Republican Tim Burns has conceded the election to Democrat Mark Critz in Pennsylvania's special election in district twelve.
Lord Acton is still right. Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely. We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that this observation applies not only to the one who has power, but to those for whose benefit that power is exercised (and abused). It is hard not to draw the conclusion that a substantial number of voters in PA-12 have become so addicted to Murtha-style pork that they voted for the Democrat in the hope of keeping those federal chuck wagons rolling in on a regular schedule. Or perhaps the gravy is being airlifted now.
Update: At least Specter is gone.
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Keep in mind this an interim seat. We get another bite at him after another six months of unemployment and rising costs...
ReplyDeleteWell, that's something to hope for, then.
ReplyDeleteAnd Blanche Lincoln is facing a run-off.
ReplyDeleteRichard makes a very good point. Given the 2 to 1 advantage Democrats had in registered voters, it was closer than the percentages might appear. Part of the willingness of the voters to stick with a Democrat may well be due to Critz' avowed commitment to the Second Amendment and his anti-abortion position. He also claims to oppose the climate change bill. If he is unable to stand up to Pelosi (and it will be very difficult for him to do so), there will be a lot of ammunition in November that was not available this time.
ReplyDeleteNash: In that case, I will amend the indictment to include stupidity as well as cupidity. It is folly for social conservatives to elect a standard-bearer who belongs to a party which is utterly contemptuous of their views, and whose presence in congress helps to insure that the selfsame party remains in power.
ReplyDeleteHe's also anti-ObamaCare.
ReplyDeleteHe's also pro-drilling, post-spill. He wants to turn PA into the energy capitol of the country with a drill here, drill now stance on natural gas deposits in the state. And did I mention that he is pro-NUCLEAR.
Just like the special election in Mississippi a few years back the dem position hinmself as MORE conservative than the Republican.
..positioned even. No, I don't know why I do stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteThe current American Awakening was never about electing only Republicans. It's about voting for the right man or woman for the job, and making them stick to their principles (which are presumably America's) or else.
ReplyDeleteRebecca: Quite right. And when you can show me a blue dog who can be relied on to vote conservatively with some consistency, I'll concede the argument.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe not. Because, in a situation where the Democratic Party has a large majority, the blue dog's support of conservative principles is essentially meaningless, and, in any event, he will still probably be supporting people like Pelosi for the leadership position. The only way this works is for the party, itself, to move more toward the right, and this isn't going to happen with a handful of ostensible conservative Democrats to whom Pelosi grants the latitude to vote against the party on issues that are tangential to the party's overall aims, or in situations where a conservative Democrat's vote isn't going to change the outcome anyway (Remember that Pelosi and the Dem establishment poured a ton of money into PA-12. If Critz was seriously considered a threat to the party line, they'd have never done that).
Yojimbo: Was Burns not all of these things, too? Anti-Obamacare/pro-nuclear/pro-drilling? If so, why would Critz be the better congressman? If Burns wasn't all of these things, then you've got a point. Otherwise, ceteris paribus, vote for the Republican.
As Nash points out, the Dems have a large advantage in registered voters in PA-12, so, if they've absolutely got to have a Democrat, Critz is certainly better than a doctrinaire liberal. We'll see how he works out in a close vote on an issue where he has publicly staked out one position and Pelosi another (remember Stupak?)
Critz labelled Burns a tax raiser in the campaig and,evidently, it stuck. Emanuel spent a good deal of time in both 2006 and 2008 recruiting candidates that sounded conservative, and they won, so it does seem to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteOh, it definitely pays to run as a conservative. Whether they wind up voting that way remains to be seen.
ReplyDeleteI thought the correct Lord Acton quote was "Power corrupts and absolute power is even better"
ReplyDeleteEd: I like your version better!
ReplyDelete