Erickson provides further evidence that voters prefer a conservative Republican to a ‘moderate’ one:

The PAGOP and NRSC are flirting with him because Gerlach regularly wins re-election as a Republican in D +2 districts. They forget, however, that Pat Toomey did the same – and with larger margins.

In fact, in 2002, the year Toomey and Gerlach were both on the ballot in D +2, Toomey got 57.4% of the vote and Gerlach got 51% of the vote. Toomey did so without selling out his conservative values. Not so with Gerlach.

In fact, and this is key, Gerlach actually has a more liberal voting record on issues Pennsylanians care about than Arlen Specter. If Specter cannot get out of a Republican primary, how on earth could Gerlach? The answer is he can’t.

Consider these issues:

• Gerlach voted for the Medicare Prescription Drug Act.
• He voted for the Bridge to Nowhere.
• He voted to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to continue borrowing money from the Treasury.
• He voted for the mortgage bailout program.
• He voted for TARP
• He voted against the right of workers to cast a secret ballot for unionization.
• He voted against drilling in ANWR.
• He voted against the same-sex marriage ban.
• He voted against lifting the moratorium on natural gas production.

Op-Ed last month by Palin:

I AM DISMAYED THAT LEGISLATION HAS AGAIN BEEN INTRODUCED in Congress to prohibit forever oil and gas development in the most promising unexplored petroleum province in North America — the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in Alaska.

Let’s not forget: Only six months ago, oil was selling for nearly $150 per barrel, while Americans were paying $4 a gallon and more for gasoline. And today, there is potential for prices to rebound as OPEC asserts its market power and as Russia disrupts needed natural gas to Europe for the second time in three years.