Congressman Toomey is Not A Witch But His Plan for Pennsylvania Is Just as Scary

Media, Pa. – Yesterday, in a televised debate, Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell refused to address her past controversial statements on issues such as evolution and abstinence. [Associated Press, 10/13/10] Much like his fellow Tea Party-backed counterpart, Congressman Toomey won’t confront his own problematic plans to privatize Social Security, eliminate all corporate taxes, and deregulate Wall Street. In fact, Christine O’Donnell and Congressman Toomey would make a perfect match in the Senate. They share the same supporters, the same radical policy positions, and the same press avoidance strategy.

“Congressman Toomey might not be a witch but his policies are just as scary. Eliminating all corporate taxes, privatizing Social Security and shipping jobs to China are so out-of-touch with Pennsylvanians that if you didn’t have a private plane, you’d need a broomstick to reach them,” said Sestak spokesperson April Mellody.

A Rundown of Their Shared History

Toomey’s Club for Growth Sowed the Seeds of Discontent that Led to Christine O’Donnell’s Primary Victory

Congressman Toomey’s Club for Growth “was the Tea Party movement before the Tea Party movement existed.” [National Journal, 1/5/2010]

Toomey’s predecessor, Stephen Moore, said, “We want to see Republican competitive primaries. The idea that incumbents should have free passes we find offensive.” [Washington Post, 3/17/2000]

Rep. Mike Castle One of First Targets of Newly Formed Club for Growth. Following the formation of “Club for Growth” in 2000, Congressman Mike Castle was one of the first targets of the conservative group’s campaign against “anti-tax cut House Republicans” in the 2000 Republican congressional primaries. [National Journal Hotline, 2/15/00]
Castle wished “ultraconservatives like the Club for Growth would “go out of business.” [Wilmington News Journal, 5/11/09]

“O’Donnell relied heavily on national surrogates — from the Tea Party Express to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — to fuel a shoestring campaign against the iconic Castle who had held elected office in the state for more than four decades.” [Washington Post, 9/15/10]
O’Donnell and Toomey Share Support from Extreme Wing of the Tea Party

Toomey and O’Donnell have been endorsed by the Tea Party Express, a group that was thrown out of the National Tea Party Federation after its leader issued a letter with racist undertones in response to criticism from the NAACP. [The Hill, 4/15/2010; CNN, 7/19/2010; ABC News, 9/13/10]

Toomey Would Be The Most Conservative Pennsylvania Senator In Decades. “That Toomey is very conservative is beyond debate. If he is elected, he will arguably be the most conservative U.S senator Pennsylvania has elected since before the New Deal days. Toomey’s lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union is 97 percent; Santorum’s is just 88 percent. Pollster.com has ranked Toomey 98 percent more conservative during his three terms in Congress than all other members of Congress back to 1995. Santorum himself once called Toomey ‘too conservative’ for Pennsylvania.” [The Scranton Times-Tribune, 9/19/2010]

Pat Toomey: “The Forgotten Tea Partier”  “As recently as last year, Pat Toomey was the face of the Republican civil war. In 2004, he was the Tea Party candidate before the Tea Party even existed…” [The Daily Beast, 10/9/2010]

Toomey and O’Donnell Named as Part of the “Bachmann Five.” Rep. Michele Bachmann, who thinks global warming is “all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax,” has named her top 5 candidates: Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Congressman Toomey. [Michele Pac; MPR News, 3/17/08]

Toomey and O’Donnell’s Campaigns Bankrolled by Sarah Palin. According to The Hill, “Palin donated a total of $10,000 to the Senate campaigns of Christine O’Donnell in Delaware  [and ] $5,000 to the Senate campaigns of Marco Rubio (Fla.), Joe Miller (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Pat Toomey (Pa.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and John Hoeven (N.D.).” [The Hill, 10/12/10]
Like Christine O’Donnell, Congressman Toomey May Not Be A Witch But His Policies Are Just As Scary

Toomey Wants Zero Corporate Taxes. “Let’s not tax corporations. I think the solution is to eliminate corporate taxes altogether.” [CNBC, 7/21/07]

Toomey Stood Up for Privatization of Social Security. “When George W. Bush proposed privatizing Social Security during his presidency, one of the most vocal supporters of the plan was former Lehigh Valley Congressman Pat Toomey. Toomey, then president of the fiscally conservative Club for Growth, became a spokesman of sorts for Bush’s proposal to allow workers to invest payroll taxes in private individual accounts. He spearheaded an ad campaign in 2005 to promote the cause for reforming retirement savings this way.” [Morning Call, 8/19/2010]

Toomey Proud of Support for Deregulating Derivatives. Congressman Toomey said of his vote for a bill which deregulated derivative trading and allowed Wall Street firms to increase the kind of risk-taking which led to the economic crisis: “That bill did absolutely nothing to cause the financial crisis, and no credible person has tried to make that argument,” Toomey said…Asked whether he’d vote for it again, he said: “Yes. I think all 377 (House members) would vote for it again.” [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 8/26/10]

Toomey Opposes Hate Crimes Legislation. In September 2010, Toomey reiterated a stance he took in 2004 opposing hate crimes legislation. “I think it’s a bad idea for government to legislate on the basis of what they think people are thinking, what’s in a person’s mind or heart when they create a crime,” Toomey told KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano. “Crime should be prosecuted for what’s actually done, and it should be vigorously prosecuted.”  [KDKA, 9/9/2010]

Toomey Disputes Global Warming’s Causes. In a recent interview on WITF Radio, Congressman Toomey was asked about his stance on global warming, to which he replied, “The extent to which that has been caused by human activity, I think, is not as clear. I think that is still very much disputed, and it’s been debated.” [WITF, 10/4/10]

Like Christine O’Donnell Who Has Refused to Talk Policy with Reporters, Toomey Runs from Media to Hide Extreme Views

“News outlets from around the world have begun regularly contacting reporters and editors at The News Journal to try to track O’Donnell down. The New York Times this week reported on its unsuccessful efforts over several days to speak with the candidate. CNN has called, and MSNBC. The Washington Post sent a query.” [Wilmington News Journal, 10/2/10]

Toomey Was “Whisked Away” Before Questions Could Be Asked On Social Security. WITF’s Scott Detrow reported, “I was hoping to ask Toomey a couple questions about his stance on Social Security…but campaign staffers whisked him away after the event, saying he was late for another appearance. The press got two questions in before Toomey was hustled to an SUV, which promptly sped away. This approach, which I’ve seen a few times now, is the polar opposite of how Congressman Joe Sestak handles the press.” [WTIF, 9/20/2010]
Toomey Refused To Answer Questions On Ending Offshore Tax Breaks. The Philadelphia City Paper remarked, “After a week of this nonsense, we set our sights on Toomey’s Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik, since Deputy Communications Director Kristin Anderson didn’t want to answer our very simple questions. In all, it’s been two weeks now, and still nothing. What are his people so afraid of?” [Philadelphia City Paper, 10/5/2010]

Toomey Scolds Reporters for Not Staying On His Chosen Topic. Talking Points Memo wrote, “Toomey thanked reporters for asking about policy, but scolded them for not keeping to the topic he’d assembled them for — the spat between his rival and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.” [Talking Points Memo, 07/15/10]