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Campaign Crawlers

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This is not good news for Casey. In the words of one long-time correspondent for the liberal Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the State Treasurer has so far been going through his Senate campaign "like smoke," avoiding issues and even, until recently, debates with the experienced Santorum.

While Santorum has cut Casey's lead in more than half, the last several polls having him down anywhere from two to nine points, there has been increasing speculation among Pennsylvania political observers that Casey could actually get elected without mounting a serious issues campaign at all, in spite of being what Toomey calls a "big liberal."

This was too much for Lilik, who believes candidates have an obligation to get out front with their positions. Just off the stunning success of his anti-pay raise efforts, the young man who calls himself a Reagan-style "Club for Growth" conservative finally decided to take the plunge into the vortex of the nation's hottest race for the U.S. Senate. Carefully researching the arcane do's and don'ts of federal 527's, Lilik set up another version of his most potent weapon in the state legislative fight -- a website.

Working the phones, burning up the e-mail traffic with his widening number of conservative fellow-believers across the state, Lilik quickly raised thousands of dollars. The two ads, one of which he wrote himself, were quickly taped, and time blocked out in Pennsylvania's top media markets. They are set to roll in drive-time the morning of October 23rd -- today.

One ad, modeled after the TV game show Jeopardy, runs through a series of "answers" about Casey's positions on issues as an eager woman contestant repeatedly answers in increasingly disbelieving tones "Who is Bob Casey?" The second, "Invisible Pay Raise" scores Casey for his missing work as State Treasurer and signing the legislative paychecks in the pay raise fiasco.

But there is more to Lilik's latest move than just a mere U.S. Senate race. He has another mission in mind as well. Inspired over the years by Toomey, Limbaugh, and Hannity, he felt it was time to act himself. Says he of gloomy conservative talk that Santorum will lose, "I want people to get inspired, to keep up the fight," he says.

He laughs again. He's conducting this interview while laying flat on his back, momentarily way-laid by a bout of food poisoning. "But I'll be better tomorrow," he laughs. "I have to be. I've been invited to the Press Club lunch."

In the state capital of Harrisburg, where he now lives, it is a sure sign that Lilik has earned the attention and respect of Pennsylvania's power brokers who doubtless are wondering what Lilik will do next.

The answer is as close as their radio dial.

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