Pennsyvania Senator Bob Casey - To Endorse Obama Today

[kpete]

Posted on Fri, Mar. 28, 2008


Bob Casey to endorse Obama, join bus tour
By Thomas Fitzgerald

Inquirer Staff Writer

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey plans to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president today in Pittsburgh, sending a message both to the state's primary voters and to undecided superdelegates who might decide the close race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Dan Pfeiffer, deputy communications director for the Obama campaign, confirmed that Casey would announce his support during a rally at the Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial and that he would then set out with the Illinois senator on part of a six-day bus trip across the state.

The endorsement comes as something of a surprise. Casey, a deliberative and cautious politician, had been adamant about remaining neutral until after the April 22 primary. He had said he wanted to help unify the party after the intensifying fight between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"There are few stronger advocates for working families in Pennsylvania than Sen. Casey," Pfeiffer said.

more at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20080328_Bob_Casey_to_endorse_Obama__join_bus_tour.html
http://westernpaforobama.com/2008/03/26/senator-obama-in-pittsburgh-this-friday/

[babylonsister]

1. Senator? nt

[Inuca]

Of course

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/28/4723/98942/211/485909

[noel711]

7. I think the poster was so excited...

that they were confused...

It is indeed Senator Bob Casey (excellent!)..

BUT if twas the governor of PA who endorsed,
now that'd be incredible!

As we know, Fast Eddy Rendell worships at the
throne of Sen. Clinton.

[AllentownJake]

26. Govenor Casey

Passed away a few years ago sadly.

[ekwhite]

50. Don't discount the name Bob Casey

Former Governor Bob Casey was well liked in Pennsylvania, and the name carries a lot of weight in that state. My understanding is that Senator Casey is well liked also. This is a major endorsement for Pennsylvania.

[stratomagi]

41. Were you thinking of the late republican governor Bob Casey? nt

[babylonsister]

47. No. The OP originally had Casey as Governor; mine was a gentle correction. nt

[stratomagi]

49. Oh

must've chimed in after the edit.

:hide:

[tishaLA]

60. Gov Casey was fairly conservative but not a republicon

That mistake gets made because of his unfortunate stance on reproductive freedoms.

[cali]

2. You need to fix the title

to align with the text. It's Senator Casey who is endorsing Obama.

[WinkyDink]

3. Can you please change your thread title? THANK YOU.

[kpete]

14. so sorry

not enough coffee this a.m.

kp

[Yael]

4. Yikes! I about had a stroke

Can you change your title to "Senator"?

[Mezzo]

5. Actually, the PA Governor Endorses Hillary.

[undeterred]

6. Good for Obama!

[4themind]

8. Change to senator heh

[Yael]

9. Casey is joining him on the bus trip? This is huge news!

:woohoo:

[BumRushDaShow]

27. Agree. The part about Casey joining the bus tour got my attention too!

That will REALLY offer alot of help. Just the endorsement was amazing in itself but riding along is definitely more than I could ever hope for! :thumbsup:

[slinkerwink]

43. exactly

[polichick]

10. I called Sen. Casey this week to encourage him to do this...

...wonder how many others had the same idea ~ it's very good news as we move into the GOTV phase here!

[1776Forever]

51. Thank you for your time and efforts! This is huge!

:hi:

[polichick]

67. You're most welcome - I hope this endorsement helps!

[4themind]

11. Rally with obama/casey at 11 am, on CNN.com -nt

[Georgie_92]

12. GOBAMA!!!!

[nxylas]

13. Senator Casey is now DEAD TO ME!

Who is he again?

(That was a joke, for the humor-impaired)

[depakid]

15. I wonder how many realize that Casey is anti-choice?

Does anyone else find that curious, particularly considering Obama's past statements about reproductive freedom- or his sitting on the sidelines and criticizing the effort to keep Alito off of the Supreme Court?

[Inuca]

17. So?

Does this make him evil?

[depakid]

19. I suppose that depends on what your views on reproductive freedom are

Anti-choice folks sure seem to like to throw around words like "evil" when it comes to family planning.

[Barack_America]

23. Lol. That's a pretty narrow view of politics...

How many people do you know who have who agree with you on EVERY issue?

If they don't, do you refuse to associate with them?

[Inuca]

45. I am most definitely not anti-choice

myself, but I understand how and why some very decent and good people can be and I respect their opinion. That's all.

[babylonsister]

18. Sigh. No candidate will ever be endorsed by anyone who has the

exact same platform as they do. That doesn't mean that Casey's presence and endorsement won't be valuable, especially since PA is now in play.

[depakid]

22. I think you may want to have another look at some of what Obama's said in the past

about the issue.

It's given me pause several times- which is one reason why I never got on his bandwagon.

[babylonsister]

25. Casey was elected, he's a Dem; what's your problem?

We probably wouldn't be having this 'conversation' had he endorsed Clinton. Ahh, that's your problem! Now it's time to smear Casey?

[depakid]

32. The whole deal brings up misgivings

about what I and others have heard Obama say. And I'm not talking about the "shallow "prayerful" deal- I'm thinking in terms of Constitutional reasoning about a woman's right to choose.

As much as I dislike being in a position that looks like I'm defending the Clintons, I still have to say that reproductive freedom is an issue that they've never wavered on- and won't sell out (which is tough to say, considering all the things in the 90's that they did sell out).

My suspicion is- from his public statements and actions in the Senate, that Obama "agrees" with many of the conservative "scholars" about choice not being a fundamental right.

Actually, the controlling law isn't Roe anymore- it's Casey v. Planned Parenthood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood_v._Casey

Which reduced a woman's right to choose from a fundamental right to something less- they called it in essence a "substantial right" that could be infringed upon all sorts of reasons.

We've read about some of them on DU -and oftentimes, they're absurd. Or worse.

Think about it.

[babylonsister]

40. Give me one indication that Obama will 'sell out' on the right for a

woman to choose. I think you're blowing smoke myself. Maybe you're referring to what happened in NH and the dishonest meme the Clinton camp put out on this.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html


Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

Sen. Barack Obama submitted the following statement upon NARAL Pro-Choice America's request.

"A woman's ability to decide how many children to have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the most fundamental rights we possess. It is not just an issue of choice, but equality and opportunity for all women.

"I have consistently advocated for reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. I oppose any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in this case.

"I believe we must work together to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. I support legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventative services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. That is why I co-sponsored the Prevention First Act of 2007, which will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. It will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

"Finally, I support the enactment and enforcement of laws that help prevent violence, intimidation, and harassment directed at reproductive health providers and their patients."

Voting Record:
Sen. Obama received the following scores on NARAL Pro-Choice America's Congressional Record on Choice.
2007: 100 percent
2006: 100 percent
2005: 100 percent

more...

[Barack_America]

33. You're referring to the "prayerful" bit, right?

Criticism of this comment is just bullshit. First of all, saying the word "prayerful" is NOT a codeword for indicating to the religious right that he's *really* anti-abortion. That kind of paranoid attitude is actually HARMFUL to women having abortions. Abortions are not "no big deal" and women SHOULD be "contemplative", "prayerful", etc. about having one. NOT because there is anything WRONG with having an abortion, but because the emotions surrounding having one are complex, and burying and internalizing them can be EXTREMELY harmful to women.

Abortions are a RIGHT, they should be SAFE and they should be LEGAL, but to pretend that they are just "a procedure" that nobody should have a second thought about is ridiculous. You're doing no favors to women with that line of BS. Abortions are what they are to women. For some women, they are not emotionally influential. On the other hand, for some women they can be devastating. We should be respectful and supportive of the entire spectrum of emotions and not write them off because we're so damned afraid of conceding anything to the religious folks.

[AllentownJake]

29. Understanding PA Politics

You have to understand PA politics. We ran Casey against Santorum to get rid of him. Santorum's strongest supporters were from the anti-choice lobby in PA. By running Casey we were able to ensure Rick's defeat because he couldn't run around talking about abortion and scaring up the anti-choice vote.

There was also a lot of bad blood between Casey's father and Bill so this doesn't surprise me. If his health wasn't failing he was going to run against Bill in the primaries in 1996.

[OzarkDem]

39. Obama supporters don't care about the issues

They're simply maniacal supportes of a celebrity. Issues mean nothing to them.

Of course they'll be in for a big surprise if he manages to get elected.

[powergirl]

54. Clinton had no problem with Casey's "issues" - she sought his endorsement

And didn't get it.

"Clinton gave $5,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson. Poor Richardson didn't have the same luck with Obama who gave him zip. Word in the blogosphere was that Richardson was angling for the VP spot with Clinton.

"Other notable superdelegates who cleaned up?

"Sen. Daniel Akaka (HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), and Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) each received $10,000 a piece from both candidates, though none have endorsed either yet."



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-escobar/obama-clinton-fill-super_b_88114.html

[ekwhite]

56. Of course we care about the issues

We just don't agree with you on them. How are expecting to convert anyone to your cause by insulting them? Obama supporters posting on this board are most likely as well informed and care about issues every bit as much as you do. I'll refrain from any counter-claims against Clinton supporters, not because I can't make them, but in the interest of returning a modicum of civility to the board.

[powergirl]

57. Sen. Clinton liked Casey just fine - until now!

See my post #54.

[helderheid]

62. Yea, thanks you.

Really helpful that.

[JI7]

48. Evan Bayh doesn't have a great record on abortion rights either

and Hillary will likely pick him for VP if she somehow is given the nomination.

Casey isn't going to be under vp consideration for Obama.

[powergirl]

52. Clinton sought his endorsement - so she didn't have a problem with it

"Clinton gave $5,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson. Poor Richardson didn't have the same luck with Obama who gave him zip. Word in the blogosphere was that Richardson was angling for the VP spot with Clinton.

"Other notable superdelegates who cleaned up?

"Sen. Daniel Akaka (HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), and Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) each received $10,000 a piece from both candidates, though none have endorsed either yet."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-escobar/obama-clinton-fill-super_b_88114.html

[WinkyDink]

16. The only reason Casey is our senator is name-recognition. He is a "conservative"

Democrat. Indeed, what this quote really means is that these voters were erstwhile "Reagan Democrats" who found a Democrat they could vote for:

Obama strategists hope that Casey can help their candidate make inroads with the white working-class men who are often referred to as "Casey Democrats." This group identifies with the brand of politics Casey and his late father, a former governor, practiced - liberal on economic issues but supportive of gun rights and opposed to abortion. (Obama favors some gun-control measures and backs abortion rights.)

[powergirl]

55. Clinton wanted his endorsement - so I guess she is bad too?? n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Casey will appeal to the Catholic voters.

This is a group that political analysts have been looking at as a strong factor here in PA.

[Barack_America]

21. Sir, as someone who voted you into office....

Thank You!

For people not familiar with Casey, this endorsement is a little unexpected (and important!) for the following reasons (from the philly.com article):

"Obama strategists hope that Casey can help their candidate make inroads with the white working-class men who are often referred to as "Casey Democrats." This group identifies with the brand of politics Casey and his late father, a former governor, practiced - liberal on economic issues but supportive of gun rights and opposed to abortion. (Obama favors some gun-control measures and backs abortion rights.)"

As the article notes, that is a large constituency here in PA and one that Obama had little inroads to, until now.

There must've been some serious politics at work here.

[Yael]

24. Completely unexpected

He has said publically on many occasions that he was remaining neutral until after the 22nd.

[AllentownJake]

30. Not that surprising

Remember how Bill treated his father.

[easy_b94]

38. ahhhh...goes around comes around

[WillyT]

28. Uh, Oh !!! - Big Eddy Will Not Be Pleased !!!

Watch your back Bob!!!

:evilgrin:

[AllentownJake]

31. Ha ha ha

Fast Eddie and Bob don't get along anyway. What's Fast Eddie going to do to a US senator. This isn't a mayor or a congressman he can bully by threatning budgetary retaliations to their area.

[Yael]

36. Like what was done in Pittsburgh

*cough*

[BumRushDaShow]

42. And even more important, Fast Eddie MUST rely on Casey

as the sole Dem. Senator, to get additional earmarks back to PA whenever Spector balks.

:rofl:

[ekwhite]

58. Fast Eddie!

I remember that name from when I was living in Pennsylvania years ago, and he was mayor of Philly.

[AllentownJake]

61. I don't know how he got it

I lived in Philly during the late 90s and he doesn't look like he would be very fast ;-)

[BumRushDaShow]

64. Sure he was and still is...

He was even caught with his limo breaking the speed limit multiple times! :P

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_187421.html

In his first public statement on the issue, Rendell said late Wednesday he assumes a Philadelphia Daily News story Monday is accurate. The newspaper reported his Cadillac limousine was clocked at 100 mph nine times by troopers since November.

:rofl:

(of course that's not where the nickname came from, which was actually a Frank Rizzo creation)

[ericgtr]

34. Good news! Is he a superdelegate?

sorry if it's a dumb question, I don't see it mentioned here.

[Yael]

35. Yes he is

[Barack_America]

37. He is a United States Senator, so yes.

He is a superdelegate.

:hi:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

44. If (big if) Obama wins Pennsylvania, our long national nightmare will be over.

:hopeful:

[Inuca]

46. If there is any rationality

left in he Clinton campaign, it should be over even if Obama loses by small(ish) margin, which is the much more likely outcome. And of course, even if he loses by .5%, we will be hearing how the Casey endorsement did not make any difference :-).

[ekwhite]

59. I think Pennsylvania could be close

It depends to a certain extent on how Pennsylvanians take the Bosnia flap. There are a lot of veterans in Pennsylvania, and they may not take kindly to the whole mess.

[flpoljunkie]

53. Photo of Senator Obama with senatorial candidate Bob Casey, Jr. taken October 11, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, left, and Democrat Bob Casey Jr. right, greet supporters after talking with campaign volunteers working for Casey's campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006. Obama is expected to gain the endorsement of Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Friday March 28, 2008. Casey's support could help Obama make inroads among Catholic voters. Catholics constitute more than 30 percent of the state. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, FILE)

[BumRushDaShow]

65. There ya go! Thanks for posting that!

:thumbsup:

I knew there was a significant Catholic population here (especially in Philly), but didn't realize it was as high as 30%.

[Scurrilous]

63. K & R

:thumbsup:

[RamboLiberal]

66. Thank you Senator Casey

Not only did you end up ending the nightmare of Santorum representing my state - but you show the good sense to back the candidate who is leading and who will win the WH. Even if some Dems in your state including Rendell & Nutter refuse to face the facts!

:kick: