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Welch catches some heat in the conservative blogosphere
As the Republican Party grapples with whether to expand its political tent or allow only the most ideologically pure candidates to carry its banner, conservative bloggers have played an increasing role in policing party candidates’ perceived fitness for office. It is this new political dynamic that briefly made 6th District congressional candidate Steven Welch a conservative target this week.
After already catching heat—mostly from one of his opponent’s supporters—on the local right-leaning blog PAWaterCooler.com, Welch found himself in the cross-hairs of the nationally higher-profile conservative blog RedState. In a series of posts, the blog criticizes Welch for, among other other things, being previously registered as a Democrat and contributing to Congressman Joe Sestak’s (D-7) 2006 campaign. It ultimately declares Welch a RINO (Repblican In Name Only).
But conservative bloggers have missed the mark on a number of facts. A review by pa2010.com has found the following:
•Welch, a wealthy bio-tech entrepreneur, did indeed give Sestak’s first campaign $300. But his early support for Sestak has not been a secret. In an op-ed on pa2010.com in July, before he switched from running in the 7th District to the 6th, Welch wrote of having Sestak in his kitchen that year. “He was selling exactly what a frustrated voter wanted to hear, and I made the mistake of believing him,” Welch wrote. “Not only did I vote for Joe, but in fact for the first time in my life I even gave a politician a check for $300.”
•Welch did not give a matching $300 donation to the well-known, liberal political action committee ActBlue, as conservative bloggers have asserted. ActBlue often acts as a financial conduit for numerous Democratic candidates. At the time he contributed to Sestak, any donations of that size were funneled—a common, legal practice—through ActBlue. Welch’s contribution was automatically sent through ActBlue, and his name does not show up on the PAC’s itemized reports of direct individual contributors. The $300 contribution was meant specifically for Sestak, and could not have been given any other way at the time.
•Welch was indeed registered as a Democrat from late 2006 until mid-2009. But despite implications to the contrary, he has spent far more time on Republican voter rolls than on Democratic voter rolls. Chester County Voter Services confirmed that he first registered as a Republican in 1995, and did not change parties at any point while residing in the county. He registered as a Republican upon moving to Montgomery County earlier this decade.
In a statement, Welch campaign manager Brendan Benner called Welch’s stint as a Democrat a direct result of the GOP’s own policies.
“In 2006, the Republican Party became the party of ever-growing government, bigger deficits and had many members who broke the law and put themselves ahead of the people,” Benner said. “Steve—and the thousands of Republican voters who became Democrats, Independents, or stopped voting in our region—did not abandon the GOP; the party of Reagan ceased to exist in Washington. He briefly became a Democrat when Joe Sestak promised to be different. Sadly, he was an even bigger offender. Today, there is a renewed commitment by the GOP to restore our principles: limited government, ensuring that it operates efficiently and honestly, and cutting wasteful spending. Steve continues to work on growing the GOP and providing ideas on how to revive our economy.”
Such pronouncements seem unlikely to assuage conservative bloggers who have made Welch a target for criticism.
“Welch touts himself as a sharp businessman, and yet was duped by Sestak,” RedState wrote in one post. “Again, he remained a registered Democrat through the primary and general elections of 2008. Who did he vote for in 2008? His political astuteness is questionable, he party hops, and voters in PA-6 will not tolerate that.”
Whether it becomes an issue with real traction in next year’s crowded Republican primary remains to be seen. Many of Welch’s staunchest critics are supporting state Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester), who is increasingly seen as the conservative movement’s favored candidate.
December 7, 2009 at 7:30 am
Tags: Curt Schroder, PA-6, Steven Welch
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real conservatives r 4 steve
Dec 5th, 2009
as a conservative, i’m stunned at the wild accusations and attacks on welch. we finally get an outsider and successful businessman to run for office. he talks about reducing spending, shrinking the deficit and helping businesses to create jobs. that sounds conservative to me.
so, welch isn’t perfect. but, if pay-raising, pension-raising, tax raising curt schroder a conservative, someone changed the definition…
Greg K., PA
Dec 5th, 2009
Sure, he may talk a big game about being fiscally conservative and friendly to business, but how does he feel about Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Glenn Beck? I want to hear some populist outrage before I recognize him as a genuine, teabaggin’, capital C Conservative.
Anonymous
Dec 5th, 2009
Greg K.
Those aren’t the kind of conservatives that can effectively run the country. Real C conservatives, don’t do talk radio, they’re people like Ronald Wilson Reagan, Barry Goldwater, George W. Bush, Senator Richard Lugar, George H.W. Bush, Gerald R. Ford, Robert Taft, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Sandra Day O’Connor….and for populism, a real one is Pat Buchanan. The ones you named are entertainers and wannabes not even willing to finish out their term in office. Just saying….
David Diano
Dec 5th, 2009
Both Bushes did a crappy job. Reagan ballooned the national debt.
Johnny Appleseed
Dec 6th, 2009
As a lifelong Conservative, I know Welch is exactly the person Republicans should praise for running. He’s young, independent, entrepreneurial and he’s understands how to create JOBS, something Obama doesn’t seem to get.
Don’t let great candidates like Welch get dragged down by purists who can’t cope with the realities of elections and governing. Welch is a committed Conservative where it counts, and after hearing him speak, I am convinced he is sincere and he is capable. It’d be nice to have that again in my Congressman.
David Diano
Dec 6th, 2009
Johnny-
Welsh sounds a lot better than the Toomey, Limbaugh, Palin and Beck crowd. But, that’s a low bar.
You've been Punk'd
Dec 6th, 2009
Wow. Still for the primary crowd, it’s going to be hard to convince people you were basically just kidding the past 3 years. How easy it going to be for the other campaigns to say, hey look, this dude was a for the past 3 years. From our seats we can say, oh but it was just 3 years no big deal, the other campaigns are going to try to convince people he is no better than Obama. It’s going to work too.
ATL
Dec 6th, 2009
im glad some of these blatant lies about Steve have been cleared up. Thanks you pa2010. Welch is exactly the kind of person we want running.
karlub
Dec 7th, 2009
So Steve was so frustrated with the Republican party that he became a Democrat? Why not Libertarian? Or Constitution Party? Or just a plain old independent?
And why did he show no signs of supporting any Republican candidates at all prior to deciding to run for Congress? Was there not a single one he could support?
The fact is, his voting and donation history do not indicate a person all that interested in public policy at all, at least prior to deciding he wanted to be a GOP Congressman. Luckily he remembered to change his registration again!
Also, at that point his next donation was a very large one to the PAC run by the State Party’s chairman. Nothing wrong with that, but if he claims to be sick of the people that run the GOP, why would you then cut a $2000 check not to a particular candidate, or even to your hometown’s committee, but to the very people you claim drove you out of the party in the fist place?
The narrative just doesn’t make any sense, and Republican primary voters can be excused if they fear buyer’s remorse.
Again, his newfound interest in public policy is welcome. The GOP is lucky to have him and his checkbook involved. But the least he could have done is made both his expertise and donations available to mainstream conservatives he did like for a little while before presuming to represent them in D.C.
karlub
Dec 7th, 2009
Oh, and what were the blatant lies, ATL? Anybody?
Steve donated to Sestak and ActBlue. Steve was a Democrat this time last year. Steve does not live in the district he presumes to represent. Steve’s largest financial contribution has been to the insider organization he claims drove him out of the Republican party in the first place.
All these things may be incidental, individually. I happen to think they matter in the aggregate, but your mileage may vary.
But all these things are TRUE.
Lisa Mossie
Dec 7th, 2009
Switching parties to Democrat seems an odd choice for someone who was supposed to be lamenting the loss of the party of Reagan and was disillusioned about big government and big spending. After all, small government and fiscal restraint are hardly selling points of the Democrat Party.
And really, what halfway politically savvy individual was buying what Sestak was selling back in 2006? “I was duped” is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Welch’s ability to maneuver in our political system.
As far as the notion of bloggers “policing” for “ideologically pure” candidates, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that Republican candidates be required to uphold conservative values. Otherwise we may as well elect Democrats. Hopefully Pennsylvania voters can evaluate information on the various blogs to assess Mr. Welch’s fitness for office, and ideally they will come to a better conclusion than Mr. Welch did when he assessed Mr. Sestak’s qualifications for office.
Joe Collins
Dec 7th, 2009
It’s rather damning that the few things PA2010 says conservative bloggers supposedly got wrong are still pretty bad even after they are clarified/explained.
PA6 Voter
Dec 7th, 2009
@ Johnny Appleseed:
Curt Schroder knows all about governing. He’s been a leading state legislator for a few terms. He’s got a conservative track record dealing with budgetary issues, health care and insurance reform, and open space. To start. And while being unmistakeably conservative has plenty of support from moderates. I can point you to quite a few self-described “pinkos” that like him just fine. He has a track record as a sincere, independent-minded conservative.
Welch, on the other hand, does not. And given his weird voting and registration behavior I don’t know why you think he is better able to cope with what it means to govern. I like Welch OK. I just think he probably should have taken a little longer to show people he really is conservative before up and deciding he wanted to go to Congress. It’s almost like he was bored or something. Or Sestak did something to really piss him off, and next thing he knew he found himself getting led around by the party leaders.
Honesdale Bill Toth
Dec 25th, 2009
One of the reasons I left Jersey a few years ago and moved to PA was to escape liberalism especially regarding the 2nd amendment.
Welch said: “He (Sestak) was selling exactly what a frustrated voter wanted to hear, and I made the MISTAKE of BELIEVING him,”
To be as naive as a Neville Chamberlain, is a weakness we conservatives cannot afford to take when choosing a candidate. We simply can’t afford to lose in 2010. If we lose 2010, it is all over for us as a Great Nation.
Beware of some of the posts of liberals here disguised as Conservatives trying to
“McCain-bait-us”.
None of the Dems switching parties are viable candidates. If they can sell out their own party, the Dems they will also sell out the Republicans. Their liberal and in some cases Marxist ideology never leaves them. It is like attempting to change one’s DNA.
Just remember Mao’s image on Obama’s Christmas tree ornament (as reported by FOX). It will reinforce your commitment and belief in God and Country.