Santorum Concedes in Voter Fraud Question
Rick Santorum, who lost his Senate seat in a landslide a couple years ago, is accused of voter fraud in Penn Hills, PA. This is a story brewing for a long time, but it appears Santorum has decided not to fight the charges anymore, instead satisfied to blame the big old scary Democrats for his perpetration of voter fraud.
As noted on here many times, Rick Santorum is a weasel.
OK, let me start again. Rick Santorum has had his ballot questioned. He voted absentee in Penn Hills, where he owns a home he rents out. His status as a Penn Hills voter is being challenged by Ed Vecchio, the husband of the Democratic Chairwoman there. OK, this might be about politics, but it is also clear Santorum doesn’t live there. Why should he vote there, perpetrating voter fraud?
Well, Santorum has decided to fight the charges no longer. That’s the real story here. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Mr. Santorum, who served as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Republican National Convention this September, said he’s tired of fighting with the Vecchios. He has no plans to attend. Or to fight. Or to think about it if he can help it.
“They can do whatever they want to do. It’s just — I’m just not going to engage in that,” he said. “If someone who has lived in that community for the past 22 years who still owns a home and pays taxes there can’t vote there, then that says something about the Democrats in Allegheny County.”
Poor little Rick Santorum being picked on by those big bad Democrats. Of course, they wouldn’t pick on him if he voted where he actually lives. But Rick would rather play the victim and place the blame for his actions on anyone but himself.
As it appears, voter fraud in PA was not committed by Mickey Mouse, who was registered by ACORN, but by a former Republican Senator, Rick Santorum.
Some people never grow up.
How soon do we hear THIS trumpeted on Limpballs and Insannity?
I thought not.
Dennis, are you referring to Santorum, who is blaming the Democrats for his registration in a place where he does not reside?
“If someone who has lived in that community for the past 22 years who still owns a home and pays taxes there can’t vote there, then that says something about the Democrats in Allegheny County.”
What a very odd statement to make. Somehow the state’s residency laws on who is allowed to vote where are the fault of the Democrats in Allegheny County?
If the voter residency laws allow Santorum to do what he was doing, he should fight it. If they don’t then he committed voter fraud and he should own up to his mistake.
What is the law in PA anyway when it comes to voter residency? I recall the laws being fairly shaky when it comes to people who live in the state but have to reside elsewhere for the purpose of a job. I know that Santorum has run afoul of this before with him asking the state to pay for the homeschooling of his kids, so you’d think he would have researched the law a bit before going through it all again.
That’s what they are fighting over, NonyNony.
I guess I don’t get it. The article doesn’t say what the residency requirements actually are, so I’m not sure if he violates them or not. I would imagine that in most states if you are renting the house you’re claiming residency in to another person, your claims of residency would be shaky at best though. If Santorum isn’t fighting it, I’d imagine its because he knows he’d lose, but it would be nice if some reporter somewhere could actually check with a lawyer to see what the state law actually says about such things and what Santorum’s chances of prevailing in a lawsuit would be. Every “does Rick Santorum actually live in PA” story that I can remember is like this - no one actually ever goes on record with even an opinion on what the law says.
FWIW - I don’t like the fact that politicians get hammered for moving their families to Virginia to live while they’re serving in the Congress. I think the Republicans making a big deal out of this in ‘94 made something out of nothing and really did a disservice to our public servants - forcing them to live away from their families for weeks at a time when it really isn’t necessary. That said, defrauding your state about the school district your kids are attending just because you’re afraid of the political ramifications of saying that you’ve moved your family to Virginia to be near you while you work is both cowardly and weaselly. And now that he’s no longer a public servant for the state of PA, he should be voting where he lives like everyone else.