Voting for Corbett Not a Thrill Ride for Some Republicans

After November 2, my guess is that the new Pennsylvania Governor-elect will be Attorney General Tom Corbett. Voting for Corbett won't exactly be a thrill ride for many Republicans, as there is a generic quality to the reigning Pennsylvania Attorney General.

Not the Tea Party Candidate

Corbett didn't get the support of the Tea Party groups. Pennsylvania's Tea Party endorsed Corbett's primary opponent, Sam Rohrer. Another Pennsylvania conservative organization, the Commonwealth Foundation bluntly panned Corbett's business-as-usual economic approach and described it as "copying the federal 'stimulus.'"

Harrisburg Stinks!

Yet, Corbett has a double digit lead in the latest Rasmussen polls and the reasons may be seen even in his opponent's perplexing campaign ad. Even a low budget ad can have an impact, but Onorato makes his campaign pitch holding up a newspaper with a 30 point headline which says: "Harrisburg Stinks!" That's bound to remind Pennsylvania voters of departing Democrat Governor Ed Rendell, and Rendell's support of President Obama's unpopular spending programs.

What Professors Say

Corbett is holding a steady course, soberly pointing out his achievements as Attorney General, a position he's held since 2004. As Muhlenberg College political analyst and professor, Dr. Christopher Borick recently told PCN-TV's Kat Prickett, Pennsylvanians have tended to vote for the incumbent.

I'm Dan Onorato but Harrisburg Still Stinks!

Opponent Dan Onorato seems to be the nice guy with an identity problem. Onorato's not well-known in the Eastern and central parts of the state. In the same political ad where Onorato holds up a newspaper with the headline "Harrisburg Stinks," he also grabs hold of a large sign with his name on it-lest we forget-and pronounces it for us. It looks cheesy for someone hoping to be governor of Pennsylvania. Onorato should fire whoever conceived the ad, unless he's already conceded the race to Corbett.

I Try to Sound Like a Republican but I'm Really a Democrat

As things stand on the Onorato campaign website, Dan Onorato attempts to position himself as a conservative Democrat, trumpeting the Republican platform of opposing tax increases, limiting spending, and complaining about self-serving political practices in Harrisburg. One of Onorato's website postings repudiates government spending in a comment quoted by the Indiana Gazette:

The state is broke, and we all know that, and you're all broke too. ... We can't raise taxes.''

True. But that doesn't mean we can't get more taxes out of Washington! Onorato's "vision" includes the usual promises of government spending for favored Democrat interest groups-unions, advocacy groups, expanded social services-all of it couched in the usual vagaries of quadruple entry bookkeeping.

Obama Not Invited

Correctly interpreting the mood of Pennsylvania voters, Onorato has avoided any associations with an increasingly unpopular president. I couldn't find anything on the Onorato web site which linked him to President Obama. Because he supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, Onorato got a big political boost by having Bill Clinton speak for his campaign in Philadelphia.

Tom Corbett's a Cop

Tom Corbett may be in the traditional mold but I don't know how you can be the state's chief law enforcement officer without recognizing that Pennsylvania has huge sociological problems. People are out of work and desperate; family structures are crumbling. Crime is on the upsurge. Pennsylvania is flooded with illegal drugs and it is eating into the fabric of our communities.

On the one hand, you have a generic liberal Democrat county official in need of a political job. On the other, you have a traditional Republican with a long history of law enforcement and executive experience. Hmmm, let me think.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100924/pl_ynews/ynews_pl3718

https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/grading-corbetts-economic-plan-fail

http://attorneygeneral.gov/

http://www.voteonorato.com/media/news/details/2010-09-bill-clinton-stumps-for-onorato-in-philadelphia

http://www.voteonorato.com/http://www.voteonorato.com/media/news/details/2010-08-not-the-time-to-raise-taxes-governor-hopeful-onorato-