Steve Rodich – 9/20/06

This page was last updated on September 20, 2006.

Santorum’s hypocrisy shows; Steve Rodich; Beaver County Times; September 20, 2006.

This is at least the seventh anti-Santorum letter by Mr. Rodich since September 2004, and the second in five weeks. The previous letters were entitled “Voting records tell all,” “Santorum flip flops,” “It’s Santorum’s turn to lose,” “‘Nuclear’ option and Santorum”, “Race already heating up”, and “Who is Santorum fighting?” It would have been seven in a row except Mr. Rodich took a timeout and attempted to bash Lynn Swann in “Swann lacks experience.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I sincerely believe politics is an honorable profession. That being said, it is clear that many view politicians with disgust and disdain. Is it any wonder?

“One of the most honorable and prestigious elected positions is that of a U.S. senator. Rick Santorum, in his desperate attempt to get re-elected, is eradicating and eliminating what prestige and honor he holds as a U.S. senator with the type of campaign ads he is running.”

[RWC] What makes being a senator a big deal?

“They are dishonest, despicable and unworthy of a U.S. senator. One ad, referring to Bob Casey as ‘Bobby,’ is condescending and an attempt to delegitimize Casey as a professional and experienced public official. The ad attempts to depict Casey as someone who seeks various elected positions and does not perform his duties. This coming from Santorum, who has never held a job in the private sector and never received a paycheck that didn’t come from tax dollars.”

[RWC] I agree with the “Bobby” comment. I always felt this was tacky and I cringe every time I hear it.

Regarding “someone who seeks various elected offices,” what’s there to argue? He served as state Auditor General and he’s run for three offices (governor, treasurer, and senator) in four years.

Regarding “Santorum … has never held a job in the private sector and never received a paycheck that didn’t come from tax dollars,” Santorum worked for the Pittsburgh law firm Kirkpatrick and Lockhart from 1986 to 1989.

“The latest ad crosses the line with outright lies and demonstrates how desperate, dishonest and disingenuous Santorum has become.”

[RWC] As you will read below, the ad does not lie, unlike Mr. Rodich above.

“The ad, using professional actors, shows Casey’s campaign committee meeting in a jail cell. It implies the individuals who donated to Casey’s campaign are dishonest and under investigation.”

[RWC] Here is what The Philadelphia Inquirer says about the four men.

“They include State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.), Philadelphia lawyer Ronald A. White, New Jersey developer Charles Kushner, and veteran political fund-raiser Robert Feldman.

“Fumo, a longtime Casey backer, is the focus of a federal investigation into possible extortion, and Feldman of a probe into potentially illegal campaign contributions in Puerto Rico. Neither has been charged.

“White died nearly two years ago; he faced federal charges of conspiracy and extortion. Kushner pleaded guilty in 2005 to tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal contributions to former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey; after more than a year in federal custody, he was released from a halfway house last month.”

“The fact is that none of the individuals donated to Casey’s campaign. Ironically, two of them actually donated to Santorum’s senatorial campaign.”

[RWC] This paragraph left a lot unmentioned.

First, while the individuals didn’t contribute to Mr. Casey’s current campaign, they did contribute $612,000 to previous Casey campaigns.

Second, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, while one – not two as claimed by Mr. Rodich – of these individuals contributed $1,000 to Santorum’s campaign in 2003, “The campaign donated the money in February to the Villa Maria Education Center.”

“How is that for hypocrisy?”

[RWC] Apparently Mr. Rodich assumes no one will check his facts.

“Santorum is a classic example of what is wrong with politics. He claims to champion the causes for senior citizens while voting for legislation that adversely affects them. He claims to support working families then finds fault with parents who must both work to support their families. Keep in mind, he voted 13 times against raising the minimum wage while voting three times to raise his own salary. The time has come for Santorum to go.”

[RWC] Though he should not, Mr. Santorum actually supported a minimum wage increase. He just opposed the magnitude Mr. Rodich wants.

Regarding the automatic cost of living pay increase to his own salary, Mr. Rodich failed to note Sen. Santorum voted against the increase 13 times.

To date, Mr. Rodich hasn’t provided one reason why we should vote for Bob Casey. As I’ve written before, if all you can do is bash your opponent, that’s not a good sign for Mr. Casey.

“The time has come for Santorum to go?” I could be off base, but I suspect Mr. Rodich felt the time came “for Santorum to go” when he won his first election in 1990.