I've Got Sources, Baby

For months, National Review Online editor Kathryn Jean Lopez has been the Bodicea of the Rick Santorum campaign - the warrior-woman, charging face-first into the enemy, laughing in the face of doom. While tracking polls show Santorum stalling out 10 points or more behind Democrat Bob Casey, Lopez is countering that with two pieces of evidence no one else would possibly take seriously. First some anecdotal evidence:

One Santorum volunteer I know reports knocking on 300 doors in south central Penn. today, hearing most often: "These polls are absurd! I'm ready to show those media people how wrong they are!"

In "south central" Pennsylvania. If you're unfamiliar with the Keystone state, know that James Carville (while losing a race to Rick Santorum) described it as "Philadelphia on one side, Pittsburgh on the other side, and Alabama in the middle."  In one of the final polls from the race, Santorum was leading Casey in central Penn by 15 points… while losing the entire state by 10.
But to supplement that, Lopez has hard polling data. Well…

I'm told by a good, albeit Republican, source that Gov. Rendell's latest internals have Santorum only 5 behind.

I'm told he had Santorum at 9 on Friday and 17 three weeks ago.

Possibly the least convincing "scoop" ever. Or is it? As it happens, I have sources in the Texas Democratic party who tell me Bob Smither is in a dead heat in the race to win Tom DeLay's seat. Write-in votes for Ron Paul are sweeping Democrats, Republicans and Kinky Friedman out of the way in the governor's race. Bouyed by his Reason endorsements, Jim Webb is tracking 30 points ahead of Sen. George Allen - or so I'm told by sources in the Mike McMenamin for school board campaign.

Comments

[duran duran]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again? how is it that Lopez has a job? For starters, she writes on a 3rd grade level. She is the most childish cheerleader for the GOP out there. Her hypocrisy on celebrity endorsements is laughable. She is a social conservative who worships at the Duran Duran alter. What would Jesus think of those lyrics, K-Lo?

[Mo]

This just shows that the circle is complete. With Republicans are now resorting to the old, "How could Nixon win? No one I know voted for him!"

[Lost_In_Translation]

Weigel, stop being cruel about Smither. I had so much hope early on.

[South Central Pennsylvanian]

I think that should be "a graft-ridden shithole on one side, a bankrupt city on the other, and sanity in the middle."

[highnumber]

I'm told he had Santorum at 9 on Friday...

EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!
I had pizza at 9 Friday night. Much healthier.

[creech]

Mmmm umm, this Kool Aide is sure delicious.

[Sharky]

You're wrong about the Webb tracking. 30 points? Give me a break. No normal poll had that. PLUS - McMenamin is running for County Board, NOT school board. So your "source" is wrong, and probably not affiliated with McMenamin as he or she said.

[Ken]

Of the many intellectually challenged hacks at NRO Lopez is obviously the worst. She is not even worth comedy relief.

[joe]

If you want a good laugh at Lopez's expense, look through NRO's archives for their blog "The Corner" from Flight Suit Day.

Her one hand typing about the "fighter jock" president's bulge is almost as funny as her rapture at the permanent Republican majority.

[ChrisO]

Sharky's sarcasm meter needs a tune-up.

I considered writing in "That Macaca guy" in the Allen/Webb race, but it was rather more hassle than I wanted at 6am.

[jp]

The local hosts on Philly's Limbaugh-Hannity station (1210 WPHT) have been so cute over the past 24 hours. "Santorum could lose," as one of them put it last night. Then this morning Mike Smerconish (the only cocoanut there with a little meat still in it) had Santorum on and was talking about not letting the polls decide the election etc. etc. Reminds me of the kind of things I told myself in 1980, back before I learned that Jimmy Carter was the mouth-piece of Satan.

[Phil-Z]

As a resident I am familier with PA, and South central PA is now a bedroom community for Washington DC and a great and growing proportion of people who work in the agencies on the western and northern sides of the beltway. Drive west from Frederick MD on RT 70 or try to work your way up to Gettysburg some night if you doubt this. Eastern West Virginia is now a hot real estate market. Hick bashing that area is soooo 90's.....

[Eddie]

I don't know if Bob Smither would make a good politician, but he was a great EE prof when I took classes from him in the early 90's.

[Patrick McMenamin]

This is very weird. Did you know that "Michael T. McMenamin" also happens to be a contributing editor at Reason? (I think "St. Martha" was his most recent article.) Of course, that Michael McMenamin (my Dad) is different from this school board Michael McMenamin, but they both have sons named "Patrick," which I'm told by sources in the Irish community is rather unusual. Anyway, I'm always disappointed when I find McMenamins involved in politics. I'd rather think of the McMenamins that made careers as sports writers or founded a brewery empire in Oregon.

[JohnL]

For another good laugh at KJL's expense, check out Tim Cavanaugh's vicious parody of the Corner from shortly after it debuted.

[Stevo Darkly]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again? how is it that Lopez has a job? For starters, she writes on a 3rd grade level. She is the most childish cheerleader for the GOP out there. Her hypocrisy on celebrity endorsements is laughable.

Is she hot?

[anonymous coward]

"Is she hot?"

Not even a little.

[JohnL]

"Is she hot?"

Not remotely to me, but judge for yourself.

[barbarella]

She is a social conservative who worships at the Duran Duran alter. What would Jesus think of those lyrics, K-Lo?

Please, Please tell me now! He loves them. Duran Duran is great! Where's Ron Hardin with his new wave pictures?