"Casey has to define himself before Santorum defines him completely"

[dajoki]

MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14497332/

Casey slips, still leads Santorum
Entry of Green Party candidate cuts into numbers

Updated: 9:05 a.m. ET Aug 24, 2006

MANNS CHOICE, Pa. - Democrat Bob Casey maintains a slight lead over Sen. Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania's Senate race, but his popularity appears to have shrunk, according to an independent poll released Thursday.

In a three-way contest, the new Keystone Poll found Casey leading Santorum 44 percent to 39 percent among registered voters, a five-point lead. Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli had 4 percent. Thirteen percent were undecided in the poll, which was conducted by Franklin & Marshall College between Aug. 16-21.

In May, before Romanelli entered the race, the same pollster had Casey with a six-point lead over Santorum, the No. 3 Senate Republican.

<<snip>>

Casting a light
It appears Santorum has had success in placing Casey, the state treasurer, in a bad light, even as the opinion of Santorum hasn't shifted much, said G. Terry Madonna, the Franklin & Marshall professor who directed the poll.

"Casey has to define himself before Santorum defines him completely," Madonna said.

The Casey campaign said Wednesday that he would go statewide with television ads on Thursday. Santorum has been running ads statewide since late June.

[IndianaGreen]

1. What's the problem in here?

I'll admit I haven't followed this race very closely, I was so certain that even a moron could beat Santorum. What's the problem in here? Has Casey fallen asleep? Is it something in the campaign? Are the religious wackos closing ranks? Santorum was one of those idiots that voted to intervene in the Schiavo case. Has this issue been properly mentioned by Casey?

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. The problem is that Casey has gotten by on name

and a few accomplishments, and has no idea how to street fight with the nasty likes of Rick Santorum, and apparently has little help in learning how. I saw my first casery ad this morning. Santorum ads have been non-stop for weeks. Casey's ad was piddling, and a little annoying. Santorum's monstrously dishonest "I'm guaranteeing social securities for our seniors" ad is good...damn good. Now3, considering that Santorum was Bush's poster boy for killing social security, and came through the state preaching that ridiculous and unpopular gospel, and considering that the popularioty of SS "reform" DECREASED after Santorum's mission, and that he was widely quoted in the press as dejected and astonished at the well-organized opposition he faced everywhere in PA, you'd think Casey would have an issue. But no. No response thus far, so Santorum, pervesely, looks like the champion of SS when he was, and continues to be, its attacker. It really is ridiculous that the Casey people didn't have an ad of Santorum's silly social security tour on within two days of Rick's Rockin' to the Oldies farce, but they didn't, and the lead is eroding.

Santorum is going to win at this rate. The Casey people are incompetent and overconfident, a dangerous situation when dealing with the remarkably shrewd Santorum machine, now fully funded by the national GOP senate committee. Unless things change damn quick, it'll be Santorum by 2% in November. You heard it first here.

[Red Knight]

10. Honestly, Casey is invisible

He's been no where.

I bet there are people in PA who don't even know he's running for the senate. I've been screaming about this for awhile. I don't know if he's just so short on funds that they're rationing money or what--but he has allowed Santorum free run for months.

He's made his job harder in my opinion. There's really no excuse for it. I mean--at the very least you'd think he'd be able to get on local news with a few well placed publicity stops.

It's been bad.

Hopefully that changes.

[leesa]

2. If someone can't beat Santorum, they probably deserve to lose.

The guy doesn't even live there.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Casey is going statewide with ads now

BTW they say they were only running ads in Pittsburgh area. Well they were sure not running very many cause I live in Pgh and I haven't seen a Casey ad in a couple of weeks. Plenty of tricky Ricky though including his latest juvenile attack ad.

Casey to go statewide with TV ads
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Bob Casey's campaign will begin airing its first statewide television ad Thursday, a spot intended to introduce the Democratic Senate candidate to voters.

Polls show the race between Casey and Sen. Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Senate Republican, has tightened, although Casey is still ahead.

Santorum has been running ads statewide since June 23, and his campaign has said they will continue them until the Nov. 7 general election.

Casey also plans to run ads statewide until the election, said Larry Smar, his campaign spokesman. The Democrat, who trails Santorum in fundraising, has been running ads just in the Pittsburgh television market since June 28.


http://www.bobcasey.com/news/article/view/?id=136

[dajoki]

5. It's about time...

pricky is all over the TV and no Casey so far. Reminds me of swiftboat ads getting no response till it was too late.

[PaDem]

16. I'm in the Philly area, have yet to see anything Casey........

it's time.

[dajoki]

18. I saw my first one wednesday n/t

[SaveElmer]

6. I'm not worried...

In fact just the opposite...

Santorum has had the airwaves to himself for 2 months, hitting Casey hard, and with a (Slime)Green in the race...and Casey is still up by 6...

Now that Casey is on the air, I can't see how Casey doesn't win in double digits

[mitchtv]

7. this all sounds like a repeat of the Angelides/Gropenator

campaigns in Calif with a debacle looming for the Dems. (the dem took a page from Kerry's campaign, and took a vacation after the primary to enable the pukes to thoroughly define him)

[depakid]

9. Yep- some Dems will NEVER learn

Sometimes, I think subconciously, they want to lose- otherwise, how could they be so consistently stupid.

[rhombus]

8. The Green candidate is not going to make the ballot

So tack in at least 4 points in favor of Casey. Lil Ricky is going down.

[dajoki]

11. I'm not so sure...

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001372.php

GOPers Help Short-Handed Green Partiers with Signature Challenge
By Paul Kiel - August 18, 2006, 11:26 AM

It's a heartwarming image -- Greens and Republicans working side by side.

Short of hands to help review thousands of contested signatures as part of the ongoing court battle between Democrats and Green Senate candidate Carl Romanelli, the Pennsylvania Green Party is getting some help from volunteers from Sen. Rick Santorum's (R-PA) campaign.

To resolve Democrats' charges that most of the Greens' 100,000 signatures are invalid, a judge ordered that volunteers from both parties work side by side to establish whether they could agree on the validity of the signatures. The Department of State set up 9 computer terminals for the effort; at each station, a Democratic volunteer was to be paired with a Green volunteer. The effort is expected to take weeks.

But earlier this week, the Greens found themselves short of volunteers. So Republicans have arrived to help fill the gap. It's only natural: since GOP supporters paid for the Green signature drive, and Santorum volunteers helped collect the signatures, they have a vested interest in seeing this through to the end.

And they're not shy about it. This morning's sign-in sheet at the court shows two names, Ben Irwin and Brian Hunt, who identify their organization as "GOP - Santorum '06." All the other volunteers identified themselves as either with the Green Party or the Democratic Party, the two parties in the suit.

[lgn19087]

12. The swiftboating has begun in earnest already

I'm a native Pennsylvanian and there's no doubt in my mind what will happen in this race. Santorum is too important for the GOP to lose. They will do anything ---ANYTHING--- to keep him in. Casey is a sucky politician anyway, and he'll just make it easier, but I have no doubt as to what will happen here.

[snowbear]

13. Santorum is the biggest LOSER on the planet..

And his "huck, huck" UGLY ass mug will be in the unemployment line soon!

http://homepage.mac.com/jholbo/nutwork/images/Santorum,%20Rick.jpg

GoOOoooo Bob Casey! Anyone has to be better than INSANE-a-torum!

[lgn19087]

14. I wish I could agree with you

but mark my words, whether its by one vote or one million votes, Rick stays. Come on, they rape entire nations but you think that they're above messing with the election race of one of their best allies? I don't think so.

[rep the dems]

15. Casey has run a dreadful campaign so far.

He started this race with a huge lead, and his carelessness has allowed that lead to dwindle down to several points. We all knew Santorum was going to run a dirty campaign filled with lies, but I hoped that Casey would fight back. If he loses in November, he will have only himself to blame.

[EndElectoral]

17. Casey ads have begun...Rips Satan for privatizing SS and min. wage votes

i think Casey was trying to preserve his funds. THe GOP has raised a huge amount of money for Satan, and he's been spending it since Aug 1.

[Greeby]

19. Come on Casey

Surely you don't want to be bested by The Finest Mind of the 13th Century? :shrug: