When Joe Scarborough and I talk each week on the radio, we frequently mention that former Congressman Pat Toomey is the model candidate for the Republican Party.

Though Pat Toomey is pro-life, his campaign focuses on jobs, business, regulation, and the free market. Back at the RedState Gathering in August (the next one will be announced very shortly), Pat Toomey gave me a copy of his book, The Road to Prosperity.

I read it then and, frankly, got sidetracked. But in thinking about a way forward for the GOP, I think Pat Toomey really presents a credible platform in his book. It is actually a very readable book.

I want to restart our Book Notes series. I was going to suggest we restart with Bastiat’s “The Law,” but let’s do that one next. Pat Toomey’s book is prescient and relevant to what’s going on right now.

I don’t want us to revive Book Notes and get into a habit of reading campaign books. God knows everyone running for office writes one. But this is actually a good book and a quick read.

So here is your Book Notes assignment: get a copy of the book. For Monday read the first two chapters. We’ll meet back here and discuss.

If you don’t want to participate, at least consider sending a donation to Pat Toomey.

As always, if you just want to follow the discussion, you can follow the Book Notes tag at RedState.

I want and need you to pay serious attention to this.

The Los Angeles Times is running a story today about the rising tide of moderates sweeping into the GOP. This will only happen if you let it.

Rep. Michael N. Castle, one of the most liberal Republicans in the House, is heavily favored to win an open Senate seat in Delaware.

Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, handily won the party’s primary despite opposition from conservatives.

Other centrist Senate candidates — such as former Reps. Tom Campbell in California and Rob Simmons in Connecticut, and Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida — still face conservative opposition in primary contests that are seen as battles for the ideological soul of the party.

But more is at stake. Additional moderates in the Senate could provide a more durable foundation for breaking logjams than any White House summit or lecture on bipartisanship.

What this means is, frankly, the GOP will not only keep compromising in favor of bigger government but will do it with gusto. That’s why we need a field of strong conservatives in the Senate. That’s why I support Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund.

It’s also why we need to rally behind some strong conservatives in primaries in the order of those primaries:

May

Marlin Stutzman (IN)
Pat Toomey (PA)

June

Chuck DeVore (CA)
Mike Lee (UT)¹
Danny Tarkanian (NV)

August

Ken Buck (CO)
Marco Rubio (FL)

These candidates will deliver change we can believe in. I know a few of you have preferred candidates, but I trust this list. It is not comprehensive of all the races. But these are the races we can win if we rally now.

In a letter to Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak, U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey agreed to participate in round two of what is shaping up to be a right-left tag team against the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, who trails former Congressman and Club for Growth President Pat Toomey, according to a recent Rasmussen Poll. Both Toomey and Sestak hope to replace Specter in the Senate in November.

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Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey showed true and very real leadership yesterday at CPAC. To understand why, and I hope conservative groups and tea party activists read this post several times, you need some context.

I get asked all the time where the good guys are. We all know some guy somewhere who we want to enter the arena. We want one of our guys there. We know the guy would be miserable. Most often the guy never steps up and volunteers. Most often we settle for something less than even second best. But sometimes, just sometimes when the moon hits the water just right, our guy enters the arena. Our guy decides he will take the slings and arrows, suffer the insults, and risk embarrassment and defeat, because he decides we are right — if good men sit on the sidelines because politics is rough, dirty, or aggravating, the lesser men will win.

That’s not to say the lesser men are bad men. Most are very good men. But while anyone who steps into the arena for any excuse under the sun has some amount of ambition, often times it is the most ambitious of men — ambitious for their own advancement — who enter the arena, make the compromises needed to win, and then immediately set to work to win re-election, not to change the country or stand on principle.

At this point, I hope you are following along and paying close attention — particularly if you work for a conservative group or are an active tea party activist.

Let me repeat myself first. Sometimes, just sometimes when the moon hits the water just right, our guy enters the arena. Our guy decides he will take the slings and arrows, suffer the insults, and risk embarrassment and defeat, because he decides we are right. Good men sometimes need to take a risk, be bold, and enter the arena come what may.

But then you know what? The conservative movement’s system breaks down around them.

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Get yourself a glass of something nice before you start in on the article: it’ll heighten the enjoyment.

Even as he accepted the resounding backing of the Pennsylvania Democratic state committee here Saturday, party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter’s vulnerability was on vivid display as he botched the name of a key Democratic officeholder in his acceptance speech.

“I’ll be fighting hard for the entire Democratic ticket. Senator Andy. . . Andy . . .” Specter said, before pausing briefly, squinting his eyes.

“From Chester County,” he continued, losing his train of thought after clinching an emphatic 229-72 U.S. Senate endorsement vote from party regulars just minutes earlier.

“Dinniman,” the crowd responded almost in unison, referring to the state senator who represents West Chester. One committeeman seated in the audience dropped his head and shook it.

This should be an entertaining primary: Joe Sestak has 5.1 million dollars to play with, and is inclined to spend it - both because he wants the nomination, and because by now there must be at least a little desire for Blue-on-Blue revenge on Sestak’s part. Personally, I don’t see why either candidate is so eager to win the position of Being The Guy Who Loses To Pat Toomey, but they are, which is… nice of them, I suppose.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Republican Senate hopeful Pat Toomey, three-term Pennsylvania Congressman, surged ahead of incumbent Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Senator Arlen Specter in the latest Daily News/Franklin & Marshall Poll.

According to the article:

… Toomey jumped out to a 14-point lead when the poll targeted “likely voters,” people who said they are certain to vote and are paying close attention to the race.

Among that group, Toomey led Specter 45-31 percent, with 20 percent undecided.

Pennsylvania voters remember that Arlen Specter only narrowly defeated Toomey in the Republican primay in 2004, by less than two percentage points or about 26,000 votes. As Pennsylvania voters react in the wake of a Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts, one can only expect Toomey’s poll numbers to increase over his Democratic opponent’s through the general election. Note: Specter himself is being challenged by Congressman Joe Sestak; however, the incumbent Senator holds a commanding lead over his challenger.

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Y’know, for a guy who constantly gets hung up on “civility,” this party-hopping pissant sure can sling the insults.

The exchange, broadcast on 1210 AM’s Dom Giordano Show [but not archived on the station's site], began when Specter challenged Bachmann to articulate what, exactly, she stands for, according to a readout on the clash published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s lively Early Returns blog.

Bachmann first laid out her agenda — cutting taxes and killing President Obama’s health reform bill — at considerable length.

When Specter tried to counter, Bachmann, darling of the Tea Party movement, kept on talking, which didn’t sit well with the one-time Philadelphia DA, who is a stickler for politeness and protocol.

“I’m going to treat you like a lady,” Mr. Specter shot back. “Now act like one.”

Ms. Bachmann replied, “I am a lady.”

I used to be one of those guys who defended Specter as a necessary evil — a guy who was with us 85% of the time, he wasn’t that bad, etc. etc.

Oh MAN, was I wrong.

Here’s my major beef with this particular instance of idiocy: You wouldn’t say that to a man.  You wouldn’t tell a guy who is killing you in a debate to “be a gentleman.”  You’d come back at him harder, fight stronger, outsmart him, out-flank him — but you don’t whine about his manners.

And here’s why: When you’re getting rhetorically curb-stomped by a male, you don’t worry about whether he’s treating you nicely.  Arlene — I mean Arlen’s problem is that he got beat by a girl, and he doesn’t like it.

Suck it up, you unprincipled swine.  You won’t be here for much longer anyway.

On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. This set in motion events that lead to the American Revolution in 1775.

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Yesterday, Moe wrote a short diary on activism going into 2010. It was a simple point, aim to misbehave. In that spirit I present a video done by our own Erick Brockway, with limited contributions from yours truly.

Enjoy, and consider this an open thread.

Conservatives Victorious in 2010/2012 from Erick Brockway on Vimeo.

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C’mon, let’s be honest…  back in January and February, you all thought (I did too) that Obamacare would pass months ago.  You all thought (I did too) that Snowe and Collins and maybe more would vote for it. 

It’s easy for those who have never had their name on the door to chide and scold, to second guess and to quarterback from the easy chair.  But let’s face it - Republicans don’t have the votes, and they don’t have the ability to buy people off to get them.  Republicans lost this fight when Mark Begich (endorsed by Red State) defeated Ted Stevens; when Al Franken wrested away the Minnesota Senate seat; when the Washington Post pulled out all the stops to defeat George Allen in 2006; when Bob Smith lost a close one in Oregon in 2008; when Arlen Specter (cheered on by many on this site) crossed the aisle or, to go further back, when the GOP establishment helped him hold off Pat Toomey in 2004, since Toomey probably would have won the general election that year;  when John Sununu lost in New Hampshire; and when Kay Hagan defeated Liddy Dole (yeah, we got rid of a RINO!).  

McConnell (and John Boehner) have done much better this year than most any of us would have predicted at the start of the year, and more importantly, than just about anyone else might have done.  They simply don’t have the votes.  It is pointless to sit around second guessing when there are still opportunities to be fighting this bill.  There may be people who could have done better, but I doubt there are many, and I don’t think there are any in the GOP caucus.  I am sick and tired of GOP infighting, blaming, and recriminations. 

There are still chances to stop this bill.  Stay focused on the task at hand.