Thread: Rick Saccone for Congress: The state rep is ready to move on to U.S. House

Rick Saccone for Congress: The state rep is ready to move on to U.S. House

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the Editorial Board
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mar 11, 2018
12:00 AM

Voters in the 18th Congressional District will go the polls Tuesday in a special election to replace Tim Murphy, the disgraced Republican who represented his constituents well but was forced to resign.

The Post-Gazette endorses state Rep. Rick Saccone.

While his opponent, Conor Lamb, of Mt. Lebanon, is an impressive young man and has run an energetic campaign, Mr. Saccone, who lives in the Elizabeth Township house he grew up in, has a wealth of experience and an intimate knowledge of much of the district, because he has represented a part of it in the Legislature. He is a good fit for the district and would be an effective representative for it from his first day on the job.

Mr. Lamb can get more experience, of course, perhaps following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Thomas Lamb, who was a skilled politician and prominent state senator. We hope he does stay involved. Someone of his obvious talent is to be encouraged.

It was pragmatic, moderate conservatism — not extremism — that sustained Mr. Murphy for almost 15 years in office. The issues he pursued, such as an overhaul of mental health law and saving the national veterans cemetery in Cecil, had practical benefits for his constituents.

Should he prevail, Mr. Saccone would be wise to embrace a similar course, pursuing bread-and-butter issues and putting the needs of the small towns in his district, many of which have suffered benign neglect for decades, and workaday Americans, first.

Taking in southern Allegheny County and spreading into Washington, Greene and Westmoreland counties, the district has more than its share of old coal and steel towns needing attention from Washington. Economic development, workforce training and infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to locks and dams, must be among Mr. Saccone’s top priorities.

A former Air Force counterintelligence officer who later worked in North Korea and studied the Middle East in Egypt, Mr. Saccone would bring a valuable resume to Congress. He is also a college professor and a four-term state legislator. Given his time of life, he is 60, and varied background, he is equipped to be a strong and independent voice for the 18th.

There is another consideration. If Mr. Lamb, 33, wins, it could well be the start of a Democratic wave. The prospect of a Democratic House may please partisans, but it might be bad for the country.

The Democrats in the House have only one agenda item at the moment, and it isn’t health care or jobs. It is impeachment. Regardless of whether one likes this president or his policies, one must ask what the consequence for the country will be if we dive into so great a distraction.

Mr. Lamb, who was an officer in the Marines and a federal prosecutor, styles himself a moderate Democrat who supports gun rights and personally opposes abortion. He’s also attempted to distance himself from ultra-liberal Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and says he would not vote for her to lead his party. But who would be vote for? An abstention will not win him independence from the Democratic Caucus, which would be hard to maintain as an inexperienced freshman in any case.

Often lost in the excitement of this race is the fact the term for the man elected will expire at the end of the year. What happens after that is up in the air because of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in January that barred use of the state’s congressional map after Tuesday’s special election. The Democrat-controlled court ruled the map was unconstitutionally gerrymandered and ultimately imposed its own map, intending it to be in effect for the May primary when all 18 congressional seats will be on the ballot for the 2019-20 term. The new map, which Republican legislative leaders are fighting in the federal courts, would divide the current 18th among new 14th, 17th and 18th districts.

While outside groups have showered money on this race and national media are portraying it as a referendum on President Donald Trump, the real question is who can best serve the hardworking people of the 18th. Mr. Saccone has the potential to hit the ground running.

The Post-Gazette recommends Rick Saccone.

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/...s/201803110076

Nice endorsement! Saccone really does have a good resume. Wow!