Franklin & Marshall College Professor of Public Affairs Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Michael Young, managing partner of Michael Young Strategic Research, address Gov. Ed Rendell’s recent opinion that the Republican Party is being taken over by “wackos” in their Politically Uncorrected column Friday.
The column notes Rendell later said he did not mean to lump GOP governor candidate Tom Corbett or Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey in that column.
Not that it seems to matter much to voters what Rendell thinks of whom, Madonna and Young go on to say.
"In fact, voters appear to consider neither Corbett nor Toomey to be wackos," the columnists said. "If voters were to describe the GOP candidates this year, the word they would probably use is not wackos, but winners."
Toomey could “arguably be the most conservative U.S. Senator Pennsylvania has elected since before the New Deal days,” according to the column – and polls indicate he has a good shot at the seat.
Which the columnists find surprising, considering the 1.2 million registration edge Democrats hold over Republicans in the state.
“The obvious question: why is Toomey so well positioned some 45 days from the November election? And what does it reveal about American politics approaching Barack Obama¹s first midterm election?” Madonna and Young posit. “These are all easier questions to ask than to answer.”
The column does attempt to, however. Madonna and Young point to Democrats’ apparent failure to improve the economy while spending massive amounts of money, as well as concerns over debt and regulation.
“The electorate is out of patience, and Democrats seem increasingly to be out of time. This explains more than anything how a candidate as conservative as Pat Toomey, talented though he may be, is running so strongly in a state that historically has eschewed candidates of either right or left extremes.”
To read the column in full, click here.