Pennsylvania 2012: Casey's Challenge

[Landslide Lyndon]

Even if Sestak challenges Casey, which is highly doubtful, I don't see how he could gain any traction. With Specter he had the active and vocal support of liberals and an unpopular incumbent to run against.

Against Casey he will have none of those advantages. As was mentioned, during his term he never aggravated or insulted the base the way people like Lieberman and Lincoln did. And without any electability issues I don't see why Democrats would decide to oust an incumbent.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Liberals aren't Tea Partiers. They know that Pennsylvania isn't Vermont to have someone like Bernie Sanders elected and they are perfectly content with Casey. He is nowhere near a "villain" like Lieberman or Baucus to arouse the passions of the grassroots, and without that passion there can't be a successful primary challenge. He is a reliable liberal vote and you'll never see him on cable whining like Bayh about how liberals destroy the party.
 
If Sestak decided to go against him, I'd expect him to be treated like Kucinich.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I don't have to live in Pennsylvania to see that there is zero animus against Casey among liberals. As I mentioned he is a reliable liberal vote and he has never bashed the base the way people like Lieberman and Bayh do regularly. There was enthusiasm this year because Specter was mistrusted due to his history as a Republican and because he was a slimeball. The base wanted to elect a "True Democrat".

And who exactly are the moderates liberals tried to purge? Lincoln was primaried mainly because she was electoral roadkill.
And the Kucinich comparison was meant to mean that the blogosphere and the rest of the Democratic base aren't going to exactly line up behind him just because he will claim to be a more liberal alternative to Casey, exactly like Kucinich was ignored during his presidential runs.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Phil believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there is a secret liberal Tea Party-like society awaiting to unleash primary challenges against Democrats they don't deem good enough. From what I see when the Democratic grassroots and netroots put someone in their cross-hair they are hardly silent about it. In fact they are quite vocal in order to push them to the left (just like Specter did).

Lincoln's challenge was mainly due to her horrible numbers. Acting like an asshole during the HCR debate was just an added incentive. Ben Nelson and Evan Bayh are probably even more despised but nobody challenged them or plans to do so. I guarantee you that if polls showed her comfortably then nobody would have bothered.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Phil believes, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there is a secret liberal Tea Party-like society awaiting to unleash primary challenges against Democrats they don't deem good enough. From what I see when the Democratic grassroots and netroots put someone in their cross-hair they are hardly silent about it. In fact they are quite vocal in order to push them to the left (just like Specter did).

Px, I know you don't like to debate with anything more than ridiculous rhetoric. You love using boogey man arguments. Not sure what your point is in saying the Democratic base isn't silent about putting someone in their cross-hair. The Tea Party is? They aren't vocal in order to push their officials further right? Your point makes zero sense here but that's common. You don't want to argue about the story so you change the subject.

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Again, that's just the left's excuse after the fact.

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They didn't get to. They forced Bayh out. You better believe he would have had a challenge if he ran again. Maybe nothing serious though since it's Indiana. Same with Nelson.

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Totally disagree but that's beyond the point. Again, you fail to argue about the story. You ignore the issue and want to make this a discussion about me alleging something I'm not alleging at all.

I'll provide you another opportunity; argue against the story itself - http://nepartisan.com/?p=2658

Stop saying, "Sestak isn't doing this. This movement doesn't exist. There's no leftist Tea Party." Argue the facts of the story.

1)What's there that you don't understand? If liberals wanted to take on Casey then we'd already been reading on the blogs what a horrible senator he is and how he is a traitor to liberal causes.
Kos took potshots against Tester today for voting against the DREAM act. Do you have anything similar about Casey?

2)I didn't expect you to be so ill informed about Bayh. He bowed out voluntarily one day before filing for the primaries was over, so there was no challenge against him, nor the liberals had any time to mount one.

And who are "they" that forced him into retirement? The mob? Soros?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Phil,

What is your evidence that there was going to be a liberal primary challenge to Bayh?

Don't tell me why you think it was going to happen, based on what you think liberals want to do. Cite evidence that there was a challenger or challengers and this drove Bayh out of his seat.

I didn't say there was an imminent primary challenge; I said it drove him to retirement and he essentially said the same.

In other words, you made it all up.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I didn't say there was an imminent primary challenge; I said it drove him to retirement and he essentially said the same.

What did Bayh say? Can you find a link to that speech or interview?

There is none. Bayh always whines about the liberals but I think that he just chickened out when he saw that he might have to fight for his reelection.
The rest are conspiracy theories.

[Landslide Lyndon]

...and it is pretty well known that he didn't like what they were doing to the party. That's part of his "whining" - http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6214377-503544.html

Still waiting on you to address the Sestak stories, px.

Bayh says the same thing for years now. It's part of the scthick that makes him so popular with the Broder/Milbank crowd. He said the same things back in 2002, '04 and '06 about the Iraq War and Lieberman's defeat.

As for the stories, I'll believe it when I see it.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Tom Ridge or the female House candidate in 2004, the doctor - what was her name again (KP was an avid supporter, he should know her)?

...

Ridge isn't doing it. I won't even bother to put together a serious response for the second "possible candidate."

Can you at least tell me her name, anyway?

Stop it.

Hey, what's going on here? My curiosity has been piqued.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Feeblepizza is being silly.

Did you have a crush on the lady or what?
And how does he know such ancient history? I thought he was a relatively new member.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Feeblepizza is being silly.

Did you have a crush on the lady or what?

Enough with the trolling, dude. Seriously.

How am I trolling? I just asked a question because I was amused by your coy response to feeblepizza's insinuations.
If you don't want to answer, fine by me. 

[Landslide Lyndon]

He'd be giving up a seat that he'd likely win re-election to for a tougher challenge but the risk might pay off - http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2011/09/16/news/doc4e72bc962d92c253852817.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Maybe, but he'll make the life far easier for the map-drawers and his colleagues.