Shameless Specter

26 February, 2004

I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Pat Toomey.

It's one thing to back the arch-conservative Pennsylvania Representative in his primary battle against incumbent Senator Arlen Specter because he'll be a weaker opponent for democratic nominee Joe Hoeffel. But on the merits I should prefer Specter, who has been blasted by opponents as a liberal RINO -- a new Club for Growth ad accuses him of voting with John Kerry 70% of the time. If I had to pick a Republican Senator to support, I could do worse than Specter.

Yet in reading about the primary fight, I'm forced to admit that Toomey gets the better of the argument over the main issue: federal spending. Specter's campaign theme is clout. He touts himself as Pennsylvania's first four-term senator. He reminds visitors to his website that he chairs the "powerful" Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Service and Education, as well as the Veterans Affairs Committee, and that he's in line to take over the Judiciary Committee. As a rookie, Toomey (or Hoeffel) would start at the bottom of the pecking order.

Why should Pennsylvanians care if their Senator is a top dog, beyond state pride? Because Specter can use his power to bring home the bacon -- or rather, the pork. He's not ashamed to channel money directly to his home state. He's earned a reputation, which enabled him to win Citizens Against Government Waste's 2003 "Porker of the Year" award by a landslide.

Toomey, on the other hand, has refused on principle to buy off his constituents with federal cash. His principle -- a fiscally responsible anti-tax crusade -- is different from mine, but at least he has one. He hasn't been afraid to point out the difference between himself and Specter.

The problems of pork -- a bipartisan practice, though Republicans are currently the worst offenders -- should be obvious. When legislators use their power to grab money for their constituents, the efficiency of spending drops. Taxpayers wind up financing incumbents' election strategies rather than paying for useful government services. Unfortunately, the only people who have a say at the ballot box are the beneficiaries of unscrupulous Senators' largesse.

The Toomey-Specter primary fight is about more than just whose name is next to the "R" on my ballot in November. It's also a microcosm of the struggle going on within the Republican party. The GOP's "Washington insiders" are feeling the heat from their conservative grassroots.

Specter is a quintessential Republican insider. He's proud of his seniority and committee chairmanships, as I mentioned. He also has the backing of the party establishment, including his fellow Senator Rick Santorum and President Bush. And he's not hesitant about exploiting his connection -- the pictures that rotate in the header of his campaign site include a shot of him embracing Dick Cheney and one of him with Bush -- hoping to ride the President's coattails to his fifth term in the Senate.

The Republican establishment acts as if it believes in a conservative philosophy. It throws bones to the base like Bush's huge tax cuts and the partial-birth abortion ban. But beneath that veneer is a core of cronyism. The GOP means to hold onto power by doing favors for its supporters. Specter's cronies are the voters of Pennsylvania, and his pork appropriations are a naked appeal to their self-interest, not to their convictions.

Toomey speaks for (or at least to) a segment of the Republican base that is fed up. They want to see the party use its control of the White House and Congress to implement an agenda, not to pass out goodies that will help them win the next election. The revolt remains incoherent, having failed -- despite rumors about a Roy Moore candidacy -- to find a figurehead to take the role Howard Dean did for the Democrats. Toomey is counting on it to at least upset one Senator who has gotten a little too comfy in his chair on Capitol Hill.

Power is habit-forming, so it's hard to get up the nerve to rock the boat. Specter is counting on that philosophy to carry him back to Washington in November. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to prefer Specter over Toomey. But Pennsylvania's Republicans should be ashamed of themselves if they base their decision on the incumbent's offer of sweet juicy pork.

Stentor Danielson