Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania (D) has finally been spooked by his Republican challenger, Tom Smith.  These guys are total opposites.  One the one hand, you have Casey  who’s dad was a who’s who in Pennsylvania.  Casey used his father’s coattails to jumpstart a political career where he’d spend his life as a career politician.  On the other hand, we have Bob Tom Smith.  

Smith didn’t have coattails.  He worked on his father’s farm and put off college in order to help his dad on the farm.  Smith never did get the opportunity to go to college.  He went on to start as a coalminer and work his way up until he had raised enough money to start his own business.  Smith is a successful job creator and thus has something to offer Pennsylvania’s hardworking, but unemployed constituency. 

This is in stark contrast to Bob Casey.  As Politico put it, Casey holds “disdain” for the coal companies that provide his constituents with jobs and therefore is finally coming hard at Smith, who has cut Casey’s lead down to 6, by RCP average. 

Who is Tom Smith? 

To hear Bob Casey introduce him in his latest attack ads, Smith is a money-grubbing fat cat who’s “made a fortune running unsafe coal mines: 500 accidents and injuries, 2,000 violations, fire hazards and faulty equipment.  Now he’s running for Senate with plans that are dangerous for your family.” 

Yet, it is in fact Casey who has been dangerous to Pennsylvania families.  8.2% of Pennsylvanians are living off of unemployment from the taxpayer.  Even more are without jobs.  More than that, are underemployed.  Yet, Casey, aka: Mr. Moderate, voted through and through to stand with Barack Obama and Harry Reid to pass regressive social legislation rather than create jobs.

Not a single bill Casey has sponsored has made it into law – even during the Democrat super PAC.  Only five bills that he signed onto as a co-sponsor have made it into law. 

And what has Bob Casey done to create jobs?  Well, he passed the stimulus bill.  He voted for Obamacare.  He voted to entrench the banks as bigger and keep out smaller banks from the markets. 

In fact, Casey hasn’t really done anything to loosen up credit.  He hasn’t done anything to encourage employers to trust the government.  Casey is, like many democrats, the guy who was a moderate in the Pennsylvania legislature and soft on campaign rhetoric, but came to D.C. and was quickly whipped into shape by Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer.    

Who is Tom Smith? 

Smith is a high school graduate.  He is someone who worked as a miner for fifteen years but eventually went out on his own and started his own coal-mining businesses.  He is a millionaire who he is self-made.  He understands the energy markets.  Smith understands how successful a small business owner must be than in order to feel comfortable hiring new hands. He understands the tumult that new and future regs put on businesses looking to succeed.  This is

These guys – these democrats . . . . democrats just like Bob Casey, who campaign as everyday Americans looking out for our jobs, are encouraging stagflation.  The Obama/Reid/Casey team that talks of fiscal discipline while tripling the deficit is making the same mistake that FDR did.  They are attempting to spend our way out of a recession.  They are scaring business, frightening the rich and doing little to free up banking credit.

Bob Casey has helped to ignite a lost decade.  Casey came into office right before Obama.  He was part of the Senate majority that wasted a year passing new healthcare regulations for businesses rather than oiling the mechanisms of ingenuity.  He is part of the problem.  The Bush recession shouldn’t have gone on for 4+ years, but career pols like Reid, Obama and Casey honestly don’t know how to turn it around. 

Do you want to go back to work in Pennsylvania?  Then elect someone who understands how business works, how they hire and how a recovery happens.  With Casey, you have an empty suit who’s better at politicking than creating jobs.  You can do better.