Redstate: Beat Todd Platts

Redstate's Erick Erickson writes why it is necessary to make the "obscure" Todd Platts even more obscure by sending a true conservative to replace him.

He is pathetic on education issues and school choice reforms in particular. He voted in favor of No Child Left Behind, and earlier this year, was one of only 4 Republicans to oppose reinstating opportunity scholarships for poor children in D.C.

He is a restrictor of free speech. He supported McCain-Feingold campaign finance “reform,” along with 527 reform a few years later. He even opposed a bipartisan bill to ensure that campaign finance laws would not apply to bloggers.

He is a defender of seemingly every liberal spending program, including: the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Amtrak, Headstart, Americorps, the National School Lunch Program, the Legal Services Corporation, etc. He is serial reauthorizer of farm subsidies, highway subsidies, and energy subsidies.

He is profoundly unserious about cutting spending. He voted to earmark funds for Kentucky’s tourism industry, the DC metro system, a National Mule and Packers Museum, researching the genetic makeup of grapes, the Bronx Council of Arts, etc. He consistently votes against the conservative budgets offered by the Republican Study Committee (with one exception, which must have been a mistake). He opposed comprehensive reforms to the budget and spending process designed to limit government rather than expand it, probably because they were opposed vigorously by the appropriators.

He voted for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and the expansion of SCHIP, and voted to block the Bush Administration from controlling Medicaid spending. And in this age where every Republican tries to outdo each other on repeal of Obamacare, he voted to expand one of its grant programs earlier this year.

It goes on (because with Todd Platt's lousy voting record, it can), but you get the picture.

More Exposing of Todd Platts

Great new blog from libertarian challenger to Todd Platts exposing more of his liberal voting record.

Todd Platts Taxpayer Funded Newsletter

I received Todd Platts' full color newsletter, which, as the dislaimer notes, "was prepared, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense."

Platts' Republican challenger, Mike Smeltzer rightly attacked Platts for using taxpayer funds for what is clearly a political mailing.  Smeltzer notes the number of "townhall meetings" Platts is having in the coming weeks, and remarks that Platts had no such meeting with consituents during the heat of the health care debates, when other members were meeting with constituents, but only now, in the midst of a tough reelection, is he reaching out to constituents/voters.

I don't think Smeltzer went far enough in his criticism.

1) Newsletters are ostensibly to inform constituents of information they need. Platts' newsletter has 6 pictures – Platts appearing with troops, Platts appearing with veterans, Platts giving an award to a retiring cop, Platts with high school students, and Platts at groundbreaking ceremony. Is this information I need, or just campaign propaganda?

2) The newsletter features an article defending Congress's pay and benefits. Again, is there any relevant information for citizens in there? No, just an article that could be titled “Todd Platts is not such a greedy bastard.”

3) Finally, and most importantly, Platts ideas for a jobs stimulus reads thus: “tax relief for small businesses and families, funding for necessary transportation infrastructure projects, and extended unemployment and COBRA health benefits.” NO NO NO!!! Enough with the spending, and stop SUBSIDIZING UNEMPLOYMENT!

Todd Platts gets a C+ on NTU Rating

NTU - the National Taxpayers' Union - released their report card for the 2009 session.  Todd Platts got a C+ for voting for the taxpayers 60% of the time (it is graded on a curve apparently).  Platts ranked 166th - which means there are 165 members of Congress more fiscally conservative that Platts. 

How's Mike Smeltzer sounding now?

Election Year Again - Will Platts Take Phony Anti-Earmark Stand?

Jim Demint is launching a renewed effort to end earmarks, calling for members of Congress to support an earmark moratorium.

Expect Todd Platts to sign on, after all, it is an election year, and he supported such a ban on earmarks in 2008 noting how corrupting the process is. Of course, in 2009, he flip-flopped and then got $132 million in earmarks from taxpayers.

Todd Platts' 10 Worst Votes

Here are Todd Platts' 10 worst votes on spending, taxes, and fiscal policy:

1. For the multi-trillion dollar expansion of Medicare
   
2. To increase federal cigarette tax
3. For federal taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research
4. To increase the federal minimum wage
5. For "Cash for Clunkers"
6. For the pork-filled farm bill (overriding the president's veto)
7. For the 2005 Transportation bill ("Bridge to Nowhere" bill)
8. For the 2008 "economic stimulus"
9. For "No Child Left Behind"
10. For tax breaks for "alternative energy"

Platts Gets an Opponent

PoliticsPA is reporting that Todd Platts will have a primary challenger in the person of York businessman Mike Smeltzer. By the look, Smeltzer seems to be a true fiscal conservative.

If he needs any help, here are some links to Todd Platts (very liberal) voting record:

• Platts Voting Record on Fiscal Policy
• Platts Ratings by Issue Groups
  
• Platts on the Issues
  
• Platts' Recent Votes on Budget, Spending, and Taxes
  

Platts Prime PA Porker

Lowman Henry on how Todd Platts secured $132 million in earmarks, making him one of Pennsylvania's leading porkers.

Note that one year ago, Platts pledged not to take earmarks because "the system has been abused." Platts was running for re-election at that time.

Platts says "hook me up with earmarks"

Todd Platts has fallen off the earmark wagon, the Club for Growth notes, reversing his election year grandstanding previous pledge to reject earmarks until the process was reformed (it hasn't been). Now that pork seems to be back in fashion, Platts says "I'm gonna get me some". The York Dispatch broke the story.

Platts votes with Dems on SCHIP

Todd Platts voted with Democrats for SCHIP expansion - a bill which will raise taxes on the poor, create another unfunded quasi-entitlement, and crowd out private insurance.

Platts reveals liberal tendencies in USAVoter Survey

In a survey for USAVoter, Todd Platts reveals he supports embryonic stem cell research, supports adding "sexual orientation" to anti-discrimination and hate crime laws, opposes allowing workers to invest their Social Security contributions, and is undecided whether every American should be enrolled in government-run health care.

Todd Platts doesn't know if he likes socialism or not.

Platts wants more government spending "to help economy"

Taking a page from FDR, Todd Platts calls for a second stimulus to improve the economy, by having Washington politicians spend more money from taxpayers

Platts Does Good

Platts votes against the horrendous mortgage/Fannie Mae bailout. I credit this blog.

ACU Gives Platt's Poor Rating

The American Conservative Union gives Platts a 64 for his votes in 2007, even below his mediocre lifetime rating of 76.6.

Bad votes:

• For Minimum Wage Increase
• For federal funding of stem cell research
• Against cutting wasteful Amtrak routes
• To give DC a Congressional seat
• For additional penalties for "hate crimes" against racial, ethnic, sexual orientation
• For energy subsidies, more federal regulation of energy companies, and ban on incandescent light bulbs
  
• For new federal welfare program for "affordable housing"
• For health care and Medicare (SCHIP) expansion
  
• For new energy standards, subsidies and mandates for alternative fuels, and more federal energy regulations.

Platt's Record for Big Labor

The Alliance for Worker Freedom gives Platts a 63.64% rating, meaning he votes with big labor/against worker freedom more than one-third of the time.

ATR gives Platts poor review

Todd Platts gets a 60% rating from American's for Tax Reform - an index which most Republicans aced.

Platts votes to override President's veto of farm bill

Today Todd Platts voted to override President Bush's veto of the pork laden, Manhattan millionaire subsidizing, special interest driven farm bill.From PolicyBlog:

How Bad is the Farm Bill In light of today's front page commentary on the federal Farm Bill Fiasco, here are some more links describing how awful this legislation is.

• Citizen's Against Government Waste discusses the earmarks included in the bill, and offers a full list of official earmarks.
• Cato-at-Liberty notes some last minute earmarks added to the bill.
• Club for Growth on the potential cost of the bill (exceeding $300 billion over five years)
• Coyote Blog focuses on a program that will offer federally funded tax-credit bonds - for exactly one company, the Plum Creek Timber Company, the single largest private landowner in the United States
• FreedomWorks provides a map of where agriculture subsidies go - in lower Manhattan.
• NTU on the use of the farm bill in the Presidential Campaign
• And an IBD Editorial focuses on how the farm bill will not reduce food prices, and how most of the agricultural subsidies go to millionaires.
  

Club for Growth on Platts

The Club for Growth:

• Gives Platts a 34% rating on their 2007 scorecard, ranking 187th in the House.
  


• Notes that Todd Platts voted for McCain-Feingold campaign finance law to restrict free speech


• Notes that Platts voted 14 out of 19 times for more pork in 2006.


• Notes that Platts voted 21 out of 50 times for more earmarks in 2007.
  

Platts gets C- on NTU ratings, continues downward trend

Todd Platts earn a C- on the National Taxpayers Union's annual ratings, voting to protect taxpayers a mere 42% of the time.

Platts is getting worse every year.

Platts votes for higher taxes, welfare expansion

Todd Platts voted again today to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion, which would provide welfare for middle class families while raising cigarette taxes (mostly on the poor).