What Does Santorum Mean For Toomey
Written by Sam on October 24th, 2006Mark and I both worked pretty hard on the Toomey race in 2004. The establishment laughed at the idea that Pat would actually be a contender but they were soon eating crow when he came within a percent and a half of picking off Arlen Specter in the Republican Primary. Since that time Pat has earned a great deal of respect among Pennsylvania’s political elite and has become a conservative icon not just here, but across the country. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be running again come 2010, but will he have to fight the party again? That all depends on Rick Santorum.
We all know Rick is in the fight for his political life this year, running a race for reelection in which he has yet to come out above his opponent in any poll this entire season. Rick is the left’s number one target and is vehemently despised by their base for his outspoken conservativism. The problem is that Rick isn’t exactly the brash fireball he used to be when he told us all to “join the fight” 16 years ago during his first bid for Congress. While he still has a good voting record for the conservative cause, anyone who takes a closer look at his record can plainly see he has drifted left over the years and isn’t as solid as he used to be. That is the real problem Rick is facing this year. A lot of what used to be his base feels he sold out to Washington and his backing of Specter in the 2004 primary has really scarred him. If he loses in two weeks, which is panning out to be the end result, it will be because his based abandoned him for these reasons. However, the media won’t portray it that way.
Rick will have lost because he is too conservative to once again win a statewide race in a moderate state like Pennsylvania. At least, that’s what the New York Times will say. The question is what will the powers-that-be of the State GOP say and what will a Santorum loss mean for Toomey in ‘10? If the conventional wisdom of a state party that isn’t very wise subscribes to the myth that conservatism can’t cut it in Pennsylvania anymore then Toomey is going to have to fight a double battle when the times come.
This is what concerns me most about this Senate race and why I will be voting for Rick Santorum on November 7th.
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PM
Very, very good post. If Rick loses it will be his own fault for drifting leftwards and backing a liberal in ‘04. What the NY Times says doesn’t matter nearly as much as what the party decides was the reason. The future of the Republican Party in PA depends upon their wise analysis of the election and why Rick has struggled.
However, even if their internal numbers show that Rick lost because the base stayed home, I am not sure that they would start backing true conservatives for office.
The GOP doesn’t want another Tom Coburn in the Senate, he makes them look like the bumbling, corrupt, free spending clowns that they are.
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PM
I cannot tell you how wrong you are. Rick Santorum’s base does not feel sold out. I remember a time when Save The GOP stood for something better than “I hope Republicans lose so that we can get payback over the ‘04 primary.”
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PM
“Rick Santorum’s base does not feel sold out.”
That is a statement that you cannot possibly back up. This isn’t about vengance, it is about getting men out of congress who are not loyal or true conservatives. If I were a citizen of PA I would feel betrayed by Rick’s actions in the primary in ‘04. I like Rick as a man and I regret his decision in ‘04.
A great many conservative votes that Rick got in 2000 won’t be there for him this time around, how else do you explain him losing to this incredibly inept, shell of a man Bob Casey Jr.?
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PM
Mr. McCarthy, you seem to comment on our politics here in Pennsylvania quite frequently incorporating the arrogance of a supposed expert. I would recommend that you actually spend some time here prior to any future bloviating.