Toomey and Sestak Play Up Military Support

October 1, 2010

Thomas Fitzgerald

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20101001_Toomey_and_Sestak_play_up_military_support.html

Military Support: Toomey vs. Sestak

            Both Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey strive to get support from voters by increases their military support.  Will this  support by found appealing to voters? And what does such support entail from both senate candidates, Toomey and Sestak?

            Toomey gave one million military veterans center stage when he acknowledged a former secretary of the Navy. This started a door-to-door drive of veterans for Toomey’s opponent, Sestak. Sestak, himself, was a Navy man and achieved the rank of vice admiral.  While on the contrary, Toomey’s career background is centered around Wall Street.  One man who disagrees with Sestak is none other than, John F. Lehman, who was a member of 9/11 commission.  Lehman speaks negatively of Sestak because Sestak supports terrorist suspects receiving a trail in civilian court.  “Sestak also opposed the war in Iraq.”  Although Sestak pays tribute to Lehman for his service, it’s still not surprising that a person familiar to Wall Street would support Toomey because of his own Wall Street experience.

            Many surveys show Toomey with a lead, such as the survey held by Toomey at 45% and Sestak at 42%.  An extreme comparison, pictures Toomey on a flyer next to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Democrats say that Republicans refusal to accept their clean-energy legislation is why America is depended on oil from the Middle East.  Toomey also supports the expansion “of oil drilling and tax breaks for the industry.” A TV ad run by Toomey attacks Sestak for his radical position on issues like “voting for bail outs, debt, government health care and job-killing energy taxes.”  Toomey believes that the only reason Lehman would have supported him, if he were advocate of the military and veterans.

            Both candidates are trying to gain voters by being supportive of the military and veterans.  Although it seems as though, at least according to Fitzgerald's words, Toomey is the popular candidate, getting a good amount of support greater than Sestak.