]

I now...he ran for re-election on no income tax and tried to shove it down our throats all becuase he and the Dems spent like mad.

My wife will never forgive me for being for Don "the Tax terrorist" Sundquist.

Thanks to him we have Bredesen who is going to do the same thing once he's re-elected. I don't buy his "reforms".

[Finalapproach29er]

He is. Karl's a "moderate". He doesn't care much for conservatives.

Republicans have had their chance. They can't even close
the friggin' NEA.

George HW Bush: "Kinder, gentler (than Reagan) government.
George W Bush: "Compassionate" conservatism.

We're all suckers. I'll never vote for a Bush again.

I'll show him the same loyalty he has shown conservatives.

[NewLand]

I'd rather see Ralph Reed running things than Rove.

a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y...just look at what he has done here in GA.

[Michael Barnes]

He's a wounded duck now.

That is what scares me. He's (Specter) is a potential jeffords now. His next round up , arlen will be 80? Arlen is gonna be about arlen now. Where he can place himself and what "he" can gain.

Expect to see the true liberal colors of specter now. This guy has nothing ot lose, and everything ot gain (from our adversaries).

[Qwinn]

"Specter will be worse than any Dem in whacking any Bush Supreme Court nominee that isn't to the left of Ginsburg."

Aw come on, I'm disappointed too but that's over the top. I badly wanted Toomey to win (and would've voted for him if I lived in PA), but Specter -did- fight the right fight for Clarence Thomas. Given the HUGE debt he now owes Bush, I wouldn't necessarily take it for granted that he'll be worse than a -Dem-.

Look at it this way... Toomey's rating is 97%. Specter's is 47%. From what I hear about how liberal this Hoffle (sp?) guy is, I'm assuming his is something like 10%. The difference there isn't much shy of what it is between Specter and Toomey. To say he'd be worse than any Dem is just silly.

Qwinn