PA State 31st District Race is Classic Establishment vs. Conservative Battle (My Title)

RedState.com ^ | March 28, 2012 | Pat Henry as HanoverHenry

[LoveUSA]

Actual Title: Articulate Conservative Andy Shaw Challenges Planned Parenthood's Favorite State Senator Pat Vance in GOP Primary

State Senator Pat Vance is one of the finest representatives of the “establishment Republicans” who are willing to sound so very conservative when facing primary elections but who tack to the left when they are safely reelected.

In fact, Senator Pat Vance gets along especially well with those who values voter oriented conservatives don’t hold in the highest regard.

The incumbent’s rather nice and comfortable remarks (at a GOP forum in York, PA) were in rather marked contrast with those of Andy Shaw who followed her, and who offered a serious challenge.

Oh yes. Primary Challenger Andy Shaw raised up a “banner of no pale pastels” in this state senate contest – to use Ronald Reagan’s words – at the GOP country club this past Monday night.

This young, energetic and unabashedly conservative attorney Andy Shaw, in six electrifying minutes, made a very clear, persuasive, and even irrefutable case that he is a conservative running against an establishment liberal and offering a very real alternative.

In six minutes Andy Shaw offered Reaganesque “bold and vibrant colors.”

I want to tell you why conservatives who learn about him, get very excited and think of Andy Shaw’s bid for State Senate as one of the most important election races in Pennsylvania if not in America.

[LoveUSA]

This post if for anyone who, like me, struggles to find info to make an informed decision on Tuesday.

This local election really had me stumped because the radio ads were confusing and Vance always had a satisfactory defense for her voting record. Talked to a few people about Vance (one of them a doctor's wife) and read this blog which points out that Vance has a cunning way of skirting the real answer to the question. Absolutely NONE of the anecdotes I heard were in favor of Vance.

Seven years ago I met Vance when she did a tv commercial on local businesses. She pulled into our business in her convertible coupe (with her scarf fluttering in the breeze) with one assistant in her car while the rest of the staff squeezed into a single sedan. Quite the picture of a comfortably established politician. I had to talk to her on camera and I really got the impression that she is not particularly sharp (several re-takes and she asked me some really stupid questions). Still, I gave her the benefit of the doubt, granting that perhaps she does her legislative job well anyway.

Two weeks ago I met Andy Shaw at a Tea Party meeting and he and his seemed genuine and not at all self-indulgent. His campaign stance on both social and fiscal issues is definitely conservative. But who knows for sure?

So I finally decided that voting the incumbent out was worth the risk..especially voting out anyone in Pennsylvania who still has Ed Rendell's fingerprints all over them (Vance voted FOR some of Rendell's budgets, I'm trying to verify how many).