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Toomey says Mass. race means a health care do-over (Updated)

Republican Senate  candidate Pat Toomey said late Tuesday night that the GOP victory in Massachusetts’ special election means it’s time for Democrats to shelve their health care reform plans and start over.

“Everyone can agree that we need real health care reform in this country,” Toomey said in a statemement shortly after news organizations had called the election for Republican Scott Brown. “But it is clear that Americans all across the country are rejecting the Democrats’ sweetheart deals, tax hikes, and massive spending. It is time to start over and begin the process of working on bipartisan, commonsense health care reform that brings real competition to the health insurance market and lowers the cost of care.”

The GOP capture of the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat has imperiled the Democrats’ health care reform push by depriving them of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

“I urge the Democrats to put aside their partisan determination to ram a $1 trillion bill through Congress that a majority of Americans oppose,” Toomey added.  “Now, is the time to implement reforms that will truly help people afford health care, without breaking the bank in Washington.”

Meanwhile, Senator Arlen Specter called for bipartisanship in the wake of the election, while his primary opponent, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) sought to turn the focus, as usual, to Specter.

“The Massachusetts election shows Washington must change its ways,” Specter said Wednesday. “Now that there 59 Democrats in the Senate, it will be indispensable for at least some bipartisanship to deal with the serious problems confronting America: creating jobs; reducing the deficit; reining in Wall Street; and stopping abusive insurance company practices like denying coverage on technicalities.”

Said Sestak: “One year after President Obama’s historic election, we have lost the seat of Senator Ted Kennedy and have seriously jeopardized his life’s work of seeing that all Americans have access to health care. Back-room political dealing in the Senate delayed this bill, weakened this bill, and tarnished it in the eyes of the American people. The message to Democrats is clear. People have had enough of establishment politics on both sides, such as Senator Specter’s party switch after 30 years as a Republican in order to save his job. The people are looking for a new generation of accountable leadership. We must do what we were elected to do: get rid of the old politics of Washington and the Senate and get to work for America’s working families.”

January 20, 2010 at 10:00 am

--pa2010.com Staff

Tags: Pat Toomey

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