Santorum's Shame

National Review Online | 4/15/04 | Stephen Moore

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

April 15, 2004, 8:38 a.m. Santorum’s Shame Say it ain’t so, Rick.

No one can question Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum's free-market and pro-growth credentials. Santorum has been ranked as one of the most fiscally conservative Republicans in the Senate by groups like the National Taxpayers Union. He has led the fight for tax cuts and smaller government. And pro-growth contributors, for their part, did a lot of heavy lifting to help get Santorum into the Senate in the first place and into the leadership position he now holds. It was an investment that has paid off in spades.

That is why Santorum's recent interventions on behalf of Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Republican primary are so bewildering. Specter is now locked in a razor-tight race against conservative three-term congressman Pat Toomey. Toomey's voting record, especially on economic-growth issues, is very similar to Santorum's and is as impressive as Specter's is dreadful. Specter was one of only three Republicans who tried to eviscerate the Bush tax cut; he was the only Republican in the Senate to vote against the Washington, D.C. school-voucher bill; and he was ranked by the Citizens Against Government Waste as the "Pork Spender of the Year."

Specter often admits his left-wing tilt. Here is how he described his own political persuasion in a recent New Yorker article: "When I came to the Senate, we had a lot of members of the 'Wednesday Club' — a weekly gathering of Republican moderates. You had Lowell Weicker, you had Bob Stafford, you had Bob Packwood, you had Mark Hatfield, you had Lincoln Chafee, you had John Danforth, you had Jim Jeffords, you had John Heinz. Now there are only a few of us."

Specter freely admits that he shares the ideology of Jim Jeffords and Lowell Weicker.

Rick Santorum is obligated to publicly back the incumbent Specter. Santorum believes, probably rightly, that he would not be senator today without Specter's help. In a city where loyalty is notoriously a scarce commodity, Santorum can be commended for not his public pledges of support.

But Santorum is actively working to undermine Pat Toomey's candidacy. He has discouraged donors from contributing to Toomey. He has cut TV ads for Specter that portray the senior liberal senator as a friend of the taxpayer. He has staff people in Pennsylvania actively campaigning against Toomey.

Worst of all, Rick Santorum is running around Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., perpetuating the myth that Pat Toomey is "too conservative to win in Pennsylvania." This is precisely what liberals said about Rick Santorum when he ran for the Senate back in 1994. Santorum proved that wrong. So did Ronald Reagan, when he won Pennsylvania with a fairly right-wing message in 1980 and 1984. Pennsylvania is the signature state of the Reagan Democrat voter. These are middle-class, often unionized, blue-collar voters who are pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-tax.

Pat Toomey has a demonstrated record of winning Reagan Democrat voters. Toomey represents Allentown, Pa. Allentown is the steel city that Billy Joel immortalized in song about an economically depressed area where out-of-work unionized steel workers are "filling in forms, standing in lines." Toomey wins the district where few other Republicans prevail. And he wins with a voting record that is for free trade, private accounts for Social Security, and lean budgets — with no pork. (In fact, Specter is running as the man who brings home the bacon, and attacks Toomey for his unwillingness to vote for budget busters that have caused the federal deficit to soar into the stratosphere.)

Despite this principled free-market position on issues and his unwillingness to chase pork spending, Toomey won the district even George Bush lost it in 2000.

This contention that Republican candidates lose when they position themselves to the right and when they run on pro-economic growth issues, rather than away from them, is plain wrong. When Republicans run on principles, they win. Santorum sounds like the Reagan skeptics of the 1970s: He's way too right wing to ever win the presidency. How many times does the conservative movement have to disprove this fallacy?

Pennsylvania is a key battleground state for President Bush. The Bush team and Santorum want Specter on the ticket. But our polls indicate that Specter on the ticket may very well hurt Bush in Pennsylvania, not help him. Toomey will turn out hundreds of thousands of conservative voters, whereas Specter will turn them away.

Santorum's attacks against the Toomey campaign are especially unwarranted because many of the thousands of people who have contributed to Toomey's campaign are the same donors who helped Santorum become a Senator himself. I have talked with many Club for Growth donors who are none too pleased that Santorum is now actively campaigning against the Toomey challenge to a RINO Republican. Needless to say, through his actions, Santorum is risking alienating his own donor base — which he will have to tap into two years from now as he seeks reelection.

Pat Toomey, as National Review put it so concisely on its cover a few weeks ago, is "the right choice." Rick Santorum, of all people, should recognize that. My worry is that if Santorum keeps up his open warfare against Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania may not only lose the chance to have two conservative senators, we may lose the chance to have any.

— Stephen Moore is president of the Club for Growth.

[Badray]

"Toomey cannot win the general election."

You keep repeating this as though you are programmed to say it. I go to Toomey events and find lots enthusiastic supporters. I go to events where both candidates are represented and I find lots of enthusiastic Toomey supporters and just a few Specter supporters. (Wait - Does it count if those supporters are his campaign staff?) I go to Specter only events and again, I find lots of enthusiastic Toomey supporters that outnumber Specters supporters and staff.

I have seen no grassroots activity on behalf of Specter. No signs. No bumper stickers. Nothing.

What are you seeing that gives you a different perspective?

[Tamzee]

I interpret the comments somewhat differently... I've even seen a Freeper state that if Specter does get the nomination, the Freeper will work as hard as possible to help the campaign of the Democrat opponent.

That "strategy" is rampant stupidity, IMHO.

[fatima]

You do not make any sense.May you burn in hell,only kidding.

[Badray]

" Any other PA FReepers think Toomey can pull this out?"

Put me on that list of those who think that he can win.

All those 'pinged' to this post also believe that he can win, but they can cast their own vote. No ghost voting here.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Toomey can win...wasn't Santorum himself a 'surprise win' the first time around?

[fatima]

PennsylvaniaMom,He can win but we need to stand outside of the pools and look our friends in the eye .

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Agreed. Considering the Democrat Opponent is Joe Hoeffel, who is an even bigger louse than Spector.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I think Toomey will have alot of campaign workers...alot of enthusiasm for him...btw, congrats on your granddaughters safe return. :) PaMom

[Badray]

We knew from the beginning that Toomey was the underdog; we knew that the 'official support' from the Party would be for Specter; we knew that it is almost unheard of to unseat any incumbent, let alone one with 24 years in office; and we knew that Specter would outspend him by 3 or 4 or 5 to 1.

We also knew that some people and politicians fear Specter; we also knew that some people and politicians depend on Specter for their job.

And we knew that no one likes Specter, forget about loving him.

There is genuine excitement for Toomey and I believe that that will continue to be contagious (We've gone from a deficit of 24 points to 6 in the polls in two months.) and will carry the day.

The NRA convention is here in town for the next three days. There will be a very visible Toomey presence. (I can't say more. You don't know who's reading this.)

In the meantime, send your money, your prayers, and your votes. We need them all.

[fatima]

Thanks beautiful Pa mom,last plane out,she will go back.Toomey,Joe Montone,Life.

[Badray]

On April 28th, it will all be "Arlen who?"

All but the most liberal RINOs will come out to work for Toomey and claim that they always really wanted him, but it was protocol to back the incumbent yada, yada, yada.

Win or lose on April 27th, GOP politics in PA are changing. We'll talk more later.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Can't say that I disagree with a single word of your post!

GO TOOMEY!

[Badray]

Oh, and to finish my first thought. . .

Toomey can win the general. With the aforementioned help, plus the excitement of a primary win, Toomey's straightforward style and his sustantative message, HE WILL WIN IN NOVEMBER.

Santorum (whom I have always backed) will be relegated to being the 2nd most conservative Senator from PA. (I think that that may even have something to do with his support for Arlen.)

[fatima]

Santorum ,is first and what happened to Steve Friend.

[Badray]

Are we talking about the same two people?

Arlen Specter, will vote as a conservative in an election year.

Arlen Specter will vote with the president for liberal, big government spending programs. We all know that Bush has promoted too much of this, especially in the past 2 years. That is why his *with the president* percentage looks good right now.

Have you met Pat Toomey? Have you spoken to him? Have you heard what he stands for? His message resonates. People meet him and like him. He's real. He's genuine.

If you base your opinions on looks, you are really off base. Have you looked around the Senate lately? There ain't too many pretty boys.

[wardaddy]

maybe he fears Toomey?

rick has ambition beyond his current station.

i would understand if he stayed above the fray but this troubles me too and i saw him as a potential w successor

[Badray]

I won't disagree that Santorum is on that short list, but I will say that it is pretty sad that he cares more about party than principle.

I have come to believe that he wanted Specter to win so that he could hold title to the Most Conservative Senator. Toomey will take that title away as easy as taking candy from a baby.

I have never not voted for Rick but if he has Potomac Go Along To Get Along Fever, he might have to look for a new line of work.

[wingster]

Santorum has been "absorbed" into the system and has sold his soul to it!

Sad! This is very puzzling however. I'm not so sure that's the extent of the reason(s) why.

[Badray]

"I interpret the comments somewhat differently... I've even seen a Freeper state that if Specter does get the nomination, the Freeper will work as hard as possible to help the campaign of the Democrat opponent."

That would be me (and quite a few others). I will not allow Specter to chair the Judiciary Committee without trying to stop him. Specter in that chair will do more damage than a Dem with no power or influence. We will control the Senate with or without Specter.

[RegT]

Santorum's recent RINOism is strange, given that he took such a hard line in favour of the Texas Sodomy Law a few months ago.