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The Number One Threat to
Progressive Politics in America: Bob Casey jr.
By Rob Kall
www.OpEdNews.com
Centrists in the Democratic party don’t want
the party to become more progressive. They want to move it to the
right, to make the average Democratic candidate look more and more
like a Republican. They will use the Bob Casey jr. campaign for US
senate as an example to set a precedent which will be devastating to
progressives nationwide.
Recent polls have shown that Rick Santorum is
very vulnerable in PA—a state where Kerry won and the last governor
elected was a democrat.
The problem is, the centrist, insider,
democratic power brokers have already coronated their centrist
senate pick and want to do an end run around the democratic
process—the primary election. Their pick is Bob Casey, the
anti-abortion, and hence anti-women’s rights son of a former
governor. They argue that his antiabortion position makes him more
electable.
If Casey wins this primary and then goes on to
beat Santorum, the centrist Democrats will claim it as a precedent
that will make it much, MUCH harder for progressives to get on the
ballot. They will claim that Casey’s win is proof that Democrat’s
must give up on women’s rights and must hew more to the center,
(even though the center keeps moving further and further right as
the Republicans become more and more extreme..)
This fact alone makes this state election in
Pennsylvania a national concern and issue. If Casey wins the primary
and then beats Santorum, the DLC and the rest of the centrist,
republican-lites in disguise as democrats will use the victory as an
argument to further remove the spine from the democratic party as
they push it further towards the center, so it looks even more like
the republican party. They will insist that Casey’s victory shows
the way that Democrats can win.
The problem is, this is not true and not
logical. Pennsylvania is ripe for a democratic win of a senate seat.
Whoever wins the state democratic primary will be in a great
position to beat Rick Santorum. If I were Rick Santorum, I’d be
happy to be running against Casey. Karl Rove and the RNC know how to
tear apart candidates who try to be Republican look-alikes. Casey
won’t have a chance once the people who funded the Swift Boat
Veteran ads come to Pennsylvania, and be assured, they will. This
race will be the most closely followed of all the 2006 races.
The truth is that a progressive who supports
women’s rights will probably do BETTER than Casey. …….. He will
garner the support of women from both parties. An enormous number of
women are already saying they can’t support Casey. These women are
the ones who worked their butts off helping win Pennsylvania for
Kerry.
If you are a progressive in any other state
than Pennsylvania, be assured, this PA race will affect you, your
local candidates and politics. But there is a lot that you can do.
There is a progressive candidate who will be
facing Casey in the PA democratic primary. Dr. Chuck Pennacchio
www.chuck2006.com is a solid progressive, with a great policy
profile who really walks the talk. He’s an experienced activist who
has helped several US senators win their campaigns. He’s a history
professor who understands international and national issues at a
level that makes Rick Santorum and Bob Casey look like
kindergartners. Even better, Pennacchio is an extraordinary speaker
who makes Casey look like a road kill.
This race is not about picking a US senator for
Pennsylvania. It’s going to decide the future of the Democratic
party. The Pennsylvania party insiders have failed to elect a
senator to congress in the last 42 years of regular elections. Next
year, with Santorum vulnerable, the Democrats have a shot at
electing whoever wins the primary. The progressives have a chance to
win the primary. The progressives have a chance to stage a victory
that proves the viability of the progressive vision and progressive
politics. Progressives have an opportunity to, by beating Casey,
then beating Santorum, stave off a devastating loss which will have
national repercussions.
If you are a progressive, this election will
touch you. Will you make the choice to make a difference? You have a
chance to bring to the US Senate a progressive leader you will be
proud to have played a part in supporting.
You can do everything you can, as soon as
possible to support Pennacchio—send him money, volunteer to help. If
you are a nearby state, consider offering, when the time is right,
to come to PA and volunteer to canvas and phone bank for Pennacchio.
Do it!
Rob Kall rob@opednews.com
is editor of www.OpEdNews.com You can
read more of his articles at
Rob Kall Archive
He is also president of Futurehealth, Inc
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