Making a case for the race, debates of midterm election – DARON CHRISTOPHER

Editor’s Note: Daron Christopher is an intern with PA Victory 06, the coordinated Ed… Editor’s Note: Daron Christopher is an intern with PA Victory 06, the coordinated Ed Rendell/Bob Casey campaign.

Those who paint Bob Casey as merely a colorless anti-Santorum are misguided about what Pennsylvania needs. Casey is a throwback to a simpler kind of politician, one doing a job not to get his face on Time Magazine, but to help improve the lives of constituents, as he has done with a solid track record during his tenure as auditor general and state treasurer. It is precisely the sort of experience that we need in an era that has all the trappings of the eve of possible economic crisis in the aftermath of the tax cuts that Santorum has supported George Bush in.

It is a smart development for Democrats to project that they are the party of welcoming different points of view — Casey is indeed pro-life, but his stance on this issue, as with his others, seems based upon reasoning rather than strict dogma. I applaud Casey’s courage in committing to an unpopular stand in his party — it strikes me as a good indicator of his ability to ask the tough questions as he has promised.

It’s not going to be “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”-style speeches on the Senate floor that help turn things around. It’s going to be quiet and thoughtful conversations in rooms with closed doors where people agree to meet in the middle. Who do you think is going to be more likely to perform well in this arena? Santorum’s hate-ridden and ideologue-driven extremist rhetoric is exactly what we don’t need if we want to have civilized debate and cooperation among our public servants

In an era in which campaigning and governing appear to have merged into one unit, one has to hold Santorum accountable for his advertisements which have grown more desperate and more eager to skew Casey’s record as Santorum’s polling numbers have dropped — a sure sign that Santorum is willing to take to extreme measures to maintain his grasp on power when it is threatened.

This is surely not a comforting trait for a senator. Santorum’s shameless exploitation of first his children and now Iraq veterans to play on the emotions of voters to turn against Casey stand in stark contrast to the majority of Casey’s ad campaign, which consists of him talking simply to the camera about specific proposals while standing in front of the Capitol.

Who would you rather hire as your family’s doctor — someone who talks about what he wants to do to help you? Or someone who is blatantly more interested in trashing the other person interviewing for the job?

Santorum clearly does not have the average working person at heart in his voting record, consistently voting against measures that would help struggling families in favor of kickbacks for the wealthy corporations that fund his campaigns. As the third ranking Republican with a clear majority for the past several years, what has prevented Santorum from doing more to combat our enemies in the past? Why only take a harsh public stance against North Korea after they have already tested a nuclear weapon? Why vote against sending more guards to our borders on several occasions?

Santorum’s blind refusal to acknowledge problems in Iraq or to question the administration are clear indicators that he is the one we should be concerned about in terms of stance on security, particularly with his war-mongering rhetoric that appears to be all but ready to reinstate the draft and invade Iran tomorrow.

Anyone who would compare our situation in Iraq to “Lord of the Rings” is offensively oblivious to the life-shattering sacrifices being made by our soldiers and owes them an apology — why is the outcry over John Kerry’s blooper, not this? Portraying Casey as somehow being weak on terrorism and illegal aliens is pure spin. Calling for specific proposals for the future of our operations in Iraq and calling for the implementation of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations are solid steps towards making our nation safer.

Santorum is a compassionate conservative? I can’t see a true conservative in favor of running up massive debt for the next generation to pay off so that the richest of the current generation can benefit. A true conservative is in favor of a limited government that does not needlessly intrude in the personal affairs of citizens in the style of Santorum’s warnings that homosexuality leads to bestiality.

What would Jesus do? If I can take an educated guess, I’d assume he would be a lot more interested in reaching out to the needy than Santorum’s “I don’t think making people struggle a bit is necessarily the worst thing” book.

In short, I think he’d vote for Bob Casey. I know I am.