The linked article is from the Bulletin, a Philadelphia paper, and suggest the Republican party may have trouble uniting behind Tom Corbett, which I think is a crock of you know what.

“I don’t think you’ll see our volunteers folding into the ranks just for the purposes of electing a Republican,” said Jeff Coleman. “There is a real sense that there isn’t a major philosophical divide between the two parties, and until there is, you’re going to have tens of thousands of Republican activists sitting this one out.”

There are two likely agendas for this:

1. Try and exert some force on the Corbett campaign to move farther to the right than it already is. Rohrer said in a TV interview I heard before the election, that he was running because no candidate was far enough to the right for his tastes. If there is any good time and force Corbett farther to the right, or to have any influence on the voters of the state, this is the time. Once the campaign kicks into high gear Rohrer will be forgotten. So, his move has to be now.
2. Try and hurt Dan Onorato and his campaign by painting him to be too much like Corbett. When he says there is no real philosophical divide between the two parties, he means to suggest that Corbett and Onorato are the same candidate. This is just crazy talk however. Onorato isn’t suing the Federal government over Health Care reform, and Onorato’s social policies are about as different from Corbett’s as night is to day.

The far-right strategy of calling for cuts in expenditures without any discussion of income makes for evocative sound bites but fails to provide any real leadership. I think most Pennsylvanians know that spending covers services that people around the state see as valuable.  There may be an anti-Rendell sentiment (that may be nothing more than the anti-incumbent sentiment many are experiencing), but I think when it comes down to the real budget and state programs, we will see more care about specvifics than a push for a generalized anti-spending mantra.

Democrats will be utterly crazy if they express any difficulty aligning behind Dan Onorato, especially those who seek more a progressive social agenda. Because between Onorato and Corbett, they have an enormous amount to lose in these areas if Corbett is elected. Corbett is playing the Republican party plan, attacking social change on every front. Look at what happened in Virginia, where the incoming Republican governor rolled back protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents of that state. Then tried to implement a literacy test for convicted criminals (who are predominately black) when they leave prison. And then, tried to paint the Confederacy as a glorious thing.

This is not to say that progressives need to sit quietly by and think Dan Onorato is progressive enough. It is the right time here to build a strong working relationship with him. My experience of Onorato is that he listens to all sides and is especially open to more progressive ideas. I appreciate the way he listens, asks questions and dialogues.

via Rohrer Supporters May Not Back Corbett For Governor – The Philadelphia Bulletin.