Two stories in the past two days about Senate candidate Chuck Pennacchio, for whom I am volunteering. One in the Centre Daily Times and another in the Daily News. Both stories tell of waning support for candidate Casey Jr.
The DN article addresses the issue of choice in the midterm election.
According to the 2000 census, there are over seven million women here in Pennsylvania [76.2% of the entire population of voting age as of 2000], almost 52%. The majority in the state. I've read and heard that some 66% of the state is pro-choice and 75% want to preserve Roe v Wade. With that in mind, two outsiders [Harry Reid (D-NV), Chuck Schumer (D-NY)] and a Philly boy [Rendell] pushed Casey Jr to run and pushed pro choice candidates Joe Hoeffel and Barbara Hafer out of the race. Why try to throw away this issue?Don't count on many "Women for Casey" bumper stickers this year.
Lots of Democratic ladies are steamed that the party's leading U.S. Senate candidate, Bob Casey Jr., is anti-abortion - saying that women have been overlooked in the quest to take out despised Republican incumbent Rick Santorum.
"A lot of women feel ignored, like the boys decided that this is a throwaway issue," said Kathy Miller, outgoing president of the Pennsylvania branch of NOW.
And while we're at it, I guess with teh annointing of Casey Jr, we're also throwing away the issue of gun safety, embryonic stem cell research, universal healthcare, the separation of church and state, a living wage, opposing über conservative judges and oh yeah, that Iraq war thing. Pennacchio is pro embryonic stem cell research [.pdf], pro universal healthcare, for a living wage, against the Iraq war, pro higher education for all who want it, pro campaign finance reform... His longer list of his stance on the issues here.Still, the fact that Casey has been courted to run, in part because of his conservative stance on abortion, shows how the party has shifted since 1992, when his dad was not asked to speak at the Democratic convention because of his anti-abortion beliefs.
"I think generally in the national party there has been a recognition that we have to disagree on an issue," Casey said.
The Centre Daily article shows how Pennacchio's progressive message is gaining ground group by group in the center of the state. As a result of the meeting, one resident has started to organize a campaign to turn the ~13,000 non-affiliated voters in Centre County to the Democratic Party to be eligible to vote for Pennacchio come May 16, 2006 in the Democratic primary.
I do not understand the decision made by those three men in a room or over a conference call. Pennacchio rose to the call in early 2005 [earlier?] before they scared off Hafer and Hoeffel and before Casey Jr was pushed into their spotlight. I'll be voting with my head and with my heart come May 16, 2006 for Pennacchio.
And as a postscript, may I correct Ms. Lucey's recounting of 1992:
Still, the fact that Casey has been courted to run, in part because of his conservative stance on abortion, shows how the party has shifted since 1992, when his dad was not asked to speak at the Democratic convention because of his anti-abortion beliefs.That is simply not true. Media Matters has covered this many times:
Casey was denied speaking time in 1992 over his refusal to endorse the Clinton-Gore ticket, not his anti-abortion views. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Sens. John Breaux (D-LA) and Howell Heflin (D-AL), and five other governors who opposed abortion rights did address the convention in 1992, as detailed in a September 16, 1996, article in The New Republic on the Casey myth. In addition, anti-abortion speakers have spoken at every Democratic convention since 1992, including Breaux in 1996 and 2000, former House Democratic Whip David Bonior (D-MI) in 1996 and 2000, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in 2000 and 2004.[thank you Noz for the reminder]
argh! the DN article repeats the myth that casey sr. wasn't allowed to speak at the DNC because of his anti-choice views. in fact, it was because he wouldn't endorse the democratic presidential nominee
Posted by: upyernoz | January 11, 2006 at 11:15 AM