Mark this in the ledger as one of the more discouraging things I've heard in a while. I like Senator John Cornyn...a lot. I enjoyed hearing him speak at CPAC, and added him as a Facebook friend shortly afterwards so that I could keep up with what he is trying to do on Capitol Hill.
For those of you that don't follow these things as closely, Cornyn has been tasked with leading the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2010 election cycle. I understand him when he says, as he did in his CPAC speech, that in some states, more conservative candidates will have difficulty getting elected.
But now, Cornyn has announced that the NRSCC will be backing Arlen Specter in his bid for a 6th term as the senior Senator from Pennsylvania next year. In Cornyn's own words, "While I doubt Arlen could win an election in my home state of Texas, I am certain that I could not get elected in Pennsylvania. I believe that Senator Specter is our best bet to keep this Senate seat in the GOP column." (emphasis mine) So, Senator Cornyn has effectively conceded the entire state of Pennsylvania to moderate/liberal/socialist forces.
And these are our leaders, as conservatives??? It is feckless statements just such as this that are driving alarmed Americans to TEA parties across the country tomorrow.
Has Senator Cornyn forgotten so quickly about his former colleague Rick Santorum? Even a firebrand like him was elected twice from Pennsylvania, in 1994 and 2000, although in very close elections both times. Santorum lost his bid in 2006 in a very tough climate for the GOP, when the country had turned sour on a war that Santorum supported, as well as a high-spending Republican-led Congress. Both of these factors look as though they will likely play into GOP hands in 2010; yet, we still cannot find the courage to back a genuinely conservative candidate like Pat Toomey who almost unseated Specter in 2004.
So this ensures that Specter will continue to function with impunity, as he has proved himself fully capable of doing with votes such as his support for the "porkulus" bill, along with Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine. Why shouldn't he? What does he have to lose?
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Glen, as a Pennsylvania resident, I was really excited to hear Pat Toomey's announcement this morning that he is running against Spector again for the Senate seat. I'll definitely be supporting him all the way. Senator Spector is such a disappointment to say the least, as well as Senator Cornyn's support for him.
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