In an email sent Friday to his supporters, Congressman Mark Critz went on the attack to point out the differences he sees between himself and his primary opponent, Congressman Jason Altmire. Altmire and Critz, due to the Great GOP Gerrymander of 2011, were drawn into the same district. Below is the full text of Critz’s email, with the donation links removed:
When the Republicans gerrymandered the Congressional districts in Pennsylvania and drew me and my colleague Jason Altmire together, many people assumed that we had similar records. While we do agree on many issues, there are major differences between Jason and myself in our approach to serving in Congress and working within the Democratic Party.While I don’t always vote with the Democratic leadership, I am a proud Democrat and I am not afraid to say it. Jason Altmire voted with the Republican leadership 53% of the time in 2011 and never misses an opportunity to go on Fox News to bash the Democratic Party. I have never been on Fox News and I never will. When I was standing up to the Tea Party and opposing the Republican Balanced Budget Amendment, Jason Altmire was working with the Republicans to round up votes to pass it. Seniors, education, labor, and veterans groups opposed the Republican Balanced Budget Amendment because passage would lead to massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, education, veterans’ benefits and other vital programs. The non-partisan Center for Policy and Budget Priorities said that the Amendment would kill 15 million jobs and double unemployment in these difficult times.When John Boehner and Eric Cantor were trying to dismantle the health care bill, Jason Altmire joined them and voted to defund the state exchange program. Without the exchange program, people with pre-existing conditions and without health insurance would be forced to go without coverage. I didn’t initially support the health care bill, but I believe that repealing or dismantling it would be devastating. We need to improve the bill, not kill it. We are making great progress in our race. We’ve picked up key endorsements – this week from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Fire Fighters, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23, the Utility Workers Union, and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1279. The momentum is on our side. We can win this April and again in November, but I can’t do it without your help. A contribution from you will help ensure that we have resources to build a strong grassroots campaign that puts us over the top. By helping me, you can help send a REAL Democrat back to Congress.Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Mark Critz PS. I have been endorsed by the following organizations: Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1279 |
Sounds persuasive to me, but I'm not in his district.
What does Altmire have to say for himself?
Both pols are in thrall to Big Coal and the shale gas industry, and it's okay with both that SW PA's badly polluted air is killing their constituents and increasing our health care costs. Mr. Critz, (like his mentor John Murtha) concentrates most of his attention on Johnstown and tosses crumbs to the rest of us. Since the Great Gerrymander was tossed out by the courts, as was the GOP's appeal of the ruling, we're still stuck with the mope. But he's at least marginally a Dem, of the traditional machine pollie variety. So we know what to expect.
I'm in the new district and I'll gladly be voting for Critz in the primary despite Altmire being my rep for the past few cycles.
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