Pat Toomey Has Become More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine


It’s good news for Pat Toomey—but is it good news for Pennsylvania? Sen. Pat Toomey, the Pennsylvania Republican, announced today he’d been named to the Senate Finance Committee for the new Congress. That’s a plum committee assignment, one that past senators have used to steer pork and other goodies to their home states. But Pat Toomey doesn’t believe in steering pork and other goodies to his home state—he’s the senator who has introduced “earmark bans” that would prevent his colleagues from using their influence to guide federal dollars to their districts and pet projects. Which means Toomey’s growing power in the Senate might not mean all that much to the state. C’mon senator! Doesn’t the “Pat Toomey Economic Research Library at Penn State” have a nice ring to it? Pander a bit, man. We want you to! [Pat Toomey]