The PA Senate Race Should be Based on Qualifications

Hopefully you’re not reading this just because it was written by a woman. That would insinuate that my original thoughts–which were to become this oped–mean very little next to the features which classify me as female, most of which are physical.

Those are actually the same standards by which misogynists may judge me.

The 2016 election season has been laced with similarly toxic thought. Most of it is coming straight from the horse’s mouth of gender equality.

Madeleine Albright began the tirade of liberal misogyny in February, when she suggested there was a “special place in hell” for female supporters of the Sanders campaign. A few days later in an interview with Bill Maher, Gloria Steinem took it a step further, accusing certain women of supporting Sanders in an effort to meet his male supporters. Even as a Republican woman, not a part of the group being lashed out at, I was astounded at the new lows to which the regressive left had sunk with this sort of rhetoric.

In recent weeks we have seen a shift in the poll numbers for the PA Senate race between Kathleen McGinty and Pat Toomey. With the help of millions in outside spending, the inexperienced Democrat has crept up on the public-interest focused incumbent, Republican Pat Toomey. I sincerely hope this isn’t a reflection of more identity, rather than policy-focused politics. I have seen it tossed around in the media that McGinty would be PA’s first female senator.

These new poll numbers also come despite the fact that McGinty’s campaign was also peppered with liberal misogyny. Her campaign chair, former governor Ed Rendell, sounded off back in May in regards to “ugly women voters” in PA. In a retort to Donald Trump, Rendell is quoted as saying, “There are probably more ugly women in America than attractive women.” Judging from The Philadelphia Daily News reports of his preference for “leggy blonds” he may actually be the one to consult if we were in fact running a beauty pageant, not a Senate election.

Considering the two candidates, aside from their biological sex markers, Toomey is a better choice for human beings (a term which hopefully underscores the inclusion of women). There are many reasons why I will vote for him as a middle class, professional living in the greater Philadelphia area. A majority of them applies to those with both genotype xx and x-y in case anyone was worried about wasting their time reading further.

McGinty has made a career out of centralized, bureaucratic environmental policy. Having never actually practiced law after receiving her JD from Columbia University, she served under numerous prominent Democratic administrations to head up environmental policy. In addition to having no real world experience, she has never held a publicly elected office prior to running for Senate in this election.

Toomey, on the other hand, holds a BA in Government from Harvard College, has years of private sector business experience and is also a past President of the Club for Growth. The Club for Growth’s commitments include cutting income taxes, a balanced budget amendment, and entitlement reform. As a younger person, with a whole life of paying taxes as well as my retirement ahead of me, all of these values make greater sense to me than layering on more debt and big government.

Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Toomey served as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional district from 1999 to 2005. He has built his experience in government from the ground up participating in each level as a stepping stone to the next. I know from my own career it is difficult to manage processes you do not understand or have never participated in yourself. This is why his very traditional political trajectory makes me feel more secure with him as one of my senators. If we as professionals have to climb a corporate ladder our leaders should also be required to participate in a certain order of stepping stones to success.

On the healthcare front, McGinty’s continued support of the Affordable Care Act  (ACA) seems to be more about party interests than public interests. Aetna announced it is the last of the five, major, national health insurers to project a loss on ACA plans for 2016. It will re-evaluate participation in the program and cancel a planned expansion. Toomey opposes the Affordable Care Act, and has supported multiple efforts to dismantle or repeal the failing and continually more costly initiative.

Regarding international policy, Toomey’s consistent opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal is a stance for global safety. McGinty has openly expressed her support for the deal and If we are to pull out any gender cards it might be to ask McGinty the following: How can you list “Standing up for Women’s Rights” as a priority on your website, while Iran was ranked 141 out of 145 globally on a Gender Gap Index produced by the World Economic Forum in 2015? McGinty promises to be nothing more than a rubber-stamp for a continuation of Obama and Hillary’s failed foreign policy, which has been catastrophic for women and religious minorities across the globe. It’s amazing to see her bill herself as the candidate of women and diversity with opinions that have enabled so many repressive regimes.

Similarly, on the home front, Toomey holds a consistent record on issues of safety, specifically the protection of women and children from violence and sexual predators. He’s worked to prevent schools from passing around known child molesters from one location to another, and also to restore billions of dollars to the Crime Victims Fund to help child advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers across the country. As someone interested in having a family one day, these policies will be a big concern as I move forward with my personal goals. Gosh forbid myself or someone I care for were ever a victim of domestic violence or rape, I would hope they could secure affordable surround care services.

In terms of my day-to-day safety, living right in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, I do not sleep better at night knowing that Mayor Kenney reinstated Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city. Toomey is opposed to this and has made public the fact that this policy has cost the city some federal funding of law enforcement. Katie McGinty has been mum, scared to offend her far-left base. Less police and more tax money from citizens to fund what already exists doesn’t sound like a fair deal; meanwhile the sanctuary city designation blocks the police from complying with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainee requests or from notifying federal officials when a prisoner who is undocumented is being released.

It’s my belief that fiscal responsibility, protecting our liberties as Americans and the welfare of our nation’s families should be the central themes around which we elect a representative to the US Senate. A focus on these issues, promotes an environment where the individual’s rights can thrive while we still create the greatest good for the greatest number. On each of these accounts there should be no question for whom we should be voting for to represent Philadelphia this November. Pat Toomey constitutes the best human being for the job.