The Surreal Bob Casey

Rick Santorum says the right to privacy doesn’t exist in the Constitution (failing to respect that the spirit of that right at least exists for many people), and Bob Casey, Jr. is silent. Rick Santorum says people who could not evacuate from a natural disaster (in the wake of Hurricane Katrina) should be penalized, and the same thing happens. Santorum continues to spew intolerant conservative garbage in his book, such as the statement that mothers who work do so, in effect, because they’ve been “egged on” by feminists at the expense of their kids, and we get the same thing.

Casey did attack Santorum in August, stating that Santorum isn’t putting pressure on Bush to come up with objectives and a timeframe for something that approximates a resolution in our favor in Iraq that will allow our people to start coming home. That was good. Did Casey keep up that pressure, however? Well, you can get the answer to that question from the news headlines since that time.

But lo and behold, Casey did attack Santorum on his cozy ties to “K Street” lobbyists (using eminently forgettable rhetoric in the process also, I may add). Casey was trying to “piggyback” off the still-unfolding Jack Abramoff scandal.

That’s a smart move, but I have news for Casey. Most voters, rightly or wrongly, don’t care about that stuff, especially when no direct link has been established to Santorum.

Politics (especially this looming campaign against Senator Scumwad) is often, when you get down to it, partisan, full-throated, primal “fire-in-the-belly” stuff full of memorable words, images, and events. Say what you want about Santorum, but he understands that. His actions make no sense at times to a logical mind, but the fervor behind his supporters has not so much to do with logic as it does with irrational, snarly rage at anyone and anything that opposes it. Santorum continually tosses “red meat” to his supporters so they never forget that he is one of THEM (though he recently feinted a bit in the direction of teaching “intelligent design” as religion instead of science, since that is, in effect, what it truly is).

I’ll be honest with you. I’m tired of reading stories about how badly Santorum is trailing in the polls. My prediction is that won’t mean a thing a year from now, since Dubya will come up with some feeble pretext for starting to bring our people home to boost the sagging hopes of his party, and that will end up changing the numbers. And will the Democrats have an answer when that happens? Based on what I see so far from Casey, I believe the answer, unfortunately, is no.

Another thing about politics – if you find yourself voting more AGAINST the other guy than you are voting FOR your own, your guy will lose. If you want proof of that (electronic voting fraud notwithstanding), see Kerry, John vs. Bush, George W. last year (and the quote from John Murtha in the story from this link about “holding your nose and pulling the lever for Casey,” or whatever, inspires NO CONFIDENCE in yours truly).

I think this link provides information that is food for thought. I know the site where it comes from basically endorses Chuck Pennacchio outright, but I don’t believe that invalidates its content.

We have to look at this seriously, people. I keep waiting for Casey Jr. to “light the lamp,” and all I see are short circuits. Let’s do something about this now before Santorum and the Repugs make their move.

Update 11/18: I know this post has to do with Bob Casey, Jr., but since I referenced what John Murtha said about getting us out of Iraq, here is some great background on Murtha from a blogger called Nitpicker (via Atrios).