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He has been called the “de facto Tea Party voice” in Congress. Of the last 50 votes taken in the Senate in the past year, he has voted “nay” on 35 of them. He is U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, or as I like to call him “Senator No.” While Pennsylvania voted for Barack Obama in the last two presidential elections, it voted in a senator who rarely agrees with or supports the president. Those who voted for both Obama and Toomey obviously can’t complain about gridlock in our nation’s capital.
Any legislator can vote “no” on any number of issues. That doesn’t necessarily make him a bad legislator. The numbers can be twisted to suit a purpose. Your columnist admits as much. But when one examines his voting record, that one realizes that if there is a mainstream in American politics, Toomey is somewhere on dry land. He recently sent voters an e-mail where he boasted of his efforts at cooperation, but he has a distinctly funny way of showing it. His voting record is public, so you don’t have to take my word for it. Look it up. Here is a sampling of Toomey’s voting record from April 2012 to the present. You decide.
— Toomey voted “no” to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (The Senate voted “yes” by 37 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” on prohibiting increases in interest rates for student loans (The bill was not invoked).
— Toomey voted “no” on repealing sugar subsidies (The amendment was tabled).
— Toomey voted “no” on increased funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (The Senate also voted “no”).
— Toomey voted “no” on the middle-class tax cut (The Senate voted “yes” by 3 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” on repealing the limit on procuring alternative fuel (The Senate voted “yes” by 25 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” on expanding Tricare health coverage of autism for military families (The Senate voted “yes” by 37 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” on prohibiting the indefinite detention of citizens (The Senate voted “yes” by 38 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” on the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act that would have provided relief help for victims of Hurricane Sandy (The Senate voted “yes” by 26 votes).
— Toomey voted “no” to ensure the U.S. government’s “complete and timely payment of obligations.” In other words, the government already spent the money, but “Senator No” didn’t want to pay the bill. (The Senate voted “yes” by 30 votes).
— Toomey voted against confirming Chuck Hagel, a Republican and a decorated Vietnam War veteran, as Secretary of Defense. The Senate normally provides deference to the president in cabinet appointments because unlike Supreme Court appointments, service ends with president’s term (The Senate confirmed him by 17 votes).
You also can tell where the senator’s sympathies lie by looking at how various interest groups have rated him over the past few years. He has received an 100 percent rating from Global Exchange for loyalties to the finance, insurance and real estate lobbies and an 83 percent rank from The Gun Owners of America.
Because of his conservative stance on abortion issues, Toomey has received no support from Planned Parenthood. He has had a 25 percent rating on civil liberties issues from Open Doors USA, an F from the National Education Association, no backing from Citizens for Global Solutions based on his foreign aid and everything from 0 to 33 percent ratings on various health issues.
When Toomey ran against Joe Sestak for the Senate in ’10, he bristled when his opponent labeled him beholden to Wall Street. Toomey likes to portray himself as a staunch defender of the middle class, although one would be hard pressed to find where he votes that way.
What makes Toomey so different from some of the more boisterous Tea Party members of Congress is his veneer of respectability. You won’t hear established Republicans like John McCain calling Toomey a “wacko.” Yet in many ways, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Toomey and the loony-tune right. When Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took the Senate floor to filibuster the nomination of John Brennan as the director of the CIA, Toomey was one of the few Republican senators to support him on the floor. It was not really aimed at Brennan, whom Paul knew would be nominated as soon as his filibuster ended. The real target was the possible domestic use of drones, something most Republicans as well as Democrats felt was the wrong debate on the use of drones. Toomey, as he always seems to do, managed to side with the most extreme element of his party, while maintaining a façade of being part of the political establishment.
Toomey has three years remaining in his term. At this point, he does not seem in any danger of not being reelected.
He is the clean-cut guy, who appears the very symbol of the Republican establishment. In reality, Toomey is an extremist. When it comes to helping the poor and middle class, Toomey is Senator No.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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