Toomey Meets With Netanyahu & Fayyad

U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is back in the United States, after a 72-hour visit to Israel during which he met with both the prime minister of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In addition to meeting with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, he sat down with Salam Fayyad, the head of the Palestinian Authority.
Toomey says he delivered a tough message.

"One of the things that I wanted to stress was that if, after this fall elections and further negotiations, if Hamas continues to have – and has, really, any kind of meaningful role in the government, I don’t see how the US Congress would continue to support financial aid to the Palestinian Authority."

Toomey opposes President Obama’s call for peace talks based on a return to Israel’s 1967 borders, but concedes the country would need to turn over land, as part of any settlement.

"The Palestinians have to commit to a peace agreement to recognizing the right of Israel to exist. To exist freely and securely. I think a Palestinian state would have to be largely a demilitarized state. And Israel would have to have a security presence beyond whatever borders are negotiated."

Toomey visited the Middle East with Idaho Republican Jim Risch.

Santorum, Gingrich Bash Obama at NRA

A long list of politicians went before the members of the National Rifle Association gathered in Pittsburgh Friday for the group’s annual convention and several of them used the opportunity to take shots at President Obama.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich set the tone when he ripped the President for not having a foreign policy that encouraged gun rights in other nations. He said the Obama Administration is the most consistently anti-second amendment administration the nation has ever seen. “In its efforts to help get anti-gun international treaties, in its effort to appoint anti-gun judges, in its effort to avoid prosecuting gun criminals while taking away the rights of innocent citizens,” said Gingrich.

Former US Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania followed on the list of speakers and followed the growing theme. Santorum bashed Obama for a recent statement the president made that he believed that America became great when it passed Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment laws. “Our President has to believe in who we are and then reflect those values to the world. Not see America as something broken, something that wasn’t good or great before our big government policies were introduced,” said Santorum.

Both Santorum and Gingrich are said to be considering runs for the presidency.

Santorum went on to strike out at those who he says have told him that there needs to be “a truce on moral issues” during the upcoming presidential campaign. “They don’t understand. America is a moral enterprise. Unless we are a good and virtuous people, we will not be a free people; we will not have limited government. What makes America special is that we trust you.”

Several other speakers touched on the theme of the US Government gaining its power from the people, rather than the people being granted powers by the sovereign.

Listen to the Newt Gingrich’s speech to the NRA convention. (26:00)

Listen to Rick Santorum’s speech to the NRA convention. (15:00)

Listen to US Senator Pat Toomey’s speech to the NRA convention. (5:48)

Listen to Congressman Jason Altmire’s speech to the NRA Convention. (6:47)

Sestak Questions Obama Over Libya

Former Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak is emerging as a critic of President Obama’s decision to attack Libya.

Former Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak is emerging as a critic of President Obama’s decision to attack Libya.
The former congressman and admiral has been making regular cable news appearances since the conflict began Saturday, and said he’s worried the Obama Administration hasn’t spelled out what coalition forces are trying to accomplish through the attacks. “Are the costs worth our interest? Do we understand the risk we’re assuming?” he asked during an interview. Sestak argued President Obama’s objectives seem cloudy, pointing out Obama has said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi needs to leave office, but has clarified that regime change isn’t the goal of the NATO mission.

The Democrat also said Mr. Obama hasn’t justified the attacks to Americans, and should have come back from his South American trip to do-so. “You know what? After two wars, almost a decade in each, I think it would have been worth the cancellation of the trip,” he said. “At such a moment in time, [Obama] should have been laying it out on a consistent basis for the public. What is going to happen, what the end-games are, what’s the risk environment we’re entering.”

The president has made several public statements about the mission, but has yet to deliver a nationally televised speech. He was in Brazil when attacks began Saturday, and will remain in South America until Wednesday.

This is an issue Sestak and the man who beat him, Republican Senator Pat Toomey, agree on. Toomey recently told Philadelphia CBS affiliate KYW-TV he’s against sending American troops to Libya, saying, “There are very many unanswered questions about what would the purpose be, when would we leave, what would we measure as a success, what would we do if and when Americans start being killed . . . I think there are too many unanswered questions right now for us to commit forces to Libya.”

Toomey: Everything Open to Cuts But Social Security

Pennsylvania's Junior U-S Senator is crossing the Commonwealth trying to get a feel for what Pennsylvanians deem to be barriers to job creation.
Republican Pat Toomey is touring the state speaking with business owners.
On a stop at the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, he said they've expressed the same two concerns -- the nation's mounting deficit and having to deal with federal regulatory agencies...
"The EPA comes up frequently as a real problem for our farmers, a problem for municipalities, a problem for our coal industry, in some cases utilities. So that's an example, but you know, I was up in Erie and in Meadville, in Crawford County, and I was hearing from folks who have real problems with the USDA and in other contexts the FDA."

Toomey says the Obama Administration's 2012 budget is not helping....
"He proposed a budget that continues to run huge deficits. We continue to add to our nation's debt. Under his plan, over ten years, in fact, not only does our debt grow, but it even grows as a percentage of our economy. And if we don't get our spending and our fiscal picture under control, we are not going to have the strong economic growth and job creation that we need."

Toomey says the G-O-P should offer an alternative to Obama's spending plan. He's against making cuts to Social Security, saying it would not be fair "to pull the rug out from under folks."
But he says everything has to be on the table, including the defense budget.

Toomey to Afghan Pres.: Get Rid of Corruption

Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey took his first trip abroad as a U.S. Senator spending the last few days in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Toomey and three other freshman Republicans joined Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the trip. They spent the past few days meeting with military and political leaders, including General David Petraeus.
Toomey says he delivered a message to Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai.

"The main point that I wanted to stress with him was that his government needed to do more to rat out the corruption that has been, really, very pervasive. I was perhaps a little bit more subtle about it than that, but that was really my essential point."

Toomey says Karzai needs to turn Afghanistan’s government around.

"We’ve put so much resource. We’ve sacrificed many lives. And the ongoing expense of this effort is very significant at a time when we have serious budget constraints. And my message was that it’s really critical for his government to aggressively pursue corruption."

Toomey last visited Afghanistan in 2002, when he was a congressman.
He says there’s a “night and day” difference in the capital city of Kabul, since his last trip, with much more commerce and traffic in the city this time.
Still, Toomey says there’s a lot of work to be done in Afghanistan.
He says he assumes American troops will still be there in 2016, when his Senate term expires.

New Senator Talks Agriculture and Security

Now that he’s been sworn into office as a statewide official, Senator Pat Toomey is working to bone up on Pennsylvania’s top industry: agriculture. The Republican admitted he’s got a lot to learn about agriculture, and that’s why he spent an afternoon at the Farm Show. “The most important thing I can do is meet with people who are actually in this field,” he said. “Meet with farmers. Meet with the growers. Meet with the producers.”

So that’s how Toomey spent the day. He talked to a beekeeper, farmers and veterinarians. He inspected a horse, hen and pig during the trip. Toomey said one thing he’s hearing again and again from farmers is concern about new EPA proposals regulating runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.
“I think we all want to see a clean and healthy and vibrant Chesapeake Bay. But again, I think we want to be careful about how much of the existing problems we attribute to Pennsylvania farms, and how we go about changing their policies."

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau filed a federal lawsuit against the EPA earlier this week, in an attempt to stop the new regulations, which seek to cut back on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment flowing into the bay.

Toomey also listed proposed EPA regulation of carbon emissions as a concern, alongside legislation that would involve the agency in local zoning discussions.

The lawmaker was flanked by two State Troopers during the visit, but that’s standard protocol for officials at the Harrisburg event, and not a response to the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others. Toomey called the attacks “rare and isolated,” and cautioned against reading too much into them.
“I think public discourse is too coarse. You can sign me up for that opinion,” he said. “But I don’t think there’s any evidence that the coarse nature of public discourse triggered this event. As I said before, I think the evidence is clear this individual is deranged.”

PA Politicians, Business Leaders, Lobbyists Meet in NY

The state’s politicians take Manhattan this weekend for the annual Pennsylvania Society gathering. Every December, Pennsylvania’s lawmakers, donors, movers and shakers migrate east for a weekend of parties at the Waldorf Astoria and other high-end New York City hotels.
Friday and Saturday’s agendas are filled with fundraisers and cocktail receptions hosted by lobbying firms, businesses and other political groups.
Longtime attendee Terry Madonna, a political scientist at Franklin and Marshall College, says this year’s events will have a different focus.

"The PA Society that accompanies the inauguration of a new governor is particularly important, because of the little gems of information that folks hope to glean about the new direction of new administration appointees, policy direction."

A centerpiece of the event is a Saturday morning forum sponsored by the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association.
Governor Ed Rendell, Senator-elect Pat Toomey and Governor-elect Tom Corbett will speak at the event, along with other legislators and officials.
Not everyone’s a fan of the event.
Eric Epstein of the government reform group Rock the Capital says legislators have better ways to spend their time.

"We’re in a crisis mode. We’re experiencing a fiscal meltdown. It sends the wrong message to go hobnobbing in New York with power brokers. Right now, everybody’s asking to make sacrifices. It’s not a sacrifice when you’re going to the Waldorf Astoria to cut deals with the new administration."

Over the years, politicians have gotten in trouble for using public finances to attend the event.
Many use campaign funds to cover their travel and expenses.

Toomey, Corbett in Last Day Push

Flying across Pennsylvania on the eve of Election Day, Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey and GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett are urging their supporters to get out and vote and not to assume they are going to win.
Entering a Johnstown airplane hanger to the Pennsylvania Polka, Toomey and Corbett told Republicans their leads in the polls don’t matter, if the base doesn’t turn out tomorrow.
Corbett’s message: keep working hard.

"For the next 29 hours and 50 minutes, talk to the people. Don’t stop. Don’t be complacent. When you go out to vote tomorrow, make sure you go. Don’t say, oh I’m looking at the polls. Tom and Jim (lieutenant governor nominee Cawley) already have this locked up. Nothing is locked up."


Toomey told a group of party faithful the election isn’t over yet, the Democrats have not given up.
"They have not gone away. They’re still pushing as hard as they can. We’ve got to push as hard as we can. I feel like we’ve got a victory in reach, but it’s not yet in hand. We can be confident, but we can’t be complacent. "

Corbett and Toomey also rallied in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Erie and Pittsburgh this afternoon.
Democratic Senate nominee Joe Sestak spent the day campaigning in Philadelphia while Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato rallied with former President Bill Clinton in McKeesport
The two will campaign with First Lady Michelle Obama tonight in Philadelphia.

Poll Shows Gov. Sen. Races Leaning GOP.

The latest numbers from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute show at least 5 point leads for the Republican candidates in both the US Senate and Gubernatorial race. The poll with a margin of error of 2.8 percent shows former Republican Congressman Pat Toomey holding a 50 - 45 percent lead among likely voters over Democratic US Rep. Joe Sestak in the race to be Pennsylvania's next US senator. In the Governor’s race, Republican Tom Corbett, the Attorney General, has a 52 - 42 percent lead over Democrat Dan Onorato. Onorato is the Allegheny County Executive.

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Assistant Director Peter A. Brown says, "The candidates each hold their party bases pretty well, each getting more than 80 percent of the votes of their own party members." The difference comes among voters who identify themselves as independent. The poll finds Toomey leads Sestak among independents 52 - 39 percent and Corbett leads 53 - 34 percent among independent voters.
Digging a bit further into the numbers shows 6 percent of likely voters in the governor’s race are undecided and 14 percent of voters who name a candidate say they might change their mind. 17 percent of Onorato supporters say they may change their mind while 11 percent of Corbett backers could jump ship. Likely voters give Onorato a 40 - 36 percent favorability rating compared to Corbett's 51 - 25 percent rating. "It is difficult to see how Dan Onorato becomes Pennsylvania's next governor," says Brown.
The numbers are based on 1,244 surveys from October 25 – 30.

Durbin: Dems Will Hold Senate

While making a few campaign stops in Eastern Pennsylvania, the number two Democrat in the US Senate predicted his party will maintain control of Congress’ upper chamber next year. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois says he’s confident his party will keep its Senate majority, but he concedes Democrats will likely lose several seats. With a much slimmer margin, Durbin says Republicans and Democrats will need to reach across the aisle, in order pass bills. “The issues are substantial. Far and away the biggest issue is creating jobs in America. I mean, we’ve got to turn this economy around and put people back to work. Not only good for their families, but good for our nation, when it comes to the deficit. But secondly, when you take a look at the issues that we face, we still have to deal with the issue of clean energy jobs for our future,” says Durbin. Durbin was in Pennsylvania to campaign for Congressman Joe Sestak and several southeastern congressional candidates. He says Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey is wrong to call for scaled back government spending, “I hope that they’ll take a look at history. Back in the 1930s we went through the same experience. People said, hit the breaks. Let’s talk about the deficit. And the next thing you know, the unemployment rate went skyrocketing again, didn’t come down until World War II. I don’t want to see history repeating itself.”

Durbin made a few more predictions while in the state. He says he won’t be Majority Leader next year. That means he is predicting a win by embattled Democrat Harry Reid, who’s facing a tough campaign in Nevada. Durbin also predicts a November Senate vote on ending “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” He says, “I believe it’s time to put this policy aside. I believe the military leadership has had an opportunity to consider how to reach that goal. And I think the courts – as Admiral Sestak has said – the courts are moving in the right direction. But because of uncertainty about the next court decision, Congress needs to act.”

Toomey, Sestak Agree on Little

The two candidates vying for Pennsylvania's open Senate seat faced off at a debate at the Constitution Center in downtown Philadelphia Wednesday night. The two did not agree on much, but each said the other belongs to the extreme fringe of his political party. Both sides lobbed accusations of extremism. Democrat Joe Sestak even took a shot at who Republican Pat Toomey has in his corner. "Look I know he won the very coveted award of the endorsement by Sarah Palin. And I understand the anger of the Tea Party. What I'm most concerned about are those extreme candidates that are taking advantage of the extreme fringe of the Tea Party," says Sestak. Toomey fired back, painting Sestak as an extreme liberal. He says, "It's very clear, the person who is the extreme candidate who is out of touch with Pennsylvania is Joe Sestak. Look at this agenda. He voted for all the bailouts and then introduced his own bill to create a new bailout." Toomey and Sestak also traded barbs on abortion, healthcare, and foreign policy. On the question of abortion, Pat Toomey says he wants to ban the practice unless it's a case of rape, incest or health of the mother. He says his views are in step with the majority of Pennsylvanians. "Joe Sestak is the one who is extreme on this issue. He is in that fringe of members, very liberal, who believe in tax payer funded abortions on demand, and no restrictions at all, well outside the mainstream of Pennsylvania." Joe Sestak responded by saying Toomey is extreme. "Palin, Toomey, O'Donnell they would all like to overturn Roe versus Wade. I believe that those life decisions of a family should be made within the family." Sestak said he never voted in favor of taxpayer-funded abortions. With less than two weeks left before election day, Sestak has come from behind in the polls.

Sestak. Toomey Agree On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak says he’s disappointed the Obama Administration is appealing a federal court order halting the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.
Sestak, a retired three-star admiral, estimates he had to discharge about a dozen service members during his career, because of the policy barring gays from openly serving in the military.
He says he’s frustrated by the amount of time it’s taken to overturn the guidelines.

"We were able to pivot and get our troops over to Afghanistan on short notice. We’re able to -- we have lessons learned from the integration of women into combat. Why do we have to wait a year for something that has to do with our integrity? We’re asking people and the institution to live a lie."

The House has voted to end “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” once a Pentagon review is complete, but a Senate vote has been held up.
The military has announced it will follow the federal court order, even though the Obama Administration is appealing the decision, and has asked the judge to stay the ruling.
Repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is the rare issue where Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey see eye-to-eye.
Toomey says he’d “welcome” a policy change, if military leaders gave their approval.

"That’s what this should be all about. Not various people’s preferred social policy. So if our military leadership says we can execute our mission as well or better in the absence of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” then I’m in favor of repealing it."

The Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have both said they’d support a change.

Toomey, Corbett Lead in Latest Poll

There are still a lot of undecided voters when it comes to the U.S. Senate and governor's races in Pennsylvania. A new poll from Franklin and Marshall College released today shows Republican Pat Toomey with a 40% to 31% lead over Democrat Joe Sestak in the Senate race. Still 26% of voters don't know which candidate they like better with about 9 weeks remaining till the November 2 general election. Pollster Terry Madonna says to catch up with Toomey in the frequency of TV ads.

The survey also shows Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett with a 38% to 27% lead over Democrat Dan Onorato. 4% of those polled said they would vote for someone else, but 31% are still undecided. Madonna believes that Onorato could be hurt by Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell's job performance rating of only 30%.
A potentially bad indicator for both Sestak and Onorato: at the moment Democrats are less likely to vote than Republicans. Only 37% of Democrats said they are likely to vote in November compared to 45% of Republicans.

Toomey, Dems Joust Over FMAP

Pennsylvania Democrats are chastising Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey for opposing a federal aid bill (FMAP) sending 600 million dollars to the commonwealth.
But Toomey’s campaign is defending his position.
Governor Ed Rendell warned of 12-thousand public employee layoffs if the federal medical assistance extension didn’t pass.
The bill has cleared the Senate, and is in front of the House, but Toomey calls the measure irresponsible and wasteful.
Democratic Party Chair Jim Burn says Toomey doesn’t care about the public jobs that would have been cut, had the bill stalled.

"This is an indication, or a barometer, of what Mr. Toomey would be like if he were in the Senate. His voting and his decision making would have draconian results on the men and women of the commonwealth. It shows a disconnect."

Toomey’s campaign manager, Mark Harris, says the bill will add to the deficit. Harris links the measure to recent bailouts of Wall Street and the auto industry.
He says Toomey opposes the federal government spending money to close states’ and companies’ deficits, after they make what he labels bad decisions.

"Pat Toomey’s position is that we need fiscal responsibility. In Washington that means paying – making sure we’re not spending more money than we’re bringing in, just like any family would. I think that has been the impetus of this campaign. We can’t pass this debt on to our children."

Democratic leaders label the Senate bill as budget neutral, since it closes tax loopholes and lays the groundwork for a scaling back of federal food stamps.
But Harris calls that a “budget slight of hand,” and says Washington can’t keep writing checks to fill states’ deficits.

Sestak, Toomey Joust Over Deficit

For months now, Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey has labeled his Democratic opponent, Congressman Joe Sestak, as a big-spending liberal who’s voted to explode the federal government’s deficit.
Now Sestak has tried to turn the tables during an appearance at the Pennsylvania Press Club.
Sestak said by voting for President Bush’s tax cuts and budgets, then Congressman Toomey was “practically pro-deficit.”
In contrast, Sestak framed himself as a fiscal moderate who wants to balance the government’s books.

"I support, and have voted for, pay as you go budgeting, closing wasteful corporate tax loopholes, ending the earmark system, and finding practical bipartisan solutions to reform entitlement spending. However, my opponent has been practically pro-deficit."

Toomey’s campaign manager, Mark Harris says Sestak has a “creative memory.”

"Joe Sestak, who voted for the stimulus, voted for the health care bill, voted for all these things that just have tremendously growth the deficit. For him to try and basically revise history, it’s just laughable."

Sestak defends most of those votes as emergency measures aimed at keeping the economy from sinking into a depression. The government ran a 1.4 trillion dollar deficit during the 2009 fiscal year.

NLRC Open Convention in PA

The National Right to Life Committee opened its three-day national convention Thursday morning and the group’s leadership is optimistic about the future. NRLC President Wanda Franz says recent studies show more Americans are calling themselves “pro-life” and the number of abortions performed in the US continues to fall even as the number of women of childbearing age increases. She says it all points to a changing mood in the nation. A mood they hope to be able to tap into in the November elections. NRLC Political Director Karen Cross says that new mood is already showing up in the political arena. She says the last few months have been exciting to watch. “Every week its almost like Christmas for me,” says Cross. She says many of the races pit candidates with clearly defined differences when it comes to abortion issues. That includes the US senate race in Pennsylvania between Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey. Toomey is strongly Pro-life, Sestak is Pro-choice.

The National Right to Life Committee leadership is also praising some state level gains made in the last year including a law in Oklahoma that will force those performing abortions to display the ultrasound in a place where the woman can see the image. Other states with ultrasound viewing laws only force the procedure provider to offer the pregnant woman the opportunity to see the image. NRLC State Political Director Mary Spaulding-Balch says that is a slight difference from other ultrasound viewing laws but one that clearly makes a difference. “In the states where they are offered the opportunity to view there has not been a single challenge and yet when Oklahoma simply changes the language to the point that the ultrasound must be displayed it is challenged by our opponents,” says Spaulding-Balch. That law is to go into effect in October.

The group is also taking an interest in the confirmation of Elena Kagan. NLRC Executive Director David O’Steen says his organization will “very actively oppose” the nomination of Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Hearings for Kagan begin Monday. The Committee has already sent a letter to all members of the Senate asking that Kagan be rejected. The letter lays out an argument that Kagan was key in defeating the partial birth abortion bill during the Clinton administration. He says Kagan’s writings show she strongly argued with the president that he should not support the bill saying it was unconstitutional and that pro-choice groups “will go crazy.” O’Steen says those writings also show that Kagan is a “social engineer” and will be more interested in driving change if she is added to the court rather than defending the constitution. The letter to the Senators reads in part, “she believes that ‘it is not necessarily wrong or invalid’ for appointed judges ‘to mold and steer the law in order to promote certain ethical values and achieve social ends.’” O’Steen says the NLRC Federal Legislative Department will be lobbying members of the Senate Judicial Committee but they will be, “choosing people to speak with based on, of course, the anticipation of success and Arlen Specter (D-PA) is history… it seems he has been rejected by both parties now.” The letter says Kagan will “treat the US Constitution not as a body of basic law that truly constrains both legislators and judges, but rather, as a cookbook in which may be found legal recipes that will allow the imposition of the policies that Ms. Kagan deems to be justified.”

Toomey & Sestak Disagree Over Cap and Trade

Many environmental advocates are urging President Obama to renew his push for a cap-and-trade energy bill during tonight’s Oval Office address, which will be broadcast by 90.5 WDUQ at 8 o'clock.
But Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey says that type of legislation would cripple Pennsylvania’s economy.
Speaking at a Dauphin County coffeehouse, Toomey warned a bill taxing energy consumption would cause utility rates to skyrocket, and would force small businesses to close up shop.

"The Democratic administration that we have today, their Public Utilities Commission has indicated from a study that they believe that if this cap-and-trade legislation were fully implemented, the bill that Joe Sestak voted for and said didn’t go far enough – it would cost Pennsylvania 66-thousand jobs over the next ten years."

A PUC spokeswoman says Toomey is referring to a letter three commissioners sent to Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation last year, in which they urged lawmakers to vote against the measure.
The bill passed the House last June, but has stalled in the Senate. Toomey’s opponent, Congressman Joe Sestak, voted for the measure.
He says he’s confident the energy overhaul would create more Pennsylvania jobs over time.

Toomey: "More Domestic Oil Drilling, Not Less"

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey says the Gulf Coast oil spill is a “huge disaster,” but argues the United States shouldn’t shy away from offshore drilling.
Toomey says a reduction in offshore and domestic drilling would cripple the US economy, and increase dependence on foreign energy.
Going forward, Toomey wants to see more, and not less, domestic oil exploration.

"You know, we choose not to drill in the ANWAR, for instance. In a very obscure, remote part of Alaska that’s sitting on a huge amount of oil, and we don’t touch it. That increases our dependence on foreign oil. And I think that’s a mistake."

In an interview with WDUQ, Toomey said President Obama might have gone too far in declaring a moratorium on offshore drilling in the wake of what’s being labeled the largest environmental disaster in American history.
His opponent, Democrat Joe Sestak, says Toomey is wrong to oppose the drilling moratorium.
Sestak says the Interior Department needs to reestablish standards and safety regulations before drilling resumes.

Senate Campaign: Bailouts Versus Failed Policies

Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey say they’ll present voters with two very different choices for Pennsylvania's next U.S. Senator over the coming months.
Sestak and Toomey insist they like and respect each other, and they’ll run a clean campaign, without personal attacks.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t hammer each other on the issues.
Speaking in Pittsburgh, Toomey said Pennsylvanians will have “as clear a choice as possible” when they vote for a new senator in November.

"If you look at the agenda that they’re pursuing in Washington – serial bailouts of failing companies, nationalizing whole industries, spending on an unprecedented scale. Deficits and debt that was can’t afford, cap and trade, card check, government-run health care. Joe Sestak is 100-percent in favor of all of that. I’m opposed to all of that."

Sestak says a vote for Toomey means reverting back to the “failed policies” of the Bush Administration that sent the country toward a recession. "I really do like Pat Toomey. I think he’s got principle. But I passionately disagree with his ideas. And I think you’re going to see that that’s what the debate is going to be about. It is going to be, what are the best ideas to move our nation forward? I believe Pat Toomey’s ideas will actually be moving us back to where we’ve come from."

Toomey and Sestak held two debates during the primary. Sestak says he expects the two nominees will hold several joint appearances between now and Election Day.

Toomey: Repealing Health Care Law "Not Realistic" Next Year

GOP Senate candidate Pat Toomey says it’s unrealistic to think Republicans can repeal the recently-signed health care law next year.

"You know, let’s face it. It’s tough to envision that we are going to have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, for instance. Even if we could take control of the Senate-- which is possible, even though it’s a tough climb – to get to 60 is not in the cards."

Toomey says even if Republicans regained both chambers of Congress and pushed a bill through, he knows President Obama would veto the measure.
Toomey says the best course is for the GOP to bide its time, and try to repeal the measure when it’s possible to do-so.
He supports the lawsuit filed by Tom Corbett and other Attorneys General.
The challenge contends the law’s health insurance mandate is unconstitutional.
He’s also convinced its taxes and regulations will cost jobs and drive up health care costs.