Here in PA we are asking questions and Ed Rendell is trying to not increase taxes with a 2 billion dollar defecit in the budget.
Rendell doesn’t want to toss in the towel for a possible Democrat successor 2010 by jacking up taxes.
Meanwhile one asks why Toomey choses to run for governor.
Is it about winning or about dealing with political insiders?
In 1994 I was shocked when the openly pro-life Rick Santorum was allowed to be the US Senate by the liberal PA GOP Establishment without much more than a whimper.
Later on as Santorum supported Arlen Specter for re-election including 2004 when pro-life Toomey challenged Specter and still Santorum went with the pro-abortion Specter, the picture became clearer in my mind.
There was a deal to allow Santorum to be a senator as long as he supported Arlen and the liberal GOP bosses.
Toomey may have been told he would not be allowed to challenge Specter without a divisive fight that would have hurt Toomey from winning a general election in 2010.
There’s been talk in the media from GOP insider sources for years pushing Toomey as a candidate for governor. Specter is being protected and Toomey may be getting a deal to allow him to further his ambition for higher office.
As for challenging Senator Specter, another possible candidate is in the wings. Activist Peg Luksik ran against a pro-abortion party endorsed candidate in the 1990 primary for governor. Nobody knew her but she got 45 percent of the vote against the pro-abortion Republican who Bob Casey Sr. (the pro life one) trounced in the general election by a landslide.
Peg ran as an independent in 1994 and 1998 for governor when pro-abortiin Tom Ridge was the GOP candidate. She got 13 and 7 percent support in those elections.
Most recently she was campaign manager for William Russell’s congressional campaign against John Murtha.
Peg Luksik is the real thing when it comes to the issues and would be a worthy challenger to Specter, but she would need money.
“There was a deal to allow Santorum to be a senator as long as he supported Arlen and the liberal GOP bosses.”
Nah he just made an idiotic political decision to back the incumbent as did Bush/Rove and the NRSC. Cause it’s the fluffy bunny safe thing to do back the RINO incumbent.
“Toomey may have been told he would not be allowed to challenge Specter without a divisive fight that would have hurt Toomey from winning a general election in 2010.”
It’s obvious it would be a divisive fight.
Best of luck to Luksik if she runs.
I don’t think the GOP establishment even believed Harris Wofford would be beaten. As for Peg Luksik, she may be too much of a perennial candidate, and if she gets the GOP nomination over Specter, watch as the entire GOP establishment leaves the office for a Democrat takeover. If Toomey actually runs for Governor, he’s going to face a crowded field. I’d think our strongest candidate would be Attorney General Tom Corbett, since he has already won statewide.