Ricky Don't Lose that Number

I consider myself somewhat of a "Specialist" on the subject of Santorum, but I somehow missed this little free speech meets politics -- and loses -- incident. As reported by Attytood, in Avenging Santorum: It Takes a Village of Five Angry Young Women, a few attendees of the "liberal persuasion" at a book signing in Wilmington, Delaware, planned to ask Santorum a few questions, but were harassed by Santorum's staff and a state trooper acting as security for the event. Now, they've sued after they were forced to leave, under threat of arrest by the trooper.

Obviously, these young women didn't understand the New Rules -- it's unpatriotic to heckle, express dissent or even raise what may be considered a challenging question at any Q&A hosted by a member of the Republican Party.

Speaking of Santorum and The House on Stevens Lane, I confess that I am one of those "who just can't get enough of the controversy over Rick Santorum's Penn Hills home," as Tom Ferrick puts it. Ferrick posts a Memo by Jon Delano, a "professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an independent political analyst, who often comments on PA and national politics." In the memo, which is definitely worth reading:

Delano poses a question that's been circulating around political circles in recent days: Was Santorum's reaction to the incidents at Penn Hills just an example of the senator freaking out or was it a calculated political maneuver? I subscribe to the later theory, many subscribe to the former, citing how unwise it has turned out to be for Santorum to highlight one of his weaknesses -- his failure to live in his home base.

I'm not so sure. Much as I would ordinarily agree that everything he does is for PR effect, pandering to some contingency or another, after listening to Santorum rant on the radio about this incident (listen at He Doesn't Live Here Any More), I think he's ballistic about it. That was not the voice of a rational person.

Finally, the Steely Dan song caption refers to a Rasmussen Report noting a recent election poll result -- "Pennsylvania Senate: Casey by 23."

(Via Attytood).

Tags: PA politics, Santorum