What’s Up With Platts?
US Rep. Todd Platts, R-19, has been actively in the news recently. First as a supporter of the Stem Cell bill and second for his bill to increase the CAFE standards. Back in January I saw an article about his thoughts about the Dem controlled House.
There have been plenty of rumors going around - just read Grassrootspa’s comment sections for those.
Here’s a guy who is typically pretty quiet when it comes to the media. He doesn’t usually say much, and when he does it is usually about a recent trip to Iraq to visit the troops - all nice stuff to use in the next campaign.
I would suspect the reason he stays quiet is because his voting record doesn’t correspond too well with the district. This is one of the most conservative districts in the country and as one person put it, Platts votes like Specter. I wouldn’t say he’s as far to the left as Specter, but with a Democrat controlled House, he certainly is showing that he is a moderate.
Platts is a big supporter of Campaign Finance Reform and Sen. McCain. He supported the Stem Cell bill. He’s a supporter of government mandates CAFE standards. When he was in the State House he was not pro-life. He garners the support of teachers unions each election.
There’s more, but the real point of this post is simply to ask the question - what’s up with Platts garnering attention? It’s very unlike him and his style - atleast the type of attention he is used to - all happy non-divisive press.
Maybe he got word of a strong candidate running against him next year. Maybe he is gearing up for a run for Specter’s seat. Or maybe he’s attempting to be important since the US House is so closely divided. He can be a moderate vote and get a few things he wants. I’m not really sure, but I am sure we’ll find out soon enough.