Well, the game has officially begun: The Democratic Party has set its sights on Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, that arch-Conservative Bush Administration tool that has put his obligations to Pennsylvanians second to his obligations to the rising Republican Confederacy. It's about time.
Note: I am not employed by Chuck Pennacchio or Pennachio for Pennsylvania in any way. I receive no money or other benefit for writing anything.
Chuck Pennacchio appears to be the man to topple the Santorum machine, the only man to stand up and challenge Sen. Santorum in the 2006 Elections. Perhaps this is best - avoiding a bloody primary and getting straight to the point is the best way to topple an entrenched candidate with the benefit of incumbency.
Note 2: Chuck Pennacchio's website is located here
Santorum's popularity has fallen greatly in recent months, and a once sealed-shut Pennsylvania election has now been split open down the center. It'll be a tough fight for Pennacchio, a moderate-left Democrat and educator, to topple Santorum, who outspent his last rival at a rate of 5-to-1, but it can be done. There are chinks in the Republican armor that were not there in 2002 and 2004.
The unity of Democrats to oust Santorum is astounding, and that may make all the difference. Pennacchio would be wise to adopt the principles of the Obama campaign in Illinois, Ken Salazar's in Colorado, and even Mitch Daniels' Gubernatorial campaign here in Indiana - getting out to small, traditionally Republican (or Democratic in Gov. Daniels' case) towns and talking to the people. Even if they don't SEEM to support a Democrat, Obama, Salazar and Daniels showed how the small towns they had visited ended up going for them.
It's going to be all about getting out there to the people who aren't usually brought into the fold, or the people who vote for a Republican because that's how they're used to voting, and talking to them man-to-man and man-to-woman. That personal contact, as shown with Obama, Salazar and Daniels, means a lot more than any television ad the opposing candidate can run.
This one's going to be the fight to watch. Get your seats early.
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