(Via Hot Air Headlines) And I don’t really need to explain the details, do I? You already know them. The GOP establishment – which included Rick Santorum – circled the wagons to defend Arlen Specter from Pat Toomey in 2004. Specter then repaid the favor by stabbing the Republican party in the back by voting for the stimulus and being the 60th vote in Obamacare; and although Specter amply paid the price for his cowardice in 2010 there’s still a bit of unresolved bitterness there. In some way it’s just Santorum’s bad luck that Specter got destroyed in the 2010 primary instead of the general election; having Toomey deliver the death blow instead of Joe Sestak might have provided some closure, there.
But Toomey did not, and so Santorum is kind of stuck now. It does not necessarily mean that Santorum will not get the nomination, of course. But it’s not going to help him, either – particularly since Rick Santorum is not exactly apologizing for this lapse in judgement in the most graceful and endearing way. In fact, at times Santorum seems almost visibly angry that people are holding his support for Specter against him. That’s… not wise.
I keep getting this guy set up with Obama’s press guy.
Me too, Earl.
I certainly didn’t blame Santorum at the time. It was not at all clear that Toomey would win in the general in `04. (My goodness that feels like a lifetime ago) And as unreliable as Specter had been up to that point, he was still a better option than whoever the Dems put up that year. Hell, he’d still be a Senator if he hadn’t voted for the porkulus bill and sunk his career.
@earl, @catseye: LOL. I was thinking “that little scrap of cow crud that is the WH Press Secretary better not be ripping anybody”.
And people like to go off about how Romney is never going to be nominated because he doesn’t apologize enough for Romneycare.
Not that I have any say in any of this. I missed the deadline for absentee ballots, and will not be in my hometown for the primary. Mostly, I got despondent because my preferred candidate, Perry, dropped out.
Considering that there were in fact Democrats to the right of Spector and that he did turn coat, I don’t think you could say that it was better to back him than a Toomey candidacy- especially since Toomey won next time around. Santorum is gonna have to own this, and not just by mumbling “take one for the team”.
That having been said, I STILL would prefer him to the guy who has spent the entire campaign season playing to the Democrats… and who will undoubtedly move EVEN FURTHER to the left if he is nominated.