Toomey on Meet the Press- 1/2/2011

Background:

MR. DIONNE: "It is one of the greatest ads in American history because it began--David Garth, the late David Garth, was the guy who made it and it was a politician being smart and humble enough to say, "All right, there is no way I will ever spin my way out of this mistake, so I'm going to admit it, and then try to focus people's attention elsewhere." But, you know, on snow, we had an abstract argument about government. I think government is much more important to the economic growth than Senator Toomey does. But we expect government to do certain basic things right. And I think that Mayor Bloomberg made a mistake by, on the first day, when he knew it was a mess out there--and I was stuck in the snow. I was visiting my family in New York, and there was an access lane to the Belt Parkway that looked like a country lane in Vermont, which is very pretty, but it was hard to drive on. You don't just sort of go out and tell people to suck it up. You say, "I'm trying to get the job done." Best line of the week, both about Governor Christie being in Disney World and Mayor Bloomberg, from my colleague Gene Robinson, the role for politicians is "Be there. Do something." And I think that's right."

MR. GREGORY: "Senator?"


SEN.-ELECT TOOMEY: "Well, you know, according to Mayor Bloomberg, the best people in the country couldn't clear the snow from the streets. Do we really want to trust them to regulate the Internet? I think this is, this is, this is why I want to run for mayor."

FisConSocMod (Fiscal Conservative Social Moderate) Response:

"Sen. Elect Toomey, it is as unacceptable for a soon to be sitting Senator to make said comparisons as it is inappropriate for small and effective government to secure sufficient personnel and equipment each and every year in preparation for clearing out from that once in fifty year (50 year) 24" snowfall storm. We do expect small and effective government to regulate the internet as our free enterprise system has demonstrated an inability to do so. We do not worship unto the false idol of unfettered capitalism so give us a free and open Internet unfettered by large corporate interests.