Toomey offers wide criticism
JACKSON TWP — U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., sought to shore up support Monday from Butler County Republicans, panning his Democratic challenger as a full-throated supporter of damaging liberal policies and staking out aggressive positions on government regulation, terrorism and immigration.
In remarks that lambasted so-called sanctuary cities like Philadelphia as “terrible policy,” praised Guantanamo Bay as a keystone of the country’s antiterrorism effort, and the Iranian nuclear agreement as “the worst agreement I could ever think of,” Toomey called out liberal lawmakers for what he said was irresponsible behavior in Washington.
“Some of the folks on the other side, have just gone so far off the deep end,” Toomey said.
He blamed President Barack Obama for a “meager” economic recovery since the Great Recession in 2008, saying ObamaCare and the government’s bailout of big banks were symptoms of a domestic policy that hamstrings business with excessive regulation.
“It’s not a mystery in my opinion,” Toomey said. “The overreach of the government … easily explains why we’ve had such a weak recovery.”
He vowed to fight to roll back government regulations he said were hurting farmers and keeping community banks from being founded, and to blunt an Obama administration foreign policy he said had damaged America’s standing around the world and emboldened counties like Russia, China and Iran.
A case in point for Toomey is the administration’s push to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The facility, which Toomey called “a world-class, state-of-the-art prison facility that is designed to house the most dangerous terrorists in the world,” has been a subject of a long-running national debate over whether it should be closed and how its inmates should be viewed legally.
“If you ask me, there’s only one thing wrong with Gitmo: too many empty beds,” Toomey said.
He called Democratic candidate Katie McGinty, by contrast “an embrace of all things Hillary Clinton.” he also told his supporters that Pennsylvania is one of three states that could decide control of the Senate in November.
Republicans have a nine-seat majority in the Senate, but the 45 seats controlled by Democrats — including two independents who caucus with the party — are expected to grow this year. Of the 34 Senate seats up for election in November, 24 are held by Republicans and some GOP leaders fear the divisive presidential candidacy of Donald Trump will impact down-ballot races like the Toomey-McGinty matchup.
Toomey said Monday that Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire could end up deciding control of the Senate. And while he called Butler County “part of the conservative heartland,” of the state, he also noted that Pennsylvania has the highest ratio of active Democrat voters out of those three.
Toomey’s comments came at a campaign event outside Zelienople. The meet-and-greet with several dozen supporters also included appearances by Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe, state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, and state Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14th.
Campaign staffers said the stop is the start of a 13-county swing that Toomey will take this week. He was scheduled to visit New Castle Monday afternoon.
