Letter to the editor November 4
McGinty is more sensible choice
On The Chronicle’s Oct. 21 Opinion page are sharply contrasting views of who would be the better U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and friend to the Jewish community and Israel. Howard A. Cohen advocates for the re-election of Pat Toomey; Dan Frankel endorses Katie McGinty.
There are many black marks against our sitting senator. He joined dozens of his Republican colleagues in telling the leaders of Iran to pay no attention to any treaty negotiated by President Barack Obama, undermining him. He has refused to fulfill his constitutional responsibility to advise and consent when a Supreme Court candidate is nominated by the president. Toomey and his intransigent cohorts will not even grant a hearing to distinguished judge and Supreme Court Justice nominee Merrick Garland, deciding that a Democratic president is not entitled to govern for the duration of his term. Notwithstanding his bipartisan legislation to enact universal background checks for those seeking to secure lethal weapons, he voted against precluding those on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. How he has been endorsed by police organizations, I do not know. Toomey opposes same-sex marriage rights. He is rated at zero percent by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.
As noted by Frankel, Toomey has waffled on the issue of the elephant in the room, what his position is on Donald Trump, the vile bully and hater who has hijacked the Republican Party. Toomey is banking on being able to straddle the fence so as to retain the greatest level of support — some position for a man who would claim to be a person of character and decency to adopt. He must not be allowed to get away with it.
I have reservations about electing Katie McGinty, given her strong leftward bent, including the desire to enact a potentially disastrous $15-per-hour national minimum wage (Obama’s proposal is to boost the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour), but I will cast my vote for her, given her opponent who puts a pleasant face on the hyper-partisanship and dysfunction that characterize today’s Washington. McGinty is easily the more sensible choice for those who hold dear the tenets of our faith.
Oren Spiegler
Upper Saint Clair
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