TEA PARTY TOM SMITH: WRONG FOR PENNSYLVANIA

Tea Party Guy
Tom Smith is one of Pennsylvania's leading Tea Partiers. He is a self-proclaimed "Tea Party guy" who founded an "ultra-conservative" Tea Party organization. On the campaign trail, Smith has embraced all of the Tea Party's extreme policies - from ending Medicare as we know it to privatizing Social Security - and he even said he'd go to Washington to help the Tea Party caucus.


The Origins Of Tom Smith's Tea Party Group

The Indiana-Gazette: "The organization was established Jan. 1, 2009, and now boasts 486 dues-paying members. Most of all, he says, the Patriots want people to go to the polls Tuesday and cast an educated vote. Question: How did you get involved in Indiana/Armstrong Patriots — were you a founder or did you become chairman later? Answer: I got started originally when … I saw in your paper they were having a rally that was one of the first ones. And I came to that. For many years, I felt there was something wrong, something wasn’t right, I knew it and I felt it, and with my kids and grandkids, I felt obligated to find out. A lot of the problems I perceive us having were done on my watch, so to speak. About a week later I got an e-mail about another meeting. And there were 12 of us. And that’s when it finally got started but the original group was not organized. So last January, that core group … formed a corporation. That’s when it became the Indiana/Armstrong Patriots. And, yes, I was in on that group from day one. And we’ve gone from there. [Indiana Gazette, 11/1/10]

Tom Smith: I'm In The Mold Of Tea Party Caucus Founders Rand Paul And Mike Lee; Would Like To Be One Of Mike Lee's "Reinforcements"

When asked during an interview if he had "Tea Party kind of backing" and was in "the mold of Marco Rubio in Florida and Senator Lee in Utah and Senator Rand Paul in Kentucky," Smith said, "That would be a good way to sum that up." Smith also said during an interview, “The first thing that I am going to do is to go down to Washington and give reinforcements to some of the great people we have down there. I've met most of them. There's a lot of good people down there. We get that Senate back in our hands, we get that presidency back in our hands, and we get this country turned around, back on the right track. So, as much as anything, I want to go down there and reinforce people like Pat Toomey. And there's many other ones down there. Lee of Utah. We can do this. It needs done. And it will be done." [The Larry O'Connor Show, 5/1/12; Moe Lane Interview, 5/16/12]

Kittanning Leader-Times: Tom Smith’s Group Is “Ultra-Conservative”

According to the Kittanning Leader-Times, Tom Smith “has openly made significant financial contributions to conservative candidates for decades, and he became chairman of the Indiana Armstrong Patriots -- an ultra-conservative Tea Party organization -- in 2009." [Kittanning Leader-Times, 12/12/11]

Independence Hall Tea Party

The influential Independence Hall Tea Party, which had previously endorsed Smith in the primary, quickly boasted about his primary victory. A press release stated, "The Tom Smith victory shows that the Tea Party is alive and well. Tom was a co-founder of the Indiana Armstrong Patriots in Western PA. It was only natural that we would endorse him.” [Independence Hall Tea Party Press Release, 4/25/12]

Tom Smith Founded And Led A Large Tea Party Group; Boasted That He Was A "Tea Party Guy"

Tom Smith, in 2009, founded the Indiana-Armstrong Patriots, a Tea Party group in Western Pennsylvania. When asked if he was a “Tea Party guy,” Smith replied, “I am a conservative and a Tea Party guy. I and Armstrong and Indiana County, we have a group called Indiana Armstrong Patriots, which I helped found and was Chairman just up 'til [late 2011].” Smith later stated the group had nearly 600 members. [KYW, Newsmakers, 2/5/12]

Tom Smith: Proud Of His Patriots Group

“I started a Patriots group myself in Indiana and Armstrong County, I was part of the people that got us started, and they sent their best wishes to you. There’s 580 dues-paying members we have there in Indiana and Armstrong County, and trust me, they’re fighting the same fights you’re fighting.” [Valley Forge Patriots Senate Candidate Forum, 02/03/12]

Nation’s Largest Tea Party Group Endorsed Tom Smith; Was Smith’s First Appearance As Republican Nominee

Tom Smith’s first appearance was at a rally to accept the endorsement of the Tea Party Express. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “A national Tea Party group Friday kicked off a 20-city bus tour in Cranberry, where it endorsed Republican Tom Smith's U.S. Senate bid...About 200 people attended the rally at North Boundary Park organized by Tea Party Express, which describes itself as the conservative movement's largest political action committee.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/28/12]

Unfair Trade
Pennsylvania has lost more than 100,000 jobs because of unfair trade, and Tom Smith's support for unfair trade agreements will send more Pennsylvania jobs overseas. At a time when we need to fight to create jobs in Pennsylvania, Smith embraces a Tea Party agenda that will send jobs overseas and hurt the middle-class.


Tom Smith Supports Unfair Trade Deals That Send Pennsylvania Jobs Overseas

Tom Smith, at a candidate forum, was asked whether he would have voted for NAFTA-style trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia, and Panama if he had been in the Senate. He said that he would have voted for those agreements. According to the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, Pennsylvania has lost 26,300 jobs due to NAFTA. [Tom Smith, Doylestown Candidate Forum, 1/19/12; Economic Policy Institute, 10/12/11]

Tom Smith: Americans Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of Unfair Trade Deals

Tom Smith, at a candidate forum, stated, “Does anybody in this room think the American people are afraid of a good competition?” [Tom Smith, Doylestown Candidate Forum, 1/19/12]

Tom Smith Told Tea Party Group That He Would Support Unfair Trade Deals

Tom Smith indicated on a Pittsburgh 9/12 Project questionnaire that he “supports” unfair trade. [Pittsburgh 9.12 Project’s 2012 PA U.S. Senate Voter’s Guide]

Tom Smith Opposes Legislation To Stop China’s Cheating Saying The “Legislation Is Not Right For Pennsylvania”

Tom Smith opposes The Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011 "which provided identification of misaligned foreign currency. In addition, the bill gave the administration new authority to make ‘corrective actions’ in the case of undervalued currency. The bill received bipartisan support in the Senate, passing 63 to 35.” According to the Associated Press, the legislation would “confront China over its practice of keeping its exports cheap by undervaluing the Chinese currency. The bill is intended to impose enough trade penalties against China so Beijing will keep the yuan below market values.” Smith’s campaign said: “This legislation is not right for Pennsylvania, or America as a whole.” [PoliticsPA, 6/5/12; Associated Press, 10/6/11]

Pennsylvania Has Lost More Than 100,000 Jobs Due To Unfair China Trade

According to the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, Pennsylvania has lost 106,970 jobs due to unfair trade with China between 2001 and 2010. [Economic Policy Institute, 9/20/11]

Medicare & Social Security
Pennsylvania seniors rely on Medicare to make ends meet, but Tom Smith supports a Tea Party scheme to end Medicare as we know it, which will increase costs for seniors by thousands of dollars each year.

Tom Smith Said Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Was A "Good Plan."

Tom Smith Said Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Was A "Good Plan." Tom Smith, at a candidate forum, stated that Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget was a "good plan." [Manufacturer and Business Association Senate Candidate Forum, Erie, 3/28/12]

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Cuts Social Security Benefits By 40%.

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Cuts Social Security Benefits By 40%. According to the The Washington Post's Dana Milbank Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget would "cut the average Social Security recipient's benefits by nearly 40 percent." [The Washington Post, 5/16/12]

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Was "Quite A Nasty Piece Of Work."

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Was "Quite A Nasty Piece Of Work." The Washington Post's Dana Milbank wrote that Rand Paul's Tea Party budget was "all in all, quite a nasty piece of work." [The Washington Post, 5/16/12]

Tom Smith's Plan Would Privatize Social Security

According to Tom Smith's plan, he would privatize Social Security. The plan would "allow younger workers to invest a portion of their Social Security contributions into a personal investment account of their choice. The participants would assume the risk of investment performance and any funds remaining upon death would flow to their estate." [Tom Smith's Plan, http://restore.tomsmithforsenate.com/]

Tom Smith Supports Ending Medicare As We Know It

Tom Smith was asked at a candidate forum if he supported Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare as we know it. Smith praised both the Paul Ryan and Rand Paul radical budget plans. He stated that there are a "lot of good plans out there" and specifically mentioned the Ryan and Paul plans. He said, "There's a lot of great plans out there. Not great maybe, but they have great parts. The Ryan Plan. The Paul Plan, the Senate has a plan out there that is proposing. The Heritage Foundation; they have plans. There's a lot of good plans out there." The New York Times editorialized that the Ryan Plan is a budget where "older Americans no longer have a guarantee that Medicare will pay for their health needs." [Manufacturer and Business Association Senate Candidate Forum, 3/28/12; New York Times, 3/20/12]

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Ends Medicare In Two Years.

Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Ends Medicare In Two Years. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank wrote that Rand Paul's Tea Party budget would "end the current Medicare program in two years - even for current recipients, according to the Senate Budget Committee staff." [The Washington Post, 5/16/12]

Washington Post Columnist: Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Is "Monstrous."

Washington Post Columnist: Rand Paul's Tea Party Budget Is "Monstrous." According to the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, Rand Paul 's Tea Party Budget is "monstrous proposal." [The Washington Post, 5/16/12]

Tom Smith's Plan Echoes Paul Ryan's Plan To End Medicare As We Know It

Tom Smith's Plan Echoes Paul Ryan's Plan To End Medicare As We Know It. According to the Citizen's Voice, Smith has simply echoed the Tea Party policy platform. "Smith, echoing Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's drastic budget proposals, said he would support major reforms to the nation's social welfare programs for future generations, including privatizing Medicare and Social Security and gradually raising the age for eligibility." [Wilkes-Barre Citizen's Voice, 9/6/12]

Tom Smith's Plan Would Raise The Retirement Age For Social Security Recipients

According to Tom Smith's plan, he would raise the retirement age for Social Security recipients. The plan would " The retirement age for full benefit eligibility should be increased slightly in a gradual fashion over the next several years." [Tom Smith's Plan,http://restore.tomsmithforsenate.com/]

Tom Smith Would Allow Individuals To Opt-Out Of Medicare

Tom Smith was asked at a candidate forum in January 2012, “Would you vote to reform Medicare by allowing individuals to opt out of Medicare?” He responded, “Yes.” [Tom Smith, Murrysville Candidate Forum, 01/20/12]

Taxes
Tom Smith supports a Tea Party flat tax scheme that benefits the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. The Associated Press even noted that Smith's "advocacy of a flat national income tax would put him to the right of Romney" and Congressional Republicans and far out of the mainstream.


Tom Smith Supports A Flat Tax Which Strongly Benefits The Wealthy

Tom Smith has consistently supported a flat tax. In February 2012, he said "the existing tax system needed to be overhauled, and a flat tax put in place." He has also said, "I would be in a favor of a flat tax," "I'm a firm believer in a flat tax," and "We need to get to that simplified flat tax." According to the New York Times, “A major result of adopting a flat tax would generally make the tax system more regressive, thereby reducing the percentage for high-income earners but increasing burden on lower-income groups.” [The Times Herald, 02/04/12; Murrysville Candidate Forum, 1/20/12; Doylestown Candidate Forum, 1/19/12; PAGOP Forum, 1/27/12; New York Times, 10/19/11]

Tom Smith Signed Grover Norquist’s Pledge

Tom Smith signed Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The Patriot-News editorialized, “it is a mistake to sign a pledge that makes things black and white in a world where things are rarely that defined,” and the Washington Post editorialized, pledges like Norquist’s “have impeded rational budget discussions." Grover Noquist himself “doesn't apologize for helping to create a climate of gridlock and hyper-partisanship.” [Patriot-News, 2/15/12; Washington Post, 11/13/11; The Capital, 5/13/12]

Tom Smith Supports Eliminating Capital Gains Taxes; Majority Of Benefits Go To Highest-Income Taxpayers

Tom Smith, in April 2012, said, “I would support eliminating the capital gains tax.” According to the Tax Policy Center, “Capital gains are profits from the sale of a capital asset, such as shares of corporate stock, a business, a parcel of land, or a piece of art. Capital gains are generally included in taxable income but are often taxed at a lower rate.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "because capital gains are so highly concentrated at the top of the income scale, the preferential rates for capital gains are highly regressive: they raise after-tax incomes by much more among very high-income taxpayers than among low- and moderate-income taxpayers.” As the Philadelphia Daily News noted, “because so much of the staggering wealth comes from capital gains, which are taxed at a lower rate than salaries, the tax rate on the rich has plummeted.” [Capitolwire, 4/20/12; Tax Policy Center; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/2/12; Philadelphia Daily News, 1/25/12]

Endorsements
Throughout his campaign, Tom Smith has been embraced by the Tea Party. He has received the endorsements of national Tea Party organizations and national Tea Party leaders. One national Tea Party group even made him one of their five chosen candidates to receive a national fundraising solicitation. The Tea Party is embracing Tom Smith because Smith has embraced all of the Tea Party's extreme policies - from ending Medicare as we know it to privatizing Social Security - and he even said he'd go to Washington to help the Tea Party caucus.


Independence Hall Tea Party

Independence Hall Tea Party: “Tom Smith Victory Shows That The Tea Party Is Alive And Well.” The influential Independence Hall Tea Party, which had previously endorsed Smith in the primary, quickly boasted about his primary victory. A press release stated, "The Tom Smith victory shows that the Tea Party is alive and well. Tom was a co-founder of the Indiana Armstrong Patriots in Western PA. It was only natural that we would endorse him.” [Independence Hall Tea Party Press Release, 4/25/12]

Tea Party Express

Tom Smith’s first appearance was at a rally to accept the endorsement of the Tea Party Express. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “A national Tea Party group Friday kicked off a 20-city bus tour in Cranberry, where it endorsed Republican Tom Smith's U.S. Senate bid...About 200 people attended the rally at North Boundary Park organized by Tea Party Express, which describes itself as the conservative movement's largest political action committee.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/28/12]

Dick Armey

Dick Armey Is Seen As De Facto National Leader Of Tea Party Movement. According to Reuters, “While there's no national Tea Party leader, Armey is seen by some as a de facto one. As chairman of the conservative group FreedomWorks, he's helped recruit and train activists and co-authored the book Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto.” [Reuters, 11/3/10]

Steve Forbes

Steve Forbes Is The “Flat Tax Godfather;” Called Paul Ryan’s Plan To End Medicare As We Know It “Most Exciting Development In Years.” Steve Forbes, a board member of the Tea Party group FreedomWorks, has been described as the “flat tax godfather” a long-time supporter of a Tea Party flat tax scheme that benefits the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. Forbes has also strongly praised Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare as we know it. Forbes called Ryan’s plan the “most exciting development in years. He praised the House Budget Committee chairman for his ideas on privatizing Medicare.” [ABC News, 12/25/11; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 4/8/11]

Senate Conservative Fund

Senator Jim Demint's Senate Conservative Fund Endorsed Tom Smith. According to the Fox News, "Senator Tea Party, as Jim DeMint is sometimes known, is a moniker the first-term senator began wearing before the Tea Party became a household name. It's also a description that has pushed the South Carolina Republican out of the shadows and into the forefront of electoral politics. 'I'm proud to be called Senator Tea Party,' said Demint." [Fox News, 11/9/10]

FreedomWorks

FreedomWorks “Has Done More Than Any Other Organization To Build The Tea Party Movement.” FreedomWorks has spent over $200,000 to support Tom Smith. According to PoliticsPA, "In an effort to support Republican Senate candidate Tom Smith, a Tea Party super PAC has put $150,000 into voter identification phone calls....The group has already spent over $60,000 on other efforts to boost Smith, including campaign literature and online ads." In August 2010, the New York Times reported on FreedomWorks’ series of GOTV Tea Party boot camp sessions. The article read, “This is a three-day 'boot camp' at FreedomWorks, the Washington advocacy group that has done more than any other organization to build the Tea Party movement. For 18 months, the group's young staff has been conducting training sessions like this one across the country, in hotel conference rooms or basements of bars, shaping the inchoate anger of the Tea Party with its libertarian ideology and leftist organizing tactics.” [PoliticsPA, 9/25/12; New York Times, 8/26/10]

Citizens United

Citizens United is the organization involved in the Supreme Court’s ruling that  “opened the door to wealthy individuals and companies being allowed to legally donate unlimited sums of money to ‘super PACS.’"  Citizens United endorsed Smith in the primary and at a candidate forum, Smith said, “we’ve worked with [Citizen’s United], I have personally, for a number of years and they’re a good group." [PoliticsPA, 8/17/12; Tom Smith for Senate Press Release; Los Angeles Times, 5/3/12; U.S Republican Senate Candidate Murrysville Forum, 3/15/12]

What They Are Saying
Independent organizations have confirmed that Tom Smith is an “ultra-conservative” Tea Party leader who is far to the right of mainstream Republicans. They have pointed out that all of his policies line up with the Tea Party agenda.


Associated Press: Tom Smith’s “Advocacy Of A Flat National Income Tax Would Put Him To The Right Of Romney”

According to the Associated Press, Tom “Smith helped start a tea party group, and is endorsed by various conservative organizations that are aligned with the tea party movement. His advocacy of a flat national income tax would put him to the right of Romney.” [Associated Press, 7/19/12]

Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: Tom Smith “Doesn't Seem As Open To Closing The Party Divide In Congress”

According to a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial, Tom “Smith doesn't seem as open to closing the party divide in Congress, which is essential to curing government of its paralysis.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/8/12]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial: All Tom Smith’s “Positions Are Right In Line With” The Tea Party Constituency

According to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial, Tom Smith “is the founder of a regional tea party group and all his positions are right in line with that constituency.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/17/12]

Misc.



Tom Smith Contributed To Swift Boat Group; Bragged He’s “Been Fighting That Way For Years.”

Tom Smith, in an interview with CBS Philly said, "When John Kerry ran against George Bush in 2004 and the Swift Boats for Truth video come out, well if you look it up in the record you'll find the people who donated to do that, you'll find the name Tom Smith there because we've been fighting that way for years." Smith contributed to a group that the Washington Post reported, “spent more than $10 million trying to discredit Kerry's war record.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorialized that the Swift Boat attacks “reached a new low” and were an “ugly development in the politics of annihilation.” [CBS Philly, Newsmakers, 2/5/12; Internal Revenue Service Records; Washington Post, 10/14/04; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/13/04; 4/24/04] Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/QcPwRz3a8fQ

Tom Smith On Global Warming: “I’m Not A Big Believer In That”

Tom Smith, in March 2012, when asked about global warming Smith said, “Well it’s far from being proven, I’ll say that,” and that “Man-made global warming? I’m not a big believer in that.” [Venango County Tea Party Patriots Interview, March 2012]

Tom Smith Praised Speaker Who Compared President Obama To Adolf Hitler

According to the Huffington Post, “The Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania praised a local Tea Party member who had just compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler during a rally over the weekend. Tom Smith during remarks at the Blair County Tea Party FreedomFest 2012 in Hollidaysburg said the speaker before him had spoken ‘eloquently.’ The preceding speaker, Phil Waite, had just compared Obama's policies with those employed by Hitler in the 1920s and 1930s, and warned that Obama could try to do the same thing to the United States.” [Huffington Post, 7/2/12]

Tom Smith Thinks Global Warming Is A “Scam” And The “The Biggest Hoax The American People Have Had Rammed Down Their Throats” In His Lifetime

Tom Smith, in a August 2009 Indiana Gazette op-ed, wrote, “I believe global warming is the biggest hoax the American people have had rammed down their throats in my lifetime. It is a testament to the arrogance and stupidity of man to believe that he can improve, control or affect God’s creation.” Smith went on to call global warming a “scam.” [Indiana Gazette, 8/23/09]

Tom Smith Said He Would Eliminate The Department Of Education.

Tom Smith was asked at a candidate forum in January 2012, "would you vote to eliminate the federal Department of Education?" He responded, "yes." Smith has also said, "I see no earthly good from the Department of Education."[Murrysville Candidate, 1/20/12; Daily American, 3/12/12]