Pat Toomey Misdiagnoses McCain's Base Problem

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, an op-ed from Club for Growth head Pat Toomey noted that the "GOP will, for the first time since 1976, select a candidate at odds with a large portion of its conservative members to be the standard bearer." (Hat tip: Ross Douthat.) He then wisely suggested that John McCain use his VP slot to bridge a gap between himself and the conservative base. Unfortunately, Toomey identified the wrong gap.

Toomey says that McCain needs a "true-blue fiscal conservative" to please the Republican base and "[re-establish] the GOP as a party of limited government and economic freedom." Really? McCain's base problem is his insufficient commitment to limited government and economic freedom?

Somehow, Toomey got though an entire column on McCain's base problem without mentioning social issues or even using the word "immigration." To look at Republican dissatisfaction with John McCain and to ignore these areas demonstrates a major blind spot-- and reflects Toomey's role as the head of the Club for Growth. Of course, the Club's principal beef with McCain is his imperfect record at shrinking government. The Club explicitly takes no positions on social issues, and as supporters of free enterprise, they probably line up on immigration more with McCain than with the Republican base.

Don't get me wrong: conservatives do frequently knock McCain for his deviations on economic issues, particularly his opposition to the Bush tax cuts and frequent support for new regulations on businesses. However, economic conservatives also admire McCain for defending their principles in areas where President Bush and most other Republicans in Washington have abandoned them. These include McCain's loud opposition to the rapid expansion of the federal government, his often acrimonious fights against earmarks, and his politically costly opposition to farm subsidies. McCain, unlike Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, is also an unqualified supporter of free trade. He even opposed the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

That said, some of Toomey's VP suggestions-- Mark Sanford, Jim DeMint, and Phil Gramm-- would likely please both social and economic conservatives. But that's not why Toomey proposed them. And both Mike Pence and (hah!) Steve Forbes have taken positions on immigration that are likely to further alienate restrictionists on the Republican side.