By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ian Prior is criticizing Kevin Strouse, the Democratic candidate in the 8th Congressional District, for sending out a fundraising email from a staffer who tweeted racist and insensitive remarks.
According to the Daily Caller news website, a field organizer made the offensive tweets in late 2012 and early 2013, before she began working for the campaign and before Strouse entered the race.
On July 29, the Strouse campaign sent an email on behalf of “Deirdre,” who said she grew up in Bristol Borough and claimed that Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick has “left us behind.” She contended that more than 25 percent of her Bristol High School classmates dropped out before graduation because “there was no way we could compete with students in wealthier districts.”
Deirdre, a Temple student, praised Strouse for understanding “that education is the key to greater economic opportunity.”
The Daily Caller published four tweets from the young woman. The story said, “For those keeping score, that’s one racial slur, one anti-Mormon remark, one oddly race-tinged comment on lesbian couples and a rape joke. How would a Republican staffer with such a rap sheet be treated?”
In the story, Strouse campaign manager Brendan McPhillips said the staffer has removed the tweets, and that the campaign “strongly condemns” the content.
However, Prior called that a “half-hearted” apology. He pointed out that Strouse did not issue the apology himself. And he noted that Deirdre remained front and center on the Strouse for Congress website.
“Kevin Strouse’s candidacy started out as a dream for Nancy Pelosi, but it has since become a nightmare,” he said. “Whether he is squeaking by in his primary, supporting taxpayer-funded sex-change operations for children, or allowing a staffer with a history of racist tweets to become the face of his campaign, Strouse is proving why he shouldn’t be representing Pennsylvanian families in Washington.”
On July 19, Newsday reported that the field director for New York Democratic congressional candidate Kathleen Rice had tweeted sexist and racist comments while employed by the campaign.
The Rice campaign called the tweets “stupid, insensitive attempts at sarcasm and parody by a young staff member mocking the anti-women attitudes that have come to define [her Republican opponent] Bruce Blakeman’s tea party.”
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Strouse received the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans at a luncheon with roughly two-dozen senior citizens at the Golden Eagle Diner in Bristol.
The Alliance for Retired Americans, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, has given Fitzpatrick a lifetime voting record of 16 percent on retiree issues.
Strouse said he would be a better advocate for seniors on issues such as Social Security and Medicare.
“Time and time again, Congressman Fitzpatrick has voted against seniors, against the middle class and against the interest of the 8th district. The voters of the 8th district deserve better,” he said.
Strouse is a former Army Ranger, CIA counterterrorism analyst and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives in Middletown with his wife and two young children. He is program director of Teach2Serve, a nonprofit that teaches social entrepreneurship to local high school students.
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In other news, Strouse gave a pep talk to volunteers during a July 26 gathering at his campaign office in Bristol.
Strouse, who is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, believes that direct contact with voters can influence them to support his candidacy.
“It’s the investment that we make now that will pay off down the road,” he said.
Strouse described Congress as “dysfunctional” and driven by special interests. He blamed lawmakers for failing to act on key issues before going on a five-week recess.
If elected, Strouse said he would focus on issues such as strengthening Social Security, public education and health care.
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Meanwhile, Strouse said Fitzpatrick and other Republicans failed to offer clear policy solutions when they questioned Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson.
Strouse said the “dysfunctional” Republican Congress offered only empty words and heated rhetoric.
“Any sincere concern for the problems at the VA should be met with action, and not cheap Washington rhetoric,” he said.
Strouse labeled Fitzpatrick an “entrenched Washington insider,” adding that he’ll be a consistent advocate for veterans.
“I’ve proposed concrete policy changes to bring the VA’s IT infrastructure into the 21st century, to relocate underutilized hospitals, to hire an adequate number of doctors and nurses to provide excellent care, and to ensure our veterans are served in a timely manner,” he said. “I’m tired of hearing empty words from Congressman Fitzpatrick as he and his colleagues fail to adequately fund the VA. There’s a lot of hot air coming from this dysfunctional Republican Congress, but no adequate action.”
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Fitzpatrick supported passage of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act to strengthen the agency in the wake of the expanding scandal.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would result in net spending of roughly $10 billion from 2014–24, making it less expensive than previous VA reform packages passed by the House and Senate.
“In addition to reducing wait times for medical care, the bill includes funds to increase the number of VA medical professionals and buildings, as well as provisions to remove ineffective senior managers and improve education benefits,” Fitzpatrick said.
Also last week, Fitzpatrick and Republican Rep. Pat Meehan joined VA Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey for a briefing and tour of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Regional Office.
The visit comes after an inspector general report and whistleblower claims of misconduct and impropriety at the facility.
“While I thank Under Secretary Hickey for the update and tour, the fact remains that the Philadelphia VA — and the agency as a whole — have much work to do in both regaining the trust of veterans and ensuring quality care and timely benefits,” Fitzpatrick said. “Today’s meeting is a step toward encouraging a more open and accountable VA benefit office here in Philadelphia, and a larger message to offices across the nation that the disturbing findings of the OIG report cannot be the new normal.”
An inspector general’s report released last month found evidence of data manipulation and other abuse by employees at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office.
Following a July 14 congressional hearing, Meehan and Fitzpatrick released photos obtained by whistleblowers that purport to show dozens of boxes of ignored mail from veterans looking for information on their benefit claims.
Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the House. The 8th Congressional District includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
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On July 30, Fitzpatrick joined House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other lawmakers to announce a legislative package aimed at empowering Americans — particularly women — both at work and at home.
Fitzpatrick said the House has passed a number of pieces of bipartisan legislation to improve the lives of American families, only to have them shelved by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“The legislative package we laid out today ensures moms and dads take home more of their paychecks with lower taxes and cheaper prices; increases flexibility in the workplace; and modernizes job training programs to work for a 21st-century economy,” he said. “Simply put, this plan can make life better.”
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Fitzpatrick voted for a resolution clearing the way for litigation to resolve what he and other Republicans believe is executive branch overreach and failure to faithfully execute the law.
The congressman noted that even liberal law professor Jonathan Turley believes the House lawsuit is warranted.
“Going it alone as the president has done far too often, or going around the very body designed to represent the people, is wrong and sets a dangerous precedent,” Fitzpatrick said. “The president should be working with Congress on bipartisan solutions to advance our economy, get people back to work and increase opportunity — not making decisions that are not his to make without accountability or oversight. These decisions belong to Americans who elect their representatives.”
