There is no grey area for me on voting for Chuck Pennacchio in this upcoming primary here in PA on May 16th. One of the reasons for this is Pennacchio’s strong stance on the issue of choice. There is no grey area for me on the issue of choice. It is legal and should remain legal. That is that. No ifs ands or buts.

He believes that a woman’s right to have control over her own reproductive choice is inviolate, and as our Senator, he will stand up to protect this fundamental Constitutional guarantee.

Pennacchio would have voted against the appointments of now Chief Justice John Roberts and now Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States. Both Justices have a record of blech. Both Justices would most likely vote to overturn Roe v. Wade when it comes to the SCOTUS; I have no doubts that it will. There are so many people out there who believe that the issue of abortion is the bread and butter of the Republican party and their single best way to get out the vote. They have plenty of other issues they can and have ramped up as the downfall of humanity, I don’t think they’ll have a problem energizing their fanatical, wingnut, batshit fucking crazy base.

The most chilling remark candidate Casey has said on the subject of choice is this rabidly anti-choice and anti-Roe v. Wade statement from a December 18, 2005 story in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

It would seem obvious: Democratic Senate candidate Robert P. Casey Jr., who opposes abortion, believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

“You can’t say you have the position I have and not believe that,” Casey said in a recent interview about the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made legal abortions available nationwide.

And Senators Schumer and Reid assured all their friends that Casey wouldn’t let his anti choice views influence his votes for extremist judges to be appointed to things like, say, the SCOTUS. But then Casey went and opened his mouth to do just that.

On September 29, 2005, Casey told the Inquirer, through his campaign, that he would have voted to confirm Roberts. Not only that but his campaign manager, speaking on Casey’s behalf, stated:

[Casey] was initially concerned that Roberts would “bring an ideological agenda to the bench.”

“Based on his testimony and statements, Bob Casey believes Judge Roberts adequately addressed this concern,” Reiff said.

Yes, Roberts’ incredibly frank testimony. And Reiff added:

Judge Roberts is clearly a conservative, but it would be difficult to argue he is out of the mainstream

Riiiight. Casey’s version of “mainstream” that is.

And then fast forward a few months to January 25, 2006 and the Alito nomination for another Inquirer story where Casey chimes:

The arguments against Judge Alito do not rise to the level that would require a vote denying him a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

I recall people like Sen. Schumer going bonkers over how extremist Alito was [and most likely currently is]. The Inquirer remembered too

Top national Democrats, including Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D., N.Y.), who personally recruited Casey to run, singled out Alito’s past statements on abortion as evidence of his being too extreme.

I wonder if Schumer and Reid gagged when they heard that Casey had come out in favor it the nomination. I wish they just puked all over Casey. Told him that he had family business to attend to and bow out of the damn race and then get fully behind the Progressive Pennacchio campaign. But then they swallowed hard. Like a chunk of gristle in a bad cheesesteak. Yeah, I guess Casey is like that hunk of shit in a bad ‘steak that Schumer and Reid are trying to force down our throats here in PA. Me, I like to spit that shit out.

An excerpt of Pennacchio’s statement on the confirmation of Alito:

I stand with the overwhelming majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate and Independent Senator Jim Jeffords and pro-choice Republican Lincoln Chaffee who opposed the Alito nomination. It’s revealing that Bob Casey stood with the far right today instead of with the Democratic Senators who voted 40-4 against Judge Alito’s confirmation.

My reasons for opposing the Alito nomination are clear. Judge Alito’s decisions and earlier work in the Reagan Justice Department demonstrate that he favors broadly expanding the power of the President and corporations while he would weaken individual rights and our constitutional system of checks and balances. On the U.S. Supreme Court Judge Alito will be a serious threat to privacy rights, abortion rights, employee rights, and minority rights.

I’ve been an obedient Democrat for sometime now. But fuck that. My political views and philosophies have grown and become much more complex. I want candidates who will stand up for things. I won’t simply pull the D lever anymore. I won’t vote for whomever I’m told to vote for. I won’t simply vote against someone either. I will vote for people I believe in. I will give money to candidates I believe in [give to Pennacchio here and specificially through Act Blue here]. I think lazy apathetic Americans should get off their asses and inform themselves of their candidates’ stances. I think that newspapers should inform their readers and stop making excuses over whom and what they cover.

Sen. Man on Dog is about as batshit fucking crazy as they come, and on paper, Casey isn’t too far behind, especially on the issue of choice. We need to get Sen. as Batshit Fucking Crazy as they Come out of office. Putting Sen. Almost as Batshit Fucking Crazy as they Come does not help. Senator Chuck Pennacchio has a nice ring to it.

The ongoing Pennacchio Online Petition Drive/blogswarm. More from The Hippo and The Sideshow.

Conviction wins.