EXTREMISM WATCH: SESTAK’S SUPPORT FOR A SECOND STIMULUS IS TOO EXTREME FOR PENNSYLVANIA
Contact: Nachama Soloveichik or Tim Kelly - 484.809.7994
Allentown, PA –Newspapers across Pennsylvania are declaring a second stimulus a waste of taxpayer dollars, but Joe Sestak continues to cling to his extreme fiscal liberalism.
Over the past year, Sestak has said multiple times that the $787 billion stimulus he voted for in February 2009 (RC #70, 02/13/09) was too small and that he supported a second stimulus:
- “It’s [the stimulus] the minimum amount needed. I would have voted for $1 trillion.” – Joe Sestak, 02/22/09
- “This bill is actually a bit small in my opinion, but it’s the right step.” – Joe Sestak, 02/22/09
- “I hope the talk begins again about having another stimulus bill.” – Joe Sestak, 03/31/09
- “We aren’t bold or aggressive enough. Nor do I believe that our first economic stimulus bill was bold or aggressive enough.” – Joe Sestak, 10/19/09
Only a month ago, Sestak voted for a second $154 billion stimulus (RC #991, 12/16/09) even though the first stimulus has not lowered the unemployment rate and has been plagued by errors and wasteful projects.
How extreme is Sestak’s position?
- Thirty-eight Democrats voted against the second stimulus, including Pennsylvania Democrat Patrick Murphy (PA-08). (RC #991, 12/16/09)
- The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “The country can’t afford the full price tag of this second ‘stimulus’ measure, approved last month by the House. It’s not just another big spending bill; it’s another proposal to borrow more money that the government doesn’t have.” (01/06/10)
- The Harrisburg Patriot News wrote: “While the move might make for good sound bites, it is a redundant and costly package that is more about upcoming mid-term elections than creating sustaining jobs.” (12/17/09)
“It is clear that Joe Sestak’s support for out-of-control government spending is far outside the mainstream,” Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik said. “Sestak’s votes are putting the country on an unsustainable trajectory. Thanks, in part, to his votes for nonstop government spending, the 2009 deficit was a record-smashing $1.4 trillion and the Obama administration expects the 2010 deficit to be as high as $1.5 trillion. Sestak’s spending policies are pushing the country into a morass of debt and unemployment.”
“In these difficult economic times, Pennsylvanians need fiscal responsibility and balance in Washington, not Joe Sestak’s extremism. Pat Toomey has a record of fighting to end wasteful spending when he was in Congress and forcing Congress to live within its means, receiving top honors from watchdog groups like Citizens Against Government Waste for his efforts.”
