Rick Santorum: For More Candidates, Except When He’s Not

Out in Harrisburg, representatives of the Republicans, Democrats and Greens are still bickering over whether third-party Green candidate Carl Romanelli should stay on the ballot. Romanelli, who would theoretically take away votes from Bob Casey, has taken lots of money from Republicans, who helped him get on the ballot.

Rick Santorum, of course, would like Romanelli on the ballot. It’d give him a chance to win. But, oh no, that’s not what Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis told USA Today on Tuesday:

Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis admits that the campaign advised contributors to help Romanelli qualify for the ballot. “We encouraged those who inquired to help with the Green Party effort,” she says. “We welcome Carl Romanelli’s entry into the race because at least he’s expressed a real interest in being up front and honest about where he is on the issues.”

Okay! Open access! More candidates! Hooray democracy! Unless… unless, of course, you’re a Republican running against Rick Santorum in the primary. Way back in March, from a Daily News article:

Scott Migli, executive director of the Republican State Committee, said more than 1,000 of [Republican Senate candidate John] Featherman’s 2,021 signatures, filed last week, were questionable.

Featherman violated a number of rules, Migli said. Some of the signers appeared to be registered Democrats and not all of the people distributing petitions were registered Republicans.

And the fact that he submitted slightly more than the required 2,000 names “threw up a red flag,” Migli said. Usually people try to get thousands more, to protect against any problematic signatures.

So, the state Republicans are for open elections with as many candidates as possible. But only when it helps them, of course.

Politics as usual.

Third candidates could tilt number of races [USA Today]
March 16: A million tears: Non-wacky Republican drops out

Rick Santorum: Bomb The Ottoman Empire!

I was going to recap Sunday’s Bob Casey-Rick Santorum debate, but after about two minutes of it, I was worried I was going to gouge my eyes out if I kept it on. (I tried to listen to it, also, but I put cotton in my ears about three minutes in.)

Anyway, Rick Santorum apparently talked about The War on Islamic Fascism, which is the new name Santorum is pushing for the Global War on Terror. (Um, okay.) It apparently is easier to actually have an enemy in a war, so it’s a decent rhetorical tactic. (I hope Ricky will be pushing to rename the War on Drugs soon as well.)

In a recent Bucks County Courier Times article, Pennsylvania’s junior senator said just what the war on Islamic Fascism is:

For one, he says, “terror” is merely a tactic, much like the blitzkrieg in World War II. But more importantly, “War with Islamic Fascism” gives a broader, Churchillian scope to the “enemy of this generation.”

He attributes its reach from al- Qaida on Sept. 11, 2001, to the 1979 American embassy takeover in Tehran, from Hezbollah to the nuclear-bent Iranian president.

Santorum even brings in the Ottoman Empire by mentioning the 1693 Battle of Vienna, in which Turkish efforts to conquer Europe were finally halted by the West.

Oh, those bastards in the Ottoman Empire! They really hate we Americans for our freedom, and our … oh, wait, what?

(The Ottomans, by the way, were remarkably tolerant of non-Muslims, even taking in Jews during the Spanish Inquisition.)

But of course.

Santorum’s new name for old war [Bucks County Courier Times]

The Many Facial Expressions Of Rick Santorum

A Daily News poll today notes that Bob Casey’s lead over Rick Santorum has slipped to only five points. Bob Casey has pretty much remained a mime in the last few weeks, and Rick Santorum has been running a non-stop ad blitz on the TV stations.

(Editor’s Note: Okay, so about a month ago I woke up to KYW 1060 and I thought I heard a Santorum ad that said something to the effect of, “People think Bob Casey and Rick Santorum are the same, but they’re not. Rick Santorum supports an exception to abortion for the life of the mother, while Casey doesn’t.” Could this have actually happened? I can’t find the ad anywhere, and I doubt Santorum would position himself as the pro-choice candidate, but I swear I heard this. Anyway, digression over.)

While our city’s noted liberal bloggers are breathing into paper bags today, I think it’s time to take a look at some of Rick’s Santorum’s ads — which are no doubt bolstering the junior senator’s campaign.

More »

Vote For The Duck! No! Vote For The Gorilla!

The race for Pennsylvania’s junior senate seat just keeps getting more and more exciting. (And by “exciting,” we mean “stupid.”)

While Rick Santorum is on TV proclaiming that a newspaper called him too liberal, and Bob Casey is, uh, in a secret underground bunker somewhere with duct tape over his mouth, interested parties are trying to sway the votes toward their candidate of choice.

The newest way to gain the public’s trust: Mascots.

Yes, that’s right. Rick Santorum has been sending a staffer in a duck costume to Casey events — because Casey “ducks” the issues, har de har har — for a while now, and a group that would like Casey to win is joining the fray with “Grandpa Gorilla.”

Grandpa Gorilla is an 11-foot inflatable gorilla that is supposed to show that Rick Santorum doesn’t care about old people, or at least Social Security. The DC-based group Americans United is angry that Santorum wanted to privatize Social Security.

So, basically, come November, you have a choice between a gorilla and a duck. Ain’t politics grand?

Monkey on Rick’s back [Daily News]

Will Bunch Just Had, Like, A Major Panic Attack

From the Inquirer today:

After almost two months of running nonstop TV ads across the state, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum appears to have made up ground in his race with Democratic opponent Bob Casey Jr. ¶ A Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday suggested that Santorum had closed to within 6 points of Casey after trailing by 18 points in June, with the senator gaining among Republicans, Democrats and independents alike. The recent Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll showed a similarly narrowed gap.

Santorum cuts down Casey’s lead [Inquirer]

Dubya And The Greens, What A Combo

As we roll into crunch time in election season, campaigns are pulling out all the stops. In Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the Green party is using sneaky tactics and Republican money to attempt to get Carl Romanelli on the ballot.

In brief: Republicans are supporting Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli’s attempts to get on the ballot in the hopes it would take votes away from Bob Casey. The Democrats are challenging Romanelli’s petition — which needed 67,000+ signatures, because Republicans and Democrats can agree that they’d like to keep their stranglehold on politics, thank you very much — in the hopes he’ll get kicked off the ballot because of people signing “Mickey Mouse.”

Today, a letter writer in the Daily News attacks Casey’s camp for challenging the signatures thusly:

Sad case of Casey vs. Romanelli

IWAS ONE of the 100,000 Pennsylvanians who signed the “Romanelli petition” in an attempt to get him on the ballot for the November election, and I am revolted by Bob Casey’s efforts to block his candidacy.

I think it is appalling when the first real action of a Senate candidate is trying to remove another candidate from the ballot, as has been the case with Bob Casey Jr. Not only has Casey remained silent on the issues, but now attempts to silence another voice seeking to join in the democratic process.

One hundred thousand Pennsylvanians have signed petitions to get Mr. Romanelli on the ballot, and Casey would just as soon see that they are cheated out of their efforts. This is the move of a career politician and someone who does not have the best interests of Pennsylvanians in mind.

Edward Smith, Flourtown

Ahh, yes, Edward Smith of Flourtown. Who, after a quick search, appears to be the only Edward Smith in the phone book in Flourtown. And, who, after another quick search, appears to have donated to this presidential candidate in 2004 (take a wild guess):

I’m hope Mr. Romanelli isn’t counting on Ed Smith’s vote come November.

Sad case of Casey vs. Romanelli [Daily News]
Search: Edward Smith [Fundrace.org]
Santorum, the Green Party, and some very strange bedfellows [Attytood]
July 18: Honk if you like Cookies

Leftovers: Historical Marker News!

• The Repent America homophobes have had their petition for a historical marker denied. They actually took the time to write to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and ask for a marker at the spot they were arrested for protesting OutFest in 2004. Do you know how stupid this is? It’s stupider than writing emails to Barbaro. Helpfully, the Philadelphia Gay News article also notes that “[i]n other historical marker news, the sign commemorating the city’s earliest gay rights demonstrations, located on Sixth Street just north of Chestnut, is still mostly blocked from view by a street vendor.” [PGN]

• Moving away from historic historical marker news, John Grogan continues his anti-puppy mill crusade (and probably sells a few extra copies of Marley & Me in the process). But, hey, Philadelphia Will Do is 100 percent against puppy mills, so kudos. And this closing paragraph was fantastic: “Dogs are not people, but they also are not widgets. It’s time for serious reform.” A dog is not a widget, people! [Inky]

• Aww, a whole feature on Pete, the man who thought that The Onion was a real newspaper and that “I’m totally psyched for this abortion!” was a real opinion piece. Thanks, Salon! [Salon]

• Ain’t It Cool News on Lady in the Water: “Lady In The Water is a diarrhoea [sic] splat of storytelling so haphazard, ideas so undernourished, dialogue so banal, and characterization so criminally lifeless that if you’ll be able to lift yourself out of your torpor you will be truly amazed.” Uh oh. Then again, I liked The Village. [AICN via Wookified]

• Rick Santorum sets a state record for Pennsylvania fundraising. They keep records for things like this? Is there a fundraising Hall of Fame somewhere? [AP/Philly.com]

• Award-winning headline writer Peter Mucha reports that the heat wave could hit the high 90s next week. Get new air conditioning filters, people. [Inquirer]

• And, finally, with the Phillies back in action tonight, let’s take a look at the only reason to watch them for the rest of the season: Ryan Howard home runs. Go, Ry-Ho, Go! [HitTracker]

Blogicized: Snakes On A Video

• Snakes on a Plane: The Music Video. Amazing. [Badminton Stamps]

• MSNBC lists Top 10 Least Politically Correct Movies Ever, fails to note Birth of a Nation (or, for that matter, any porn ever). Then again, it was probably done by a 13-year-old intern. (Note: Previous inaccurate line taken out.) [A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago]

• Rick Santorum is helping the mayor of Hazelton, the town that just declared war on illegal immigrants? What a shocker! [All Spin Zone]

Look For The Harlem Globetrotters To Make An Appearance In P’yŏngyang Any Day Now

Everyone’s favorite senator, Rick Santorum, has weighed in on why Iran is a greater threat than North Korea. You see, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Il, is a bit of a sports fan:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il “doesn’t want to die,” according to U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum. “He wants to watch NBA basketball.”

Oh. Cool, then.

The greater threat [Harrisburg Patriot-News]
We bet his favorite team is the Houston Rockets [Attytood]

Rick Santorum Is The Candidate Who Keeps Your Colon Cancer-Free

The New York Times covers Rick Santorum’s senate campaign and how the current senator is handling being down 18 points in one poll.

Aside from the usuals — blaming the media, blaming liberals, etc. — Santorum has come up with a pamphlet featuring a list of “Fifty Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum.” Here’s Santorum’s greatest achievement (emphasis mine):

Mr. Santorum, the third-ranking Republican leader in the Senate, distributed a brochure this week as he worked a sweltering round of town hall meetings and Fourth of July parades: “Fifty Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum.” It is filled with what he called meat and potatoes, like his work to expand colon cancer screenings for Medicare beneficiaries (No. 3), or to secure money for “America’s first ever coal to ultra-clean fuel plant” (No. 2).

Just wait until the attack ads: Bob Casey actually wishes colon cancer on Medicare recipients. Casey only wants your colon for liberal gay sex! I’m Rick Santorum, and I approve this message.

Running Hard, Senate Power Seeks a New Image [NYT]