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MoveOn.Org Taps Houghton for PA-16

Houghton
Houghton

Progressive website MoveOn.Org now hosts a petition trying to recruit former State Rep. Tom Houghton to run for Congress against incumbent Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Chester).

He told the Daily Local News that he was considering a run but wouldn’t decide until next week.

“I’m tired of Republicans who believe that compromise is a synonym for treason,” Houghton told the Daily Local News.

The petition has already been signed by more than 500 residents in PA’s 16th district, and cites Pitts’ role during the shutdown. Several residents have posted comments about Pitts and Houghton.

“My long term Congressman, Joe Pitts, has managed to do nothing in his eight terms in Congress besides vote ‘No’ on pretty much everything. He was the only area Congressman to refuse to end the Government shutdown,” said Russ Phifer, in his petition urging Houghton to run. “Tom Houghton has shown he can be an effective, cross-the-aisle legislator. Let’s help get him elected!”

“Tom is honest, smart and practical—he wants to work with all residents to better our lives, regardless of party affiliation. Tom was a very respected and effective township supervisor and State Representative for many years,” said Stacey Salamon, from Avondale, PA on the petition. “He understands the difficult issues that face our state and nation, but would never attempt to deal with those issues by voting to shut down the federal government as did Mr. Pitts.”

Democrat Houghton served one term in the General Assembly representing the 13th District in Chester County until 2010 when he was defeated by more than ten points by John Lawrence. Before that, Houghton was a London Grove Township supervisor.

The Pitts campaign doesn’t appear concerned.

“The only support Tom Houghton has at the moment is from the left-wing organization Moveon.org. It should surprise and worry people that Houghton has  chosen to team up with an organization that called General David Petraeus a traitor and compared George Bush to Adolf Hitler. The Daily Show’s John Stewart once ‘congratulated’ Moveon.org for ‘10 years of making even people who agree with you cringe.’” Pitts spokesman Jason Ercole said.

“We’re not surprised though.  After all, Houghton’s big-tax, big-spend record is just as liberal as Moveon.org’s — which is why he was thrown out of office by the people of his community after just one term,” Ercole continued. “Houghton even went so far as to try recently to unseat a popular Democratic state senator who wasn’t liberal enough for him. If Mr. Houghton wins the Democratic primary, we’ll be happy to compare his record of hurting taxpayers and supporting liberal causes to Congressman Pitts’ record of fiscal discipline and common sense.”

8 Responses

  1. PoliticsPA should ask Joe Pitts to comment personally but his wet nurses won’t let him talk to the media because the old man is senile. He’s been in Congress so long he’s the only remaining lawmaker to have voted against making MLK a federal holiday.

  2. I don’t understand how everyone can say Houghton was such a great public servant as a PA House member when he got rejected in his first run for re-election by the people who knew him best. The district he ran in for state House is, overall, much more moderate than the 16th Congressional District as a whole. Houghton lost in a moderate district because of his far left voting record…and that’s a record he won’t be able to defend in the 16th. Beyond his voting record, his position on issues like abortion, gay marriage, etc. are also out-of-step with a lot of the 16th, Democrats and Republicans alike.

    As for Ms. Smith’s comments, I see a lot of Houghton supporters on here calling Rep. Pitts names, yet she refuses to call them out. Purely hypocritical.

  3. Old man Pitts is collecting Medicare, social security, PA state pension, free healthcare for life PLUS he’s taking the Obamacare handout to cover his family. Time for this hypocrite tea bagger to be dumped. He was born in 1913, doesn’t that scare anyone? How can he possibly understand what he’s doing at his age, he’s just there for the freebies

  4. I’m so tired of Republicans calling Democrats names. But I understand why. When you have nothing to say, except “No”, then you have to fall back on misrepresentations. The truth is that Tom Houghton is a decent and honest family man who sincerely cares about his constituents and sound public policies. He will be a strong leader in Congress!

  5. It was very disturbing to me to hear about Mr. Pitts views on women’s issues. Not only did he vote NO against the reinstatement of “The Violence Against Women Act” , he also voted NO against the equal pay for women. But children aren’t safe either. He voted against extending healthcare to 6 million children in need.
    I look forward to a more open-minded, caring member of Congress. I hope Tom Houghton will run and I will do everything I can do to help him.

  6. “we’ll be happy to compare his record of hurting taxpayers and supporting liberal causes to Congressman Pitts’ record of fiscal discipline and common sense.”/Just say ‘no’ makes common sense if you’re asked to take a ride with a stranger in a white panel van. A government shut down, a 17 hour rant where Dr. Suess made the most sense, no jobs bill after the 2010 jobs-jobs-jobs promise, but there was the discipline of trying to get rid of ACA 42Xs (some in the Psychiatric community would call it a compulsive/obsession).
    As far as quoting and demonizing a .org sounds like you guys might be a little worried.
    If being liberal means you want to help Vets, Unemployed, Feed Children, Make sure the elderly & disabled have healthcare. I’m damn proud to be a liberal.

  7. I think the voters in our district will welcome the opportunity to compare Tom Houghton’s sensitivity and concern for his constituents with Joe Pitt’s tea bagging extremism. Run, Tom, Run!

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