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.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

Yeah, PCN's numbers have been about 15 minutes behind everybody else all night.

Hello Public-Sector......

[Mo1]

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

Yep .. and I think Bush has a good chance at taking PA in November

[GreatOne]

As much as I agree with your sentiment, if we do what you suggest, we would leave behind a junior-Iran, which, in time, would be as dangerous as Saddam was.

But you're 100% right that we need to start breaking a helluva lot more eggs and quit worrying about their damn opinion, which just makes us look weak to them anyway. More spectre gunship/Arab introductions are in order!

[Petronski]

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.

Joe Hoeffel cannot be permitted to win this Senate seat. Anyone who doubts that should 'watch this space.'

[Fledermaus]

Yawn...and you normally know better than that! I see the pods got you! lol

[Owen]

>
When a good conservative like Pat Toomey gets kneecapped by the party machine, I wonder what place I have in this party.

Why do I donate hundreds of dollars? Why do I man the phones? Why do I post yard signs? When will the party represent me?
>

Want to join the Deaniacs?

Look, there's nothing new here. Those with extreme preferences will NEVER get to vote FOR anything in a general election. Such folks always must vote against the opposition. There is no other responsible option. Doing otherwise condemns your neighbors to life under that opposition. How could you look in the mirror knowing that.

[montag813]

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

You are confusing the Senate with the wonderful post-1994 Gingrich House (before it too was corrupted). In the Senate, Republicans are expected to leave their Conservative activism at the door.

[LenS]

He's handling the RNC/Bush-Cheney efforts in the Southeast US. It's his job to win all those open Dem seats and to run GOTV as he did in Georgia in 2002.

[Tribune7]

I agree the Dem canidate isn't Mr. Charisma, but I Toomey can't take him in the general.

It's a moot point now but there is not a doubt in my mind that Toomey would have cleaned Hoeffel's clock. Hoeffel has a much better shot against Specter. And as I said several times, if Bush loses Pa as he did four years ago, nobody is going to split his ticket for Arlen.

[Lancey Howard]

The dems control many vote counts, wanted Specter to win and urged their voters to switch parties to keep Arlen on the ballot in November.

I agree with you. The Democrats want Specter on the ballot because they think he will be easier to beat than Toomey. Obviously. Why else would the Dems want Specter on the ballot?

[RobFromGa]

I don't like it either, but I don't think it makes Bush look weak, if he is the one who made the outcome what it was.

We can debate whether it was a smart move to back Specter, but he really had little choice with Specter as the incumbent who totally kicked @ss last time and who had the much larger warchest that "dwarfed his opponents" and who is also the better fit for mushy moderate Gore-votin' Pennsylvania.

Just think of how Bush would have looked if he had supported Toomey and then Specter won. He played the hand he was dealt.

Just remember that things are always more complicated than they look. I personally would like to see a 75-25 Senate, 100 seat advantage in the House, and a conservative GOP president who got 65% of the vote, and a flat tax, and ...

But unfortunately we have these election things and some people seem to want different things...

[KQQL]

LOL...

[EternalHope]

Specter is a Republican only as matter of expedience. His heart is with the liberal Dems.

Would Specter have switched parties in an attempt to give the Senate to the Dems for the rest of this year if Bush had not supported him, or if Toomey had won?

Will Specter stay with the Republicans next year if switching will give the Senate to the Dems?

Just wondering.

[wardaddy]

One can only hope

We do a lot of "hoping" or waiting for supermajorities or compromising or whatevering. I hope (or wish) the Pubs could have the discipline our opponents have. Just like war or business, it's about will.

[Michael Barnes]

re #812

STFU

[free2freep]

Those with extreme preferences

Is that how you characterize conservatives?

[Fledermaus]

Remove him? HA HA HA! Frist doesn't have the cajones.

And don't forget, this will be Specter's last term and he'll become as flaky as McCain, Snowe, Collins and Chaffee.

[ClintonBeGone]

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

What about the principles of all those people who went out there today and exercised one of the essential rights of democracy. Do they mean nothing to you? It's like you completely ignore their votes and their intentions. They went to the voting booths and reelected their senator. It's not like he was annointed by some mafia don. Have some respect for the system.

[dcwusmc]

If our "way of life" depends on one man, we are already hosed. Turn off your Barbra Striesand rhetoric and get real. MAYBE Bush is marginally better than Kerry, but it's incremental at best. Not anywhere near enough gap for me to want to bother to vote for EITHER of them. Sorry, pal. Get a grip.