MidnightBlue comments on these billboards seen in the Philly area.
Once again proving that he is no right-wing partisan, Fox News’ Chris Wallace confronted Senator Santorum with some tough questions this morning. As usual, Santorum stood his ground and answered the questions while Casey was off hiding somewhere. (Note: These are not direct quotes, but rather are my paraphrasing of the questions and answers - Update: An actual transcript is up on FoxNews.com):
Wallace: Polls show you behind by more than 10 points. You have been in the Senate for twelve years… why shouldn’t we look at this and say Pennsylvanians know who Rick Santorum is, and they just aren’t buying this year?
Santorum: We have a lot of polls that show different than that, and we’re happy about our position right now. I’m out talking about the important issues of the day. I’ve talked about the “Gathering Storm”, the threat we face. The people are beginning to understand that we need leadership, not people who hide, as my opponent who didn’t come on the show today. He has nothing to offer but ‘let’s raise taxes’.
Wallace: Let’s look at one of your ads. (Shows the last few seconds of the “Baltic Avenue” ad) Bob Casey along with pictures of Kim Jong Il, Ahmadinejad and a mushroom cloud! How do you justify making the case that he votes for Amnesty and is therefore soft on terrorists?
Santorum: He’s against the missile defense system and he’s against nuclear-tipped bunker busting bombs which would be necessary to take out installations in Iran.
Wallace: But you said he supports Amnesty for illegals and therefore is soft on terror.
Santorum: You only showed a piece of that ad. The other things I mentioned are a part of that ad, including NSA wiretap which he refuses to take a position on. I came out and made a long speech about these issues and he accused me of fear-mongering. I’m not fear-mongering; I’m describing reality.
Wallace: Let’s talk about the reality of the vote on illegal immigration. All he said is that he would vote for the comprehensive immigration reform package in the Senate, which was supported by 23 Republican Senators and President Bush! Does that make them soft on terror?
Santorum: (Nods, “yes”) I think in that particular respect, yes. Anything that says to the people of the world that they can break our laws, come into our country, and we’ll give them Amnesty, then you encourage more people to come and I think that does allow for the opportunity (of an attack) if we don’t secure the borders. An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians reject the Senate bill.
Wallace: Senator, you’re saying that your Pennsylvania colleague Arlen Specter, and George W. Bush, both of whom supported that bill, are soft on terrorists?!
Santorum: I don’t know how I can make it more clear, Chris. If we don’t secure the borders and if we give Amnesty, then we’re going to get more people in this country that I believe could be a threat to this country and I think we’re seeing that.
Wallace: You also link Casey to US casualties in Iraq since he has opposed energy exploration. (Shows clip of Santorum blasting Casey for playing to environmental extremists at the expense of our troops in the Middle East.) Senator, I thought we went into Iraq to get rid of Weapons of Mass Destruction?
Santorum: I think everyone realizes that the principle reason why Islamic fascism is the threat that it is today is that they have resources and they have oil. The only way we’re going to holistically confront this threat is to develop energy security in this country. We need to use all means necessary, but Casey is against offshore drilling. China is drilling 50 miles off the shore of the US, but he won’t allow the US to drill 100 miles off the shore. He’ll allow 3,700 gas and oil wells to be drilled in western PA last year, but he won’t allow us to drill less than 1,000 wells in the north slope of Alaska over the next 25 years. Our men and women are out there and they’re sacrificing because they (Islamic fascists) have resources to be able to project power. The only reason Iran can get a nuclear weapon is that they have the oil revenue. We have to use every resource we have to become energy secure!
Wallace: Pennsylvania does not have a gay marriage ban on the ballot, but are you going to try to make gay marriage an issue because in the neighboring state of New Jersey, the Supreme Court there just said that same-sex couples should have full legal rights?
Santorum: My opponent and I are very different on this issue. He said that he would fight against any state or federal constitutional amendment that would secure the right of the people to define what marriage is. He would allow the courts to decide the issue. I don’t believe in that. On the great moral issues of our time, the people have a right to speak and say what their collective morality is, and what kind of country they want to live in. A few unelected or even elected judges should not impose that. He would go along with the unelected judges. He supports civil unions.
For the record, this program aired on Fox 53 WPGH in Pittsburgh. About halfway through the show, Santorum’s Wrestling ad aired. That means his ads are back on non-cable stations.
Update by AlexC: Mark Kilmer also blogged it at Redstate. He writes…
Rick pointed out that Casey “hides from the public… because he has nothing to offer.”
Wallace played a clip of Rick arguing that opposing the use of domestic energy benefits the terrorists. Santorum said that Islamic fascists are taken so seriously because they have oil. Casey, he said, opposes offshore drilling and exploration in ANWR.
Given what just happened with the courts in New Jersey, Wallace asked, is gay marriage an issue in the Pennsylvania race? Rick thinks so, and he pointed out that Casey would remove the ability to define marriage from the people and give it to a few judges. He said that Casey supports gay marriage without the term “marriage,” i.e.– civil unions.
… and I saw the North Korea ad on Philadelphia’s WTXF Fox 29 10 o’clock news.
Borys Krawczeniuk should know better.
Perhaps most notably, President Bush rejected the Kyoto Protocol because it didn’t apply to developing countries such as China and India and backed new source review rules that allow companies to avoid installing costly new pollution-control measures.
The protocol, a treaty approved by most of the rest of the industrialized world, aims to reduce global warming, which is caused when burned fossil fuels such as gasoline release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The gases trap heat and raise temperatures, an effect that many experts believe contributes to more frequent extreme weather.
Mr. Santorum opposed the protocol and voted against a study of the new source review rules.
How many Senators had opposed the Kyoto Protocol?
95.
Ninety-five.
In what year did they oppose the Kyoto Protocol? 1997.
It was so lopsided, the Clinton Administration didn’t even bring it to the Senate to be shot down.
Patriot-News Letter to the Editor
This is a bill which would not only continue the erosion of our economy but would greatly aggravate it.
The laws of the United States regarding illegal immigration have never been enforced and taxpayers continue to be forced to pay for benefits and many other freebies for people who are not American citizens, who thumb their collective noses at our laws and customs and really don’t like us.
These benefits should be stopped immediately, and punishment for those who hire illegals should be jail, not fines that employers would simply use as a “cost of business” and use it as a deduction.
It is incomprehensible to me that any intelligent person would support amnesty but, unfortunately, Bob Casey, along with the likes of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Arlen Specter, does. How short-sighted can one be?
Taxpayers and environmentalists both should be worried about the ramifications of the amnesty bill — I sincerely hope they are and will vote accordingly.
During the WPVI debate, Bob Casey said the following in reply to a question on Islamic fascism:
“I do think that there’s no question that virtually every American I know agrees that the biggest threat of our age is terrorism”
Later on in the same debate, Casey said in reply to a question on environmentalism:
“…and also, combat, which is I think the greatest threat to the human race in terms of our environment, and that’s global warming.…”
Someone should ask Casey to clarify this statement. So, Casey, is the greatest threat to the world al Qaeda, or SUVs?
Update
Yes, I’m aware that Casey said “in terms of our environment”. I’m the one who had to keep running the tape back about five times in order to successfully type up his incoherent gibberish after all.
First Casey said that all Americans say that terrorism is the biggest threat. Then he said that the greatest threat to the world is global warming. So is terrorism a worse threat for America, while global warming is a worse threat for the world? Or is global warming only a threat in terms of the environment, trumping actual environmental hazards like pollution?
Which one does Casey truly think is a worse threat? al Qaeda or SUVs? That’s all I want to know.
First question, for Casey: You said that the US has to do everything possible to stop North Korea and Iran from getting nukes. What specific lines would North Korea and Iran have to cross for you to vote for war?
Casey says, we need to use every option before the military option. Unfortunately these other options have been degraded by the administration. Because of this administration, we’re in worse shape in North Korea and Iran. There’s no line that I can identify (of course not, Bobby). Bush should listen to military experts, which it hasn’t done in Iraq. North Korea and Iran are threats.
Santorum praises the Constitution center. Then tells us that Casey gives us another non-answer. North Korea has nukes, and Casey is against bunker busting bombs. We need those weapons, and while Casey is against them, I am not. We need all the tools on the table.
Casey says, this is more of the same Santorum fiction. I am not against bunker busting bombs. We have to be smart on North Korea and stop them from advancing. What Santorum said isn’t true, he didn’t answer the question.
Moderator says to Casey, you didn’t answer the question (Ha!). What lines would North Korea have to cross?
Casey says, we have to ask the military experts. We can’t draw lines.
Santorum says, with respect to Iran, I would strike. Iran cannot have a nuke. Iran would use a nuke for offensive purposes.
Casey says, Santorum is talking about Iran but won’t close the Halliburton loophole. (Halliburton, Halliburton, Halliburton)
Question two, for Santorum: If there is no improvement in Iraq, should we pull out?
Santorum says, we need to have a second look at Iraq. We need suggestions, like partitioning. But you don’t negotiate with terrorists who are clear in their intentions. They want to defeat us and we must not stall for time. We must go after them and defeat them. Going after them has kept us safe for five years.
Casey says, Santorum is for more of the same. He’s satified with where we are in Iraq and in fighting terrorism. We need new leadership in Iraq. We need to replace Rumsfeld. We need to change course in Iraq. (I will have a heart attack if Casey ever gives a straight answer to a question). Santorum is for rubberstamping, more of the same.
Moderator asks, what about negotiating with insurgents?
Casey says, no, we just need to replace Rumsfeld.
Santorum says, Casey is two for two - two questions, two non-answers. Rumsfeld follows policy, he doesn’t make policy. How would replacing him help? Tell me about the Halliburton loophole, because I don’t think you know what it is.
Casey says, it prevents American businesses from doing business with Iran.
Santorum says, nope, not true.
Casey says, plug the loophole.
Question three, for Casey: Do you agree you should talk to your enemies? Bilateral talks in North Korea?
Casey says, we needed a better effort in the six-party talks in North Korea. Bush didn’t do enough. We need to keep options on the table. We need to talk to the other five countries in the six party talks and see if they can be productive, or else we should go bilateral (wow, don’t take a position or anything Casey). Santorum joked about the threat of North Korea, you shouldn’t joke about this threat.
Santorum says, three-for-three. Three non-answers. What he described is exactly what the administration is doing. We’re talking to the other five countries. We’ve tried hard, but North Korea said no. There’s a website which says Casey opposes bunker busting bombs. There are websites collecting money for you saying you oppose those bombs; tell them otherwise if that’s wrong. When North Korea tested a bomb, I made a statement, you did nothing. I guess you didn’t think it was that important.
Casey says, you can’t joke about North Korea, it’s serious business. Santorum shouldn’t take potshots at me.
Question four, for Santorum: The military is stretched thin, how can we go to war in Iran? A draft?
Santorum says, we need to be more aggressive toward Iran. I’m more aggressive than the administration because of the violence in Iraq caused by Iran. I understand the situation, I proposed the “Iran Freedom and Support Act” which the administration opposed. It promoted democracy in Iran. We need a change in Iran in favor of democracy. I led on the issue, and eventually it passed.
Casey says, I agree with much of what Santorum said on this bill. But the Halliburton loophole must be plugged! Halliburton problem! (Halliburton! Halliburton! Halliburton!) We need sanctions. Economic sanctions, travel bans will stop Iran (yeah, sure).
Santorum says, Casey invests PA funds in Halliburton (Haha!). “The current law is that Halliburton nor any of its subsidiaries may invest in Iran.”
Question five, for Casey: Is it a war on Islamic fascism as opposed to terrorism, or is that wrong?
Casey says, the biggest threat of our age is terrorism. Whether the terminology is wrong, I’ll leave to others (naturally). The terminology isn’t important; what’s important is meeting the threat. We need to double special forces so that they can hunt down and kill terrorists all over the world. We need counter-proliferation. We don’t need talk over terminology.
Santorum says, it is important to define your enemy. FDR didn’t say it was a war against blitzkrieg; it was a war against Nazism. It’s important to know your enemy, and I have been giving speeches all over the state about this issue.
Moderator asks, some say the term Islamic fascist does more harm than good, should we drop it?
Santorum says, we insulted Germans and Japanese in WWII, also. We need people to understand the war to keep our resolve.
Casey says, this is nothing new. Santorum has no plan. We need to double special operations, and need an energy strategy to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Bush talks about the greatest threat of our age, and uses it to divide Americans.
Question six, Santorum asks Casey: Healthcare - we’re in a physician crisis. Number of physicians is decreasing. You oppose liability reform from physicians and ob-gyns. You support the importation of unsafe drugs which would hurt jobs in PA. Why?
Casey says, I oppose caps on damages. If someone is damaged by malpractice, they should be compensated. We need to have a real strategy on healthcare, not this preaching you’ve done. We need the safe, FDA approved importation of drugs from Canada (Casey’s for outsourcing, I guess). You talk about job loss, but those numbers are inflated.
Question seven, Casey asks Santorum: I’m going to release five years of my tax returns tomorrow, will you?
Santorum says, yes I will release them, if that’s what you want.
Question eight, for Santorum: You voted against the immigration bill which would allow illegals to become immigrants and legitimize the underground economy. You can’t deport 13 million illegals, so what is your proposal?
Santorum says, Casey is for amnesty. I don’t believe in that. We need a workable system. We need a border security first approach. I voted for all border security I could. I voted for more detention facilities to hold non-Mexican illegals crossing the border. I voted for a 700 mile fence and would vote for more if necessary. We need to throw the book at employers who knowingly hire illegals. We need a temporary worker program. The 13 million can go back to their country, sign up for temporary worker, and enter here legally.
Casey says, this question has become central to Santorum’s campaign. But this question is about hypocrisy. Santorum has a lot of new interesting positions. Santorum has been in Washington 16 years, but about 16 weeks ago, he came out with this issue. He voted against border patrol agents, he voted against employer verification. He’s been in the Senate while numbers went in the wrong direction.
Santorum says, I voted for the Specter employee verification bill which was replaced by a bill Sen. Specter and I didn’t find appropriate. Casey is shocked that I actually want an issue to be part of the campaign rather than where my children sleep at night (zing!). I want border security first.
Question nine, for Santorum: Do you believe Social Security is in crisis? Do you support privatization or raising the age limit?
Santorum says, Casey direction on Social Security is to “do nothing”. I believe Social Security is in crisis in the long term, starting in about 10 years. We’ll see huge deficits as more money goes out than comes in. President Clinton talked about the crisis years ago. We were making progress on this issue, but everyone got sidetracked. “Doing nothing” was not an option for Bill Clinton. Casey wants to raise taxes by over a trillion dollars over ten years. That’s not how you grow an economy. I’m against raising the age limit.
Casey says, more fiction on taxes. Is there a crisis? The crisis is Santorum’s privatization scheme. His scheme was to drain from the Social Security trust fund and wouldn’t fix the solvency problem. The AARP will tell you that (I’ll bet). We need to grow the economy and stop privatization.
Santorum says, his plan is to do nothing. Again. More people agree there is a crisis. We don’t want to cut benefits for retired people. We want to let people invest their money to stop the raiding of the Social Security Trust Fund.
Casey says, the Philadelphia Inquirer called your plan “snake oil.”
Santorum says, yes, on their (leftist) editorial page.
Question ten, for Casey: Gun violence plagues Philadelphia and other large communities. How can you oppose gun control? (is that for real? Good grief)
Casey says, we need solutions that work. New gun laws don’t work. We shouldn’t try to eliminate the Safe and Drug Free Schools Act like Bush did. We shouldn’t cut back on the COPS program. We need more ATF agents in Philadelphia. The DA supports my campaign and has worked to drop gun violence.
Santorum says, you want endorsements? The FOP and the PA state troopers endorsed me as being someone doing something about crime. An ATF agent told me that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Get your facts straight. I worked with Sen. Specter on stopping gun violence. I worked on an anti-gang initiative. Project Safe Childhood, School Safe Act, my legislation which passed.
Casey says, endorsements?! The Philadelphia FOP’s for me.
Question eleven, for Santorum: The Heritage Foundation says that Bush has increased spending. Is that conservative? What cuts would you suggest?
Santorum says, we’ve had problems with spending, largely because of the recession, war, and natural disasters. But that’s no excuse. We have cut the deficit in half, however. Deficits happen if you don’t cut things. I’ve voted for many cuts which didn’t go into effect. I did support the Medicare drug plan, though it’s cost was high, because we needed it for our seniors. I voted for Medicaid reductions. We need to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
Casey says, Santorum has voted for big deficits. He voted for more debt to foreign governments. We’re more dependent on those other countries. His prescription drug coverage was a giveaway to special interests. Rick, you should have worked on a better bill.
Santorum says, 85% of seniors surveyed are for the bill. And once again, you didn’t answer the question - what would you cut?
Casey says, we can cut consultants and contractors and pork. Stop giving money to “your oil company friends”. My plan is to reduce the deficit.
Santorum says, by spending a trillion more dollars.
Question twelve, for Casey: How would you reduce dependence on foreign oil?
Casey says, Santorum thinks we can drill our way to energy independence. I don’t. We need alternative energy. We need 40 miles per gallon standards in the future. We need to combat the greatest threat to the human race, global warming (yes folks, not Islamic fascists, but global warming will destroy us. Talk about hot air)
Santorum says, Casey wants Kyoto which would destroy the PA economy. His high fuel standards would destroy the economy. We need to have all the options on the table, and Casey takes some off. We need to drill for our own oil. Casey refuses to support this.
Casey says, every expert supports 40 mpg (sure they do). It wouldn’t hurt the economy (sure it wouldn’t).
Question thirteen, for Santorum: Why are political ads so negative?
Santorum says, first of all, on the previous question, I’m for alternative fuel. For the first several weeks, I ran all positive ads. Casey does little but attack, attack, attack, he answers nothing, he dodges, bobs, and weaves. Casey has done two events a week, I do two events by 10AM almost every day. Casey wants to tear down, tear down. These tactics made Rendell furious.
Casey says, there’s no question who the negative campaigner is. He started the attack ads (waah, mommy, he started it!). His first negative ad was called particularly sleazy. People want change. People want a new direction. I have ten plans. Your plan is to privatize Social Security. It’s a joke what you want to do. You support Bush 98% of the time (*sigh*).
Question fourteen, for Casey: Do we need an independent commission to govern ethics in the House and Senate?
Casey says, yes, we need more disclosure. Lobbyist discussions with politicians should be reported. Shut down K Street, we need more sunlight and more scrutiny.
Santorum says, I led the charge on ethics reform. I worked with Sen. McCain to get that done. Most papers reported what I did. In the ad, I pointed out your shady deals with politicians in New Jersey. You transferred money to an old auditor general account and transferred money to New Jersey. You opposed dredging, then you supported dredging and all of a sudden you got money. We need ethics reforms to stop that.
Closing statements
Casey says, we need change. Millions don’t have health care. We need to do more to confront terrorism. I don’t want to talk about who I took money from, I want to talk issues (Casey wants to talk issues! Ha!).
Santorum says, Casey’s the only man in this race who took Abramoff money. I gave mine back. I worked hard for PA and I had to earn this job. I didn’t inherit this job because of my last name. My father was an immigrant. I was raised in public housing. I worked hard with my wife Karen and we knocked on doors when I ran for Congress. It’s not handed to me, I work for it. Casey says he works hard; is two events a week hard work? Is five days a month hard work? Maybe it is for a man named Casey, but it’s not good enough for a man named Santorum, and it shouldn’t be good enough for the people of Pennsylvania (great line to go out on!).
-=-= Opinion Roundups =-=-
Media
Blogs
Machine
Opinion III : The Machine
Carl Romanelli is interviewed by Twenty Questions (20Q).
You can watch the whole interview here.
Is he sitting on a throne? What kind of chair is that?
(tip to PoliticsPa)