Today, a Sestak campaign press release titled, "Uncovered: Toomey Video Railing against Health Insurance for Children" reveals a video of Pat Toomey on Neil Cavuto's show on Fox News in 2007, where he rails against reauthorizaiton and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP.)
The following is from the Sestak campaign release:
MEDIA, Pa. – Recently uncovered shocking video and outrageous statements about children's health care highlight how out of touch Congressman Toomey’s positions are with Pennsylvania. A 2007 video from Fox News shows Toomey railing against a program to provide health care to uninsured children. He later targeted members of his own party with vicious attack ads for voting for what he called a "big-government bonanza." Congressman Toomey’s Club for Growth called SCHIP "the embodiment of bloated, big government spending," and lobbied for its defeat.
"Even though he’s made a career fighting for Wall Street at the expense of the middle class, it’s still shocking that Congressman Toomey would side against millions of uninsured children," said Sestak spokesman Jonathon Dworkin. "Rather than help protect our most vulnerable, Toomey attacked members of his own party for doing the right thing. It’s the latest extreme stance that shows just how out of touch Congressman Toomey is with ordinary Pennsylvanians."
http://joesestak.com/...
Here is the video:
Transcript:
Cavuto: I'm talking about a bill that provides an additional thirty-five billion dollars in spending on health care for kids, including illegals. Forty-five, you heard me right, forty-five House Republicans voting for it, even as the President vowed to veto it. Former Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Toomey says Republicans still have not learned their lesson. Congressman, your point is, "Hey, we're the party that stops profiligate spending," and we're not, right?
Toomey: Well, once upon a time the Republican party had that reputation and it was a well earned reputation. I would argue over recent years Republicans have, they've squandered that reputation. I'd also argue that that was a big part of the reason that Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate and when forty-five House members vote to dramatically expand an entitlement, increase spending massively -- you know we're talking about putting a couple of million kids who are currently covered by private plans on a government plan. We're talking about covering adults. We're talking about covering families that make up to eighty-thousand dollars a year, putting them on government health insurance.
Cavuto: Yeah but you know Congressman, you know the political tea leaves far better than I, but I think I see forty-five Congressmen who are vulnerable, who would have a very tough time explaining in a thirty-second ad that they just rejected coverage for kids. They're in a no win situation even though you and I can quite eruditely explain what's going on here but it's the emotion of the issue, right?
Toomey: I completely disagree. I don't think Republicans have to present themselves as Democrat-lite. There are great free market alternatives that would be much more attractive to most people than going down the road of government controlled health care.
Cavuto: Then why aren't Republicans doing that? I mean, Alan Greenspan said on this very show, Congressman, "You know why Republicans lost in 2006? They lost their religion and they deserved to lose.
Toomey: That's right
Cavuto: Are they on this perpetuating track?
Toomey: Ah, some of them are. Some of them haven't figured this out yet. They haven't got it.
Cavuto: So what happens in '08, Congressman?
Toomey: Well right now the environment looks pretty tough for Republicans especially in the Senate which is behaving even worse than the House. I mean at least the big majority of the Republicans in the House did vote "no" on this. There are better solutions out there like John Shadegg's bill that says allow a person in one state to buy an insurance plan regulated by another state if they choose. That would make health care so much more affordable for everybody. You know, right off the bat, that would be a big improvement.
Cavuto: You know, Congressman, one thing I liked about you in office is that you were such a cheap son of a gun.
Toomey: [Laughs]
Cavuto: I mean that with due respect because I think, I really think that people think that, you know, we're stupid, us voters, and that we wouldn't respond well to the Congressman who says "I'm not going to build you a bridge or a hospital or a highway, I'm not going to give you a benefit program, and we're gonna take our lumps. I think Americans would respond favorably to that.
Toomey: Voters are much smarter than these guys are giving them credit for. They know that there's no such thing as a free lunch. They know that an enormous amount of government spending is wasted and they know they end up paying for it with higher taxes.
Cavuto: Very good point. You still are cheap though, Congressman. It's very good seeing you.
Toomey: I am cheap, you're right.
Cavuto: Ah, Pat Tsaid he haoomey, thank you very, very much.
Toomey: Thanks for having me now.
[Transcribed by me. Should there be any errors in transcription, they are my responsibility.]
In a rough economy, does Pennsylvania really want to elect a "cheap son of a gun" like Pat Toomey who favors the so called "free market" health insurance even for children of families at or near poverty level? Who is he kidding? Even comfortable middle class families and small businesses can't afford decent health insurance in the current pre-reform health care industry.
Joe Sestak has a strong record on health care for Americans. He was a strong supporter of the public option and said that he had a hard time voting for a reform bill that did not include a public option. When he first ran for Congress, he told us that one of the biggest reasons he did so was because of the military health care benefits his family received, and that he credits for saving his young daughter's life.
Sestak "gets it" on health care. Toomey clearly doesn't.
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What You Can Do To Help
Donate to Joe Sestak's campaign.
Join the Sestak Action Network.
Sign up for Sestak's virtual phonebank group.
Write letters to the editor for Sestak.
Send messages on Twitter: ( @Sestak2010, @ToomeyForSenate)
Also, if you would like, please help me send out positive messages on Twitter about the Sestak campaign. Just go to my Twitter page and look for Sestak tweets that you may want to retweet. I send out tweets a couple of times a day, usually. The Toomey folks often outnumber us, so let's change that.