"Doggone it, C.K. Dexter Haven! Either I'm gonna sock you or you're gonna sock me."

-- Macaulay Connor

Patrick Ruffini is good people. He did some excellent work at the Philadelphia Convention, and he's been out in the city, fighting the good fight. Commenting on the Pennsylvania Primary results, he asks an interesting question. Why don't more of the old "Reagan Democrats" switch parties? As a very young former "Reagan Democrat" who has been a registered Republican for quite some time, I'd like to take a stab at answering.

Tellingly enough, he answered his own question before he even formulated it. Commenting on Ed Rendell's defeat of Bob Casey Jr. for the Democratic nomination for governor, Patrick writes:

If you look at the world through the prism of guns and abortion, it's quite easy to tell who the good guys and who the bad guys are in this dispute. However, broadening the issue base to include issues that Governors deal with on a more regular basis (like taxes, economic policy, and health care), discerning who the good guy really is becomes harder.

Loose translation: You guys have your priorities wrong. All good Republicans know we need to concentrate on the important issues, like cutting the capital gains tax, before we get to those minor issues like babies being dismembered in the womb.

Also, what elected officials "deal" with abortion anyhow? Our Federal politicians tell us it's a state issue, unless of course they're in favor of purchasing more shovels for the clinics, to replace the ones worn out from shuttling the small corpses into the incinerators. We're told that our governors and state reps don't handle this issue on a regular basis.

Who's left, the dog catcher?

When I last lived in Pennsylvania, Governor Casey seemed to be dealing with abortion regulation on quite a regular basis. Ask the Supreme Court if you doubt this.

The other part of the equation is the trend to cold-shoulder Republican candidates with the wrong type of "cross-over" appeal. If you're Christie Todd Whitman, you get to do the loyal opposition spot after a State of the Union Address. If you're Bret Schundler, you don't get a cup of coffee.

The Republicans in my old neck of the woods are very good at telling Reagan Democrats A.) Your issues aren't as burning with us. and B.) The Republican candidates that you do identify with, actually are an embarassment to us. I'm a Republican, but I mourn the younger Casey's political passing.