Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Sestak Says Toomey no Friend of Middle Class

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By Timothy McNulty

Speaking from the mock courtroom at the Pitt Law School, Democrat Joe Sestak gave a closing argument of sorts on his U.S. Senate run, with repeated mentions of his military record and his economic differences with Republican Pat Toomey.

Mr. Sestak's message -- before a group of some 150 supporters -- was unabashedly targeted toward a blue-collar Democratic base.

"This decade, for the first time in many, working Pennsylvanians are struggling to do better -- and to leave their kids better off than they are today," he said.

"The middle class -- which used to be the source of our prosperity -- is shrinking. The pact between generations has been broken by those -- like my opponent -- who focused not on fair opportunities for all, but on enhanced opportunities for a few. This undermined our economic security and placed our future at risk."

The candidate said little new, and noted after the remarks that his talk was designed to bookend what he said when he entered the Senate race in August 2009. That meant a lot on his biography, including his 31-year Navy career, and shots at Republicans like Mr. Toomey, a former Wall Street trader, restaurant chain owner and Lehigh Valley congressman.

Mr. Toomey "thinks the solution to all our problems lies in the values of Wall Street, which place the interests of big banks and corporations over the needs of individual families, with a belief wealth might eventually trickle down to them, that is, to us," Mr. Sestak said. "And he just doesn't recognize the damage that that kind of thinking -- his philosophy -- did to our economy.

While Mr. Sestak has sought to paint Mr. Toomey as an extremist on economic issues, the Republican's campaign has regularly done the same with the Delaware County Democrat, criticizing what it calls extreme positions on health care reform, climate legislation and other matters.

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