SantorumBlog

Senator Rick Santorum: What we are talking about here with partial birth, as the senator from California knows, is a baby is in the process of being born - -

Senator Barbara Boxer: “The process of being born.” This is why this conversation makes no sense, because to me it is obvious when a baby is born. To you it isn’t obvious.

Santorum: Maybe you can make it obvious to me. So what you are suggesting is if the baby’s foot is still inside of the mother, that baby can then still be killed.

Boxer: No, I am not suggesting that in any way!

Santorum: I am asking.

Boxer: I am absolutely not suggesting that. You asked me a question, in essence, when the baby is born.

Santorum: I am asking you again. Can you answer that?

Boxer: I will answer the question when the baby is born. The baby is born when the baby is outside the mother’s body. The baby is born.

Santorum: I am not going to put words in your mouth - -

Boxer: I hope not.

Santorum: But, again, what you are suggesting is if the baby’s toe is inside the mother, you can, in fact, kill that baby.

Boxer: Absolutely not.

Santorum: OK. So if the baby’s toe is in, you can’t kill the baby. How about if the baby’s foot is in?

Boxer: You are the one who is making these statements.

Santorum: We are trying to draw a line here.

Boxer: I am not answering these questions! I am not answering these questions.

-Senator Rick Santorum challenging Senator Barbara Boxer to explain how she can support partial-birth abortion, October 20, 1999

Every poll shows that a clear majority of Americans think that partial-birth abortion should be banned. Every sane person who is told what partial-birth abortion is immediately opposes it.

The Supreme Court is currently considering whether our elected officials are allowed to ban partial-birth abortion. Let me make it clear; the Supreme Court is not going to decide if it’s legal or illegal, but just whether or not we Americans are allowed to make it illegal through our elected representatives. We’re talking about something that borders on infanticide, and the issue is that only if Justices Roberts and Alito vote the right way will we actually be allowed to outlaw it. That is incredibly perverse.

Every adult American should know what partial-birth abortion is, and it’s ridiculous that the media refuses to tell anyone. The technical name of the procedure is “intact dilation and extraction”, and through this process, a fetus which is somewhere inbetween the late second trimester and birth is killed by inducing labor, then pulling the fetus out of his mother feet first. Before the head is removed from the mother, the fetus’ head is punctured and his brains are vacuumed out, collapsing his head, resulting in death. We would not do this to an animal, and yet there are people in America fighting tooth and nail to keep it legal. Unless the Supreme Court decides correctly next year, Americans will have no right to ban this abhorrent procedure.

Republican Majority for Choice:

The pro-active extreme agenda of Senator Rick Santorum and his fellow extreme right cohorts such as Falwell and Robertson were responsible for the loss of this key Senate seat, among others.

Pa’s other Senator, Arlen Specter is still on the advisory board.

Some previous posts about RMC:

Specter’s Defense

Hunt for Real Republicans

Featherman & RMC

From the Lebanon Daily News, which doesn’t seem to like Senator Santorum very much:

“Some have speculated that Santorum may run for president in 2008. That belief has been fueled by his Churchillian turn to foreign policy and radical Islam during the final days of his campaign against Bob Casey. But a Santorum run seems a long shot at this point. Would any party give their presidential nomination to someone who can’t win in his home state?”

You mean like Al Gore? Plus we can’t forget that 2006 was an anti-Republican year, combined with the fact that the Democrats intentionally ran someone who they could pass off as Santorum-lite. Santorum would have a decent chance of winning the state of Pennsylvania if his opponent is a pro-abortion liberal Democrat.

“Still, if Santorum does run for president, a chilling historical parallel will be noted: the Republican Party once actually did give its nomination to someone who had just lost a Senate race. The nominee, like Santorum, was a polarizing politician with strong views and a deeply rooted ideology. The year was 1860, his name was Abraham Lincoln, and his election kicked off the single most tempestuous period in American history.”

President Abraham Lincoln defeated the human rights catastrophe of his time, too - slavery. In all the US Senate, Rick Santorum was the strongest opponent of our current human rights catastrophe - abortion.

National Catholic Register

His dedication to the cause was typified by an unforgettable moment on the Senate floor one day in October 1999, when he confronted Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif, on the issue of partial-birth abortion.

What if, Santorum asked Boxer, almost facetiously, in the course of the partial-birth abortion, the baby’s foot was inside the mother but the rest of the baby was outside — “could that baby be killed?” He repeated the question from the vantage of different body parts, prompting Boxer — caught in the absurdity of her position — to snap, “I am not answering these questions.”

Santorum did, however, get an answer from Boxer on this one: “[D]o you agree, once the child is born, separated from the mother, that that child is protected by the Constitution and cannot be killed?” Boxer replied: “I think when you bring your baby home, when your baby is born … the baby belongs to your family and has rights.”

This was Boxer’s standard for when life begins — the frightening contradictions of which do not bother pro-choicers, so long as she supports legalized abortion. Her thinking illustrates the jaw-dropping moral relativism that Rick Santorum fought against.

Bob Casey, Jr., like his late father (a former two-term governor of Pennsylvania), opposes abortion, but, unlike Santorum, is hardly an across-the-board champion for life.

Especially worrisome is how Casey will vote for pro-life judges nominated by President George W. Bush. A very likely scenario would be that Bush announces a pro-life, strict constructionist judge only to have Casey reject the judge for a myriad of reasons separate from the justice’s position on abortion. This is a crucial point, since President Bush will likely get one more pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, and that pick will be the swing vote in a pro-life or anti-life court, where the future of Roe v. Wade is in the balance.

The message to the Republican Party is clear - reclaim your conservative roots or be condemned to minority status for decades.

The Republicans must immediately begin to convincingly work for the conservative principles which they promised to support when they got elected. As Michael Savage says, Borders, Language, Culture. Republicans had four years to secure the borders - they didn’t do it. Republicans had four years to make English America’s official language - they didn’t do it. Republicans had four years to get the garbage in the media out of our children’s faces - they didn’t do it. Republicans had four years to cut government spending - they didn’t do it.

The result of these failures, combined with the failure to fight back against liberal partisanship and lies, was the bloodbath we saw on Tuesday. President Bush is called every despicable name imaginable every single day, and what does he do about it? He laughs it off. That’s all well and good for Bush, but when he doesn’t go out and explain how he is being slandered, people start to believe those lies. It’s exactly the same with Senator Santorum.

I am optimistic that most Republicans will get the message and clean up their acts. They have two years starting now to prove to America that they’re sorry for breaking their promises, and that they’re now serious about supporting conservative values - which are American values.

I hate to break it to the moonbats who inexplicably continue to troll on this blog and post asinine comments, but America didn’t reject conservatism on Tuesday. America’s conservatives rejected the non-conservative actions of the Republican Party by sitting this election out.

Most Americans want lower taxes. Most Americans want to cut government spending. Most Americans want restrictions on abortion. Most Americans want to secure the borders. As George Will wrote, this election was a defeat for Republicans - not a defeat for conservatism.

Be honest with yourselves, moonbats. You just elected Bob Casey, a man who says he’s pro-life, anti-gay marriage, anti-embryonic stem cell research and pro-gun. Does it sound like you just voted against the “Christian fascists”?

Seven states voted to ban gay marriage on Tuesday. Only one state in which a ban was proposed did it fail - Arizona - and it failed by the slimmest margin. And that’s with the Republicans staying home! So much for the “AmTaliban” being repudiated.

Democrats win elections by pretending to be conservative. Republicans lost this election by not being conservative enough. The Republican Party must embrace conservatism for victory in 2008!

A bit of good news in an otherwise bad situation - Jim Gerlach and Tim Murphy have managed to get re-elected. That’s Alex’s and my Congressman, respectively. So while I have no regrets about giving Senator Santorum as much cheerleading as possible, it’s nice that it’s kind of like we both got something for our trouble other than the satisfaction of knowing we did the right thing.

I don’t agree with Gerlach on all of the issues, but he’s rated 10% by NARAL, so that makes him good enough for me. His opponent, Lois Murphy, was a former president of NARAL of PA! Thus she obviously would have done everything she could to promote the slaughter of the unborn.

My Congressman, Tim Murphy, is a lot like Rick Santorum. That is to say, he is superb. It hurt his numbers considerably, but he still survived the anti-Republican backlash by a wide margin, since he’s just that good. His opponent, Chad Kluko, is a moderate yet sleazy fellow who teamed up with the Post-Gazette in a last minute attempt to smear Rep. Murphy with nonsense. Normally newspapers don’t get involved in political campaigns, but we’re talking about the Post “We hate orthodox Catholics” Gazette here.

In another bit of good yet bizarre news, it’s looking like one of my favorite newer Congresspersons, Rep. Jean Schmidt, is also about to survive the bloodbath. Hey, don’t ask me how. Seems like all that praying got us one miracle after all. Rep. Schmidt created one of the greatest sound bites of all time when she read the words of a Marine to Rep. John Murtha - the words, “Cowards cut and run - Marines never do.” Of course the Democrats went crazy and she pretty much had to apologize afterward, but was that ever a great sound bite. Did I mention that Schmidt is Chairman of Cincinnati Right to Life?

World Magazine blog:

Casey’s pro-life credentials first came into question when he supported the morning-after pill, which he argued is not an abortifacient. Now, bolstered by an indirect campaign endorsement from Planned Parenthood, he has flip-flopped on embryonic stem cell research, admitting that he favors expanding federal support. Earlier, he had said he preferred to maintain current federal policy.

Santorum opposes both embryonic stem cell research and the morning-after pill and has long been a champion of the pro-life cause. As the third-ranking Senate Republican, he fought for the partial-birth abortion ban, voted for the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, supported criminal penalties for those who kill a fetus during the commission of a violent crime, and said he would back a constitutional amendment banning abortion, although he would rather leave the issue to state legislatures.

By contrast, Casey said he plans to focus on what unites the pro-life and pro-choice camps, so they can work together to decrease the number of abortions. Presumably, this effort would not include challenging Roe vs. Wade, though he has said it should be overturned. As to what common ground may exist between those who say a fetus is a human and those who call it a parasite, he may have to dig through 36 years of slaughtered offspring to discover it.

Ultra-liberal Nancy Pelosi says that she wants to take America back from the “radical right-wing”. Of course, to Pelosi, the “radical right-wing” consists of people who think that we should have some limits on abortion, such as parental notification or a ban on partial-birth abortion. It consists of people who think that voluntary school prayer - free speech - might not be such a bad thing. It consists of people who don’t have a problem with the Ten Commandments hanging in a courtroom or a schoolhouse, because they understand that the Ten Commandments being on the wall doesn’t hurt anyone. It consists of people who think that if you lower taxes, people can keep more of their own money, and then invest that money to result in great federal tax revenues. It consists of people who want judges who obey the law instead of inventing the law.

In the final days of his campaign, Bob Casey chose to spend his time with the House Minority Leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi wants to be the Speaker of the House, which would make her third in line for the Presidency and give her a great deal more power in our government. In short, this would be a disaster for our nation and for the world.

Nancy Pelosi wants to force her San Francisco values on the entire nation. And no, that’s not just gay marriage, though nearly every state in the Union opposes gay marriage but she would force it on us all anyway.

-It’s also extreme taxation. Taxation which seeks to punish people for being successful, slowing or even reversing our current economic growth. This is America; we don’t punish success here, Pelosi!

-It’s also socialized health care, which gives everyone in a country access to the same pathetic, worthless treatment, but as Pelosi might say, at least it’s free! It’s not exactly “free” since our money will be stolen through taxation to pay for it, but it’s similar to something that is free because we would get what we were paying for. We would have long waits and short visits at the doctor’s office, and rarely would we ever actually see a doctor - instead we’d see an assistant. The quality of American health care would drop dramatically, but Pelosi would be happy, since everyone would be “covered” and taxes would be sky high.

-It’s also taxpayer funded abortion. For years, the pro-choice people have said that we need to stay out of their personal, private decisions. Dishonest liberal like Pelosi, however, aren’t satisfied now that they have legalized abortion on demand. Making complete hypocrites of themselves, they now demand that the American taxpayer fund abortions. We are to be forced to fund something which we will not be allowed to regulate, and the tax dollars of pro-lifers will be used to pay for killing unborn children, with pro-lifers no doubt being called “right wing radicals” if they object.

-It’s the support of judicial activists who think that the Constitution is a living document which changes - and conveniently, it changes according to the personal ideology of the judicial activist. The US Constitution can only be changed by Amendment. Amendments are voted on by Congress. Judges do not and should never have had the power to change the US Constitution, but if Pelosi gets her way, there will be more and more liberal activists on our courts.

-It’s also a hatred of our military and the great liberating work it has done. The politicians of San Francisco despise our troops, and work to undermine and insult them at every turn. Their plan for the war on Islamic fascism is to have a full retreat and then apologize to Osama bin Laden for making him mad. Pelosi would hand the Islamic fascists their greatest victory of all time by surrendering to them Iraq.

Bob Casey and Nancy Pelosi - “Vote Democrat”… if you want higher taxes, socialism, an end to religious freedom, activist judges who legislate from the bench, taxpayer funded abortion, and a policy of surrender in the war on Islamic fascism

Five Reasons to Vote for Rick Santorum:

1 - The Republican tax cuts supported by Senator Rick Santorum have led the Dow Jones Industrial Average to increase by 2,000 points since the 2004 presidential election. The Dow has been propelled to an all-time high. Unemployment is at its lowest rate in five years. The budget deficit for 2006 is $248 billion - down from $412 billion in 2004. Why is it important to remember the 2004 numbers? Because it shows what progress we’ve made since America went out in force to elect conservative Republican leaders two years ago. It shows that we must do it again, and re-elect Rick Santorum.

2 - The war against Islamic fascism could very well be the most important issue of our time. Senator Santorum has shown that he understands this conflict more than any other Senator. He recognizes that we must secure the borders to prevent Islamic fascists from bringing deadly substances into America. He recognizes that we must encourage the people of Iran to fight for their freedom and put an end to the tyranny in their country, not only for their own sake, but for the sake of the world. He recognizes that we must finish the job in Iraq, because if we allow the Islamic fascists to defeat us there, they will be emboldened like never before.

3 - Senator Santorum is a conservative, no doubt about it, but he is also willing to challenge his conservative colleagues when he disagrees with them, and work with liberals when they agree on an issue. He has worked with Democrats to help fight poverty and AIDS. He has stood up and opposed President Bush’s immigration and Iran policies. While he is a conservative and therefore agrees with the President often, he is not a “rubber stamp” for anyone.

4 - We only need one more originalist Justice on the Supreme Court to undo decades of ideological decisions made by left-wing Justices who abused their power and became judicial activists. Senator Santorum has been a fighter to get originalist judges on all courts - judges who will not make decisions based on their own personal opinions, but rather based on the law. In 2004, Rick Santorum supported the re-election of Senator Arlen Specter, and many conservatives were upset - upset that Specter would block originalists from the Supreme Court. Yet thanks to the influence of his Republican colleagues like Rick Santorum, Senator Specter not only allowed a vote on John Roberts and Sam Alito - he voted in favor of their nominations. Senator Santorum and Senator Specter voted together to put Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito on the Supreme Court, two solid originalists who will remain on the Court for decades. We only need one more originalist Justice to have a majority of originalists on the Supreme Court, and that’s why we need to re-elect Rick Santorum.

5 - Agree or disagree with him, you always know where Senator Santorum stands on the issues. Everyone knows that Rick Santorum is pro-life, against euthanasia, and against government funding for emergency contraception and embryonic stem cell research. As a social conservative, I applaud Santorum for his positions on these vital issues. But maybe you’re not a social conservative, so you disagree with Santorum on these issues. Still, you must recognize that he is a man of integrity who stands up for what he believes in and always tells us what he thinks, and that’s exactly the kind of leader we need to represent us in Washington.

Five Reasons Not to Vote for Bob Casey:

1 - Bob Casey wants to ‘roll back the tax cuts’ (in other words, raise taxes) which have been responsible for the improvement in our economy over the past two years. When asked what programs he would cut, Casey couldn’t give a single answer - all he wants to do is raise taxes, and he thinks that will cure all of America’s ills.

2 - Bob Casey is MIA in the war against Islamic fascism. He wants President Bush to replace Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but that’s about all he wants to change in Iraq. In spite of the fact that he constantly blasts President Bush and Senator Santorum for supporting the Iraq War, Casey tells us that he also would have supported the war and that he opposes leaving Iraq. He has no idea about what to do in Iran, and he is not serious about securing America’s borders.

3 - Bob Casey likes to pretend to be a conservative or moderate Democrat, but he says that he will not lead on any conservative issues. Instead, he says that as a Senator he would push for liberal economic policies. He is supported by all manner of far-left groups, from MoveOn.org to NARAL to Daily Kos. These groups are counting on Casey to be a pawn of Chuck Schumer and the Democrat Party leadership.

4 - Bob Casey says that he would have voted to filibuster some originalist justices branded as “extreme” by Chuck Schumer and Ted Kennedy. Casey is once again MIA on the issue of judicial activism, and frankly doesn’t seem to understand it. Many Americans have voted in favor of State Constitutional amendments to protect traditional marriage, understanding that such amendments are the only way to stop judicial activists from redefining marriage on their own whim. When it comes to the issue of judges, Bob Casey is out of touch with the people of Pennsylvania.

5 - Does anyone know what Bob Casey really believes? Does Bob Casey himself know? He says he is pro-life, yet he is supported by NARAL and Planned Parenthood and he denies the scientific fact that the morning-after pill can have an abortifacient effect prior to implantation. He says he’s against gay marriage, yet he is supported by all manner of radical homosexual groups. He says he wants strong borders, yet he supports Amnesty. He says that we need a new direction in Iraq, yet he provides no such new direction. He never gave a straight answer to a question in any of the debates he was involved in. When asked to appear on numerous news and talk shows to discuss his views, he didn’t show up, claiming that he was too busy doing something else to talk to the people of Pennsylvania. We Pennsylvanians must not send a man to Washington when that man absolutely refuses to take a clear and consistent position on any issue. Pennsylvania deserves better representation than someone who will not even tell us what he believes.

NR: Tony Perkins (FRC) on Casey-Santorum Race:

“As someone who has both served in a statewide elected office and ran for the U.S. Senate, I speak from experience when I say the best indicator of your future record is your past record. Senator Rick Santorum has a record of success; a record for standing up for the protection of the unborn, the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, and the great needs of the poor. Bob Casey, Jr.’s record speaks of nothing but compromise and liberally influenced values.”

“Today Nancy Pelosi (D-California) came out of hiding to campaign for Bob Casey, Jr. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) had even planned to come to Pennsylvania and support his friend. Organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance and the Human Rights Campaign; groups who exist solely to advance the hard-left anti-family agenda, are pulling out all the stops to bring Bob Casey, Jr. to victory,” Mr. Perkins said. “It has long been said that you are the company you keep. If these folks are the company Bob Casey, Jr. chooses now, imagine what it will be like in Washington, D.C.”

Nancy Pelosi, Bob Casey, Lois Murphy, and Ed Rendell in Norristown, PA, November 4, 2006

“These groups support Bob Casey, Jr. because they believe he is the key to the success of their anti-family agenda. Why? Because every major success for both American families and American security has Rick Santorum’s fingerprints on it. The Senator has been a champion for social conservative causes and without him in Washington,” Mr. Perkins asked, “who will stand up and take the lead? The loss of Rick Santorum will be a voice lost for social justice.”

“Bob Casey, Jr. is no more pro-life or pro-family than his friends coming through Pennsylvania to support him. He has flip-flopped on key issues throughout this campaign, most recently on the issue of stem cell research. KDKA in Pittsburgh reports Casey now advocates the federal funding of embryo-destructive research. Like his buddy John Kerry, Bob Casey should know you can’t be against something and be for it. Rick Santorum is the candidate with clear convictions and a record that reflects it. Voters should remember that distinction on Tuesday. Their choice will affect their communities, their state, and indeed, the entire nation.”

Update: Extreme Mortman wondered where Nancy Pelosi went off to. He writes that “it’s an open and shut Casey.”

Could it be that Nancy Pelosi is going to come to Pennsylvania to support Bob Casey’s campaign?

Most Americans don’t know who House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is. My most vivid memory of Pelosi is of her attending the largest pro-abortion march in American history and proclaiming that she is a “devout Catholic” who supports abortion rights, thereby publicly attacking the Catholic Church.

Washington Times: A look at Pelosi’s voting record

There are some libertarian Republicans who support Rick Santorum because of his positions on national security and taxes. There are some conservative Democrats who support Rick Santorum because of his positions on social issues. But I wonder exactly how Nancy Pelosi is going to explain her support for Bob Casey. My guess is that she’ll focus on how much they both hate President Bush and how much they both love socialist economic policies.

Today I received the following letter in the mail from a fellow Pittsburgh Catholic:

Dear Catholic Voter,

This is a rather unusual letter and a first for me.

Tuesday, November 7 is a most important Election Day for the innocent, unborn child.

This election will strongly affect the selection of Supreme Court Justices who will decide life and death issues for many years to come.

As you know, this Senate race is between Rick Santorum, the highest ranking pro-life leader in the U.S. Senate verses Bob Casey who has the support of Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League (now NARAL Pro-Choice) and other pro-abortion groups.

There are also organizations called Catholics For Free Choice and Catholics in Alliance For The Common Good who minimize the killing of unborn babies as “only one issue”.

But without life and without a strong defender of life in the U.S. Senate, other issues mean little.

If you do not vote at all in this Senate race on Tuesday it will be a vote against the unborn chlid.

It is vitally important that you vote.

I personally ask that you vote for Senator Rick Santorum on Tuesday, November 7.

Thank you.

Bob Casey isn’t going to set a New Direction on everything.

On Sunday, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote that a loss on Tuesday for Sen. Rick Santorum would be “bad for the poor around the world.” Brooks cited Santorum’s work on welfare reform, AIDS in Africa, and Sudan. Santorum’s defeat would of course also be a loss for the country. He is a leader on the protection of life, the defense of marriage, and the preservation of religious liberty. His opponent, Bob Casey Jr., poses as a pro-lifer but has made clear he has no intention of challenging the abortion status quo. Pennsylvania conservatives should do the right thing: Show up at the polls and help reelect Rick.

There are two candidates running for Senate in Pennsylvania, and both of them claim to be pro-life. However, one of them is supported by pro-life groups while the other is supported by pro-abortion extremists. One of them defended the life of Terri Schiavo while the other mocks his opponent for joining her family and praying with them as she was being put to death by the state. One of them is against big government forcing Catholic or otherwise pro-life groups to pay for contraceptives and abortifacients, but the other says, “I do not believe that employers should be able to deny their employees coverage for legal contraceptive services“.

For those pro-lifers who complain that Rick Santorum supports Arlen Specter, remember that Bob Casey supports John Kerry. Compared to John Kerry, Arlen Specter is practically a zealous pro-lifer. Consider this: Specter was rated 21% by the rabidly pro-abortion group NARAL in 2003. In the same year, John Kerry got a 100% rating from NARAL. NARAL is also telling its people to vote against Santorum in next week’s election. In other words, NARAL, which supports partial-birth abortion, also supports Bob Casey. The choice is clear, pro-life Pennsylvania - we must turn out in force for Rick Santorum.

Emailed from Priests for Life:

An Election Message from Dr. Alveda King
October 2006

“Vote as if your life depends upon it. Someone’s life does! Be encouraged that
you are not alone in your desire to see an end to the senseless violence against
the most helpless of our brothers and sisters. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us
to care for the least of these. We can demonstrate our compassion by voting for
pro-life candidates in the upcoming elections.

“My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: ‘Human progress is neither
automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires
sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate
concern of dedicated individuals. This is no time for apathy or complacency.
This is a time for vigorous and positive action.’

“We must vote for life this year, and every year, because it is the right thing
to do.

“Please, I urge you, do not be distracted by political rhetoric. The most
pressing civil rights issue of this season is the protection of the lives of the
pre-born.

“Your vote counts. Please cast it, for life!”

– Dr. Alveda King

Evening Bulletin

In a few days, Pennsylvanians will have the opportunity to vote in what may very well be the most important senatorial race for the country. This November, voters will face a choice between two kinds of politicians: A principled and a contrarian one. A principled politician allows his beliefs to govern how he will vote on any given issue. A contrarian politician defines himself as whatever his opponents are not, letting them do his thinking for him. Sadly, that kind of politician can be found on both sides of the aisle today. The question for Keystone residents is whether we want to continue to be represented by a principled politician or to try our hands with a contrarian one.

Critics and supporters alike can all agree that Rick Santorum has never lost sight of those beliefs that Pennsylvanians were impressed with six years ago when they voted him into office. While Pennsylvanians may disagree with Santorum from time to time on some of his results, he has never voted contrary to what his beliefs tell him are the best answer for his constituents and the country at large.

Over the past couple of months of his campaign, Bob Casey, however, has positioned himself as someone who has no greater interest in the positions he takes beyond knowing that he is on the other side of the divide from his opponent and the administration. The danger with this approach is that Casey will be unable to stand on his own two feet when he does not know what his opponents think, or will compromise his own beliefs when those beliefs are shared by their opponents.

Not convinced that Casey has been running on a contrarian platform, that he has no answer of his own or that he will compromise his own beliefs? Just take a look at the record.