The Patriot Post® · Dems on the Lamb in Pennsylvania

By Thomas Gallatin ·
https://patriotpost.us/articles/54735-dems-on-the-lamb-in-pennsylvania-2018-03-14

Democrats are celebrating today what appears to be a victory, still too close to call, for Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s special House election. Republican Rick Saccone has yet to concede since Lamb’s lead is only a few hundred votes and state officials note that there are still absentee ballots that need counting. Needless to say, Democrats are gloating over a win in a district Donald Trump won by 20 points. And the Leftmedia is touting the result as a sure sign of a rising blue wave come November that will sweep Democrats into the majority in Congress in a repudiation of Trump.

So, even as Democrats and the Leftmedia play this up as a harbinger of their hopes for the near future, the facts regarding this particular race simply don’t support that narrative. Why? Well, as the old adage states, the devil is in the details.

First, at best this serves as a temporary victory for Democrats in a district where current boundaries are disputed — the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that the state’s district boundaries were unfairly gerrymandered. The case is now in the appellate courts, but, whatever the outcome, Democrats will have to defend the seat again come November.

Second, and what may be the most significant point to note here, Lamb ran on key campaign issues that are in direct opposition to the national Democrat Party’s leftist policy platform. Lamb did not run as an anti-Trump resistance candidate; rather he staked out a more centrist approach and campaigned as a pro-lifer who supports the Second Amendment. Essentially, Lamb campaigned as an old Blue Dog Democrat.

Third, the fact of the matter is that local issues almost always trump national politics. Recall the reason for this special election in the first place. PA-18, a strongly conservative district, was held by Republican Tim Murphy for eight consecutive terms until last year, when he was forced to resign after news came to light of an extramarital affair that he sought to cover up by pressing his lover to get an abortion. It looks like many conservative voters rightly felt jaded and were uninspired by a rather lackluster Republican candidate.

Finally, Democrats outspent Republicans by nearly five to one on this campaign, even though Saccone received considerably more funding support from outside groups than did Lamb. It is no secret that DNC coffers are hurting. Democrats desperately needed to tout a win in Trump country to motivate their base into coughing up donations, so this election is effectively a fundraising advertisement. This fact alone explains much of the Demo/MSM spin. As DNC Chairman Tom Perez tweeted today, “Wow! Conor Lamb has won the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District! This is the first House seat we’ve flipped from red to blue since Donald Trump was elected president — and this can be the first of many defeats he and Paul Ryan get this year!” In other words, “Send money!”

So, was the PA-18 special election a bellwether? Only if Democrats have decided to reject their leftist policy platform, their anti-Trump resistance and their disdain for everyday working Americans. But something tells us that’s not how Democrats or the Leftmedia will spin this election outcome.