Poll: Majority Of Pennsylvania Voters Are ‘Angry’ Or ‘Dissatisfied’ Over Background Check Vote

A Quinnipiac University poll finds a large majority of Pennsylvania voters supported the Manchin-Toomey background check bill that was “defeated” in the Senate last week. Sixty-nine percent of PA voters said they “strongly support” expanded background checks. The background check bill did not make it to the artificial 60-vote threshold needed to pass. In the Senate, barring political nonsense, it only requires a simply majority to pass a bill. But those days are long gone. The failure of expanded background checks to pass the Senate has 34 percent of PA voters “angry,” and 36 percent “dissatisfied.”

• • •

PA Sen. Pat Toomey: Only A ‘Small Segment’ Of Americans Are In Need

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) apparently believes the poverty problem in this country is overblown. At least that is what I interpret from his statement that Americans “who really need help” are only a “small segment of our society.” Toomey made these statements while unveiling the Senate Republican budget plan for 2013. Toomey and his budget cohorts have concluded that the current assistance programs “encourage dependency.” This is nothing new, many Republicans have made similar statements for years and decades. Every time I hear a Republican make a claim like this I ask, “where’s your proof?” Well OK, I haven’t asked them personally, but you know what I mean.

• • •