Santorum Residency Issue

The furor over Senator Santorum's residency continues to dominate news coverage of that race. Though everyone knows Rick and his family don't live in Pennsylvania any longer the issue has legs because of the the Senator's hypocrisy. It really has nothing to do with his eligibility to either vote here or represent the Commonwealth in Washington.

It is lawful for Santorum to reside in Virginia while representing Pennsylvania. This is a long standing policy which was essential in the days when Congressmen and Senators had to travel by horseback and/or coach. It was impossible in colonial days and even the 19th Century, to commute to D.C. The only solution was to allow these public servants to live in the Washington area while still representing their home states. I'm puzzled by people who challenge the Senator's eligibility based on the concept he surrendered his residency. Even today would you require Representatives from Hawaii to commute?

The issue here is hypocrisy. Santorum ran for Congress in 1990 attacking the incumbent for being out of touch with his District because he'd moved to Virginia. He attacked him relentlessly on the issue. Now Rick Santorum is accused of the same offense: living in Virginia full time and only visiting Pennsylvania during the course of his duties or for campaigning. The fact his campaign is perpetuating this issue by attacking his opponent is senseless. It makes me wonder about the competency of his advisors.

Why in the world would Santorum keep reminding the voters that he lives in Virginia now? Why would he revive all the stories about the Penn Hills taxpayer ripoff he and family executed? Why would he revive all the stories about his 1990 campaign which reveal his hypocrisy? This is really stupid strategy.