All for naught

I guess the twin pillars of the Republican second term agenda: Social Security privatization and an assault on the judiciary haven't been so good for ol' Senator Man on Dog. But I'm sure they're working wonders for GOP incumbents in the rest of the country.

State Treasurer Robert Casey, Jr., has a 49 – 35 percent lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today.

This compares to a 46 – 41 percent Casey lead in a February 16 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University.

Pennsylvania voters give Sen. Santorum a 48 – 35 percent approval rating, down from 52 – 31 percent Feb. 16 and comparable to his all-time low of 47 – 30 percent.

Voters reject 55 – 37 percent President George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security and 38 percent say they are less likely to vote for Santorum because of his support for Bush's proposal. Another 15 percent say they are more likely to vote for Santorum and 43 percent say his Social Security position does not make a difference.

Only 14 percent of Pennsylvania voters are more likely to vote for Santorum because of his highly visible role in the Terri Schiavo case, with 34 percent who say they are less likely and 47 percent who say it does not make a difference.

...in other Senate news apparently Robert Byrd (D-WV) may now be safe and Jim Jeffords (D-VT) is resigning, opening up a competitive Senate race in Vermont (paging Bernie Sanders...)