Monday, November 06, 2006

Santorum Pollster Indicted

The desperate Santorum campaign has distributed an email claiming that the race has moved to within4-points. The poll that Vince Galko touts is supposedly by "McCulloch Research and Polling". I wasn't able to find a web address, or any other kind of address, for this "firm".

I was also able to find a story about the principal of the Firm, one republican operative named "Rod McCullough". Apparently he was indicted last year on campaign fraud charges and the case remains open, awaiting trial. It seems that the guy is pretty well-known in Illinois and has a less-than stellar reputation for credibility, at least according to a commentator who referred to him as "shady".

I've asked Vinny Galko for a link to the poll or a copy of it, but I ain't holding my breath for that one.

Thanks for the laugh, Vince.

New CNN Generic Poll -- Dems with 20-Point Lead

Today CNN released the results of a generic congressional poll taken over the weekend. The poll of over 1,000 voters, including over 600 likely voters (note the ratio, folks), gave the Democrats a 58-38 percent advantage over the republicans in House races among the likely voters.

That 20-point lead is huge. In 1994, when the Republicans took back control of both Houses, their generic lead was under 4%.

This is pointing towards a blow-back of tremendous proportions and, if it holds up nationwide, voters in close races could send 54 Democrats (including Leiberman) to the Senate and the Dems could end up with 45 new Democratic seats in the House.

A big beneficiary of this sweep could be Harold Ford, who has inched back up in the polls recently. Given the MOE in the Tennessee polls, arguments can be made for a 51% Ford win. The problem is that Ford is black and, in particularly (but not exclusively) in states like Virginia Tennessee, a small percentage of white voters will tell a pollster they are voting for the black candidate when they have no intention of doing so. In a close race like this, that is enough to skew polls. BUT, if you see Harold Ford win in Virginia Tennessee, then look for surprises later in the evening. (Such as Arizona in the Senate, the Wyoming at-large House seat could then go blue, KT-5, WA-5, VA-10, OH-12, for example). Here in Pennsylvania, a sustained blow-back could send blow-hard Melissa Hart packing in PA-4. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Strategic Vision -- Santorum Down 12, Rendell Up 23

Strategic Vision released a second poll in a week on the Pennsylvania contest. I guess those silent voters still aren't talking, because Santorum's deficit has fallen to 12%, compared to the ten-point gap of a week ago. In the latest SV survey, 1200 likely voters said, in interviews taken between November 2 and 4, that 52% would pull Casey's lever, 40% Santorum's, and eight percent asked "What's a lever?". Last week, 12% were swtill clueless and the ones making up their minds all went to the challenger.

In the Gubernatorial race, Rendell's smackdown of Lynn Swann is approaching landslide proportions, with 58% in Fast Eddie's camp, 35% in Swann's, and 7% can't figure out how to get off the turnpike.

Weekend Senate Polls in Key States

In New Jersey, the Strategic Vision poll released today put Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez 7 points ahead of Republican Tommy Kean Junior. The republican smear machine seems to have come up short here -- SV reports that Menendez's favorables are higher than Kean's. Gallup released a poll today showing the NJ race to be a ten-point win for Menendez (50% - 40%) among likely voters. Similarly, Quinnipiac's poll, also released today, puts Menendex ahead by five points, 48-43, among likely voters.

In Virginia, the latest Rasmussen survey is putting the race at 49%-49%. The incumbent Republican George "Macaca" Allen is viewed "very unfavorably" by 29%, Webb by 20%. Webb's favorables are also higher than Allen's -- 55% to 50%. Before it became clear to the world that Allen was a bullying bigot, he was viewed favorably by 64%, Webb by 46%. Now, thirty percent (30%) of Webb voters say they are voting against Allen rather than for Webb. On both Iraq and the economy, Webb has a narrow edge when voters say which candidate they trust more. Although Gallup's registered likely voter poll has him down four three points today, Webb will win this one. (Among registered voters, Gallup has it tied at 42%.)

In Missouri, Rasmussen released a poll over the weekend showing McCaskill up by one point (49%-48%) over Republican incumbent Jim Talent. Rasmussen found that 92% of Democrats are supporting McCaskill and 91% of Republicans are backing Talent. The candidates have the same favorables and McCaskill's unfavorable is one-point higher than Talent's (49-48). The race is tight and might come down to turnout. Crossing fingers, but still looking for voters to break for McCaskill tomorrow. Gallup's poll, out today, says McCaskill is up by four points, 49% to 45% among likely voters, 46%-39% overall.

In Montana, Democratic challenger Jon Tester maintains his lead against ethics-challenged incumbent Conrad Burns, according to the most recent Rasmussen poll. The survey gives Tester 50% to Burns's 46%. Gallup's most recent poll, released today, puts the race at 50% for Tester, 41% for Burns among likely voters.

Gerlach Can Spot a Ferin'r a Mile Away



(h/t PoliticsPA)

Sunday, November 05, 2006

New PA-Sen Poll, Piling On

The newest poll on the Pennsylvania Senate Race bitch-slaps Rick Santorum with a 13-point deficit.

According to the Mason-Dixon survey, Casey leads the floundering incumbent 52% to 39% with 7% starving because they still haven't decided what to have for lunch yesterday.

In more bad news for Virginia's third Senator, his big issues -- Immigration and Terrorism -- fall behind Iraq, the economy, health care, and government spending, among others, as issues people see as more important to their vote. When you are on the wrong side of the top four issues on people's minds, you have no business spending other people's money in a campaign.

Sixty-one percent say that Santorum has helped Bush lead the country in the wrong direction and 63% disapprove of the Santorum/Bush Iraq policies.

Twice as many say Santorum's attacks on Casey were unfair as the other way around.

But, Santorum's biggest problem? More than 65% of Pennsylvanians see themselves as Moderate or Liberal.

Well, Okay, then.

As long it is from such a reliable source.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Santorum on Social Security

Gutless

For the last couple of decades, the quintessential big fish in a very small pond has been Paul Kanjorski. The Congressman from PA-11 (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton), was a four-time loser before he finally won a primary and then went on to handily beat some rich kid (who later skipped town and this year ran a keystone-cops goobernatorial campaign in Colorado.) Kanjorski has served since then, and apparently became adept at funnelling money to family-owned businesses. Ask about his accomplishments and you get the grunting rut of the pork king.

Apparently Kanjo wandered into East Stroudsburg University the other day and had the audacity to tell the students that they need to be able to stand up for what they believe in and be willing to debate their opponents:
He distilled his life and political experience into three pieces of advice to the students. The first was to learn the art of debate and public speaking. "If you haven't got the guts to stand up and state your position, you're no threat to me or my opponent," he said.
This wasted windbag wouldn't know courage if it were wearing a sign. This steaming pile of NEPA politician has the audacity to lecture college students on standing up to their opponents when he has refused to debate his opponent this year.

Hypocritical asshole.

He's a paper cowardly-lion.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Predictions

It is time to put up.

I privately set for myself this date to cast my lot for a couple of reasons, the main one being I leave town today for a business trip and will have uncertain access to The Internets over the next few days.

So here are my predictions for the 2006 midterms. Overall, the Dems end up with a 40+ seat majority in the House and a one seat majority in the Senate, including Lieberman.

I took a quick survey of the PA poliblogs today and didn't see any who had stepped up yet -- com'on folks, no fair holding back until November 6. Put it on the line today.

PA-SEN Casey by 11 +/-

I got lucky, the race that I have been following most, the PA Senate, is the easiest to call. In fact, I called it in August when I said Santorum will lose by double digits.

Note that I said "Santorum loses". Casey neither deserves nor earned the win and the Party will come to regret getting into bed with the likes of him. It was not necessary, except to the Governor who ensured that Casey kept his nose out of this year's Gubernatorial. A bucket of warm spit in business attire could have beaten Rick Santorum this year, and that's nearly what we got.

Santorum's approvals have barely reached above 40 all year. As a two-term incumbent, sustained approval ratings under 40 are a deadly harbinger -- it indicates an electorate primed for a change.

Santorum helped out the Democrats by making every step a miss. His first advertisement of the campaign tried to take Casey and the Democrats to task for the faux incident at his faux home. What he succeeded in doing was give the Democrats a chance to remind everyone that when Rick first ran for office, he attacked his opponent for living in Virginia and promised the he would never do such a thing, and then did; and that Rick demanded and got hundreds of thousands in tax payer money to home school his brood in Virginia. His claim of Casey complicity was seen through as political piffle by everyone with a second grade education, but even worse was his ridiculous claims of his children being threatened (600 miles away) and the stupid police complaint he filed -- in Virginia!!?? Now there's a campaign team that has earned the right to sit home in '08.

But, that was just for starters. Santorum & Co. then picked up two issues to hammer home -- one made-up, one make-weight. His made-up movement -- Islamic Fascism -- moved no one. The follow through was horrible -- Rick running about flapping his gums over Nazis and appeasement and telling voters if they vote for Casey, they die. It was, as the last popular President said, an old dog that wasn't going to work anymore. Moderates were laughing at him.

His second issue, immigration, was a different kind of scare out the vote tactic, and it also failed, miserably. Outside Lou Barletta's bigoted mind and town, Santorum's "brown scare" took root nowhere. It consistently scored below "other" in polls asking voters what issues moved them this year.

Oh, but then there were the attack ads. Santorum's first big attack advertisement of the campaign -- the guys in the jail cell -- had great production value. It also had so many lies and distortions that every media outlet in the State was yapping about it the next day. Coming on the heels of the Penn Hills faux home fiasco, which Santorum was made to look eight yards short of credible, the jail cell advertisement sealed the deal in the minds of the voters -- nothing Santorum would thenceforth say about Bob Casey was going to stick, they had already decided that Santorum was a liar, and a loser.

That's why the debates didn't matter -- no one watched them and those that did, if their minds were not already completely made up on Santorum's credibility, they received his words with caution, and a ton of salt. Casey got at least one thing right -- Santorum was desperate, and he looked and sounded the part.

Casey deserves almost no credit for winning this one. He thumbed his nose at democracy by refusing to get out and talk to people, to attend public campaign events, to debate early and often (most of those joint appearances were not debates), by refusing to answer direct questions on where he stands on issues, and by making sure that a third choice was not going to be available to the voters. He is not an original thinker, he has no leadership capability, and he has no personal charm. He is not going to be a Senator of which Pennsylvania will be proud. But, at least he is not Rick Santorum.

What a choice we had.

Rick Santorum -- just like George Bush, but without the intellect; or,
Bob Casey -- just like, well, Rick Santorum, but without the balls.

PA-GOV Rendell by 18+/-

I didn't give much coverage to this race. Mainly because it never was a race. A political novice, an ex-jock at that, going up against likely the best Pennsylvania pol of this generation. It was a done deal in May. Fast Eddy has been unnecessarily piling on, with advertisements, big regional money grants, and fundraising like you've never imagined. Not because he was ever in a race. He wants the big numbers behind him next week to show he's the player who can deliver Pennsylvania to the Dems in '08. Dick Cheney may be a shooting veep, Ed Rendell is shooting for veep.

US-HOUSE Key PA Races Dems +4

I only have a handle on a handful. These are the races I have been glancing at now and again:

PA-4, Melissa Hart (R)(I) over Jason Altimire (D)
PA-6, Lois Murphy (D) defeats Jim Gerlach (R)(I)
PA-7, Admiral Joe Sestak (D) torpedoes crazy Curt Weldon (R)(I)
PA-8, Pat Murphy (D), beats Mike Fitzpatrick (R)(I)
PA-10, Chris Carney (D), chokes off Don Sherwood (R)(I)

US SENATE

I don't want to call this one today -- but I scheduled today to make my picks so I shall.

Not so very long ago, I was preparing a piece taking certain so-called liberal bloggers to task for going with Casey as part of a take-back-the-Senate strategy. My argument was two-fold, (1) anyone could beat Santorum, especially a really, really, REALLY smart college professor who happened top be a REAL main-street Democrat, and (2) there was no chance to take back the Senate.

I was and am still correct on the first point, but reality has interfered with the second. The Senate is in play.

The close races are Montana, New Jersey, Missouri, Virginia, and Tennessee. The Dems need four of those five to take back the Senate.

In Montana, Democrat Jon Tester is taking on Republican incumbent Conrad Burns. Burns closed a double-digit gap, and the race remains in the margin of error. However, after the first poll in April, Burns never won another poll in this race. Big Sky country is ready for a change from the go along, get along, gimme money and power, politics of Conrad Burns. Jon Tester picks up a seat in the Senate for the Dems on November 7.

In New Jersey, "incumbent" Democrat Bob Menendez gave us a scare -- with the electorate partially and temporarily succumbing to Tommy Kean Junior's attack ads. Menendez has recovered nicely and is headed to a win there, preserving a seat for the Democrats.

In Missouri, Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill is giving Republican incumbent Jim Talent whatfor. She has led through much of the race, but the recent uproar over the Michael Fox advertisement and negative ads (which the local newspapers say make false charges) by Jim Talent have put this race in the dead heat category. There is also a pro-stem-cell research amendment on the ballot. Talent opposes stem-cell research, McCaskill and 53% of her fellow-voters, favor it. McCaskill wins this squeaker because on election day, the voters here will break for change. McCaskill turns a red Senate seat blue.

Virginia. Old Dominion was certain to send bigoted bully George Allen back to the Senate where he could do the most harm. But his true colors shined through one fine day when he decided to bully a young man of color, who happened to be toting a full-color video camera. Thank goodness for YouTube. It has been neck and neck since then. It is easy to understand the Virginia voters' dilemma -- do they send a bigoted bully back to Congress or elect a sexist pig to replace him? I think the good people of Virginia will decide that they'd rather support a sexist pig than a bigoted bully.

Webb
, a former Republican who served as Secretary of the Navy in Reagan's White House, will take this one away from his former colleagues. George Allen, like Rick Santorum will have to give up his '08 Presidential fantasy, too. Thank GOODNESS for YouTube!

That is enough to give the Democrats 51 seats, which is good since it looks like Harold Ford will not pick up Bill Frist's abandoned seat in Tennessee.

US HOUSE

If you have to ask, you haven't been paying attention. Dems take control, going away.



Okay, you're turn, dear readers and fellow bloggers.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Proof -- Rick Santorum is a Fraud

I have stumbled upon incontrovertible proof that Rick Santorum is a fraud -- he doesn't even EXIST!!!

According to the always-reliable website, HowManyofMe.Com, there are ZERO -- none, nada, zilch -- people in the United States named "Rick Santorum":


Rick Santorum

  • There are 0 people in the U.S. named Rick Santorum.
  • One or both of the names you entered were not found in our database.


Which irreducibly leads us to one of two possibilities -- Rick Santorum is a fraud and impostor or, more intriguingly, he is an illegal alien.

I am leaning towards the latter -- Rick Santorum is a self-hating, illegal (likely gay) alien.

Yeah, that's the ticket.


(h/t to The Power of Trinity for the lead)

p.s. While there are over 1,500 souls burdened with my name, my children are more individual. One is in single digits and one is in low doubles. And they are "real" names, not "Apple", or "Dweezil", or "Road Kill" (although I did argue for the latter -- to toughen her up).

One More Reason to Vote Democratic Nov. 7

From the AP today:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush said Wednesday he wants Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney to remain in his administration until the end of his presidency, extending a job guarantee to two of the most criticized members of his team. . . .

He refused to even say whether he could work effectively with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi or Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid if Democrats won either the House or Senate, or both. . . .

Democrats and Republicans alike have called for Rumsfeld's resignation, arguing he has mishandled the war in Iraq where more than 2,800 members of the U.S. military have died since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Cheney has faced sharp criticism for his hardline views and is viewed favorably by only about a third of Americans in polls. Bush said that "both those men are doing fantastic jobs and I strongly support them."
You have to wonder, does Bush think he has a choice about the Vice-President? (Remeber, this is a guy who refers to Canada as "overseas".) Someone would tell him that the V-P serves at the pleasure of the Constitution, not the President.

(Photo By Ron Edmonds, AP)

The Real Joke

Senator, the real joke is your record and the miserable failure of an administration which you have worked so hard to prop up. Unfortunately, your jokes kill.

Help Joe Sestak - Take Action by 7pm TODAY!

From the Sestak Campaign:

Despite what you may have read recently regarding the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) pulling its support from my opponent (the sitting Vice-Chairman of the Armed Services Committee), the NRCC has not. This morning, the NRCC placed a new negative attack ad against me. This is a fight to the end!

I simply need additional funds today to "push back" and to place my ads in greater rotation through election day -- to maintain our lead in the polls! My ad buy is being placed tomorrow, thus your funds today are critical.

Please contribute $25, $50, $100, $250 to ensure victory on the 7th:

http://sestakforcongress.com/take-action/contribute/

Second, Senator Kerry, who has been a tremendous supporter of my campaign, is holding a one-day contest that ends today at 7 p.m. on his website. The two House candidates with the largest number of votes will be selected to have an e-mail blast sent out on their behalf to Senator Kerry's 3 million donor base.

With your vote for me on Senator Kerry's website, we have the possibility of raising additional funds to offset this latest negative attack by the RNCC and my opponent. I would be honored if you would vote for me.


We are almost on the verge of victory, in what has already been an incredible out-pouring of support from you. I know it is alot to ask, but if you could see your way to take action on the two steps above, I would be extremely grateful.

Kerry's Prepared Text

Although the wingnutz are still all gaga over the Kerry gaffe, The Washington Post got a copy of Kerry's prepared text for the Monday California speech. Here's what The Post had to say:
The text had Kerry starting out with a couple of jokes about Republicans and Bush: "You know, yesterday we turned the clock back an hour. Actually just Democrats did. Republicans keep trying to turn back the clock to 1958."That was followed by, "Yesterday I was in President Bush's home state of Texas. He no longer lives there. Now he lives in the state of denial."

The text continued: "It's great to be here with college students. I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

The prepared remarks then had Kerry saying, "But in all seriousness, you know, California has the 6th largest economy in the world -- larger than most nations. It is vitally important to our success as a nation. And the future of California lies with the innovations, expertise, and achievements of our young people."

Instead of delivering the lines as written, Kerry said after the "state of denial" remark: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
Of course, Tony Snow, Bush, Commedian Rush Limbaugh, and the other Repeater Beacons will continue to talk about Kerry. That's understandable because it shoves off the radar unimportant news, like this:
Originally published November 1, 2006, 1:15 PM EST
Bombs struck a police patrol, a market and a bridge in Baghdad today as violence across Iraq left more than 20 people dead, while police searched for dozens of Shiites abducted by suspected Sunni gunmen along a dangerous highway north of the capital.

The U.S. military also reported the death of a soldier in fighting Tuesday in volatile Anbar province west of Baghdad, raising to 104 the number of American service members killed in combat in October -- the fourth deadliest month since the war began.
or, this:
Nov. 1, 2006, 4:45AM BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than 40 Shiites were abducted along a notoriously dangerous highway just north of Baghdad, police said today, and the death toll from a suicide bombing at a wedding party rose to 23, including nine children. At least eight other people were either found dead or slain in new attacks today, including one person killed in a car bomb attack in Baghdad's central market, which wounded five others, police Lt. Ali Hassan said. The death toll in the market attack was likely to rise, he said.
Miserable failure.

PA-06: Murphy by 5 Over Gerlach

According to Reuters/Zogby polls released today, Lois Murphy leads Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach 49% to 44%.

This comes on the heals of yesterday's Constituent Dynamics poll also putting the Democratic challenger 5 points ahead of the Abramoff-tied incumbent, 51%-46%.

All Local Politics iz National

Yeah, yeah. "All politics is local", "George Bush is not on the ballot", &ct. But not this year.

This year we have mid-terms that are a true national referendum like we have never seen before. I've tried to make this point inelegantly many times.

Take a gander at what someone who is thoughtful and knowledgeable and articulate (i.e., take a break from Y.T.) has to say about such things. From Will Divide, over at Huck and Jim, my favorite small blog with big ideas:
All politics are local, but all elections now are national. It astonishes me how completely national themes and concerns have turned the off-year into a national referendum. Part of it is certainly the nature of the Iraq war and I think the GOP has only itself to blame after first running into this season fully behind their dim standard bearer and the rightness of his cause. But, here again, what gains they made in the last decade were all due to nationalizing local races. This is a world of their own making.

A amplifying this trend is the effect of new media which the Dems have used pretty well in targeting races, collecting money and launching low-cost, flexible ad campaigns.

GOP losses will be at the bloody end of painful. Hedge if you feel like it, but since the weekend GOP campaigners been puking on themselves in desperation. The Oval Office squirt went from clueless ("We'll retain both houses") to vicious (Dems = Terrorist Stooges) in the space of five days. I say the House and Senate, going away.
Read it all. My favorite snippet is his toss away on Charlie Rangel, the most underestimated man in Congress:
Lately Charlie Rangel . . . has been smiling like the cat who not only swallowed the canary, but has seven or eight more stashed away in case he's feeling peckish later.
"Squalid little man" . . . . great stuff.

More New PA-SEN Polls

Two more released today, in addition to the Keystone Poll. Quinnipiac University's poll puts Santorum down by ten points (52%-42%) among what they call "likely voters" (they have three times refused our request for clarification on how they determine a likely voter). This is a four-point gain drop in the spread for the Democrat over the previous Quinnipiac poll numbers for likely voters.

Also out today, Strategic Vision's latest, which makes it also a ten-point deficit for the failing Santorum, 49%-39%. Last month's SV poll had Casey up by seven.

I have to go now, my toast is ready, as is Santorum's.

New Keystone Poll -- Santorum Down 15 Points

With less than a week until election day, two-term incumbent Rick Santorum has fallen behind his Democratic challenger by 15 points according to the October Keystone Poll. State Treasurer Bobby Casey, Jr. leads Santorum among registered voters 53% to 38%, with 9% undecided. Santorum has not moved at all from over last month's Keystone, while it appears that all of the third-party vote and all of the undecideds are moving to the Democratic candidate.

Casey had a whopping one-month 8-point increase in support for the challenger. The previous Keystone included Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli, who garnered 5% support in that poll. Casey & Co. had Romanelli thrown off the ballot. Casey's increase equals the total of Romanelli support and the drop in undecideds.

Santorum's wacked-out attacks on Casey over the last month (see, Classless Santorum Claims Treason, Santorum and the Four Horsemen of Calumny, Santorum: 'It's 1930's Germany All Over Again'!, and Santorum: 'Nazis on My Mind') have succeeded in giving the incumbent Senator his highest unfavorable rating since 1994, when the Keystone Poll began taking the voter's temperature on Santorum -- 46%. During the last month, Casey's favorables rose from 29% to 39%.

Santorum has been emphasizing the war on terror and immigration in his scare out the vote campaign. That has been as ineffective as his attacks on Casey. Those issues rank below "Something Else" on the list of issues with which respondents to the Keystone Poll are concerned.

The poll also shows that 79% of Pennsylvanians want to keep abortion legal and 51% want tighter gun restrictions. Both candidates are on the wrong side of Pennsylvania voters on those two issues.

Oh, yeah, the poll suggests that there might be a Gubernatorial election next week. Sumguy named Rendell seems to have a 25-point lead (and a 54% favorable) over some ex-jock.

Carpetbagger

PA AFL-CIO statement:

Rick Santorum's alleged Penn Hills home sat vacant for months, and until conveniently one week prior to the election he showed up and scared his neighbors. The citizens of Pennsylvania deserve to have a U.S. Senator who is going to reside in Pennsylvania, not just hand out candy on Halloween. To remain connected to the people of Pennsylvania it is important for a U.S. Senator to be an "inhabitant" of the state that elects him.

For years we have never seen anyone at Santorum's alleged residence and tonight he shows up with a camera crew from the O'Reilly Factor?" "The working men and women of Pennsylvania will see this for what it is. A staged, phony night at a home he does not live in," said Anna Lombardo a Penn Hills Neighbor.
The entire residency flap is just another in a series of errors resulting from Santorum's arrogance and sense of entitlement. The law permits a member of Congress to live in D.C. during a term of service without losing legal residency in the home district. (But note, the law expressly says D.C. -- not anywhere else.) It was not that Santorum moved his residence to Virginia which caused this problem for him.

He was elected, in part, based on vicious attack ads claiming his opponent had done the same and promising never to move to Virginia. Then, in his arrogance, he did exactly the same. Compounding his arrogance, he treated his former fellow-Pennsylvania residents like idiots and denied that he had moved. He claimed to live in a house which was too small by half for his brood, which was rented out to others during most of his last (and final) term in office, and for the last six months has been empty -- without furniture or carpeting.

But even that wasn't enough to create this flap. It was then his sense of entitlement that was the final straw -- he demanded and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the tax payers in the school district where his empty house stood. The money was used to indoctrinate his children in the perverse ideology of the Church of Sanatoriumism (they called it "home schooling").

Santorum lied to his electorate when he promised never to move his family to Virginia, he lied after he moved about moving, and then he demanded that the citizens of the school district turn their tax money over to him so that he could protect his dozen children from the savages at the Virginia public schools, and ensure that they grow up steeped in the same twisted mind ideology that Santorum spews for any microphone with power.

If Santorum's fevered brain is looking for the reason for his under-40 approvals and his imminent retirement from the United States Senate, all he needs to do is take a hard look at the insane mental munchkin in the mirror.

Buh-bye, Rick.

(h/t Modesto Bee for the pic)

Non-Partisan GOTV Campaign

From e-robin:

You Don't Have to Live in PA to Get in on Some Midterm-Season Fun

PA Action, working with Women's Voices Women's Votes and US Action, is working a non-partisan campaign on the phones and on the ground to turnout likely progressive female voters this election. You've probably read about WVWV over at MyDD. As Matt said in that post:

Right-wingers have two giant fears. The first is if evangelicals stop voting, as they did from the 1920s until the late 1970s. The second is if single women start voting.

That second part is our plan and you can help from the comfort and convenience of your home. We need four hundred people to each call one hundred names on our list. That's about two hours of work per person. Trust me, it goes by more quickly than you may imagine. The script is short and direct. The focus voters are people we need to get to the polls if we want to see some change in the direction this country. Please make the jump and find out how you can spend a couple of hours helping to get this country back on track.

Thanks! Here's what you do:

1. Please remember that this calling is non-partisan. We aren't encouraging anyone to vote for any candidate in particular. We are working on turning out women who are likely progressive voters.

2. Go to PA Action's page at Pop Vox.

3. Register to make calls.

4. Login

5. When you are ready to make calls, click on the Make Calls link.

6. Select a campaign. You can choose between Bucks and Delaware Counties.

7. Click MAKE CALLS

8. Enter the phone number you are calling from. The system will call you and from the time you answer, you don't need to touch the phone again. In fact, I hooked up an earpiece because I kept hanging up after I talked to voters, which disconnected me from the system - no good. It's a hard habit to break if the phone is in your hand.

9. Your phone will ring. when you answer it, you'll hear music until you click "Ready for Call." Then Pop Vox will look for a voter for you to talk to. Please be ready to go as soon as you hear the beep otherwise there's an annoying delay on the voter's end.

10. When you get a voter, read the script and get the answer to the question, which is: Do you plan to vote on November 7?

11. Do not hang up the phone! Click "End Call."

12. Fill out the response fields.

13. Click "Save Call."

14. Click "New Call."

15. Click "Ready for Call" and the whole process starts over again.

Two hours. 100 voters. Help bring real change to southeastern PA and the country.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The Irony-Challenged Wingnutz

“I can’t overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq.” - Senator John Kerry

Wingnuts are wetting themselves over John Kerry's botching of his joke yesterday (he left out the word "us"; the videos you see fail to show it was a series of jokes about the miserable failure in chief). “If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy." (Kerry Press Release)

From the Honorable Max Cleland:

John Kerry should apologize to no one for his criticism of the President and his broken policy in Iraq. George Bush is the one who owes our troops an apology. This is text book Republican campaign tactics.

Everybody knows it's not working this time around. If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they've got a partisan political agenda and that's the bottom line. We're not going to take it any more.

The local contemporaneous coverage tells us that Kerry,
charmed the crowd with tales of surfing at Mission Beach and got laughs for a series of one liners, including telling the crowd he had just returned from Texas, "Where the president used to live - now he lives in a state of denial." Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq"
The wingnutz frenzy is more than a little ironic, given the President's ability to botch everything he says.

But it works to distract people, even if only for a moment, from the miserable failure that is this Administration, that is this senseless invasion of Iraq.



Here's the transcript of his statement and the press conference.

Oh, you wanted botched and stupid? Here:
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." —LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)

"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." —Greater Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000(Listen to audio clip)

"I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." —second presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004 (Listen to audio clip)

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." —Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)

"You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." —to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 (Listen to audio clip)

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004 (Watch video clip; listen to audio clip)

"They misunderestimated me." —Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

"Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" —Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video clip; listen to audio clip)

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 (Watch video clip; listen to audio clip)
Or, were you looking for inappropriate humor about sending boys and girls off to die? Well, how about this:

Rasmussen PA SEN Poll & More

The Rasmussen poll we told you about yesterday in Classless Santorum Claims Treason, was released today and you can spy it here. Our call, of 55% for Casey, 42% for Santorum, was correct (we have one fine birdie, there). Here's how the pollster sees it:
It doesn't look like Republican Senator Rick Santorum will be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat. This race remains in the Democrat's column for our Senate Balance of Power summary.

The incumbent gained five percentage points of voter support since our October 5 survey of the race, and a further point since October 16. But as undecided and other voters break for one of the major-party candidates, Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. has been gaining as well. Thus Casey still leads Santorum by the same thirteen-point margin, now 55% to 42%.

Santorum loses almost a fourth of the GOP base and a full 25% of conservatives to Casey, who shares the conservative opposition to abortion and gun control. If newly revived concerns about judicial activism and gay unions are helping struggling Republicans elsewhere, that's not the case in Pennsylvania.
Elsewhere, Rasmussen sees Lamont gaining on Lieberman and, a week shy of election day, sees it as Leiberman 48%, Lamont 40%, Sumrepub Guy 9%. Good run up for Lamont, but too little, too late.

Yesterday we mentioned the (as yet) unreleased Rasmussen on New Jersey, showing Democratic incumbent Menendez opening up a two-point lead over State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. Today, Quinnipiac released it's THIRD New Jersey poll since September 20 (only ONE PA poll in that span), confirming the trend to the Dems in the Garden State. Quinnipiac puts it at 48% for Menendez and 44 points for the NJ favorite son's favorite son. Strategic Vision goes along, with the poll released today showing Menendez squeaking by with a one-point lead and a hearty 15% undecided. The New Jersey race has been even nastier than Santorum's swipes at Casey. The undecideds are not happy with that, but, I promise you, they will break for the Democrat on November 7. The CNN Poll is making it 51%-44% for Menendez among likelies and 50%-38% overall.

In Rick Santorum's home state, Rasmussen has released a second poll right on the heals of last week's survey,which had put Allen up a point. Rasmussen's latest poll in Virginia has the Democrat Webb leading Allen by 5 points when "leaners" are included. CNN has the Democrat ahead by 4 points among likely voters.

In Tennessee, CNN has the Republican Corker ahead of Ford, 52%-44% among likelies. Rasmussen will be releasing a poll there that puts Ford back two points.

In Missouri, CNN has Republican incumbent Jim Talent trailing Clair McCaskill 51%-43% overall, but dead even at 49% among likely voters. A Rasmussen poll due out soon will show the Democrat ahead one point, 48%-47%. This is a down trend for Talent.

Happy Halloween



(From Democratic Underground)

Scranton Paper Shills for Casey

Demonstrating, once again, that he and his capos at the Scranton Times ShamrockTimes-Tribune/Wilkes-Barre Citizen's Voice, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, Borys Don't-Spell-My-Name-Wrong Krawczeniuk has another missive direct from the Casey Campaign, posing as his "independent observations" -- what the STSTTWBCV laughingly calls a news report.

Today's STSTTWBCV contains another pandering piece by the Casey Campaign's chief press agent rising to the defense of their boy against the Santorum "aiding and abetting" terrorists claim. The article covers all the angles of the story, well, at least all the angles of Casey's rebuttal to Santorum. (And, not for nuthin', but Casey wouldn't need to rely on a shill if he was actually out on the campaign trail.) It is what the article doesn't say which is galling. Once again, as usual for this rag, and contrary to the practices of ethical journalists everywhere, nowhere is there any mention of the hundreds of thousands of dollars which the owners of the Scranton Times have shoved into Casey's pockets over the years.

It is unusual, to say the least, for owners and editors of newspapers to be so heavily invested in a political candidate which their papers is supposed to objectively cover. A search of the FEC database reveals zero contributions to political candidates from any of the other NEPA newspaper owners, editors and reporting staff. Besides handing over wads of cash, and never providing a disclaimer to their readers, the owners of the Scranton Times have also engaged in dubious advertising of their newspaper which featured falsified headlines touting Casey, which some have said were illegal campaign donations.

All that is fine and, while giving tons of money to a politician is more than a little questionable from the standpoint of journalistic ethics, it is (presumably) legal. But for the Scranton Times to pretend to objectively cover the Senate Race without disclosing to their readers the stake that the ownership of the newspaper has in the outcome is journalistic fraud. They should be ashamed, except they are from NEPA, where we hear that such things are rather routine. So, we expect the owners of the paper to further disrespect their family heritage, give the finger to real journalists everywhere, and continue Trashing the First Amendment.

W

Because I have bandwidth to waste . . . From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.

This page has been screened by FOXNews for authenticity and impartiality, and has "terror-proof" protection for her pleasure. While difficult to imagine, there is a miniscule segment of the population (mostly terrorists and liberals) who haven't fully embraced the wholesome, righteous, God-Fearing qualities of The Greatest President in Our History. Click on the following link for a first-hand look at this blasphemy: Biography of President George W. Bush as written by unwashed heathens.

George Walker "Texas Ranger" Bush
George Walker "Texas Ranger" Bush
Term of office: 2001
Preceded by: Slick Willie Blythe
Succeeded by: Dick Cheney
Date of birth: July 6, 1946
Place of birth: New Heaven, Connecticut
First Lady: Laura Welch Bush
Political party: Republican


George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2001, re-elected by a landslide on November 2, 2004, and sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005. His presidency is already being referred to as "America's Golden Presidency". Prior to his Presidency, President Bush served for 6 glorious years as the 46th Governor of the State of Texas, where he earned a reputation for bipartisanship and as a compassionate conservative who shaped public policy based on the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, strong families, and local control. There is now no Governor of Texas, as the US Senate unanimously voted to leave the position permanently open, believing that nobody could do a better job than George.

Contents

[hide]

Short Biography

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The great-great-great-great grand uncle of George W. Bush, Abraham Bush, showing that honesty runs in the family.
The great-great-great-great grand uncle of George W. Bush, Abraham Bush, showing that honesty runs in the family.

President Bush (Or "W", short for "wonderful" to his friends) was born on July 6, 1946, in New Heaven, Connecticut, and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He received a master’s degree in history from Yale University in 1968, and then served as an F-102 fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard where he earned a Lone Star Medal of Honor, two Adjunct General's Individual Awards, and five purple hearts. President Bush received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1975. Following graduation, he moved back to Midland and began a profitable career in the energy business, demonstrating that hard work and a solid track record are what leads to corporate success in America, not family ties. After working on his father’s successful 1988 Presidential campaign, President Bush assembled the group of partners who purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989, for which he later masterminded a profit-turning sale. His selfless acts of heroism during these years are documented by Chuck Norris in the hit series Walker, Texas Ranger. On November 8, 1994, President Bush was elected as the final Governor of Texas.

President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian who was the inspiration for June Cleaver on the popular television show "Leave It To Beaver". They have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. The Bush family also includes two dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, and a cat, Willie.

Notable Acts as President

Bush's National Guard service was often slandered during the 2004 campaign.  Perhaps some even accused him of faking this photo.
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Bush's National Guard service was often slandered during the 2004 campaign. Perhaps some even accused him of faking this photo.

Since becoming President of the United States in 2001, President Bush has worked with the Congress to create an ownership society and build a future of security, prosperity, and opportunity for all Americans.

Sympathetic to the tax burden on the common man, he signed into law tax relief that helps workers keep more of their hard-earned money, especially Enron CEOs. In a series of three separate tax cuts, Bush helped end economically disastrous taxation policies and move America to a more free-market economy, leading to a resounding surge in stock market prices across his presidency.

After the terrorist attacks in 2001, Bush introduced and later signed the USA Patriot Act. This patriotic act keeps America free. As of 2006, several unpatriotic members of congress have decided to oppose freedom and try to get parts of the act repealed. However, thanks to Bush's decisive leadership, it still protects America.

God hand-picks George W. Bush for President in 2000 when Florida is unable to make up its mind. (Dramatization)
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God hand-picks George W. Bush for President in 2000 when Florida is unable to make up its mind. (Dramatization)

He additionally drafted and signed most comprehensive education reforms in a generation, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This legislation is ushering in a new era of accountability, flexibility, local control, and more choices for parents, affirming our nation’s fundamental belief that no children should be left behind (and helping them make an educated decision on wacky theoretical subjects like evolution and algebra).

President Bush has also tirelessly worked to improve healthcare and modernize Medicare, providing the first-ever prescription drug benefit for seniors. Numerous TV news spots have touted the benefits of this bipartisan bill. If you have not yet had a chance to see them, please contact Karen Ryan at Home Front Communications co/PR Desk for your own copies.

Additional achievements of the president include increasing homeownership, especially among minorities, including special, first-of-its-kind protection for the white, middle class male minority; conserving our environment (fiscal and otherwise); and increasing military strength, pay, and benefits.

Because President Bush believes the strength of America lies in the hearts, souls, and wallets of our citizens, he has supported programs that encourage individuals to help their neighbors in need. The TIPS program reaffirms America's selflessness and trust of its fellow citizens, allowing everyone from the meter maid to the postman to help out in keeping each other safe from terrorists, who we are reminded could look just like everyone else.

The War on Terror

Bush on a recent humanitarian mission to Iraq.
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Bush on a recent humanitarian mission to Iraq.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the American Nation because they hate freedom. Since then, President Bush has taken unprecedented steps to protect not only America, but the whole of the world, and created a world free from terror. He is grateful for the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform and their families. Having honorably served in the armed forces, and taking decisive steps to help create America's proud amputee forces, has helped him bond with the troops under his command.

The President is confident that by helping build free and prosperous societies, America and its friends and allies will succeed in making every single country on Earth more secure, and more peaceful. This is known as the "Domino Theory", in that peace and freedom cascade, crashing across the land into a peaceful scattering of countries, much like fallen dominoes.

The War for the Liberation of Iraq

Due to the threat of weapons of mass destruction being used against the United States homeland, Bush bravely overcame world resistance against launching a war for the liberation of the Iraqi people. With US effort, Security Council resolution 1441 was passed, granting the US the authority to invade Iraq. With continued Iraqi belligerence, America was left with no option but to declare war on March 20th, 2003. Terrorist forces loyal to Saddam Hussein (both of them) were quickly overpowered. Presently, the country is on the road to a record-pace reconstruction despite the best efforts of the media to encourage violence.

While decisive leadership by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld led to an catastrophically successful victory, Saddam had already smuggled out all of the weapons of mass destruction from the country into Syria and Iran, which are presently preparing to use them against the United States homeland. Bush is currently working on bravely overcoming world resistance against launching wars for the liberation of the Iranian and Syrian people.

North Korea's bids for notoriety have only been reluctantly rewarded with diplomatic discussions.

{SNIP}

See Also



(h/t to Cicero's Songs)

Monday, October 30, 2006

Classless Santorum Claims Treason

Two weekend polls show two-term incumbent Senator Rick Santorum facing a double digit deficit eight days from the election. Unable to handle the strain of rejection, Virginia's third Senator has resorted to calling his opponent a traitor. First, the polls, then the insanity.

The latest Rasmussen survey (currently available only to premium members)[UPDATE 10/31/06 -- it's now available here] shows Virginia's third senator trailing his Democratic challenger by 16 13-points, with 42% support to Bob Casey's 55%. (Nothing to link to, yet, as the public report remains embargoed.) That's all the information my little bird passed on, but it really is enough at this point in the game, isn't it?

Reaching similar results is the October Temple/Inquirer Poll, which put the spread at 13 16-points, with Casey picking up the support of 54% of the respondents and Santorum the favorite of only 38%. That represents a drop of one point for the flailing incumbent, and a gain of 5 points for Pennsylvania's favorite son of a favorite son, from the Temple/Inky September results.

Santorum's six-year role as lapdog for the Bush Administration is hurting him -- 59% of Pennsylvania voters think Bush is doing a lousy job as decider. This is 5% more than last month in the Temple poll. Santorum's disapproval numbers went up 4 points -- 50% disapprove this month, against 46% last month. More significant, the numbers of Pennsylvanians approving of The Rick's job also fell -- 37% think he's just fine this month, compared to 41% last month. (This poll, last month, was one of the rare times over the last year that Santorum's approval numbers were above 40%.)

Santorum, a huge supporter of the Iraq invasion from the beginning, is also being hurt there, as 56% of Pennsylvanians believe that it was a mistake to go into Iraq in the first place. A full 60% think the invasion has made the United States more at risk from terrorist attack or has not made us safer. (Casey, supported the Iraq war in the beginning, and recently has equivocated his position.)

Both candidates are firmly in the minority of Pennsylvanians when it comes to abortions and guns, according to the Temple/Inky numbers. While Casey and Santorum want to own the uteri of woman across the country and criminalize abortion, 63% percent of Pennsylvanians think that either the laws should stay just as they are with no further restriction, or they should be changed to make it easier for women to control their own bodies. On gun control, 56% of respondents think there should be more restrictions on gun purchases than there are now. As with abortion, Casey and Santorum are on the wrong side of the fence from Casey's fellow Pennsylvanians here (we don't know where Santorum's fellow Virginians stand on this issue).

Now, further evidence that Santorum is not only wrongheaded when it comes to policy, but is insane and dangerous.

Over the last couple of weeks, the polls continued to confirm what we said in August -- Santorum will lose by double-digits. In response, Rick Santorum's insanity has shown itself with increasing frequency and obviousness. He's told us it is 1930's Germany All Over Again, lied about S-S-S-Stay the Course, had Nazi's on His Mind, and saddled up the Four Horseman of Calumny -- Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear. Now, he is playing the most grievous card in the Desperation Deck -- treachery.

Over the weekend, he stooped to claiming that his Democratic opponent gives aid and comfort to the enemy: According to reports, Santorum told the press on Sunday that “Bob Casey is aiding and abetting terrorism and genocide.”

It is time to ask not if the Senator has no shame -- we know he doesn't -- no, it is time to ask if he is sane. Has the prospect of being forced to take responsibility for his failed policies taken it's toll on the man? His comments over the last couple of weeks have been increasingly strident, absurd, and incongruent

Two years ago, Santorum, the third-ranked Republican in the Senate, purchased the url for his 2008 Presidential run. Now, even he has to realize that the relatively moderate electorate in Pennsylvania are absolutely, flat-out rejecting him and his damned policies. Even he must realize that if he cannot sell his perverted "morality" and scare politics to Pennsylvania, any hope of selling them on a national stage would be impossible. For a man who, I am certain, has practiced saying "My fellow Americans" into his bathroom mirror in the mornings, the prospect of so ignominiously being kicked from the national stage must weigh heavy on his little mind.

Senator, here in America, we do not lightly accuse our fellow citizens of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Further, we never even consider such charges when based on nothing more than they have severe disagreements with us on political issues. To do so is itself unAmerican, it is a sign of strain and inanity -- if not insanity. Spare us your hateful, cowardly smears. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop trying to blame your upcoming double-digit election loss on anyone not looking back in your mirror in the morning. Be a grown-up, it is much more attractive than the sniveling, immoral coward which you have shown us over the last few weeks.

Credit where it is due -- back in May, John Baer, of the Philadelphia Daily News, summed all of this up with the best description of Santorum this election cycle: "a hint of fear and just a touch of crazy".


[Ed. note - Haste making waste and all that . . . this morning I transposed the spreads in the Rasmussen and Temple surveys. They are corrected above.]

NJ Breaking Dem

According to today's Rasmussen poll (unreleased to public as of right now), Democratic incumbent Robert Menendez has opened a five-point lead over Republican challenger, state Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. According to my little bird, the Rasmussen survey gives Menezdez a 49%-44% lead over Kean. Rasmussen's last poll, a week ago, had the race even at 45%. This is significant be cause New Jersey recently became the Republican's only hope of wresting a Democratic Senate seat. It is looking more like NJ is returning to the anti-Republican fold this mid-term.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Santorum and the Four Horsemen of Calumny

Times are tough for Senator Santorum. His losing campaign, watched by the entire nation, must naturally be a source of great strain. And, under that strain, he has cracked.

Over the last couple of weeks, he has told the handfuls of audiences which he now attracts, that his opponent is unworthy to serve, that a vote for his opponent is equal to supporting Hitler in the late 1930s, that a Democratic victory would be a disaster for the Nation and for the World.

He needs do this, one supposes from the evidence, because he lacks any acceptable substantive record. He charges that his opponent is hiding from the issues. In truth, it is the Senator who will not talk of the real issues. He instead relies on a worn old tactic -- scaring out the vote.

Whether it is the scare of brown people risking their life and limb for a few extra dollars to send home or the scare of an imagined gathering storm of riders on horseback bearing curved swords looking queerly at us, he is relying on a scared electorate to rally and send him back to the Senate.

He has served for two terms. In this campaign he does not defend his service, point to his accomplishments, sell his proved worth to his electorate. Instead, he requests -- no he DEMANDS -- another six years based on the most dangerous-sounding future his mind can invent.

Even so, Rick Santorum does not content himself with presenting a world view and debating it, like good citizens in a freedom-loving, democratic America. He invites no debate, allows for no disagreement, recognizes no question. No, he will tell you, disagree with me -- worse yet, elect someone who disagrees with me -- and you invite another Nazi disaster, you threaten your very lives and the safety of your children. In this way, Santorum not only stifles dissent, he makes it unpatriotic to disagree with him, he says it is dangerous to disagree. He says that those who disagree are unworthy to serve, are the bedfellows of terrorists, are the moral equivalent of Nazi appeasers.

We've seen this kind of tactic before, and not only in the last two elections.

June 1, 1950. Margaret Chase Smith, Republican Senator of Maine, speaking on the Senate floor about the then-popular foreign enemy compelling a return of Republicans to power. Re-reading her complete speech this morning made me sad to realize that it was not so very long ago we did, in fact, have true statesmen on the floor of Congress. Here is a portion of what she had to say:
I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition. It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition that comes from the lack of effective leadership in either the Legislative Branch or the Executive Branch of our Government.

That leadership is so lacking that serious and responsible proposals are being made that national advisory commissions be appointed to provide such critically needed leadership.

I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be taken to heart. I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American. . . .

I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation. . . .

Those of us who shout the loudest . . . are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism:

The right to criticize;

The right to hold unpopular beliefs;

The right to protest;

The right of independent thought.

The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.

The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared . . . . Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others. . . .

Surely [there] are sufficient reasons to make it clear to the American people that . . . a Republican victory is necessary . . . .Yet to displace [Democrats] with a Republican regime embracing a philosophy that lacks political integrity or intellectual honesty would prove equally disastrous to this nation.

The nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny---Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.

I doubt if the Republican Party could---simply because I don't believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest. Surely we Republicans aren't that desperate for victory.

I don't want to see the Republican party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican Party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people. Surely it would ultimately be suicide for the Republican Party and the two-party system that has protected our American liberties from the dictatorship of a one-party system.

(The cartoon is by the great Herb Block.)