The Horror! The Horror!

From the Patriot News:

WASHINGTON - A month after suffering the largest defeat by a Senate incumbent in a quarter-century, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum ponders a future as a cable TV talking head and earning big bucks on the lecture circuit.

Santorum, who lost to Democrat Bob Casey Jr. in last month's election, has been weighing offers. They range from appearing on Fox News Channel as an analyst to working for a law firm, according to several people who have spoken with the Pennsylvania Republican.

Santorum, one of the most vocal lawmakers for the last decade, has been nearly invisible in the last month as he weighs his options.

Santorum has been negotiating a cable deal, which political insiders say most likely is with Fox -- though MSNBC and CNN have been mentioned as well -- "to be a screamer," as one political operative put it.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Suddenly the salad I'm having for lunch doesn't taste so good...

I thought we were rid of this asshat. I cannot understand how failing to win reelection (and rather spectacularly at that) qualifies you for your own cable show. Why would any (non-ideologically driven) network ever chose a commentator who's been rejected by the public?

I guess I answered my own question.

Rick Santorum Fox News

Vacation Update:

In case you were wondering why I jumped the gun by a day on my One Year Anniversary post, it's because I ended up heading to warmer climes for a few days. Last minute, relatively unplanned vacations are always the best kind.

I'm posting from the hotel lobby, so this will be the only post for today. I'll be back at home (and back to posting) tomorrow.

To tide you over, here's a fun little picture I found during the run up to the election, but never got around to using.


I assure you that the man in the picture isn't me.

Side note: Just how un-funny is this going to be? And what 'right-leaning' comedian are they going to get to do it? For that matter, other than Denis Leary, are there any 'right-leaning' comedians?

Apparently, Kurt Long and Susan Yeagley. Either that or they're just willing to be paid to play one on TV...

Santorum Fades

From a new Temple/Inquirer poll:

As U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum makes fighting global terrorism his closing pitch of the campaign, the latest Temple/Inquirer Poll shows that growing doubts about the Iraq war continue to erode support for Republicans.

More voters than a month ago say the war - which remains the defining issue in the November election - has made the country less safe from terrorism, while the percentage saying they feel safer has dropped. At the same time, a majority of voters, 52 percent, want the United States to either decrease troop levels in Iraq or pull out altogether.

[...]

The Temple/Inquirer poll shows Santorum has lost ground to his Democratic opponent, Bob Casey Jr. A month ago, Casey led the two-term senator by 11 points. The latest poll has Casey ahead 54 percent to 38 percent with 6 percent undecided.

A sixteen point spread is pretty impressive considering that the margin of error in the poll was only 3.8%.

The same poll found that Governor Rendell leads Lynn Swann 58-34.

It was also noted that in this election, Democrats were more loyal to their party, moderates we leaning very strongly towards Democratic candidates and even some moderate Republicans favored Dems.

All good news from the home state.

Rick Santorum Bob Casey, Jr Ed Rendell Lynn Swann 2006 Election Pennsylvania Politics

Santorum: Cash ≠ Love

From the Harrisburg Patriot News:

Twenty million dollars can buy a lot of things, but U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is learning it can't buy him love.

Santorum, R-Pa., has burned through nearly $20 million and a 2-to-1 cash advantage over his Democratic challenger, state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr.

Santorum heads into the final three weeks of the campaign trailing Casey in the polls and now in money to spend.

"The assumption all along for this race was that Santorum's great advantage at the end of the day would be to use his financial resources to outgun Casey down the home stretch," said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

"Those numbers are sobering for Republicans and the Santorum campaign," Borick said, adding, "They've lost the upper hand in an important area of the campaign."

Pennsylvanians aren't stupid. All the money in the world isn't going to buy Satorum any votes when the electorate has decided that 'man on dog' Santorum is out of line with the largely moderate state.

I'm no big fan of Bob Casey, Jr. A lot of people in Pennsylvania aren't. But Santorum has acted like the Senator from Kansas instead of the Senator from a North Eastern state that voted for both Gore and Kerry. A lot of Casey's votes will be votes against Santorum, but it's still a pickup for Democrats. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Casey has more cash on hand and has raised more money in the last 90 days. Santorum is the least popular state wide official in Pennsylvania (only a 41% approval rating) and the state's Democratic standard bearer, Gov. Ed Rendell, is leading his GOP challenger by 21 points.

Santorum has spent $23.2 million over the election to raise his approval rating. Casey has spent only $14.7 million yet still leads - 46% to 41%.

Six years from now, Casey will be vulnerable (because people are voting against Santorum) unless he proves himself as a Senator but for now, I'm just glad that we'll be rid of Santorum.

Bob Casey Rick Santorum Pennsylvania Politics 2006 Election

PA Politics - Blue and Getting Bluer UPDATED

A new Quinnipiac poll is out for Pennsylvania and the results show that Pennsylvanians haven't lost their minds:

Democratic State Treasurer Robert Casey Jr. has regained his momentum in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race and now leads incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. RickSantorum 51 - 39 percent among likely voters, with 4 percent for Green party candidate Carl Romanelli and 5 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Republicans back Sen. Santorum 77 - 17 percent, while Democrats back Casey 85 - 8 percent and independent voters back the Democrat 56 - 31 percent. In this survey,
17 percent of likely voters who name a candidate say they still might change their mind.

[...]

"Sen. Rick Santorum's comeback momentum has been stopped dead in the water. Santorum's attack ads against Casey have failed to spark voters' support, and 50 percent of voters say the Senator does not deserve re-election," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Quinnipiac's last poll had Santorum trailing by only 6 points, 48% to 42%.

All the trends are against Santorum. Bush is strongly disliked in Pennsylvania, his approval rating is only 38%. Pennsylvanians don't like Santorum personaly either. The Senator's approval rating is even lower at 35%. In addition, Rick Santorum's family lives in Virginia.

In general, things look good for Democrats in Pennsylvania

According to a Rasmussen Reports survey the Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, Lynn Swann, is trailing significantly. Ed Rendell, the incumbent, leads Swann 56% to 36%. Swann actually polled ahead of Rendell in the begining of the year.

In south eastern PA, in the suburbs of Philly, a Temple University/Philadelphia Inquirer poll has shown that strong disapproval of President Bush is affecting House races in the area:

"The Bush effect -- strongest in the southeast region -- is acting as a drag on Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, and tugs at GOP House incumbents in suburban Philadelphia, who are locked in three of the nation's most competitive races."

[...]

The Temple/Inquirer Poll asked respondents to rate their feelings toward candidates for Senate and governor on a scale of zero to 10.

Twenty-four percent of likely voters gave Santorum a zero, far more than any other candidate. Democrats were the most hostile, but 51 percent of independents rated Santorum below 5 - and 26 percent of these voters gave him a zero.

[...]

People who said they disapproved of Bush's performance were much more likely to indicate they would vote Democratic in House races, the poll found, a sign that GOP House members are tied in part to the president. Fifty-eight percent said they disapproved of the way Bush is doing his job, while 42 percent said they approved.

Republicans hold the three House seats outside Philadelphia - the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Districts - and the Democratic candidates are considered competitive in each race. Together, the two major parties have reserved $16.1 million worth of TV advertising time in the Philadelphia market for House candidates in the last month of the campaign.

I miss all of the good campaign ads I used to see in Pennsylvania. Here in Maryland, they just assume you'll vote Democratic so they don't bother to buy air time. Sometimes we get ads from Virginia races. The Republican ads there are utterly contemptible and I don't even get satisfaction of voting against them...

UPDATE: 10:22 am

The Washington Post reports that the Green Party, which gathered signitures with Republican money and Republican staffers, will not be on the ballot:

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 25 -- A judge said Monday that he will remove the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate from the November ballot because the party did not have enough valid signatures in its nominating petitions.

Carl Romanelli's candidacy for the Pennsylvania seat had been challenged by state Democrats. Romanelli's bid was backed by Sen. Rick Santorum (R), who hoped that Romanelli could siphon votes from his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr.

[...]

Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley ruled that Romanelli, a railroad industry consultant from Wilkes-Barre, was 8,931 signatures shy of the 67,070 he needed to qualify as a minor-party candidate.

In general, I'm in favor of having as many parties and as many candidates running as possible. More views, more positions and more options is always good for voters. It allows them to have more than two colors to express themselves.

This, however, wasn't what was going on here. This was an effort by one candidate to 'double up' on the ballot.

Rick Santorum Bob Casey Jr. Ed Rendell Lynn Swann Pennsylvania 2006 Elections

Santorum's Tantrum

Via E&P:

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., report that Santorum, who trails Democrat Robert Casey in most polls, referred to his "rocky relations with the press" as he moved from room to room to attend regional caucuses earlier at a GOP state committee meeting in a hotel in East Pennsboro.

Later he refused to talk when a Patriot-News reporter, Brett Lieberman, approached with a question about Iran -- and again complained about what he called biased coverage.

"I have to raise tens of millions of dollars because of the junk you feed the people of Pennsylvania," he said, according to the paper. It added that he "then used an expletive to describe the coverage and slammed down a newspaper."

I grew up getting the Patriot News. My best friend was a paperboy for them before he was downsized in favor of an all-adult, car-driving delivery system. My parents still get the Patriot. I attempt to read it every time I go home.

I am very rarely successful unless I confine myself to the sports page. The conservative leanings are hard to miss. Maybe I'm too used to the Washington Post and the New York Times, but reading the Patriot's editorial page is something I should stop doing because it doesn't help my blood pressure. The letters they publish are mindblowing. And they never published any of the letters I sent them. Bastards.

Which brings me back to Santorum. If he has to spend tens of millions to cover up what a right-wing rag like the Patriot says, can you imagine what he'd have to spend if there was real reporting in Pennsylvania?

Rick Santorum Patriot News

Other Fun News

Respectfully stolen from RawStory:

Pennsylvania Wing Nut Rick Santorum demonstrates his idiocy:

"I am outraged," Santorum said of the administration's approval of Mohammad Khatami's request for visa. "Mohammed Khatami is one of the chief propagandists of the Islamic Fascist regime... I believe that granting a visa to Khatami so that he can travel around the United States and mislead the American people is a mistake."

Ironically, Santorum's chief complaint about Khatami's plans to speak in America is the former president's record on free speech.

"During his presidency," Santorum elaborated, "the suppression of free speech was so great that the organization 'Reporters Without Frontiers' branded Iran 'the greatest predator of free press in the Middle East.' When Iranian students demonstrated against the regime in 1999, Khatami's government arrested thousands of people, some of whom remain in prison to this day."

FoxNews seems to be having a viewership problem:

According to the Nielsen ratings, as compiled by TV Newser, Fox News Channel's total viewership dropped 7 percent from last August, and it's prime time audience is down 28 percent.

Meanwhile, CNN's ratings increased 35% in total and 21% in prime time as MSNBC moved up 26% and 6%.

Asked about the drop, Fox News said through a spokesman that CNN must be "employing fuzzy math." The spokesman mean Nielsen was using the fuzzy math, right? Right?

Rick Santorum Iran Mohammad Khatami Fox News

Santorum 'Closing the Gap'

Anybody heard the rumors? The topic of the Republican noise machine's incessant blathering has happened across my home state and is spreading it's disinformation as usual.

For all the strident GOoPer shouting and arm-waving, the newly 'competitive' race between Rick Santorum and Bob Casey, Jr has just been polled by Rasmussen and Casey leads, 50% to 39%.

Yes, 11 points could be made up between now and November. But let's look at it this way: Among likely voters, 89% have already chosen a candidate. That leaves... 11% of likely voters undecided. ALL of them would have to break for Santorum, a Republican incumbent well below 50% approval rating, for him to break even.

Santorum was never a good fit for Pennsylvania. (Maybe because he and his family actually live in Virginia.) Between his low popularity, the disastrously low approval rating of George W. Bush in the Keystone State, and his Far-Right politics, I'm just not seeing him being re-elected.

More documentation of the Intellectual Dishonesty of the Republican Party...

Rick Santorum Bob Casey, Jr. Pennsylvania Senate 2006

Home State Politics

So the Pennsylvania Green Party has been trying to get their candidate on the ballot for November's Senate Race. They needed money for the voter signature effort. They raised $66,000 in June and went out to get the signatures.

But wait... There's more! TPMmuckraker reports that the money didn't exactly come from Green Party supporters:

The Luzerne County Green Party raised $66,000 in the month of June in order to fund a voter signature drive. The Philly Inquirer reported yesterday that $40,000 came from supporters of Rick Santorum's campaign (or their housemates). Also yesterday, we confirmed that another $15,000 came from GOP donors and conservatives. Only three contributions, totaling $11,000, remained as possible legit donations.

Today, I confirmed that those came from GOP sources.

[...]

That leaves only one contribution, for $30, as a legitimate donation from a Green Party supporter. That came from the candidate himself, Carl Romanelli. He made it to his own campaign fund, not the local Green Party.

Romanelli's latest FEC report shows his campaign currently has $17.20 on hand.

In general, I'm supportive of third/non-major parties. The more view points in the discussion, the better. But when they are used as tools of either of the two main parties, it's really just gaming the system. The Green Party has a legitimate political position staked out and if people supportive of that position want to give their money to support it, great. If people want to vote for the Green Party, great.

Just don't use the Green Party as a tool to draw off support from a 'more established' political rival. It's unseemly and undemocratic. But then again, this is the GOP. What did we expect?

Hotline reports that PA Dems plan to challenge the signatures:

The chairman of the PA Dem party, T.J. Rooney, said today he'll challenge the signatures that Green Party candidate Carl J. Romanelli submitted to join the Senate ballot. A number of those signatures were collected by JSM, Inc.

Rooney: “This is a questionable and controversial firm that has a history of fraudulent activity where many signatures, and candidates in some instances, have been thrown off the ballot in various states. We will ensure that this doesn’t take place in Pennsylvania and that the integrity of the electoral process is safeguarded.”

The Green Party has only 20,000 registered members in Pennsylvania. Romanelli & JSM turned in 90,000 signatures. Hmmm...

Pennsylvania Republicans Democrats Green Party Rick Santorum Carl Romanelli

Home State Politics

Things are looking blue in Pennsylvania.

Strategic Vision (R) has released poll results showing many very good things. A few selections:

1. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's overall job performance?
Approve 26%
Disapprove 64%
Undecided 10%

7. Would you like to see the United States Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade?
Yes 37%
No 55%
Undecided 8%

15. If the election for Governor was held today, and the choice was between Ed Rendell, the Democrat, Lynn Swann, the Republican, and Russ Diamond, the Independent, whom would you vote for?
Ed Rendell 49%
Lynn Swann 36%
Russ Diamond 2%
Undecided 13%

16. Do you approve or disapprove of United States Senator Rick Santorum's job performance?
Approve 46%
Disapprove 46%
Undecided 8%

17. If the election for United States Senate were held today, and the choice was between Robert Casey, Jr., the Democrat and Rick Santorum, the Republican, whom would you vote for?
Robert Casey 50%
Rick Santorum 40%
Other 2%
Undecided 8%

19. Who is your choice for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008? (Democrats only)
Hillary Clinton 35%
Al Gore 16%
John Edwards 15%
Russ Feingold 8%
John Kerry 5%
Mark Warner 2%
Wesley Clark 2%
Joseph Biden 2%
Ed Rendell 1%
Evan Bayh 1%
Bill Richardson 1%
Tom Vilsak 1%
Barbara Boxer 1%
Undecided 10%

20. Who is your choice for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008? (Republicans only)
Rudy Giuliani 42%
John McCain 25%
Newt Gingrich 5%
Mitt Romney 5%
Bill Frist 4%
George Allen 3%
Rick Santorum 1%
George Pataki 1%
Chuck Hagel 1%
Undecided 13%

A lot of rather random information, I know. But here's what I'm going to glean from those numbers:

Pennsylvania is getting bluer. Yes, the state has voted for the Democratic candidate in the last four Presidential Elections and has a Democratic Governor, but the state in 2004 the state was balancing on a knife edge.

The Pittsburgh and Philly metro areas vote Democratic, but rapidly expanding suburbs could have been (and could still be) rich areas for Republicans. The 'Alabama in Between' Pittsburgh and Philly, especially areas north of Harrisburg, are as red as any part of Texas or Kansas. The rapidly shrinking Union base is a problem for Democrats, very similar to states like Michigan. Pennsylvania could conceivably end up being a lot like Ohio.

These new poll results, however, are encouraging. The Anti-Choice movement makes up only 37% of voters. George W. Bush's approval rating is far below the national average at just over 1 in 4. Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate and Governor have strong leads over their Republican opponents. Senator Santorum seems to be on his way out.

Good news all, but let's not get too confident. The Republicans didn't field the best candidates this cycle. (Lynn Swann?) There's a lot of anti-Bush sentiment that is carrying over into other elections. But still. Let's take good news when we get it.

Pennsylvania Rick Santorum Bob Casey Ed Rendell Lynn Swann

Slick Ricky.

Well, yeah, that too.

But I'm talking about the fact that Rick Santorum has managed to keep a little problem he has from becoming a campaign issue. And it's juicy. It cuts across party lines and across ideological divides.

It seems he doesn't live in Pennsylvania anymore.

From the Post-Gazette:

Before every election, the Post-Gazette routinely sends letters to the candidates seeking material for the Voters Guide. Back in March, as part of that process for the primary, the newspaper sent a letter to Rick Santorum at his home address, at least the one that he claims. Back from Penn Hills came the letter with a sticker from the U.S. Postal Service checked as "Not Deliverable As Addressed -- Unable To Forward."

That is all you need to know about the nasty dispute between the Republican Sen. Santorum and his Democratic opponent, Bob Casey Jr., in the November election. The whole thing is rooted in one inconvenient fact for Sen. Santorum: He doesn't live here anymore.

The editorial repeated the refrain "he doesn't live here any more" twice more each time in italics. Granted, Pittsburgh is already pretty Blue, but getting this issue raised is good. Having it stated so plainly is even better.

It should also make a good TV spot for the last week of the race. Ominous voice over with pictures of Santorum with all sorts of unpopular people like Jack Abramoff. "Rick Santorum isn't good for Pennsylvania. He doesn't want to support stemcell research, he doesn't want to raise the minimum wage, and he wants to restrict..." At the end, the spot goes to a black screen with the words "He doesn't live here anymore - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette." It plays to the anti-incumbent mood in the country. It works both on a literal and figurative level.

If the Democrats can't pull out a win in a Blue state against the Senator with the lowest approval rating who also doesn't live there anymore, the party - and the country - is in real trouble.

Rick Santorum Bob Casey Pennsylvania 2006 Election

Why does this not surprise me?

From KGTV in San Diego:

It is now more than just mudslinging in the race for the 50th Congressional District.

Wednesday, the Democratic Party called for an investigation into allegations of perjury and voter fraud against Republican candidate Brian Bilbray.

Democrats said the proof is in property records from three homes and Bilbray?s declaration of candidacy.

These are serious allegations against a man who has run a campaign saying San Diego is and always will be his home.

The ad states San Diego is the home where Republican congressional candidate Bilbray said he lives.

"I live in Carlsbad, taking care of my mother," Bilbray said.

He said he has lived in the Carlsbad house since March 2005.

It is the address he used in his declaration of candidacy for the North County congressional seat.

Democrats said Bilbray does not live at that address.

"It was a convenient residence to use for this particular election since it is the 50th Congressional District," said County Democratic Party Chair Jess Durfee

In fact, there are serious questions about where Bilbray really lives.

Virginia property records show Bilbray claims a home in Alexandria, Va., as his primary residence, for tax purposes.

Oh, I remember. It's because Rick Santorum, my former senator, also lives in Virginia while serving as Senator for Pennsylvania. So this raises the Virginia delegation to four. Are there more out there?

Neighbors told 10News they rarely ever see Bilbray at the house, which is his mother?s home.

"He comes here occasionally to see his mother like boys will do, but he doesn't live here," said neighbor Frank Knudsen.

Another man, who lives right next door, said he wondered when people would catch on that Bilbray does not live here.

Right about when they figured out that Republicanism is ruining the country.

Brian Bilbray California

Senator Matthews?

PA resident Will Bunch at Attywood, reports that my home state, Pennsylvania, may be, uh, graced by a Senate Run by none other than Chris Matthews. Working from a piece on Huffington Post, Will gives us this:

Can Matthews, a Philadelphia native who lives in the D.C. area, enter the race -- which is seen as a showdown between sagging GOP incumbent Rick Santorum and anemic Democratic rival Bob Casey Jr. -- at this late date? Yes...if he runs as an independent.

While the door is shut on entering the race as a Democrat or Republican -- Matthews is a former Democratic aide on Capitol Hill who has leaned rightward, seemingly, as a TV talking head, we're told that Matthews could have begun circulating petitions to run as an idenpendent on March 9 and has all the way until Aug. 1 to turn them in.

His reasons why it could happen:

1) Matthews may actually think he could get elected to the U.S. Senate as an independent. If the "Hardball" host positioned himself as the lone pro-choice candidate, that would place him in sync with a majority of Pennsylvania voters, something that the stridently anti-abortion Santorum and Casey are not.

Whatever you think of his ability as a TV pundit, Matthews realizes there's a huge bloc of voters -- affluent "soccer mom"-types in Philly's expansive suburbs -- who are conservative on economic issues but liberal on social ones. These voters decide most elections here, and they are clearly alienated by the two leading choices.

2) Matthews' entry in the race would probably help the GOP more than the Democrats -- and that would advance the political career of his own brother. Jim Matthews, now a Republican Montgomery County commissioner, will be Lynn Swann's running mate in November in a neck-and-neck showdown with incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell.

Of course all of this would have the Ross Perot effect but without the whole Clinton Winning thing. He would dilute the Democratic vote, probably delivering the seat to Rick Santorum.

Yes, this sentence could be replaced by wild conspiracy theories, but it won't be.

I think that while Matthews is probably tempted by what he thinks would be a cake-walk run to the U.S. Senate, he won't actually run. First, he knows that he'd be giving up an uber-cushy gig. Well paid and hugely popular. Second, he knows that he'd actually be giving up visibility. As "Chris Matthews" he's got the whole nation. Even as a 'celebrity senator' he'd be limited.

In the end, I don't think he'll run. He's loving the publicity, though, I'm sure. It feeds his ego.

Chris Matthews PA Senate Rick Santorum Bob Casey Jr.

More Polls from my Home State

A Quinnipiac poll shows that Bob Casey Jr. leads Rick Santorum by double digits - 48% to 37%. This is a slight increase for Santorum, but still a commanding lead for the challenger.

Interestingly, "Only 23 percent of Pennsylvania voters know that Casey is pro-life, while 8 percent think he is pro-choice and 69 percent don't know Casey's position on abortion."

If Casey wins, Pennsylvania will be represented in the Senate by a pro-choice Republican and an anti-choice Democrat.

Casey's abortion stance causes some problems with the Democratic Base. I can understand that. I agree, in most ways, with that. That said, I would rather have a anti-choice Dem in the senate than a pro-choice Republican. Having watched Specter cave to his party on the only vote he had to defend the right to choice, I would much rather have a vote for Harry Reid as majority leader.

America's Senate rewards 51 seats with 80% of the power. If we were able to set the rules, we wouldn't have to worry about these things, they wouldn't ever come to a vote.

Bob Casey Jr. Rick Santorum Abortion

Ricky's Traditional Values

The Washington Post has a fascinating piece on Rick Santorum in today's edition.

After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), the third-ranking GOP leader in the Senate, has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.

Pennsylvanians already have their hackles up over self-serving politicians - the State Representatives voted themselves a fat pay raise and it didn't sit well - so Bob Casey Jr. should be able to make some pretty good political hay out of this.

But in the month since his announcement, Santorum has held two meetings attended by the same core group of lobbyists, and has used the sessions to appeal for campaign aid, according to participants. Both of those meetings were convened at the same time as the previous meetings -- 8:30 a.m. -- on the same day of the week -- Tuesday -- and they lasted for about as long as the earlier meetings -- one hour.

Instead of being held in the Capitol, however, the recent meetings were conducted nearby...

For as much as I really don't like Bob Casey, it's better to have him in the Senate than Santorum. The fact that Santorum's campaign has received "more money from lobbyists than any other congressional candidacy thus far in the 2006 election cycle" should be enough to push Pennsylvania's junior Senator out. His politics never really reflected Pennsylvania anyway.

Rick Santorum Lobbying 2006 Elections