Nobody home / Santorum tries to cover his tracks on residency

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06146/693291-192.stm

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.

In furtherance of that objection, two local Democrats, Ed and Erin Vecchio, tried to revive the residency issue on primary election day, which was covered by a subsequent KDKA-TV report. A radio ad for Sen. Santorum flagrantly distorts that report, suggesting that "operatives" for the Casey campaign had trespassed on the Santorum property. (It also sneeringly calls Mr. Casey "Bobby" -- as if the Democrat wore short pants.)

This is a good editorial. :hi:

painting these incumbents as elitist rich men who keep empty houses (sometimes condos or even apartments) in their districts so that they can pretend to have an address. Meanwhile, they've decamped years ago for Washington, have the mansion there, the associates, family, and friends there, and have completely lost any connection to the folks back home.

That's why they all run over to K Street and lobbying firms when the folks get wise and kick 'em out of office. Going back "home" isn't the issue; Washington DC IS home.

Note that this is bipartisan criticism of incumbents who have been there too long and no longer have a clue about the people they're supposed to be representing, the people outside that I-495 betltway.

And this is why I'm voting contrarian. I don't like what these myopic bastards are doing. I'm voting against every damned one of them.

and the world is to insist on honesty, integrity and openness in ourselves and those who seek to run the commonwealth for us.
The days of business as usual and the rotten cream of the corrupt political system rising must be ended.

Have these types of stories been there all along, merely drowned out by the right wing radical noise machine, or does this point out an improvement in guts, responsibility and ethics?

Santorum fires back on residencyThe senator cited proof he lives here, in response to a Democrat's challenge.
By Carrie Budoff

Inquirer Staff Writer

The Santorums pay property taxes and register their cars in Penn Hills, Pa. They get their teeth cleaned and eyes checked by area doctors.

The family burial site is located there, too.

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) cited those reasons and more in a letter yesterday to the Allegheny County solicitor as proof that a local Democrat's challenge to his residency has no merit.

"There is no genuine legal issue," Santorum's attorney argued in the letter.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14669417.htm

Santorum's Letter. http://www.realcities.com/multimedia/philly/inquirer/KRT_packages/archive/052506.letter.PDF

Watch video at this link to see Santorum smear his opponent in 1990 race about not living in PA. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/9275617/detail.html

to his opponent's neighbors personally in 1990 to find out if he lived in his house or not.

What a typical Republican. Exactly as duplicitous as you'd expect.

Here's links with more on this topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2304428&mesg_id=2304428

http://ferrickspoliblog2006.blogspot.com /

This is the long version of a column that was published in today's Phil Inquirer about the controversy surrounding Santorum's fake residence within PA. He has a $900,000 in Northern Virginia where he really lives.

The above post includes links to the many news articles on these controversies, including the times that Santorum and his wife failed to show up for jury duty because the notices had been sent to their PA. home.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06145/692949-155.stm

The above is a good column in the Pittsburgh paper.

What is amazing is that Santorum resurrected this issue himself. Most people had forgotten about it until Santorum raised it again.