Santorum (R-Va) hammered by Pitt. Post-Gazette in this A.M. editorial

[AlinPA]

<part of the editorial>
"He faces re-election in 2006, but if that election were held today, the two-term Republican would be hard-pressed to convince voters that he inhabits a house on Stephens Lane. Sure, he and his wife pay taxes on the house. They also use the address for voter registration, but so do two other people. When a Post-Gazette reporter visited the house last Friday, a young man came to the door and declined to comment. He wasn't Rick Santorum.

It gets worse. The two-bedroom house that the Santorum children called home for education purposes and that gives Mr. and Mrs. Santorum the right to vote in Pennsylvania lacks an occupancy permit. And the property tax break from the homestead exemption claimed by the Santorums on the Penn Hills house is allowed under law only if the dwelling is their "permanent home."

It's a strange case of political turnabout. In his initial House race against Rep. Doug Walgren in 1990, challenger Santorum attacked the incumbent from Mt. Lebanon for buying a house and raising his children in McLean, Va. Now Rick Santorum of Leesburg, Va., is saying that he is and he isn't a resident of Pennsylvania. "

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04324/414066.stm

[snippy]

1. If this kind of criticism continues Santorum won't have time to fully

address his concerns about Senator on dog sex. His supporters will be sorely disappointed.

[gWbush is Mabus]

10. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...he said "santorum"

[skylarmae]

2. this guy scares me. He has GIANT political ambition. Wants to

be prez, you know. As much dirt out in the open on this dickhead the better. Beware of this smiling demon.

[NashVegas]

3. Meanwhile Above the State Border

there are people calling Hilary a carpetbagger.

[Rose Siding]

4. Santorum is running a commune

Very odd for a republican! People coming and going, a number of adults are paired up as "couples", there's confusion about where the children are at...And he tells everyone exactly how they must lead their personal lives. He's very much like Charlie Manson in that respect. :evilgrin:

[flowomo]

5. this is sooooooo delicious but I worry

it's all coming too early. I just hope the impact doesn't fade before 2006. This guy has got to go.

http://cumberlink.com/articles/2003/04/24/editorial/rich_lewis/lewis01.txt

(my column on the man-on-dog thing)

[blue neen]

9. Very good column.

Thanks for sharing that with us. The man is a jerk of unbelievable magnitude. He's an absolute embarrassment to this state.

[flowomo]

13. thanks...

writing a weekly column for a newspaper in our very conservative area of central PA is a tough act (have to rein in my true feelings sometimes just to keep the job) but even local Repubs couldn't complain about this one.

[yellowcanine]

15. It is early but Santorum is allowing it to fester. And 2006 is not that

far away. Santorum should have jumped on this immediately - admitted he made a mistake - paid the money back to the school district, etc. As it is, the information about the house in PA AND the house in VA is being dragged out detail by excruciating detail. It doesn't pass the "smell" test and it makes Santorum look like a tin ear elitest. Those impressions, once formed, are hard to get rid of. A genuine "people" person could have a real chance against Santorum. Plus - it may trigger a primary challenge from a moderate Republican - or even a conservative one like Toomey.

[flowomo]

16. I remember an earlier incident involving a civil suit award....

won by his wife that smelled of hypocrisy. I think he was railing against trial lawyers at the time.... the issue that Bush pushed this year.

On edit: yeah, here it is:
But the same rhetoric does not seem to apply to Senator Santorum. In December 1999 Santorum supported his wife’s medical malpractice lawsuit against her chiropractor for $500,000. <8> At trial, the Senator testified that his wife should be compensated for the pain and suffering caused by a botched spine adjustment, claiming that she had to “treat her back gingerly” <9> and could no longer accompany him on the campaign trail. After the verdict, Santorum refused to answer phone calls asking what impact the case had on his views of “tort reform.” <10> According to his spokesman Robert Traynham, “Senator Santorum is of the belief that the verdict decided upon by the jury during last week’s court case of his wife is strictly a private matter. The legislative positions that Senator Santorum has taken on tort reform and health care have been consistent with the case involving Mrs. Santorum.” <11> In January 2000, a judge set aside the $350,000 verdict, deeming it excessive, and offered a reduced award of $175,000 or a new trial on damages only. <12>

http://www.kraftlaw.com/Articles/Hypocrites.htm

[TaleWgnDg]

20. Doncha know that the underlying premise for beating up

so-called "trial attorneys"* by the Republicans is to dry up the Democrats only large base of contributors. Seriously. That's the Republicans ulterior motive. To kick the campaign contributions of Democrats. What better way than to dry up the contributing pool?

Why? Because the figures. The statistics. All the numbers do not warrant their claims of high tort claim awards = high insurance premiums. Again, the figures simply are not there, period.

Just more of the same old same old lies, deceit, shuffle-ball-change, pandering, pork-barrel Republican politicians. This is not my Dad's Republican Party nor my granddad's Republican Party and on back. Oh, hell, no!!!!



* "trial attorneys" as the term is used in Republican political rhetoric are actually lawyers (plaintiff's attorneys) that are hired/retained on a contingency fee basis (they get nothing unless they win the case) for injured "little guys" that have been harmed by corporations, whether by medical malpractice or otherwise. (e.g., http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2004/11/09/five_years_later_medical_errors_stilla_leading_killer?pg=full )

********************************
Molly Ivins reveals that GWBush (running for
governor of TX) took in close to a million
dollars from political action committees
and individuals interested in "tort reform" (e.g.
insulating big business from lawsuits by people
their products have harmed). It's no wonder that
Governor George W. Bush declared tort reform in
Texas a "legislative emergency" in 1995. - Molly
Ivins in her book entitled, "Shrub: The Short But
Happy Political Life of George W. Bush," February
2000.

"Soon after becoming governor, (GW)Bush declared
tort reform an 'emergency issue' and appointed
judges who made it all but impossible for Texans
to bring class action lawsuits against polluters."
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., environmental activist
and environmental attorney, quoting from his book
entitled, "Crimes Against Nature," excerpted at
http://www.harpercollins.com/catalog/excerpt_xml.asp?isbn=0060746874
********************************

[snippy]

19. Good point. PA democrats need to plan on keeping pressure and criticism

going steadily on Santorum between now and 2006. If voters see him as a hypocrite and lying opportunist he will have an extremely tough time negating that image come election time. In that respect I think the story of him testifying about his wife being entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in pain and suffering damages will be useful.

Republicans are very skillful at damaging democratic candidates long before an actual campain begins. Democrats need to adopt similar tactics.

[Cheswick2.0]

6. I guess all six kids share on bedroom?

He got all snotty claiming he pays taxes, but would stop using the charter cyber school anyway.
He doesn't say he pay 2000 a year in taxes and collects 38,000 from the local school district to educate his kids online.

[blue neen]

7. I have been very impressed with the Post Gazette's coverage

of this whole story. They just didn't let up on it, and now they devoted an editorial to telling the truth about Santorum. The part about the homestead exemption is VERY interesting!

We should e-mail the PG and give them postive reinforcement!

Let's get that slimeball out of office!

[AlinPA]

17. There was also another story in the "Local" section, pretty much

repeating the last week's developments. He was quoted as saying something like "if people of PA don't like what I'm doing they will have a chance to tell me two years from now".

[flowomo]

18. I truly hope that what they "tell" him is

fuck you, Rick

[jefferson_dem]

8. Good Lord, I would love to see Ricky the Slut forced back under the rock

from which he crawled...!

[TaleWgnDg]

11. Oh, hell, ain't it GRAND?! This self-righteous model of a dog

going backwards humping a hydrant is due. Overdue. Yup. May he suffer all the angst and hate and backstabbing that's he's poured over America!

* Not his principal place of residence and claiming a Homestead exemption?
* And it's occupied by others w/o an "occupancy permit?"
* How's the PA state law domicile requirements on its U.S. Senators?
* How's the PA constitution on domicile of its public office holders?
* So much for being a "strict constructionist" of our nation's U.S. Constitution, huh, Rick?!
* And, OMG, your own kids have been on the "take" too?
* What the hell kind of "family values" is being taught in your (out of state) household, Senator Santorum?

None of this would be a problem, I presume; that is, if Rick Santorum wasn't so damn self-righteous and in-yer-face w/ all his jumping and pumping "Christian values" and hadn't claimed similar crapola of the past incumbent.

Will Pennsylvania ever get its house in order re U.S. Senators?

How strident, rigid, and closed-minded can these religious and "natural law" rightwingnut assholes get? No, don't answer that . . . it was a rhetorical query, honest :hi:

edited to add: I wonder if the Papal See or the local Roman Catholic diocese should deny this Roman Catholic "holy communion?" Why not? If Kerry, then Santorum. Problem being . . . in which state? . . . http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=H3521103

[Midlodemocrat]

12. This is great

I detest that man. He needs to go.

[trogdor]

14. Um, that's R-PA

He sounds like...um...wait a minute. I see where you're coming from.

In his initial House race against Rep. Doug Walgren in 1990, challenger Santorum attacked the incumbent from Mt. Lebanon for buying a house and raising his children in McLean, Va. Now Rick Santorum of Leesburg, Va., is saying that he is and he isn't a resident of Pennsylvania.

Never mind. My bad.

[tsuki]

21. Question

I asked this on another thread, but did not get an answer.

In FL, we have HRS rules about the number of bedrooms required for children of different sexes and ages.

4 adults and 6 children in a two bedroom house doesn't get it here.

[RetroLounge]

22. "Santorum (R-Va) hammered by Pitt."

On first glance, I thought Will Pitt was going all ball-pean hammer on little ricky's scrotum...

RL

[auburngrad82]

24. I'd pay to take a swing or two myself...n/t

[auburngrad82]

23. So the people of PA actually elected a Senator from VA?

That's just wrong.

[DURHAM D]

25. Isn't this Senator Heinz's old seat. Maybe Teresa will run for it. n/t

[chookie]

27. It is a sad memory

Yes, this was the late Senator Heinz's seat. He was very much loved here. Losing him was tough, and I still mourn him.

Ricky Santimonious has been cruel to Teresa. Well, she did say he was the Forrest Gump of the Senate, but that was just telling the truth.

Ricky knew that if his Man God Georgehovah went down, that Ricky, #3 in the Republican Party now, was going down too -- so he was behind those horrid attempts to character assassinate the lovely, kind, and wise Mrs Heinz Kerry. In the final weeks of the campaign, Republican flying monkeys were flown in to demand the opening of Senator Heinz's will, with the inference that the late Senator would be angry to know that his wife had married a Democrat and was probably spending his money "inappropriately." They had been a very loving, devoted couple; Teresa worked tirelessly and generously in our area and we have much to be grateful for. And lastly -- Senator Heinz was a good friend of Senator Kerry's, and had introduced the two himself years ago.

At long last, have the pharisees and fascists NO shame?

At long last -- have they NO shame?

Arlen Spector is not beloved here, but he's considered okay -- because he's not totally fucking nuts.

Santorum, on the other hand, is HATED. Santorum is widely known to be totally fucking nuts. Perhaps the wackiest wacko in the Senate -- and that's up against some very tough competition these days!

We've been talking for years how this hypocritical pharisee fascist fellator is getting the boot -- we're sending his evil soul back to the Spanish Inquisition from whence it came.

[Kingshakabobo]

26. Where I live, you have to sign an affidavit declaring your

residency for your property tax home owner's exemption. I smell a perjury charge.

[chookie]

28. Didn't the charter school offer his kids free tuition yesterday?

They said it had nothing to do with the fact that he was Rick Santorum, 3rd most powerful man in the Republican Party, but that it was just a gesture for the Santorum children, so they would not suffer any interruption in their education. The teachers were going to donate their services for free. Awwwww....

Kiss my ass -- they're being HOMESCHOOLED for fuck's sake! not like they have to start walking ten miles to school every day because of the meanie wienie Penn Hills School District calling bullshit on this creep for stealing tax revenue!

And hey, Rick -- you tell US all the time how hardship is good for us -- so fuck you, go eat some "hardship" yourself, you hypocrite!