Redstate

By Mark Kilmer Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

What will Governor Rendell do when his natural political allies start freaking out? It seems that the very people who should be attacking a conservative Republican like Lynn Swann, those to whom we affectionately refer as the lefty netroots (or "nutroots, depending on who's writing), are beginning to turn on Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.

According to the oft-quoted lefty Chris Bowers of the oft-quoted lefty MyDD, Governor Ed has broken some State Dem bylaw (Bowers quotes the thing) by praising Senator Rick Santorum in his Senate race against the Democratic nominee, Junior. (That's the somnolent State Treasurer Bob Casey, junior, who seeks to unseat Santorum for Senate because he shares the name of his late father, a popular former governor.)

An incredulous Bowers asks:

Why is Governor Rendell saying positive things about Rick Santorum in the Weekly Standard? For that matter, why is Governor Rendell giving an interview with the Weekly Standard at all? Now Rick Santorum is using those comments in his ads. Of course, I am talking about a Democrat who went on Fox News in order to support Samuel Alito during the confirmation hearings and repeat the talking points Republicans were using about Democrats during those hearings. I am also talking about someone who was openly a member of the Fainthearted Faction during the Social security fight. Whatever lesson Democrats in DC may or may not learn from the Connecticut Senate primary, I wonder sometime how long it will take that lesson to filter down from DC and back into Pennsylvania.

Ed's primary is over, Chris. He's the nominee.

But it seems Ed talked nice about Rick to The Weekly Standard, and here Chris quotes Taegan Goddard:

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has confounded his party with some recent comments about Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA). He recently told the Weekly Standard that Santorum "has proven that he gets the job done. Time and time again he has come through." Rendell later praised Santorum again to the Philadelphia Inquirer: "How could I be tearing a new rear end for someone who worked effectively to get flood relief for Pennsylvania?"

The Inquirer reports that Rendell officially supports challenger Bob Casey (D) and plans to campaign for him, but that Santorum is already running radio ads in Philadelphia highlighting Rendell's remarks.

Chris wants to know what Ed is doing talking to Fred Barnes's 'zine. In fact, he titles his post: "Oy vey, Rendell." (Rendell is, of course, Jewish, so with Katyusha rockets falling on Haifa and the Kfar Giladi kibbutz, we have that.)

The strategy, is seems, is STOP SANTORUM, and if Ed gets in the way, so be it. But there is a problem with that line of thought.

What would benefit the anti-Rick cause the most is a close governor's race with a politically healthy Rendell: a turnout driver. They need to get out the vote for Casey, and is just not the kind of candidate around which you build such an effort.

But Rendell is a traitor to their cause, and must pay the price. He has crossed the mighty lefty netroots, and you know what happened to the last candidate who did that. (Well, Lieberman might have to win reelection as an independent. Hillary ticked them off too, I think, but I think all that happened to her was that she continued raising funds apace. I don't know if Paul Hackett angered them so much as they abandoned him.)

Either way, I wish them the best for their anti-Ed effort. We need Markos, Hamsher, and Jerome to pile on. I'll keep plugging away on the SwannBlog, at which this is crossposted.

[Hat tip to Alex C at SantorumBlog.)