Here it Comes
You can tell when Republicans are upset and worried about an election when the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal starts fulminating. Today, a column by John Fund tries to gin up some outrage about the supposed "rancid history" of voting fraud in Pennsylvania. Specifically, he attacks Gov. Ed Rendell for vetoing a Republican bill that would have required all voters to show official photo i.d. at the polls before entering the booth. These bills, which have been tried by Republicans in other states, notably Georgia, are thinly disguised efforts to hold down voting by the poor and minorities, who are less likely than more affluent whites to have the required form of i.d. or be able to take the time and expense to obtain it. It's a poll tax in another form.
Could the Republicans be concerned about Sen. Rick Santorum's chances? Santorum, who is far from the relentlessly moderate political tradition of Pennsylvania, has real competition this year and has consistently trailed in the polls. Now the Republican nominee-designate for Governor, Lynn Swann, faces a vote-training third party challenge from Russ Diamond, the anti-pay raise king. I suspect certain Republicans are getting really worried.