Hart Getting Under Altmire’s Skin?
I haven’t seen any polling but it’s apparent that Melissa Hart is turning up the heat on Rep. Jason Altmire. The NRL Pac’s endorsement should help in socially conservative western Pennsylvania. Here’s the text of NRL PAC’s endorsement letter:
“We commend you for your perfect 100 percent pro-life voting record during your six years in the House of Representatives (2001-2006).
You were the prime sponsored of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (”Lacy and Connor’s Law”), a bill to recognize as a legal victim any unborn child who is injured or killed during the commission of a federal crime. When your bill was signed into law by President Bush on April 1, 2004, it was a major pro-life milestone.
You also co-sponsored many other important pro-life bills and helped to advance them. These include the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which was signed in to law by President Bush in 2003, and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, a bill to protect the right of parents to be notified before an abortion is performed on a minor daughter, which passed the House in 2005. In addition, we take special note of, and thank you for, your votes to support the current ban on federal funding of research that requires the killing of human embryos.
We believe that your superb record of leadership on behalf of the most vulnerable members of the human family has earned you the support of every citizen who recognizes the paramount importance of defending innocent human life.”
Here’s Ms. Hart’s reply:
“I have always been a staunch protector of life. This endorsement shows that I am the candidate in this race who has the record and leadership on the important issue of defending the most vulnerable. My record is much in contrast with my opponent who has a pro-life voting rating near 25% and has voted repeatedly to fund human embryo destroying research and give tax payer money to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country.”
It isn’t difficult picturing this endorsement having a significant impact on Western Pennsylvania’s Catholic population.
In other Hart-Altmire related news, Mr. Altmire backed out of their only scheduled debate. Here’s the Hart campaign’s statement on Altmire’s backing out:
Alicia Collins, Hart campaign manager stated, “It seems as though there is a concerted effort to hide Altmire from the voters and keep him from openly discussing issues with the voters. It is unacceptable for Jason Altmire to refuse to make himself available to his constituents. He is showing a complete disregard for the importance of the many issues surrounding this election. He is showing contempt and disrespect for the voters of the 4th Congressional District.”
Collins added, “Unfortunately, this is not surprising behavior from a Congressman who went on a five week vacation when gas prices hit record highs, then when the country is on the brink of financial disaster, Congress once again adjourns so he can hit the campaign trail. Now, instead of discussing critical issues facing our country and explaining his terrible record, he chooses to go to a pep rally. He’s serious about rewriting history and hiding his record, but not tackling the tough issues.”
Candidates with a positive, appealing agenda seek opportunities to highlight their agenda. By avoiding their only scheduled debate, Mr. Altmire is signaling that he isn’t confident that his agenda appeals to his constituents.
The southeastern corner of PA-4 borders PA-12. The next indicator I’ll be watching for is to see if people notice that Mssrs. Altmire and Murtha don’t represent their values and won’t debate their opponents. If it sinks in that Mssrs. Altmire and Murtha are avoiding their opponents and aren’t addressing the important issues facing their constituents, there could be a significant backlash, which would benefit Hart’s and Russell’s campaigns.
It’s only a matter of time before people start demanding their representatives actually represent them. The Democrats don’t have a history of doing that. Instead, they’ve got a history of promising things, then breaking their campaign promises.
This is well-documented. In 1994, reporters scoffed at the Contract With America. They’d ask Mr. Gingrich what their agenda would be. Mr. Newt repeatedly told them that they’d go right down the checklist, they’d repeat their question. The concept that politicians keeping their campaign promises was a totally foreign concept.
I’m sure that Mr. Altmire promised alot during the 2006 campaign. Thankfully, the 110th Congress was dreadfully inefficient. They got little done. That’s why I nicknamed them the “No Solutions Congress.”
It’s my hope that the people of PA-4 and PA-12 notice that and replace their incumbents with solutions-oriented people like Melissa Hart and William Russell. This American would be most grateful.
Technorati Tags: Melissa Hart, NRL PAC, Pro Life, Endorsements, William Russell, Jason Altmire, John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, No Solutions Congress, Oil Crisis, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog