Back Channels: GOP win in Va. bodes well for Toomey in Pa.

Of all the advice given to Republicans after the Nov. 3 elections, one quote stands out. It's from Ed Gillespie, the former head of the Republican National Committee who chaired Bob McDonnell's landslide gubernatorial win in Virginia this year.

In a recent Weekly Standard article by Jennifer Rubin, Gillespie was contrasting an all-too-typical Republican approach to issues such as tax cuts with what McDonnell did:

"We say we are for lower taxes. Vote for us, damn it! Figure it out! Bob explains he is for lower taxes because he wants to encourage more businesses and jobs. He is for charter schools because it makes all schools better. He is for offshore drilling because it can help plug the revenue hole and generate high-paying jobs. He spent a lot of time talking to independent voters about what is in it for them."

Say he's right, that voters are eager for substance over something like New Jersey Gov. Corzine's $30 million "Look, there's a fat guy" ad-apalooza. And since Gillespie's guy won 59 percent of the vote in a state that Barack Obama carried a year ago, he's worth a listen. And let's say that the issues of '09 - the economy, jobs, government spending, taxes - are big next year too. November 2010 is light-years away politically, but it's possible.

Take all that and here's the conclusion I draw: With former Congressman Pat Toomey as their candidate, Republicans have positioned themselves well in next year's race to unseat U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

It won't be easy. The contenders - including Specter's primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D., Pa.) - all have their strengths. But next November, if voters are looking for a candidate with a record as a sound steward of their tax dollars, someone who not only understands economics but can translate how pro-growth policies affect individual pocketbooks and make for better government, you have to like Toomey's chances.

First, he's lived the issues for years, as a small-business owner; a fiscally conservative, three-term congressman from the Lehigh Valley; and most recently as president of the economic watchdog group Club for Growth. He knows this stuff, he's not afraid to take a stand, and he can defend his views while telling voters what it will mean for them. For proof, see the video of his town hall debate on health care with Sestak (http://go.philly.com/townhall).

He can also go beyond sound bites. Read his book The Road to Prosperity, where he details how to defend property rights and free markets, lower taxes and spending, and push for a stable currency. And where he not only points out how the Washington Democrats' spending spree is making a bad economic situation worse, but also offers detailed alternatives.

Case in point, the health-care bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed through the House. Toomey called it a "disaster" when we talked a week after the election.

"It will cost over a trillion dollars in money we don't have," he said. "It will raise taxes, destroy jobs, and drive off private health coverage."

He supports reforms that make health care affordable, without ballooning the size of government: give individuals the same tax deductions that companies receive; allow people to cross state lines to buy cheaper policies; tort reform; create insurance pools for small businesses and organizations to drive down costs; and make health-care costs more transparent.

Those starting points, he says, "are certainly much more in the right direction, as opposed to heavy mandates, huge taxes, and massive spending. That is the wrong direction."

The election results, he said, are a sign that voters are also alarmed at government spending, and are open to a Republican alternative.

"I'm certainly very encouraged by what happened last Tuesday, including very much what happened in Pennsylvania, winning six of seven judicial races," he said. "That shows tremendous improvement in the political environment for Republicans."

And while McDonnell's win was impressive, Toomey called Chris Christie's defeat of Corzine and independent Chris Daggett "breathtaking."

"You had two credible candidates offering basically a pretty conservative alternative to the liberal Democratic incumbent - and when you divide the opposition that way you are almost always guaranteed to reelect the incumbent," he says, "Despite that, in the bluest state in America, we win the election."

Can Republicans do the same in Pennsylvania next year? They certainly have a shot. Toomey is keeping pace with Specter in the polls and in fund-raising. More important, if Gillespie is correct, when it comes to the issues, Toomey is the right man at the right time.