A few weeks ago, before the debate over who should run against US Senator Arlen Specter got really hot, I mentioned to a friend how the Republican Party in general - and reformers in particular - could shake things up sufficiently in Pennsylvania to ensure some pretty significant political victories in the next few years.

My political strategy was actually pretty straightforward and maximized the strengths of various candidates while at the same time secured the conservative base of the GOP while appeasing the RINO wing of the Republican Party (yes, I would prefer to banish the RINOs but until such time, I figure they can be just as easily managed).

Now that Peg Luksik has announced that she will seek to dislodge "Snarlin' Arlen" and the supporters of Club for Growth President Pat Toomey are pleading with him to seek the same nomination, it appears to me that all interested and potential candidates should consider the wit and wisdom of my proposal, rather than run the risk of fracturing the reformer movement simply because some people prefer one personality over another.

With that said, please consider the following stratagem which, if properly applied, could reap great rewards for all:

• Pat Toomey Should Run For Governor: Yes, we are all aware of the fact that anti-Specter people are salivating at a potential Specter/Toomey rematch, especially since Specter rolled like a drunk on Bourbon Street for Obama's "stimulus" bill last month.  But these same folks are selling both Toomey and Pennsylvania short. 

 

 

For one thing, Toomey has demonstrated that he knows how to run a significant non-governmental operation via his leadership of the Club For Growth (CFG).  Toomey has made the CFG a major player in the political arena (how many incumbent politicians have suffered the wrath of the CFG in recent years?) and has created a strong PR presence for the CFG in both national and statewide media.  He has shown significant skill in promoting a pro-free market environment and at the same time has given disenfranchised small and medium sized business owners a rallying point.

Pennsylvania has suffered miserably at the hands of Governor Ed Rendell and his inept economic policies.  Rather than cleaning up the corruption in Harrisburg as he vowed to do, he has permitted it to fester and has been in the driver's seat while midnight slot machine deals were cut and legislators grabbed for undeserved pay increases.  The Democrat Party is embroiled in the now notorious Bonus-gate, and despite his rhetoric, Rendell has failed to deliver on the reformers he promised when he first ran for Governor. 

In short, Pennsylvania is worse off now than it was eight years ago.

Which begs the question: who would really benefit more from Toomey's leadership - Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.? 

The ugly reality is that Pennsylvania needs someone like Pat Toomey in the Governor's Mansion to provide the conviction and drive for reform that this state so desperately need.  Indeed, if Toomey were to beat Specter, does anyone honestly believe that he would be able to accomplish much in the cesspool that is our nation's capital?  Frankly, my biggest fear is not that Toomey would lose against Specter but that he would win, get sent to Washington, D.C., and then have to play junior Senator to Bob Casey, with no seniority and enough RINOs in the Senate to stifle any effort he might make to correct the federal ship-of-state.

As Governor, Toomey would have a statewide bully pulpit where we need it, and he would be able to influence a wide array of issues at the state level that will truly impact people's lives.
 

• Peg Luksik For US Senate: I think we're all well aware that there is a contingent of Toomey Boosters as well as RINOs who do not want to see Luksik run for anything, for a myriad of asinine reasons.  But, like it or not, Luksik has what is needed to beat Arlen Specter: street cred. 

 

 

You don't have to like the fact that she ran for governor on a third party ticket years ago but the reality is that Luksik is smart, passionate and a quick study.  She already has built-in name recognition based upon her past forays into the political arena, and because she has contended with political opponents at different levels of government, she knows what to expect of the rough-and-tumble world of a political campaign.  Those people who have supported her in the past are die-hard, much in the same way Ron Paul supporters are, and with such loyalty comes a ready made army of ground troops ready to hit the ground running.  This is something which Specter doesn't have and which will create trouble for him. 

Additionally, Luksik has a unique "normal person" appeal that tends to endear her to people.  The fact that she is a woman running in the GOP primary will only flummox Specter all that much more.  Remember how he floundered around when he was challenged by a Democrat woman back in the 1990's?  Can you imagine how much more inept he will look when he tries to run an attack ad against Luksik?  And while another Republican might be forced into a basement office in Washington, D.C., Luksik would not take anything for granted and would force her Senate colleagues to respect her.
 

• Tom Corbett For US Senate in 2012:  I can hear the screeching and moaning from my fellow reformers already: "Tom Corbett?  He's a RINO hack!  He should be tarred and feathered, not sent to the Senate!"  Yet, in my humble opinion, Corbett would be the ideal foil needed to take out little Bobby Casey, once and for all. 

 

 

Corbett knows how to run a tough, smart campaign as evidenced by the fact that he was the top vote getter in last years election cycle.  He also knows how to raise the capital necessary to run an efficient campaign, meaning he can be a true competitor in a race that will not be a slam dunk for Casey.  Indeed, by the time Casey is ready to seek a second term, he will have done something he has never done before in his political career: built a voting track record that can be parsed and critiqued by his opponents. 

Corbett, on the other hand, by virtue of his role as Attorney General, will be able to point to eight years as the state's top law enforcement officer and highlight how he has protected our families and children from the criminal element, and once additional indictments come down on Bonus-gate, he will be able to cast himself as a crusader against the political establishment, a crusader whose convictions and determination will be desperately needed in Washington, D.C. 

The fact that Corbett should wait until 2012 might make some of his supporters chaff but they need to understand that he will be able to gracefully move from AG (his second term expires in 2012) to Senate without any accusation of being a political opportunist. 

Yes, I'm well aware of the claims that Corbett is a patsy for the RINO wing of the GOP but I also think we need to give the guy some credit; this is the second year in a row that he will be making an appearance at the conservative state confab known as the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference (PLC), which means he is at least trying to reach out to conservatives within the Republican Party.  If he is trying to find common ground with conservatives (something people like national GOP committeeman Bob Asher and local GOP comitteeman Mike Long are loathe to do), then shouldn't conservatives at least give the guy a hearing?
 

One final note: Rick Santorum, in as much as I supported him for re-election against Casey, should keep clear of the Specter race; he will not be a knight in shining armor riding in to save the day.  After all, wasn't he the same guy who gave unapologetic support to Specte when Arlen ran six years ago?  Santorum helped to create the mess we're forced to clean up now, so he should just sit quietly on the sidelines and wave a pennant when the game is over.

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