How can someone like Sphinctorum be elected from Pennsylvania?

[ibegurpard]

Pennsylvania isn't that conservative is it? If he came from somewhere like Oklahoma or Texas I could see it but Pennsylvania isn't a hotbed of conservatism is it? It just surprises me that such an extreme ideologue could be re-elected from there.

[whirlygigspin]

1. he snuck in the 'backdoor'

rolf

[izzie]

10. Well the alarm should have been on. He is a screwball.

He was in the House also.

[Bunny]

2. He's a complete and total asshole and I'm eternally embarrassed

that he's from PA. I didn't think my state was that conservative either, but he's been elected twice now, so I guess we are.:eyes:

[elperromagico]

3. Good question

My friend in Pennsylvania can't explain it. She was deeply embarrassed by his homophobic comments a few months back, and if I mention Santorum in a conversation these days, she usually tries to change subjects...

[Dookus]

4. My parents are from PA

and live there now.

It's rather conservative. My folks come from coal-mining country in southern-central PA and the average age is about 60. ALL the young people have left.

My folks now live in a largely Amish/Mennonite area, and they've very conservative.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state, but outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, it's VERY rural, and very old. There's almost no urban influence in most of the state, which makes it almost mid-western in its politics.

However, they're not right-wing christian nutcases. There's a LOT of Catholics in the state (largely Irish, Polish, Hungarian and Russian(i.e., orthodox)who are socially conservative, but there's a strong union history, and a strong constituency for Social Security and Medicare.

It's the ultimate swing state. I will predict right now that whoever wins PA in '04 will win the Presidency.

[SahaleArm]

6. Philly, Pittsburgh, and Alabama in the middle *nm*

*nm*

[mermaid]

22. LOL, I Didn't See Your Post When I Posted Mine!!!

I said the same thing!!

[bleedingheart]

12. ya know what is really funny about the "conservative middle"

of PA?

I drove from Pittsburgh to Philly and I never saw so many Taxidermy and XXX places in my life. My husband and I always chuckle about the "righteous" folks who live in central PA after experiencing that...

[bearfartinthewoods]

16. i'mbacking that bet..PA IS A KEY

[joanski01]

5. I think he fooled all

the people who weren't paying close attention. He ran beautiful ads of him with his wife playing outside with his children.

My brother claims he cheated.

[spinbaby]

15. He was elected because he has cute kids

Those ads with the kids were pure genius. I can't stand Santorum but I sure loved the ads with all the cute kids. Bet they got a lot of old-lady votes.

[birdman]

7. H e was elected in 1994

when the Republican tide was very strong. Harris
Wofford had been elected in 1990 to finish the term
of John Heinz who had died accidently. Santorum beat
him narrowly in 1994. In 2000 the Democrats nominated (out
of numerous candidates) a congressman who was also anti-abortion
and anti-gun control. Despite Gore winning the state there was
little enthusiasm for the Dem Senate candidate and he lost
decisively.

PA is largely conservative in the areas between Philly and
Pittsburgh but not consrvative enough for Santorum who was
vulnerable in '00 but the Dem party leadership backed the wrong candidate. Unfortunately the longer he is in the Senate the
tougher it will be to get rid of him.

[felonious thunk]

19. Exactly

And Harris Wofford was an amazing man to represent the state. But Santorum rode the 1994 wave into office by getting the votes in the central part of PA. And being from there, let me say that it's not exactly Alabama in the middle, though it does tend conservative. But there are democratic reps from central PA, and generally ultra conservatives don't fare that well there. But incumbents do. Bud Shuster is a perfect example of that. Not an idealogue at all, just a lousy porkbarrel Congressman.

Then in 2000 the Democratic party didn't have a candidate. Santorum could have lost, Gore won the state after all, but the Democrats didn't get their act together until far too late in the game. Santorum got elected twice with very underwhelming numbers, but twice nevertheless.

But man, it's disappointing that Wofford didn't keep that seat. What a great Democratic leader he was and would have been in the Senate.

[joanski01]

8. We need to get rid of Specter

too. He claims he's moderate and pro-choice. Yet he is taking part in this marathon to confirm these anti-abortion judges.

[bearfartinthewoods]

17. that's because he has a VERY conservative challanger in the primary

if the prez situation looks to be settled before PA. i'm registering ppubbie to vote in that primary. tommey will never win in a general but spectre probably would.

[politicat]

9. I asked Mr. Politicat about this since he's from the area...

Wheeling, WV, in fact.

He says something to the effect of : they vote against themselves (economic self interest is dem, what with MSHA and mining and such)

He's noticed it a lot with old college pals.

He's glad he left, says some strange tide is turning. SW part of state seems to have it bad.

PCat

[bleedingheart]

11. As a Pennsylvanian I will tell you why - pRick's Public Relations

Basically he got into office by demeaning Wofford... had commercials running day and night like this..." How could Harris Wofford care about Pennsylvanian's when he doesn't even live here"

So the repubs and some really dumb Democrats fell for it...and guess what? Santorum doesn't live here either...he lives in VA with his wife and his brood of kids ...

He ignores the state for about 5 years and is nothing more than a republican idealogue but a year before election he starts hitting the airwaves with ads about how great a guy he is... basically rehashing one or two things that he may have done... and showing pictures of himself with elderly people....its all really disgusting.

The other reason he was elected in 2000 even though our state went for Gore was due to the DNC's lack of interest in the election. The Democratic candidate was a conservative democrat who didn't get along with the Dems in Philly and when he was losing funding ...he started to bash his own party.... Additionally he was a Zell Miller Dem... and a lot of PAers thought that it would be useless to take a tenured senator out in favor of the same relative idealolgy....

The key to win in 2006 would be to give the Dems in the state a real democrat...someone who actually looks refreshing compared to pRick.....and we need to get a candidate now so we can raise a war chest to make pRick eat dirt.

[CWebster]

13. Well, we have a Texas-like expanse

Though, I doubt whether he could snake his way in again.

Wishful thinking perhaps, but it would be a new day in PA if the cartoon Santorium and the brain-dead, one-bullet theory, Specter, disappered into the horizon.

[bleedingheart]

14. Amen to that!

[RobinA]

18. Two Reasons

A) PA is very conservative.

B) The Dems never seem to muster any kind of support for their candidate. It's like the Democratic Party in PA is nonexistent.

[enough]

20. Agreed, Dems could have won a US house seat with Dan Wofford

In the last election, Wofford came so close (suburban Philly district) but there was no useful help from the state or national party. It seems as if any democrat has to fight all alone, while the republicans keep a united front.

[mermaid]

21. PA is Phlla & Pittsburgh, with AL in between!

THAT is how Santorum won...he carried the AL part of PA. I lived in PA eight years, and I know it's true...Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between!

[SeattleRob]

23. I am a Pennslyvania native...

I moved out of there 1995 right before Santorum got elected and Ridge became governor. The state does have strong Democratic Party, pro-Labor roots, especially in the cities Pittsburgh and Philly and the industrial Northeast.

The problem is that most of the people are the so-called "Reagan Democrats." They are easily manipulated by Republican fear tactics, and phony patriotism.