U.S. Senate sleeper races

Ever since Joe Manchin caved to Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer on the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, political experts have written that seat off as a Democrat hold. Democrats know that seat's gone, as in it would take divine intervention to keep that in the Blue column. Other states that Democrats will have to fight to keep are Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is new to that list. Bob Casey, Jr. is the senior senator there, mostly because he's lived off of his dad's reputation for decades. To Minnesotans, that's what Skip Humphrey did for years as Minnesota's AG. But I digress. Back to Pennsylvania. This cycle, Bob Casey has a legitimate challenger. His name is David McCormick. Before making his official announcement, though, McCormick got GOP leadership lined up behind him.

There's little doubt that Democrats will attack McCormick. This threatens to become the nastiest race in the 2024 cycle. Next, there's little doubt how Democrats will attack him. According to the article, "Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick announced his run for Senate on Thursday evening in Pittsburgh."

Democrats will try painting McCormick as an out-of-touch rich guy. How original.

At a campaign kickoff at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District with more than 200 supporters in attendance, McCormick painted a bleak picture of the state of the nation and Pennsylvania, and he said he is the leader who can turn things around.

"Sadly, the America we know is slipping away," said McCormick. "America is in decline. Economically, militarily, spiritually. You know it. You feel it. … Our future is bright, but it is only bright if we elect the right kind of leader."

Sen. Casey voted for Biden's agenda 98.5% of the time. Sen. Casey is Joe Biden without the Aviator sunglasses and bad hair plugs. That also means that Sen. Casey is moderately socialist, though not entirely as foolish as Bernie Sanders.

McCormick enters the race:

Sen. Casey voted for the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-era spending blowout that cost $1.9Trillion. That's the spending bill that triggered the record-high inflation in March 2021. That, in turn, caused the economy to record back-to-back negative quarters of economic growth, otherwise known as a recession. Casey voted for the dishonestly-titled Inflation Reduction Act, which did nothing to stop inflation or lower prices. It's mostly about implementing the Green New Deal:

The legislation, signed Aug. 16 by President Joe Biden, does a lot of things, including tackling deficit reduction, health care access and prescription drug pricing, but addressing the energy industry and climate change is one of its most significant aims. "This is very much climate legislation," said Brian Murray, interim director of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, who added the bill offers "a significant bump" in the nation’s projected ability to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The goal of the bill is to put the country on a path to reduce greenhouse gasses by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, Murray said – a meaningful increase compared to our current path, which is projected to reach a 25-percent reduction. (The U.S. has actually pledged to lower emissions by 50 to 52 percent under that same framework as part of the Paris Agreement, he noted.)

When the bill was signed, Sen. Casey issued this statement:

"With President Biden’s signature, the Inflation Reduction Act is officially the law of the land. This bill is going to lower health care and energy costs for American families while creating clean energy manufacturing jobs and tackling the climate crisis. Over the past year and half, Democrats have delivered on promises to reignite the economy, strengthen our infrastructure and supply chains and finally start making things in America again. This law, in addition to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, are creating good-paying jobs here at home and will help grow our economy for decades to come."

A year later, Sen. Casey issued this statement:

"One year ago, Democrats enacted the Inflation Reduction Act to fulfill President Biden’s promise to lower costs for families and tackle the climate crisis. Because of this law, seniors and families are spending less on their prescription drugs, Americans are spending less on their electricity bills, and we’re on the cusp of a manufacturing renaissance in the United States. By investing in America’s clean energy capabilities, we’re on track to meet our climate goals. Pennsylvania families and communities are feeling the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, but I’m proud to say that the best of this law is yet to come."

How many of you think that you're "spending less on" your "electricity bills"? Does anyone think that you're buying electricity for a cheaper price today than you paid 3 years ago?

Apparently, Sen. Casey says everything is fantastic when a Democrat is in the White House. Apparently, Sen. Casey thinks that things couldn't get worse if there's a Republican in the White House. In short, Sen. Casey is just another dime-a-dozen career politician. Pennsylvania deserves better. The U.S. deserves better, too.