GOP wins in VA, NJ bode well for Toomey in PA…
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83 Comments
PA is a mixture of New Jersey and Virginia in many respects. If a similar tide exists, the Republicans will do well in Pennsylvania in 2010.
I never thought I'd ever read a laudatory article about Pat Toomey in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
I was checking for pigs flying after I read it.
‘Think pigs just flew by my window!
Will the real Pat Toomey please stand up?
Really where has Toomey shifted? The media seems to think people are shifting when they talk about economic issues. The media said the Republicans were shifting in Virginia because they focused on economic issues.
Toomey is an opportunistic chameleon, a pandering political hack, a member of the dime a dozen club.
The human mind is an amazing thing. The ability to ignore or heavily discount facts that do not fit preconceived notions seems to be virtually universal, and it is something the pols appear to exploit with aplomb.
If the Democrats nominate turncoat Specter, a Toomey victory will follow.
Really Dolley? Lets look at the Toomey voting record.
Your focusing on endorsements in judicial races really is comical. How much influence do endorsements have? Little to none.
What matters is his actual voting record. When it comes to that, his voting record is as close to perfect as you are going to get in this state.
If the Democrats nominate Specter, the Republicans have it in the bag because the Democrat candidates for Governor leave something to be desired too.
It is a shame that someone who is studying law apparently cannot foresee the long-term consequences of Toomey's endorsements. He endorsed a "wise latina" for a lifetime appointment to the nations highest court. Hello, is anybody home?
Toomey can vote, speechify, stomp his feet and hold his breath while trying to advance a conservative fiscal agenda. None of that will matter one iota when a challenge to O's New Deal on steroids reaches the Supreme Court and Sotomayor rubber stamps it. Will Toomey vote to confirm O's next liberal appointee?
There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
Last time I checked the court still had a conservative edge, so sotomyer can vote however she wants its not going to make a difference if the conservative judges do their job.
Also there was no real opposition to Sotomyers nomination, it had no chance at being defeated so there was no point in him grandstanding for something that was a forgone conclusion, he made a political decision and I support it, and remember all we need is one more republican senator and we can block alot of what Obama wants to get passed. Toomey will be a much stronger voice for republicans and conservatives than Specter or Sestak will or could ever be.
Will he vote to confirm O's next leftist appointee, thereby giving the court a liberal edge? If not, why not?
I agree he made a political decision, but I do NOT support it and I will not support him. If you think he will miraculously start to act on princple alone, you're kidding yourself. He's no different than all the rest of them.
Sestak is the most likely to win the Democratic Primary. Toomey is vastly better on every issue, so we'll have a clear choice. He's not perfect, of course, but no one is. For those of us starving from bad policies, nine/tenths of loaf is better than no bread at all.
These articles make no sense.
On the one hand conservative candidate wins lend strength to Toomey, and on the other hand Toomey needs to be more "centrist" in order to win in PA?
Folks, voters are fed up with politicians who want to dance on the head of pin. If Toomey wants to win, he needs to be true to himself and his values. Conservative principles win elections; waffling doesn't.
I felt really bad seeing how Pat Toomey was conservative and was rejected by Santorum, Bush etc. in favor of Specter.
Heck, I even felt a little bad seeing McCain and Dole being beaten up by Bush 43 and Bush 41 in the presidential races.
I still like Pat but I will watch what he says and does, especially what he does with GOP insiders.
I may have to exercise a vote of conscience for Peg Luksik in the primary.
THINGS IN THIS COUNTRY NEED TO CHANGE AND POLITICS AS USUAL IN THIS STATE WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNMENT JOBS WELFARE STATE CANNOT CONTINUE.
Obama's appointee would have been confirmed regardless of Toomey's if he was in Specter's shoes.
Honestly, I rather have the "Wise Latina" over pretty much anyone else Obama could have picked. She appears to be an intellectual lightweight compared to the rest of the Supreme Court. We should be encouraging Obama to appoint duds that will help undermine the liberal wing of the SCOTUS.
Again… do people really want change? I doubt it. As much as they say they hate their government, they are unwilling to slaughter their sacred cows.
On another topic, is the bus tour taking a break for Thanksgiving or are they going to go hunt wild turkey's somewhere?
You haven't been to any TEA Parties lately, have you?
Correct!
Ryan, the bus tour may be inspecting various Anabaptist bookstores to thoroughly understand the theological implications of their purported refusal to sell American flags. We all anxiously await the enlightenment on this issue that only those so dedicated to our universal well-being can provide.
A few are said to prefer looking into the recent incineration of several cats in an oil drum. We can rely on this: These stalwart heroes will go where they can do the most good, and we should be properly grateful for their concerns.
There goes Dolly again, stretching the truth, and supporting a pay- and pension-jacker for Gov.
That's our Madame Consistency, Dolly Madison.
Luksik will get more votes than folks are predicting beause of Toomey’s pandering on Sotomayor. Sestak won’t defeat Arlen, but Arlen will spend maga-bucks to win the primary. He has two huge fundraisers, Obama and Rendell raking it in for him. Arlen gave the Dems what they couldn’t earn, a US Senate seat. Obama, Biden and Rendell knew what a relatively inexpensive ‘buy’ this was, since in spite of what Arlen hopes for, he won’t be around many more years. That’s not a craven wish, by the way, it’s just a fact. Heck, should God take him home sooner than later, Rendell could appoint himself to the seat. Feel free to disagree about any/all of this.
Are you denying that Toomey endorsed Sotomayor?
http://www.pa2010.com/2009/08/toomey-proves-hes-j...
Why should anyone believe that he will not vote to confirm the next leftist? Pffffttttttttt. Game over.
1] This article is about the Senate race, not the governor's. Try to focus.
2] Just because Dolley and others read between the lines and can parse the BS spoken by politicians doesn't mean that she is stretching the truth. She is simply stating what is obvious to us both.
3] Dolley is consistent and principled.
Pandering politicians are legendarily unreliable. Differences in Toomey ‘04 and Toomey now? Anyone wish to enumerate, in addition to the Sotomayor saga, which is not in dispute?
So, what's your point? Toomey made a mistake on Sotomotor – old news.
If you have a choice between Toomey and Sestak or Toomey and Specter, which lever would you pull?
I knew that it couldn't last.
Toomey did not make a mistake. He made an endorsement. He didn't retract it or say it was in error. He was wrong and wrong deliberately to try to create an image of 'bipartisanship'.
Should we ignore every 'mistake' and elect someone whose greatest desire is to hold power again? If a man will do and say anything to win, is he the type of person we want in office?
Let's review Toomey's record:
1. He endorsed Specter. No strike assessed. I merely lost a great deal of respect for Pat.
2. He endorsed Santorum. No strike assessed. I watched the video of the endorsement. Pat was clearly LYING as he praised Santorum. I lost virtually all respect for him at that point. The only saving grace I saw was that he clearly was not an accomplished liar at that point. His tone, tenor, body language demonstrated, quite clearly, that he was lying.
More………
3. He endorsed Tom Saylor for retention. STRIKE ONE. He had no need to enter an endorsement in that race. The legal import of the dissent Saylor penned in the payraise case had been explained to him. He nonetheless bowed to party pressure and issued the endorsement. That showed me that he was/is owned, lock, stock and barrel by the establishment hacks.
4. He issued a fence sitting statement on life, not materially different from Specter's position. STRIKE TWO.
5. He endorsed Sotomayor for Supreme Court. STRIKE THREE.
More……..
6. He thought we should grant the Obama an audience with our children. STRIKE FOUR.
7. He proudly announced that he would join Schumer, et. al. to support sanctions against Iran, an absolutely WORTHLESS undertaking at this point. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204... STRIKE FIVE.
Enough.
I'd say the biggest difference is that of attitude. In his speeches in that race he boldly stated his conservative principles. He proclaimed (rightly) that those principles were what was needed to correct this nation's course. He was proud to be a conservative.
Now, he doesn't sound so sure.
Remember, he lost to Specter and then endorsed him as the 'lesser evil'. Now Specter is the candidate endorsed by Obama. He endorsed Obama's SCOTUS nominee. He questioned the importance of the GOP's pro life stance by not insisting that it be required of our candidates.
Where are his instincts? Where is his discernment? What are his true principles?
The article perpetuates the nonsense that Santorum lost because he was too far 'right'. The truth is the opposite. He lose voters from the right when his record was exposed as being less than conservative. He pandered to the left and now Toomey is following the same self destructive path. It may be on advice of the GOP, but that is only an explanation, not an excuse.
I'll admit to being snookered first by Santorum and then by Toomey in 2004. I won't fall for their faux conservatism again. i also will not buy the excuses made by GOP and Toomey apologists. The more excuses they are willing to make, the more 'mistakes' he'll make.
You mean the TEA parties that are affiliated with the Republican party and politicians (like BLAIR COUNTY) via their members. Or the real TEA Parties that have completely disengaged from the political parties and politicians?
You are a broken record Dolley. Ronald Reagan endorsed Gerald Ford in 1976, when he lost the Republican primary. Does that mean he wasn't a conservative. No, of course. No one cares about Tom Saylor, except you. "He was clearly lying as he praised Santorum". lol. The man's solidly pro-life, he's not fence sitting on anything. You have never liked Toomey, or much of anybody for that matter, because you expect everyone to be absolutely perfect. It will never happen. You can sit around and do your usual nothing all you want, but it won't produce anything.
I see the GOP's circular firing squad has its weapons cleaned, oiled, zeroed in and at the ready.
I'll take "Doesn't have any, Doesn't have any, Doesn't have any" for $1,000.
Hey, Ray, It's what almost every candidate does after they lose a primary: endorse the winner, including Reagan endorsing Ford in 1976. That didn't make Reagan any less conservative. He didn't question the parties pro-life stance; he is pro-life. He talks about his true principles every day on the campaign trail. Every day he's out there skewering the Obama administration and the federal spending. I know you can't get over that Peg has no chance to win, but all your attacks are so blatantly false, you just look silly. Keep them coming, though, it only makes Pat stronger.
Nice try at having a civil conversation.
None so blind as those who will not see.
The second article lays out the ways in which Toomey is modifying his positions and lauding Obama, and 'moving to the center' (which is never defined but is always to the left and left of center) . Even quoting Toomey, some people just refuse to believe that he is anything but a pure conservative.
If he wins after pandering to the 'center' and left, where will his allegiance lie once he takes office?
This may be good for a GOP win, but I'm not sure moderating principle is good for conservatives when moderates and liberals are destroying this nation.
You even have me agreeing with that comment. Circle the calendar.
toomey is running a sophisticated media campaign, as will most ot the Republican candidates. Since they have little or no primary opposition to the right, they are able to position themselves as centrists. That may work for someone like Meehan in Delco, who, despite many years of involvement, is a relative unknown, but in the case of Toomey, he is likely to be exposed during the campaign for what he is, a candidate from the extreme right. I suspect both Spector and Toomey will be a little hard to swallow for the electorate. That's a toss-up of who's more disagreeable. If Sestak gets the dem nomination, he will beat Toomey in the general.
Assuming that the PI is a liberal rag, what would cause them to be laudatory to a so called conservative, or even kind?
Could a so called conservative giving in to the mythical center be good reason?
Better? No doubt. 90%? No way. He's drifting below 70% and he's not even in office yet. At least Santorum was in the high 90s for his first term. He got kicked out when he got into the range that Toomey is heading into.
The REAL TEA parties. I will not even attend one that feature politicians.
In the past few days, in environments not even remotely political, life long democrats are expressing conservative principle and deep concerns about where the country is headed.
Amen to that, P Whipple! All of this back-and-forth makes me more convinced than ever that Pat is the right man for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania needs conservative, principled leadership after the nightmarish tenures of Casey, Specter, and Rendell. Speaking of that, I'm going to make another online donation right now.
My disappointment in Toomey is because of my strong support for him when he presented himself as a real conservative, not the mealy mouthed, wishy washy, say anything_do anything_to_get_into_office politician that he is showing himself to be now.
In 2004, he presented himself as a principled statesman. Now, he sounds like a pandering politician who misses the good life in DC.
Brilliant, Dolley. Pat Toomey has so much leverage over the foreign policy world/debate: at his word, he can unilaterally disarm the Iranians. Kafeh show, as they say in Farsi, Dolley.
I understand now.
You support party over principle.
I don't.
Ford was an idiot and a moron. Specter is dangerously liberal and evil to the core. That's the difference in the endorsements.
Nearly everything else he's been rock solid on?
I guess that you missed Dolley's list which shows him to be quite less than conservative in many areas. And he isn't even in office yet. If he wins due to votes from the 'mushy middle' or the left, what can we expect from him in office? Where will his loyalty be?
Seems like a sure bet to me.
Pat Toomey versus Specter or Sestak is an easy choice for me, but guess what?
Politics as usual is a problem. I wish 180 or so incumbent House and 45 or so Senate members in Harrisburg weren’t around.
Any moderation from Toomey makes him more like them and less desirable as a Senator.
Voting for Luksik in the primary will look better if Pat doesn’t stop rope a doping real conservative positions.
THIS 12 TRILLION DOLLAR IN DEBT COUNTRY WILL GO DOWN WITH THE USUAL GANG OF POLITICIANS OF EITHER PARTY PANDERING TO BUY VOTES WITH SPENDING AND TAXES.
SO THERE IS NO REAL REASON TO VOTE FOR EITHER REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY PLAY A POLITICAL GAME OF EMOTIONAL PHONY ISSUES INSTEAD OF FACING THE REAL ONES.
Congressman Todd Platts introducing a texting while driving bill is a perfect example of this biz as usual stuff.
Harrisburg Republican House politicians introduce a ban on teacher strikes bill but if there’s still arbitration in the bill PSEA can demand 20 percent pay raises and get the five percent they want and don’t deserve in teacher contracts.
And the list goes on…
Cut pay and perks now and plan to cap all salaries in education and reform the benefits…Attention Harrisburg……Are you listening???????
Yeah, he did make a mistake. He clearly needs to brush up and spend some more time on the Supreme Court. And we have conservatives in the Senate who can help him with that. Nearly everything else in the campaign he has been rock solid on. Ray, you've never been a fan of Toomey, ever. So don't act like you're being fair in watching his candidacy. Guess you and Dolley can sit home and be miserable on election day.
I have to laugh when I read the troll responses in this topic…
The people who bag on Dolley obviously just showed up. Dolley once championed Toomey. Then the wheels started to come off – and Toomey was the one responsible. Dolley outlined many points why she simply doesn't trust Toomey anymore. No one seems to be able to debunk her points…instead, the trolls call names and give her negative points for her posts.
I met Toomey, right after he became president of CFG. He was passionate about conservatism then. I've been gradually disappointed by what he has been saying and doing since then.
And all of you who are talking about why the GOP needs this…we heard the exact same thing the last time Specter ran. How's that working? And we heard it before Santorum started selling conservatives down the river. And with Fischer…and with Swann…
The PAGOP has always given us an anointed choice – we conservatives are never factored in. And what has it gotten us? An insanely corrupt Harrisburg and an out-of-control US Congress.
It's time that people start caring about principle and FORCE the party to follow US for once.
And follow…who? Peg Luksik?
Big Government Peg? I did not realize that abolishing the right to exit contractual relations (eliminating divorce), land use regulations that promote farming at the expense of development, and criminalizing the termination of a life threatening pregnancy do not seem to point a limited government philosophy.
Peg in the end is nothing more than a Nanny State Conservative who thinks its government's God given right to people how to use their property, whether to enter and exit marital relations and eliminate their ability to end a pregnancy that would kill them.
Lets put this in perspective: Dolley and Ray support someone who supports a property regulation regime that would would probably be to the left of Specter. I thought Dolley has railed repeatedly on how private property is sacred. Apparently not when it comes to supporting Peg whose repeatedly supported regulations that would restrict farm land from development.
Dolley and Ray repeatedly rail against government prohibiting people from engaging in self-defense, but apparently a woman cannot defend herself against a parasitic fetus. Go ahead and tell the electorate that women who have life threatening pregnancy have to die. 15 percent of the electorate will go for that one. Fundamentally, it tells individuals they cannot defend themselves against another.
Most offensively, Dolley and Ray seem to always rail against how government is interfering contractual relations, but they support a candidate that seems hell bent on prohibiting people exiting a failed contractual relationship, marriage. Apparently for Dolley and Ray, its ok for abused women to remain in marriages with abusive husbands.
I do not understand why Dolley seems to be defending Peg. While I have my disagreements with Dolley, she is usually consistent. Ray seems to support Peg because he believes in the mythical culture war and thinks she is willing to wage it. In the end, Ray seems to not be a conservative because a true conservative would take a free market approach to culture. Instead, he is no different than the liberals who think culture should be legislated.
Well said.
Ryan,
Tell me the last time that I even mentioned Peg's name? Show me the list of contributions that I have made to her campaign.
I met Peg 10 years ago and was impressed. We have been out of touch and she has taken some positions that I am not comfortable with, thus my silence. I don't see much to get excited about in that race.
Life threatening pregnancies? What exactly is her position on that? I don't know. I know that she makes no exception for rape or incest. I agree with her on that. The only exception that I see is the immediate threat to the life of the mother. Not inconvenience, but the immediate threat to the lose of her life. Peg would probably allow the child to live even if it meant her life.
Do you think that all abortions would end? Do you think that she can change something that is not within her purview?
Essentially, this is a non issue in this race. She can't affect it so why worry about it. When she is up for the SC, then we can discuss her position.
This quote from you is shocking and disgusting.
"…but apparently a woman cannot defend herself against a parasitic fetus."
A parasitic fetus? Did the baby impose itself on the woman or did she engage in an act that gave life to a child?
I will ask you again. Do you ever wish that your mother had aborted you? You seem awful willing to abort other babies, but you sure cling to your life.
Ryan, are you a liar or just a jerk? I support the right of a woman to leave her husband. I absolutely support the right of an abused woman to leave and even kill the bastard who is abusing her. I have no problem with divorces. If anything, I would make it tougher to get married. But again, do you see Peg changing the marriage laws?
Your biggest objections to her seem to be on things that she has no power or control over.
As for my politics, I am a constitutionalist and I have conservative values. I am becoming more libertarian as I get older. I don't care what people do in the privacy of their home and it's consensual. Abortion is not consensual. Abuse is not consensual.
Are you trying to claim that you are a conservative? Now that's funny.
Ryan,
You've lost all credibility. Show me where I've ever said it is ok for abused women to remain in marriages with abusive husbands. Show me where I defend Peg. Show me where I would ask or require a woman to die carrying a "parasitic fetus."
With that "parasitic fetus" comment, you've lost all credibility. Your disgust and disdain for social conservatives is interfering with what little logic and reason you ever possessed.
Pfffttttt. You're right. We should engage in meaningless political theater rather than criticize the Obama for canceling the European missile defense shield or otherwise doing something MEANINGFUL.
John Bolton has said for several years that sanctions will not work. Most recently, in August of 2009. Now Toomey is playing politics with the sanctions bill instead of advocating for something meaningful. I frankly don't care if Sestak or Specter sign on to a meaningless sanctions bill. Toomey is clearly trying to manage perception among the uninformed masses. He is nothing more than a pandering political hack.
Bolton on sanctions: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204...
Iran experiments with compact warhead design: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/05/iran-...
I was a proud supporter of Ronald Reagan in '76, in '80, and in '84 — despite a long list of his conservative violations.
As Gov. of Cal., Reagan signed a liberal abortion law. He announced that a 24-karat Pennsylvania RINO would be his '76 running mate. As president, he raised some taxes, and appointed at least one dimwit to the Supreme Court.
(Perhaps Dolley can expand the list today while I'm at work.)
My points are two: At age 47, Pat Toomey is as reliably conservative as was Ronald Reagan. And when I was supporting Reagan, which third party kooks were some of you supporting?
Well stated!
In fact, I'll go one further: if the libertarian critics of Toomey are so bent with his pending nomination as the GOP candidate, then why don't they (a) register as Republicans (Hello, Dolly!) and (b) start actively campaigning for Luksik? Lot's of b!tch!n' going on from the anti-Republican "conservatives" but, as usually, very little action for alternatives.
I have actually read most of the blithering blather in the above Posts and all I can say is that if my choice next November is between Specter or Sestak and Pat Toomey, my vote goes to Toomey.
United we stand, divided we fall.
SS
Agreed!
But don't tell that to the libertines or they will want your head…
Amen!
Me too. I even had to give him a thumbs up on that one.
Bet that had to gall ya…
Maybe you should attend this luncheon: http://afls.grovecityconference.com/overregulated...
"…Also there was no real opposition to Sotomyers nomination, it had no chance at being defeated so there was no point in him grandstanding for something that was a forgone conclusion…"
You do realize that you are arguing for the same old 'go along to get along' BS that put us in this position, don't you?
Are you also suggesting that rather than distinguish himself because of her extreme (and stupid) views, he should just be one of the crowd?
No, we can't have a person stand on principle and stand out, can we?
His endorsement was sad, but it did reveal who he really is.
Specter is not a turncoat. He's always been a Democrat. He just called himself a Republican and didn't even bother with a disguise. When he changed parties, he just came out from under cover to be his true self.
Shock more than gall. But as I have already noted, it didn't last long. You reverted to form in one of your next comments.
Rather than being a clear choice, he appears to want to blur the lines that differentiate himself from Specter and Sestak. He wants to be seen as middle of the road.
Doesn't he know that the middle of the road is where skunks get run over?
Reagan made some bad decisions. Reagan also had to deal with a hugely democrat majority as president for most of his two terms. He was not perfect and he isn't a saint, but he did set the stage for a strong conservative comeback.
I supported Reagan then and I do now but we should learn from his mistakes and from history. Some people seem intent on repeating the same mistakes and assume that it will be better when they do it.
Ray, Ray, Ray. You get too wound up about this stuff. Ya gotta learn to relax or your gonna have another heart attack (or was it a stroke – I keep forgetting – sorry).
And never ever tell the emperor that he has no clothes.
Never, ever criticize a republican no matter how stupid or how evil he might be.
/sarcasm
Politicians are like diapers. They should be changed often and for the same reason.
With this particular bill, all he's doing is snuggling up to Schumer to make himself appear moderate. Here's the letter he sent admonishing them for not signing on to the meaningless bill. Frankly Pat, I don't give a………..
http://newstalkpa.com/topic.php?id=483
Does this mean that you post just for fun and that we are not in the fight of our lives?
If you are not really pissed off, then you just are not paying attention or you are part of the problem.
Don' even pretend to be concerned about my health. I have had neither a stroke or a heart attack and, Lord willing, am not about to suffer either any time soon.
A shadow or an echo, not a clear and distinct choice.
Reaching across the aisle should be to bring the 'D' to your side, not to have a group hug with the worst of the worst democrats.
Pat doesn't seem to see it that way.
Well, getting your blood pressure up like this ain't gonna keep the heart healthy…
Again, you fake concern and jump to conclusions.
I think that you just post in order to bump up your 'score'.
I didn't know we were keeping score.
That said, it is also possible I keep tossing bits of red meat out there to see who keeps taking the bait. Kinda funny how you and Dolly always seem to get hooked…
Yeah, you never saw the (now)100P to the right of your name. Okay.
You toss out nonsense. We rebut it so that some neophyte doesn't think that it represents real conservative thought.