This is the scandal that just won't go away for Santorum and the more that he talks about it the worse it gets. He simply doesn't live in PA anymore and no amount of crying foul because someone peeped in your windows will make that untrue. It is one thing to not live in the state you represent. However, it is a high state of hypocracy when you based your initial run for Senate on your opponent doing just that.
Ricky is getting
HAMMERED in the Pittsburgh media. The
editorial today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is titled "Nobody Home/ Santorum tries to cover his tracks on residency"
Before every election, the Post-Gazette routinely sends letters to the candidates seeking material for the Voters Guide. Back in March, as part of that process for the primary, the newspaper sent a letter to Rick Santorum at his home address, at least the one that he claims. Back from Penn Hills came the letter with a sticker from the U.S. Postal Service checked as "Not Deliverable As Addressed -- Unable To Forward."
That is all you need to know about the nasty dispute between the Republican Sen. Santorum and his Democratic opponent, Bob Casey Jr., in the November election. The whole thing is rooted in one inconvenient fact for Sen. Santorum: He doesn't live here anymore.
This is not to say that he doesn't visit Penn Hills from time to time. But while he may meet the legal requirements for residency, his home is in Virginia with his wife and children. This is well-known and it has been for quite a while. Indeed, it was at the heart of the objection by some Penn Hills residents to the local school district paying for the senator's children to be enrolled in a cyber charter school. The theory was that -- let us emphasize it again because it is central to the current problem -- he doesn't live here anymore.
Ricky is flippin out because a couple of real Penn Hills residents, a husband and wife team Ed and Erin Vecchio, have waged an effective little campaign to try and disqualify Santorum from being able to vote as a resident of the district.
Atrios has a WMP clip of Ricky flipping out during a radio interview, accusing people (the Vecchios) of peeping in his widows. He interrupts the host and goes on a nice little rant. Atrios is right:
I really don't understand this, anyway. Back in the good old days when I lived in the suburbs I thought one could walk up the driveway and knock on your neighbor's door without being guilty of criminal trespass. Presumably if the light were right one could easily see if windows had curtains and if there was furniture inside from that vantage point. Have things changed?
I had read earlier reports of property damage, but that is not what Santorum is claiming now.
WTAE has a nice little history lesson for us on Santorum's 1990 race.
In 1990, Santorum unseated Rep. Doug Walgren, attacking on the issue of where Walgren lived.
"And I've talked to his neighbors. His parents live there. He does not live there," Santorum said at the time.
Walgren lost to Santorum in an upset.
At the time, Santorum didn't anticipate owning the home in Virginia he also has now.
"Will I have a home in the Washington area? Probably not. I'll probably have some sort of apartment or something that I'll stay in down there. We're going to keep our home in Mount Lebanon. We're going to raise our family here. We're going to live here in this community," Santorum said in 1990.
(emphasis mine)
Of course Santorum doesn't live in the tiny little house with his horde of kids. He calls this mansion home in Virginia.
The Casey campaign continues to state that they are not a part of the Vecchio's campaign. Frankly, they don't need to be. The record stands for itself. Santorum is pissed off and making things worse for him.
Pittsburghers are extremely proud of their hometown and do not look kindly on people who they feel are disrespecting it. They have been lied to by their Senator. He doesn't want to live there anymore. It is beneath him.
For more check out FDL's post: Goose? Meet Gander. and Santorum Exposed has still shots from a KDKA story. It looks like it has been a while since Santorum paid someone to mow his lawn.