Congressman Toomey: ‘Bagman’ for ‘Club for Greed’

By SESTAK FOR SENATE

MEDIA, Pa. – Congressman Pat Toomey proves once again how close he is to Wall Street as he continues to take campaign donations from the Club for Growth, a Washington special interest group that represents Wall Street corporations and argues for tax breaks for the wealthiest at the expense of the middle class.

As the former president of the Club for Growth who has taken nearly $5 million throughout his career from the organization, of course Congressman Toomey fights on the side of this Washington/Wall Street special interest group that:

Opposed raising the minimum wage
Campaigns for the same market deregulation that led to the current economic crisis
Pushes for a ‘flat tax’ that would adversely impact the middle class in favor of hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax cuts for the ultra-rich
Opposed strengthening consumer protections against abusive credit card company practices
Opposed funding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
Opposed steps to halt price gouging of gasoline during times of emergency
The group’s consistent campaign against American families has earned the consternation of both Democrats and Republicans, some of whom have gone so far as to attack it for its unilateral allegiance to corporate special interests.

Here are just a few things Republicans have said about the group:

Mike Huckabee called them “the Club for Greed” [Fox News Sunday, 8/28/07]
John McCain’s office has called the club a ‘bagman for the ultra rich’” [Washington Post, 1/17/03]
Karl Rove called the Club for Growth’s ads “stupid” and “counterproductive” [New York Times, 8/10/03]
Republican Rep. Steven LaTourette said of the Club, “They are disgusting” [Roll Call, 4/30/09]
Republican Senator Robert Bennett said “all they want is some kind of national publicity” [Bennett Ad]
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and George Voinovich blamed the Club for Growth for imposing a right-wing litmus test on the Republican Party [Politico, 4/30/09]
“While Democrats and Republicans may disagree on many things, one thing they appear to agree on is that the Club for Growth and its former president, Congressman Toomey, are completely out of touch with the needs of working families,” said Sestak spokesman Jonathon Dworkin. “Pennsylvanians everywhere are still reeling from the effects of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, yet Toomey and his Club for Greed continue to push for the same disastrous policies that favor the elite and led us into recession in the first place.”

Despite Pennsylvanians’ demand for accountable leadership from someone who will look out for their interests, Toomey continues to profit from those who benefit from his campaign against working families. See the below table released this week by the DSCC:

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