As important as Scott Brown?

[karl]

The Next Scott Brown?

Tim Burns is the Republican candidate for the May 18 PA-12 special election to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Jack Murtha.

PA-12 is a Democratic district, but it is also very rural and culturally conservative. While it had overwhelmingly elected Democrat Jack Murtha for decades, it has rapidly turned against the Obama-Pelosi-Reid machine:

In PA-12, President Obama's favorability ratings are "upside down:" 42% approve to 57% disapprove;

The Democratic Congress' ratings are worse: 33% approve to 65% disapprove;

The Democrats' health plan has only 30% approval. 64% disapprove;

With the coal industry important to western Pennsylvania, the cap and trade energy tax is unpopular as well.

Tim Burns is even polling ahead on the issue of earmarks, a remarkable fact considering that Jack Murtha was a vocal defender of using federal tax dollars for projects in his district. Burns has promised to end earmarks and voters are with him 50-42.

Visit www.timburnsforcongress.com to donate to his campaign.

Tim Burns' opponent, Democrat Mark Critz, a former staff member of Jack Murtha, has been put in a nearly impossible situation.

He cannot support the policies his party is pushing so he has run ads saying he opposes Obamacare, is pro-life, pro-gun and that "that's not liberal." He even (eventually) came out against the left's energy tax, despite working to pass it as a congressional staffer.

However, Critz also has to raise money; and to do so, needs the national Democratic leaders that are pushing the job killing policies his district opposes. So he's taking money from Nancy Pelosi, who hosted an event for Critz in Washington, D.C., and appeared at campaign events with Vice President Joe Biden, who last week came to the district to support Critz.

Imagine trying to position yourself as opposed to Obamacare and a friend of the coal industry while surrounding yourself with anti-coal Democratic leaders who spent the last year ramming Obamacare down our throats.

Critz's challenge is the same all Democrats will face this fall. As they try to distance themselves from the job killing policies of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid machine, they will still need to rely on the fundraising and publicity-generating capacity of the national Democratic leaders responsible for pushing and passing those deeply unpopular policies.

Tim Burns' opponent hopes he can get away with this sleight of hand, taking the left's money one day to pay for ads claiming he's not one of them the next. It is the same trick hundreds of Democrats will be trying this fall. The only question is whether common sense Americans, who are sick of the radicalism of this administration, are willing to let them get away with it.