Pennsylvania 7th District Republican Tows the Line on Bush Tax Cuts

Yahoo! News asked constituents to agree or disagree with their U.S. House representative's vote on extending the Bush tax cuts on Wednesday. Here's one perspective.

COMMENTARY | Republican Rep. Pat Meehan (Pa.-7) voted Wednesday with all but one of his GOP House colleagues to extend the Bush tax cuts set to expire at the end of this year. The House action was largely symbolic, and Meehan's vote was not at all unexpected considering he, like many of his Republican colleagues, is a co-signer of Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge. The first term Congressman -- who holds the seat vacated by retired Admiral, Democrat Joe Sestak -- signed the Norquist pledge prior to taking office in 2011.

Pennsylvania's 7th district -- historically one of the most competitive House seats in the country -- incorporates a portion of the Philadelphia suburbs. The district encompasses most of Delaware County, parts of Chester and Montgomery Counties, and, after redistricting, parts of Lancaster and Berks Counties. The district was redrawn last year after the 2010 census adding irregularly shaped portions of Lancaster and Berks resulting in a significantly increased Republican population.

Despite the fact that Democratic Sen. John Kerry (2004) and President Obama (2008) took the district in the last two presidential cycles, it will certainly be an uphill battle for Meehan's challenger George Badey -- an attorney and chair of the Radnor, Pa., Democratic party -- to take the seat back. I disagree with Rep. Meehan's position on the tax cuts and had sincerely hoped the House would find compromise and a way to uncouple middle class tax relief from upper income tax rates. It did not, and this, in part, will further compel me to support Badey, despite the odds, in the fall.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-7th-district-republican-tows-line-bush-tax-225400887.html

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