close

Casey campaign swings through Fayette

By Amy Zalar 4 min read

The Bob Casey for U.S. Senate campaign bus swung through Fayette County Sunday, stopping along the way at Oliver No. 3, the Independence Day event at the Uniontown Mall and the New Salem Hog Roast. On the current leg of his New Direction tour, Casey is visiting seven counties in five days, with the bus making its last stop on Tuesday. After answering questions at the Valley Sportsmen Club ranging from immigration reform to hunter’s rights, Casey took time to meet and greet folks at the holiday celebration before pressing the flesh and making brief remarks at the New Salem Volunteer Fire Department Hog Roast.

Casey, 45, currently the state treasurer and formerly the state auditor general, frequently referenced the need for change, stressing that current Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum has a 98 percent record of voting with President George W. Bush’s administration.

Casey, a Democrat and oldest son of the late Gov. Robert P. Casey, also sought the Democratic nomination for governor and lost.

“This is a race that will tell us a lot about our country. This isn’t the usual Democrat versus Republican race, it is an unusual election year that comes every 10 to 20 or even 50 years,” Casey said. “It has noting to do with me and has everything to do with where we are in this country. We cannot stay on the road we’re on. I have great confidence the people of the state will take a new direction.”

Casey said Santorum’s record has included poor trade and fiscal policies and mentioned that 714,000 Pennsylvanian’s have lost health insurance under Santorum’s watch. Casey added that the state has “hemorrhaged jobs.” He said it is vital to get the deficit under control.

He pointed out that he strongly supports the right to bear arms, and said although hunting is largely a state issue, he would be willing to listen to the concerns of hunters.

At the Valley Sportsmen Club, Casey told the crowd the increasing costs of health care coverage and gasoline have to be addressed. He said there is a “terrible situation in Iraq” where we can’t withdraw immediately, but also need to have a plan to leave in the future.

“We have to lead our country down a new path,” he said. “There is a great history and heritage of hard work and sacrifice in this room, in this county and in this country.”

Casey stressed that workforce development should begin for children at the dawn of their lives. He supports hiring more teachers to reduce class sizes in the early grades and has pledged to fight for increased funding for public education, childcare and assistance to help parents send their children to college.

Addressing a recent advertisement by Santorum attacking Casey’s stand on immigration reform, Casey said it is worth noting that Santorum has been in Washington for 15 years, and he has been doing nothing about the issue in that time. Casey said since Santorum achieved a position of power in the Senate within the last six years, there has been an 87 percent increase in the number of illegal Mexican immigrants that have entered the United States.

Casey said Santorum voted seven times against border security and also voted against pushing employers to follow the current law. “I will hold him accountable for his record,” Casey said.

For his thoughts on the topic, Casey said a “key priority is border security.” He said another important issue is enforcing the current law, which includes auditing employers and fining them if they employ illegal immigrants.

Casey said since the early 1990s, audits and fines are way down. “I think the people of Pennsylvania want to see progress,” he said. Referencing Santorum’s 98 percent record of voting with Bush administration, Casey said the Senator “should show some independence.”

Casey said while campaigning, he recently came across a Philadelphia woman that he taught in inner city Philadelphia who is working with troubled kids. Although Casey said he knew he could not do that job, he said the woman replied, “Sometimes our burdens can become our blessings.”

For the next several months, Casey and his family- that includes his wife Terese, and their four daughters, ages 9, 12, 15 and 17- will be traveling together on the campaign trail. Casey said the girls have participated in campaign ads and want to travel. On the current leg, two female cousins are also along for the ride.

Casey said as one of eight children, during his late father’s five gubernatorial campaigns, the most his and his siblings did was spent some time catching fights to various stops, but nothing like the bus trip his daughters are taking. Robert P. Casey enjoyed tremendous political success in Fayette County.

The bus will be making seven more regional trips throughout the state before the November election.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today