“We’re in the battle of our lifetimes,” Senator Pat Toomey told a crowd in Lewisburg.
It’s a clever statement, an attempt to couple his electoral needs with the desires and fears of his audience. That’s because, as the cover story in the National Review from John J. Miller makes clear, Sen. Toomey is in “the fight of his life”.
“Can Pat Toomey Save the Senate?” the cover of the Review asks.
They’re referring to Toomey’s ability to win re-election in a state where Donald Trump (no favorite of the Review’s) is running behind. In fact, although the last six surveys show Trump trailing Hillary Clinton in PA, Toomey performs better than The Donald in all of them.
The problem, though, is that he was still trailing his Democratic opponent Katie McGinty in five out of the six.
Despite the drag that the top of the ticket appears to be having on his own chances, however, Toomey can’t denounce Trump. Miller, and other reporters, have found that conservatives bring up the Senator’s reluctance to fully support the party’s presidential nominee everywhere he goes.
Trump’s ascendancy has shown a bright light on just how difficult it is for a Republican to appeal to moderates in the Southeast and still please their base. No GOP official can win a statewide race in PA without maintaining that balance.
Miller also mentioned how Toomey was once an insurgent himself, challenging Arlen Specter in the 2004 GOP primary. In 2008, he wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal titled “In Defense of RINO Hunting” about the Club for Growth’s efforts to primary various liberal Republicans (Toomey was the President of the Club for Growth at the time).
“Republicans would be better off, the argument goes, if the Club PAC spent its money targeting Democrats instead of liberal Republicans. This is the argument of politicians who care more about maintaining power than using that power to implement conservative policies,” Toomey wrote. ”Winning for the sake of winning is an excellent short-term tactic, but a lousy long-term strategy.”
Toomey concluded by arguing that the 2006 midterms were the result of a failed GOP strategy which must be changed for the sake of the party.
“Otherwise, it can look forward to a bad case of deja vu.”
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12 Responses
Toomey is bad; McGinty worse. Surely there must be two better candidates to represent this state.
Toovey will lose because he sold out gun owners.
Toomey will lose because for 51/2 years he has voted against every bill in the Senate that benefited Seniors,Veterans ,College Students,and Middle Class Families.. In these same years he has supported every bill that benefits Wall Street and Special Interests like his good friends the Koch Brothers. In the General Election Wall Street and Special Interests can’t vote. Seniors, Veterans ,College Students, and the Middle Class can. Time to pay the Piper Toomey for a terrible record in the Senate. No amount of Koch Brother’s money can save you from losing on November 8, 2016. Katie McGinty wins this election easily.
Toomey will lose because of
Toomey. He supported Mitch McConnell one of
The weakest senate leaders in history. He voted to cut benefits to military. He is part or republican establishment that has now guaranteed democratic victories for years to come. In the final analysis he is useless- at least shady Katie knows what she wants
No magazine cover could make me vote for Toomey. We need to get guys like him out of Washington. All of them!!
Toomey will be the victim of Toomey. He has had 5.5 years and has achieved NOTHING. Plus – he is a TEA-guzzling, anti-women’s rights, jag-off tool-box.
I agree that Toomey is the victim of an ideological shift in PA, especially the Philadelphia metro which is turning deep blue. Outside of Pittsburgh, Toomey will still do very well in the west and north, but 40% of the state’s population resides in the southeast where Toomey’s moderate-conservative positions are becoming out-of-step.
Has #One-Term-Garden-Gnome conceded yet?
Seems Toomey is not likely to retain his seat let alone save the Senate. The Republican Party is in bad shape.
The National Review is delusional. Save the Senate? Hell, Toomey cannot even save himself. Toomey is a LOSER.
Has #ShadyKatie conceded yet?
The problem with Pat Toomey is he’s far too conservative for a blue state like Pennsylvania. He managed to catch a wave election in what is increasingly looking like a conservative swan song in the Commonwealth. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had another Republican Senator in the future, but it would almost certainly look like another Specter/Southeast Republican: moderate to, dare I say, center-left on social issues and a fiscal conservative. The problem is how such a candidate would ever make it through a primary.