SantorumBlog

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!

I’ve been thinking about it, and it’s really not that bad. Sure, we’ve lost the best Senator in the US Senate for basically no good reason, and that hurts, but now we need to concentrate on the big picture, and that means the victory of conservatism.

But first, now that I have it all figured out, let me explain exactly why Senator Rick Santorum lost yesterday so that something like this doesn’t happen again. Yes, he is still Senator, and will be until January. I think I’ll keep calling him “Senator Santorum” afterwards, anyway.

First, well, the six-year backlash was the main cause of his defeat. This is the sixth year of President George W. Bush’s presidency, and historically, the president’s party gets walloped in these six-year elections - and the Iraq War and Republican spending didn’t help matters. Yesterday was no exception. To minimize these losses, Republicans must be more economically conservative.

Second, and Santorum could have stopped this, was that the far-left successfully defined Santorum as a gay hating, woman hating, theocratic neanderthal, mostly by either misquoting him, but also by just plain old making up quotes. Rick should have hit back against these people hard and fast. The slurs of radical homosexual Dan Savage and his moonbat allies should never have been allowed to flourish as they did. (By the way, Dan Savage, I see that gay marriage was just banned in a few more states last night. How sad for you. Congrats on helping to elect the anti-gay marriage Bob Casey, though. Great job, guy.)

Third, Santorum’s support of Arlen Specter in 2004. He just shouldn’t have done it, even if Specter usually does vote with the Republicans, and even if Specter is a friend. The conservatives were trying to replace Specter with a true conservative, or at least try to do so, and Santorum’s endorsement of Specter messed up their plans. Unfortunately a large number of conservatives couldn’t put this behind them and thus opposed Rick.

Fourth, and finally, the liberal media was to blame. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s editorial page in particular was horrendous. Their disgraceful, dishonest attacks on everything conservative no doubt had a major influence on this election. As Santorum once said, the P-G hasn’t said a single nice thing about him in 16 years. We must continue to work to expose media bias. And we must not buy newspapers which print outright lies on the editorial pages in order to hurt conservatives and conservative ideas.

Now, as to why this loss wasn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. Democrats relied on conservatism more than ever to win elections. They ran a pro-life, pro-marriage, anti-embryonic stem cell research, pro-gun candidate in their effort to defeat Rick Santorum. And let’s just consider the possibility for a moment that Bob Casey actually will vote pro-life, anti-embryonic stem cell research, and pro-gun as a Senator. Let’s consider that Casey was being honest when he said that he would have voted to confirm Justice Sam Alito. If that’s true, then we’re in decent shape here.

Taxes rise and taxes fall. That is inevitable. Thanks to the Democrat victory, our taxes will be going up for the next two years. We’re just going to have to live with that. Nancy Pelosi will also try to force us to pay for the destruction of embryos, but hopefully Casey and others - if they vote how they said they would vote - will block Pelosi’s bills in the Senate.

The two issues of the absolute most important now are as follows:

-The war on Islamic fascism

-The Supreme Court

Again, Bob Casey says that he supports the Iraq War, and that he wants to fight the terrorists. If that is true, great! As I said, he says he would vote for Sam Alito. So if Casey sticks to his word and doesn’t make a liar out of himself, he will support the conservatives in the two most important areas.

Also, if you look at the way some of these elections went, it’s something which could only have happened in a six-year backlash election. Districts which are normally 2/3 Republican ended up with Democrats winning. My point is that we’re going to get a lot of those House seats back in 2008, and we’ll win control of some Senate seats in 2008 if we play our cards right over the next two years.

The solution to everything is to return to the principles of conservatism! That was a major part of the Democrat strategy yesterday, and it will be the way for us to win in 2008.

Santorum Press Release

Today on MSNBC, Bob Casey, Jr. denied investing in companies that do business with terrorist-sponsoring states, but yet again Casey is misleading the public. Pension fund money is invested in companies tied to states sponsoring terrorism, and as Treasurer, Casey has done next-to-nothing about it.

“It’s not surprising that Casey is misleading the public on his abysmal record as State Treasurer just one day after The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Casey had no ‘office days’ from July through September,” said campaign manager Vince Galko. “In 2002, Ed Rendell criticized Casey for running a campaign ‘filled with lies’ about his record. It appears Casey didn’t learn his lesson.”

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

Orson Scott Card, award winning science fiction author.

There is only one issue in this election that will matter five or ten years from now, and that’s the War on Terror.

And the success of the War on Terror now teeters on the fulcrum of this election.

If control of the House passes into Democratic hands, there are enough withdraw-on-a-timetable Democrats in positions of prominence that it will not only seem to be a victory for our enemies, it will be one.

Unfortunately, the opposite is not the case — if the Republican Party remains in control of both houses of Congress there is no guarantee that the outcome of the present war will be favorable for us or anyone else.

But at least there will be a chance.

I say this as a Democrat, for whom the Republican domination of government threatens many values that I hold to be important to America’s role as a light among nations.

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.

Santorum defends Iraq stance

“Sen. Rick Santorum said he knows his support for the war in Iraq has cost him votes, but he’s stood steadfast in his stance because he knows the safety of the United States, and possibly the world, is at stake.

He’s convinced the retreat so many are calling for would open the door for terrorists to gain control of that part of the world. Someone has to stand up and sound the alert, he said.

Whether you agree with him or not, his resolve to defend his beliefs shows he’s exactly the type of person Pennsylvanians need to fight for them in U.S. Senate, he said.”

Senator Santorum is serious about leaving Iraq a free and secure country, and about defeating the Islamic fascists wherever they are. It goes without saying that if America retreats from Iraq, our enemies will claim victory and will be emboldened like never before.

We all need to be serious on this issue. We need to stop listening to the far-left people who say that Christians are just as bad as Islamic fascists; their statements are outrageous. The facts are that Islamic fascists want to establish a world-wide dictatorship in which nobody has any rights. And we aren’t talking about the right to kill your unborn child as a “right” here - we’re talking about your right to go to school. We’re talking about the right to free speech. We’re talking about your right to freedom of religion. In fact, just read through the entire Bill of Rights and you’ll find out what you would lose if the Islamic fascists got their way. This is the most important issue of our time, and we must not allow the liberals in the media and in the Democrat Party to make a mockery of it. The liberals just aren’t serious about the war on terror - all they want to do is bash Bush and use Iraq to get votes for their candidates.

We need real leaders like Rick Santorum, not people who don’t even know what they believe like Bob Casey.

Now that Senator John Kerry is rightfully being blasted by the media for his remarks in which he “accidentally” called our troops stupid and uneducated, liberals insist that we talk about issues, not non-issues like John Kerry’s troop bashing!

Liberals want to return to the issues? When have they ever been about issues?

Unless you’re talking about the important national issue of how Rick Santorum wants to spend more time with his wife and kids, so he doesn’t commute back and forth from Penn Hills to Washington DC every day, and that somehow makes him crooked.

Then there’s the issue of Santorum saying that parents should spend more time with their young children. That one makes him “anti-woman”. Hey, don’t ask me how that’s anti-woman. Ask the liberals.

Or how about the issue of how Santorum said that if the Supreme Court can find a right to sodomy in the US Constitution, then the Supreme Court can find a right to any kind of deviant sexual behavior in the US Constitution? Since Santorum showed a perfect understanding of democracy, constitutional law and precedent, let’s bash him as being “anti-gay”.

What about the issue of Santorum describing threats to traditional marriage, saying that homosexual marriage is one such threat. As he said, it’s not man-on-child or man-on-dog, but it is a threat to traditional marriage, nonetheless. But let’s just falsely state outright that Santorum compared homosexuals to dogs and accuse him of blaming all of the world’s problems on gays. Why not? People might even believe it if we say it enough times!

And we can’t forget the issue of Santorum going to pray with his constituents Bob and Mary Schindler as their daughter was being dehydrated to death by order of the state. That just proves that he’s a right-wing wacko, because only a Jesus freak would go pray for an innocent person who is being killed.

And finally, don’t forget about Bob Casey’s number one issue - the issue that Rick Santorum agrees with President Bush too much. After all, why should a Republican Senator agree with a Republican President? That just doesn’t make sense.

Those are some important national issues, alright.

Please. If this election was about actual issues, Santorum would get about 90% of the vote since Bob Casey refuses to take positions on the issues. Instead, this election is all about lies, innuendo, and emotional illogic. The last thing liberals want to talk about is issues.

It’s four days before the election, and I’m still not sure what Bob Casey wants us to do in Iraq. I still don’t know how he’ll vote on issues like abortion and gay marriage. I still don’t know if he’ll vote to filibuster or vote to confirm originalist judicial nominees. I still don’t know if Casey is serious about protecting America’s borders.

All I know for certain, in fact, the only thing that Bob Casey himself seems certain of, is that he wants to raise taxes.

The other day, Bob Casey said the war in Iraq was based on lies, and it wasn’t worth it.

I wonder what he thinks of the New York Times revelation that Iraq about about a year away from nuclear weapons.

Just askin’.

It’s not like he’s going to get out there and say anything.

Update Heh: Have your Yellowcake and eat it too.”

FYI.

Iran test-fired dozens of missiles, including the Shahab-3 that can reach Israel, in military maneuvers Thursday that it said were aimed at putting a stop to the role of world powers in the Persian Gulf region.

The show of strength came three days after U.S.-led warships finished naval exercises in the Gulf that Iran branded as “adventurist.” Iran remains locked in dispute with the West over its nuclear program, which Washington says is geared to producing atomic weapons but Tehran says is only for generating electricity.

Jim Geraghty writes about the NY Times’ November Surprise.

I’m sorry, did the New York Times just put on the front page that IRAQ HAD A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND WAS PLOTTING TO BUILD AN ATOMIC BOMB?

What? Wait a minute. The entire mantra of the war critics has been “no WMDs, no WMDs, no threat, no threat”, for the past three years solid. Now we’re being told that the Bush administration erred by making public information that could help any nation build an atomic bomb.

Let’s go back and clarify: IRAQ HAD NUCLEAR WEAPONS PLANS SO ADVANCED AND DETAILED THAT ANY COUNTRY COULD HAVE USED THEM.

Yes, that’s how it sounds.

But the story retains its own inherent contradiction: The information in these documents is so dangerous, that every step must be taken to ensure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands… except for topping the regime that actually has the documents.

(By the way, is it just me, or is the article entirely devoid of any indication that Iran actually accessed the documents? This threat that, “You idiot! Iran could access all the documents!” is entirely speculative. If the government servers hosting the web site have signs that Iranian web browsers accessed those pages, it’s a different story; my guess is somebody already knows the answer to that question.)

His “one last thought” is a killer.

A great conservative endorsement for Rick Santorum, proving that he is serious about protecting America’s borders:

Minuteman group endorses Santorum

““We endorse those who will support the laws of this nation and secure the borders,” said Chris Simcox, honorary chairman of the Minuteman Political Action Committee. “We need him (Santorum) in the federal government because he has stood firm on this issue.””

Chris Simcox is a patriot who gave up his own time and money to patrol the borders himself because our government wasn’t doing the job. Thanks to his activism, more and more politicians are beginning to understand the importance of securing our borders.

WorldNetDaily…

Everybody has an opinion about next Tuesday’s midterm congressional election in the U.S. – including senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND who say they hope Americans sweep the Democrats into power because of the party’s position on withdrawing from Iraq, a move, as they see it, that ensures victory for the worldwide Islamic resistance.

The terrorists told WorldNetDaily an electoral win for the Democrats would prove to them Americans are “tired.”

They rejected statements from some prominent Democrats in the U.S. that a withdrawal from Iraq would end the insurgency, explaining an evacuation would prove resistance works and would compel jihadists to continue fighting until America is destroyed.

They said a withdrawal would also embolden their own terror groups to enhance “resistance” against Israel.

“Of course Americans should vote Democrat,” Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the infamous leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, told WND.

“This is why American Muslims will support the Democrats, because there is an atmosphere in America that encourages those who want to withdraw from Iraq. It is time that the American people support those who want to take them out of this Iraqi mud,” said Jaara, speaking to WND from exile in Ireland, where he was sent as part of an internationally brokered deal that ended the church siege.

Times-Leader

On the War in Iraq

The failure of Santorum and other Republicans to do the same with the Bush administration led to the “disaster” in Iraq – a war Casey says was entered into based on “blatant and deliberate lies” fed to the American people.

Asked if the war was worth getting rid of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Casey was quick to answer.

“Based on what we know now, no,” he said.

Rape rooms, childrens prisons, a choice between feet first or head first into a plastic shredder.

Not worth it.

Despite his feelings, Casey said he does not believe in setting a time limit to bring troops home. Rather, he supports setting benchmarks for the Iraqi government to achieve, with the most important being the securing of Baghdad.

“I don’t want to abandon this mission, but we must transform this mission,” he said.

That transformation starts with the firing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom Casey said has lost the trust of the American people.

And replace him with….. ??? That transformation apparently ends there, because that’s the last thing they say about it.

Domestic

Casey said the priority must be placed on curtailing the nation’s ballooning budget deficit, to ensuring Americans have access to affordable health care and improving security at home.

Budgets

Reducing the deficit won’t be easy, but Casey is convinced it can be done within eight to 10 years by eliminating some of the tax cuts heaped on the wealthiest Americans and by instituting other controls that would prevent Congress from implementing future cuts unless it’s shown how they will be paid for.

Raising taxes on the rich, while increasing spending on other issues is no way to balance a budget. The rich simply won’t cover the short fall.

Tim Russert laughed in Casey’s face when he proposed that as a solution.

Terror

On the terrorism front, Casey said the Bush administration policies have been woefully inadequate. He’s called for implementation of recommendations contained in the report prepared by the committee that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks.

This came up last night in a coffee-klatch get together I was at with Congressman Jim Gerlach. He said the forty one proposals are implemented. Democrats just disagree with the implementation.

Best answer?

Asked about Santorum’s claims that some state funds have been invested with firms with ties to terrorist nations, Casey put the blame on the Bush administration, which he said has refused his request to release a list of the names of such companies.

This guy can’t do anything on his own?

Tribune-Review/AP

Former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge returned to his home state Thursday to stump for Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, saying the country needs his leadership as it contends with terrorist threats across the globe.

Ridge, a former Pennsylvania governor who resigned to be the first director of the Department of Homeland Security after the Sept. 11 attacks, urged voters to support Santorum over Democratic challenger Bob Casey even if they don’t always agree with him.

“You don’t always have to agree with your senator, but you need to know where he stands,” Ridge said in a news conference at the Union League in Philadelphia. “We need Rick Santorum in the Senate. It’s a dangerous world.”

Ridge described Santorum as someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up to threats posed by countries such as Syria and North Korea. He pushed for support from moderates by describing Casey as someone who has not carved out his positions.

“It’s tough to find out where Bob Casey is on anything,” Ridge said.

Churchill & Santorum

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.

Academic Elephant has a “read the whole thing” post.

Sometimes it seems hard to get a handle on someone like Bob Casey, who has made a career out of saying as little as possible. But you can still get to know such a person by the company he keeps. Mr. Casey stood up yesterday to be counted with John Kerry, to whom he referred in the morning as a “patriot” and a “great leader,” and then in the evening he greatfully accepted the money raised for him by the junior senator from Massachusetts. For a rather dramatic contrast, listen to the audio and find out who is standing up to be counted with Senator Santorum. Marine Corps officer James Warner, who as a POW in Hanoi was read Mr. Kerry’s “Winter Soldier” testimony detailing the “crimes” of US soldiers. Nancy Schmidt, whose son Richard is currently serving in Kandahar, who hopes her son will not hear about Senator Kerry’s derogatory remarks while he’s risking his life to defend our country. While we can’t do anything about Mr. Kerry’s employment status this election cycle, we can do our best to make sure a man who emulates him doesn’t join him in Washington. Bob Casey may not talk very much, but yesterday he made crystal clear the kind of person he is, and the kind of senator he would like be.

The John Kerry kind.

Herb Denenberg:

I consider the No. 1 issue to be the war against Islamic/Fascist/Nazi extremism and terrorism. In my view, it is of such importance that all other issues fade into insignificance. As I’ve often said, if terrorists cut off your head, it doesn’t make much difference whether we save the blue-eyed squirrel or some other endangered species. However, to answer your question, Sen. Santorum’s legislative achievements are praiseworthy in other particulars as well as the war against terrorism.

In fact, David Brooks of the New York Times, that bastion of loony liberalism, recently wrote (Oct. 29), “For there has been at least one constant in Washington over the past 12 years: Almost every time a serious piece of anti-poverty legislation surfaces in Congress, Rick Santorum is there playing a leadership role. In the mid-1990s, he was a floor manager for welfare reform, the most successful piece of domestic legislation of the past 10 years. He then helped found the Renewal Alliance to help charitable groups with funding and parents with flextime legislation.” And the column goes on and on, proving, with one legislative achievement after another, that Sen. Santorum is the champion of the underprivileged. I’d vote for him based on his work as the champion of the underprivileged. But I feel everyone who wants to keep their head on their shoulders and escape suicide bombers should be duty bound to vote for Senator Santorum. Unfortunately, everyone is not getting Santorum’s critically important message, just as they failed to get Winston Churchill’s in the run-up to Hitler and World War II.