Last night, Democrats celebrated their victory in a special election for an empty seat in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. We just wonder if having another Democrat on Capitol Hill was worth the $800,000 the party spent on advertising.
The winner, Mark Critz, was a long-time fixture under Rep. John Murtha who left the seat vacant when he died in February. Murtha, although a Democrat, ran on a pro-life and pro-gun platform; he was even given an “A” from the National Rifle Association for his voting record. Like Murtha, Critz is also pro-life and pro-gun.
The GOP candidate would not have been any different. Murtha was hesitant to vote on health care reform without the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which forbade federal money being used to pay for any health care plan that would cover an abortion.
Critz has never held elected office, so we don’t have the luxury of knowing if he will vote the same way as his predecessor. But we are guessing this lackey-turned-Representative will not have the temerity to stray too far from Murtha’s formula. After all, the guy had a 36-year career in Washington.
What is the point in celebrating? The Democrats spent more than $800,000 on a campaign and have little to show for it. All those color-coded seating charts can stay the same, but Critz is blue in name only. The last time we checked that doesn’t mean a thing.
