The coming tidal wave

If there really is such a thing as a "Starbucks Republican" (aside from Rick Santorum), he (or she) lives in Chester County, Pa. The western exurban fringe of the Philadelphia area, it is a woody sprawl of bland subdivisions, gleaming office parks, and Ruby Tuesday's hamburger joints.

Overwhelmingly white and upscale, Chester County has voted for Bush even as Pennsylvania has become a "blue state" and Philly's other suburbs went Democratic. (In fact, the last GOP presidential candidate it shunned was Barry Goldwater in 1964.) Voters in Chester County normally care about three issues: Lowering taxes, reducing taxes, and preventing higher taxes.

That's why anyone seeking a Democratic tidal wave in 2006 need look no further. There was only one major special election in Pa. last night -- thus pitting a Republican against a Democrat -- and it was in Chester County. Check out what happened:

Andrew Dinniman has defeated Republican Carol Aichele to become the first Democratic state senator from Chester County in memory.

Returns were slow coming in last night, but when all the votes were talled, Dinniman was the victor, with more than 56 percent of the votes....

Dinniman, who toured the polling places yesterday with his dog, Henry, said last night that he was confident that enough Democrats and independents had come out to vote to suppress the usual Republican advantage.

"We had a presence at every precinct," he said. "Statistically, it would be hard for us not to prevail."

Usually, special elections are a boon to the established party, which makes this even more astounding. As some of you may know, Pennsylvania has been a harbinger before. In 1991, heavily favored former GOP Gov. Dick Thornburgh lost a U.S. Senate election in a huge upset to Democrat Harris Wofford, as voters seemed to like Wofford's Clinton-esque healthcare ideas and disliked a president named Bush.

All we know is this...if Chester County is going away from the GOP, so is America.


Posted on May 17, 2006 11:47 AM