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Back to basics

Senator Arlen Specter is in a fight for survival.

Joe Sestak is in a fight for his party.

Pat Toomey is in a fight against Specter.

Back during the Presidential election, pollsters often coined the question, “Is your vote for McCain, for Obama, against Obama, against McCain, against Bush, or against Pelosi and Reid?”

I’m starting to think that applies here in 2010.

In 2004, Pat Toomey ran a campaign to depose a liberal Republican Senator. However, he proposed some substantive policy ideas that showed he wasn’t just another congressman challenging an old out-of-line incumbent. You felt like there was a healthy ideological struggle.

However, now I don’t feel that way about Toomey. I feel like his mission is revenge. Now, here is what I hate. Literally, a (former) Club for Growth candidate that doesn’t even seem to care about winning in November, but just aboutcleansing the state of a “bad history.” Now, it is different because Specter is no longer a Republican, but Toomey feels like he must destroy Specter in order to bring balance to the Pennsylvania political force. He must reestablish the liberal Democrat vs. conservative Republican meme. He must push, quite frankly, a Club for Growth-esqe “us vs. them” agenda.

Also, just analyze message. In 2004, we have Toomey bringing up some twisted, but substantive facts that Arlen Specter is fiscally responsible enough. Now, before the 2010 cycle, Toomey is bashing Specter as a liar, cheater, and stealer.

The question for me is, is this a good thing for the GOP?

Obviously no. The party of no has to be a party of know. Since joining Club for Growth, Toomey went from conservative values to conservative foot soldier. Now, it is more about cleaning our government of the unclean liberals than it is about proposing real ideas. When asked what Toomey would do about taxes, he’ll say he’d cut them. Wow, never heard that before!

The Reagan revolution was a conservative revolution with so-called foot soldiers (thank you John McCain!). This isn’t a revolution, this is a coup. In the years between 2004 and 2010, Toomey went from foot soldier in a worthy cause, to a soldier in a politically-bloody coup. Quite frankly, I’m disappointed…

I urge people to ask Toomey why he is running. Does it come from him, or a spokesman?

September 17, 2009 at 11:03 am

--Daniel Livingston

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