Toomey says he opposed GOP spending under Bush

[ProSense]

Toomey says he opposed GOP spending under Bush

By MARC LEVY

Pennsylvania's Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Pat Toomey acknowledged Monday that Republicans spent too much money under former President George W. Bush and said giving students a taxpayer-paid path to private schools would improve public schools.

The subject of spending under Bush came up when interviewer Ted Koppel told Toomey that spending rose disproportionately more during the Republican president's eight years than it did during the eight years under Bill Clinton, the Democrat who preceded Bush.

Toomey, who represented the Lehigh Valley as a U.S. Representative from 1999 to 2005, said he tried to stand up against such spending when he was in Congress.

"I consistently opposed my own party when I thought they were spending too much money, which I thought they were doing routinely," Toomey responded. "And I opposed some of the big new initiatives that they launched, I opposed many of the appropriations bills which I thought were bloated. I put myself in an uncomfortable position with respect to leadership of my own party."

more

Next question: Do you support your party's "Pledge" to return to Bush's policies?

[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t