When I was at the Philly book signing for Crashing the Gates, a Casey staffer came warily up to me and said something to the effect, “Pleased to meet you, BooMan, I’m so-and-so from Casey’s staff…I know you’re not exactly our biggest fans.”
This was the point where I lit into him for Casey’s position on gay rights and accused him of pandering to get the Human Rights Campaign endorsement. That’s when the staffer gave me some spiel about Casey having some kind of epiphany on gay rights and how it’s never too late to get on the correct side of an issue. I just rolled my eyes at the guy and said, “Pleeeeze.”
How far is Casey willing to go to defend gay rights? This might give you a clue. My analysis? Scaredy-fucking-pants.
Casey is a step up from Santorum. Of that there is no doubt. But he is no friend of gays. Or women. Never again are we going to allow them to clear the field for a candidate like Bob Casey in a state like Pennsylvania. We’ll go all Lamont on their ass.
As an out-of-stater, I’m having a hard time understanding how Casey is a step up from Senator Man-on-Dog. Is it because Casey never held a still born child in his bed?
If nothing else he’s a step up because it is one seat closer to having Dem majorities and chairs on congressional committees.
On the issues…not much difference.
Let’s say that a Democrat like Casey is the deciding vote, what good will he be? Will he vote Lieberman style?
Exactly.
Hard to tell, since he is not in office yet. However, being the eternal optimist that I am, I’m hopeful that once the Democrats retake the Senate he can be brought to heel. “You want that committee chairmanship? Well, let’s see . . . how’s your voting record?”
And of course once a Democrat is elected President and gets to hand out the plums, you Pennsylvanians can write to the Federal Department of Patronage, tell them what a wonderful job Casey has done for the party, and suggest that he be given a job in the new administration — like, say, Ambassador to Cameroon. (Hey, it worked for Paul Pressler. A bunch of Disneyland fans got together and organized a campaign to have Pressler promoted out of his position as head of Disney’s theme parks so he’d stop ruining the Magic Kingdom.)
The stupid thing is that we’ve been told that Casey will never get a chair spot on anything important because it would be too risky. Look how he’s already fucked Dean in the ass when Dean promised that Casey would never back extremist SCOTUS nominees.
Kennedy and Schumer and Dean were hawking about how big the appointments of Roberts and Alito were. How essential it was for Dems to come together and vote against their approval. And then Casey walks up like an idiot and backs them.
This isn’t a discussion I want to open up again. That’s why I didn’t say anything about how he will vote, which likely will be very Santorum-like. All I said was that he gets us closer to committee chairs and majorities, which means dictating what gets voted on in the Senate, and since he will be a new member, he will not have any of those chairmanships and is likely to find himself on the least important committees imaginable.
I am not saying Casey is a good thing at all. Just that this one thing is the only aspect in which he is a step up from Santorum.
Will he really get us a step closer though? Richard Shelby was a Dem when he was first elected because he had to be to get elected in Alabama at the time. As far as I can see, the only reason Casey is a Dem is so he can use his family name. He is much further to the right on most issues than any current Democratic Senator.
What guarantee do we have that Casey will still be a Democrat when he finally takes office? Early January is the perfect time for him to change, he has 6 years before he has to face voters again.
Well, if he does manage to not sink his own campaign [as he has in the past] and win, he’ll most likely be out in 4 and run for PA Gov, the job he really wants. Then, it’ll just be us PA folks he’ll be trying to screw instead of legislating on a national level. Lose-Lose-Lose for me either way in PA!
I think Casey’s actually a bigger danger to the women of PA if he winds up in the governor’s mansion.
yep
because Casey is a DEMOCRAT, duh! and democrats don’t vote for extremist judges! oh wait.
seems living in your state is dangerous to your 4th adm. right, nowadays
He is no better than the asshole he is running against and should be thrown out fo the democratic party!!!!!
I am not a fan, but in fairness, here is what he is facing by way of right-wing rhetoric, and also it lays out areas where has pledged to be more gay-friendly than Santorum (which admittedly, is almost impossible not to accomplish).
when he lives up to his pledges I will believe it . Till then I do not believe him in any way, shape or form. Too many dems ask for our support and offer to be GLBT friendly until they are in office and then we do not count.
giving back Savage’s money is was not a profile in courage, that’s for sure.
but in fairness, here is what he is facing by way of right-wing rhetoric
Ya and he’s a religious right fundie lacking the courage or values or strategy to fight for his would be constituents. Just imagine the ‘rhetoric’ the rest of us endure every all the time.
I mean seriously Boo, I heard worse last time I went in for a pap smear at my local Planned Parenthood clinic (where, curiously, they don’t even perform abortions). The religious right are liars and smear artists, no matter which political party they’re trying to control.
hey-
I’m only providing information here.
that if/when the Democrats regain control of Congress, there’ll be a push to bring to heel or take out of office those who do not support the platform (whatever the hell it is besides “get elected no matter what”), but I worry that it’ll turn out to be just like every other elected official…you’re in for life, with your friends in Congress showing up to campaign for you against any opposition, just like we’re seeing in Connecticut.
It’s times like this that make term limits look so appealing to Mr. and Mrs. Average Voter…
Please see my take on this elswhere in the comments.
I’m at the point where I don’t see any way out.
Salazar voter, I’m very sorry you guys are going to have to go through this. It sucks!
Hey, but since Salazar it is now OK to strip search 10 year old girls. And if they get raped after that strip search then they can’t choose to abort! Girls are now property, folks- the untaxed kind!
It’s pervo paradise- thanks to the DLC.
… suckers …
… suckers …
Not sure what you mean by this, but Casey has not won yet. The liberals and pro-women freedom fighters/believers in PA may just surprise you and not vote that Senate race at all. Then what answer do you give??
I say that let Santorum stay and make things worse for women’s freedoms. Then when the larger voter group known as women finally wake up and get angry enough about their second-third class citizen status, the pro-women rights Dems everywhere will be the clear benefactor of this revolt. If the Reids and Caseys cloud the issue, however, it will give cover to the social conservative-religious fundies enough so they may still prevail. My 2 cents anyway!
Oh, btw, I will be leaving that senate race blank on my ballot!
Not fair, man. The Democratic primary was not a fair race.
I’ll be voting for Casey on November 7, but I am doing zero campaigning for him. Zip. Nada. If my Dems chapter asks me to get the vote out for him, I’ll do it solely by convincing people that Santorum has to go.
Spending my time volunteering for either of the Murphys is a much better use of my time.
then you enable Schumer and Rendell, which you have every right to do, but I won’t applaud it.
It’s your vote, follow your conscience.
why is it that we always find ourselves being forced to support the lesser of two evils? Casey is garbage. He is a lieberman whatever and that is, in my humble opinion lower than pond scum. BUT- a quick check shows that this casey is a clear example of why the dems don’t stand a chance of regaining control of either house this November.
We have to grow up and realize that to do this right, it is time to form a new party and to devote all our time to making this new party into a true peoples’ party.So long as we continue to support the caseys out there we will continue to take it right up the ass!
Just watch this NoV!
Dan Savage still supports Casey despite this unnecessary and sad turn of events. He explains why on his own blog. Before I even read it, I could see why Casey might have to say no.
http://www.thestranger.com/blog/2006/07/casey_to_savage_take.php
He explains why on his own blog.
I’ve long been a friend and admirer of Dan Savage and remain one. I’m also fond of Boo, my friend Howie Klein and a good many other people who are, unaccountably, supporting this piece of crap candidate. It’s just that I think they’re wrong. I believe that a Casey victory will greatly encourage those elements of the religious right seeking to dominate the domestic agenda of this country through both parties and exacerbate the sort of ‘primary’ we see in this race and the influence of the religious right on the Democratic party thus producing more abominations like Casey in ’08 and ’10 and so on. Casey is poison, pure poison.
Well, I’ll take your word for it! I don’t know too much about Casey, and I’ve only ever spent about 4 hours in Pennsylvania, so I don’t know too much about the situation there either. I certainly wouldn’t advocate for one candidate or recommend anyone vote a certain way.
I think Boo’s diary is an important perspective for anyone who can vote in that race, or who is more closely involved in the contest than I am. But I also thought Savage’s response is an important point of view. And the dilemma raises some tough questions, which apply more broadly than Casey’s bid for Senator.
I can easily imagine your poison scenario turning out to be true… The old ‘lesser evils’ trap is playing with fire. This is one reason I don’t pay more attention to politicians of any stripe.
I’m with you, Colleen.