Republican candidate for the 9th Congressional District, Bob Turner, continues hitting Democratic opponent David Weprin about the “Ground Zero mosque” and his inexperience in business matters, Weprin is intensifying his attack on Turner’s policies that the Democrat claims would destroy Medicare and Social Security.
Weprin’s campaign has been linking Turner with the Tea Party, which Weprin said wants to destroy vital entitlement programs.
“Instead of asking millionaires or big oil to pay their fair share, Congress caved to the Tea Party and cut Social Security services,” Weprin said in a statement about recent federal budget cuts that forced Social Security offices to reduce service hours. “If you ask me, those priorities are irresponsible. I will fight to protect Social Security and Medicare and ask those who can afford it to help chip in to reduce the deficit, not cut Social Security.”
Turner has repeatedly said he does not support cutting Medicare and Social Security, but Weprin’s campaign claims Turner is either lying or delusional.
Citing an editorial written by Turner for the National Review Online, in which Turner said he wants to cut the budget by 30 to 35 percent, Elizabeth Kerr, campaign spokeswoman for Weprin, said Turner’s words and actions don’t add up.
“Bob Turner’s Tea Party-inspired budget plan gives the one-two punch to Medicare. No matter how you slice it, Turner’s either lying to voters or he plans to cut Medicare. No one who lives in budget reality is coming to his Tea Party,” Kerr said.
Weprin released a pie chart entitled “Bob’s Bogus Budget” that shows how cutting 35 percent of the federal budget without including Medicare, Social Security and other benefits would leave miniscule one percent of funds for national defense, government services and public safety.
Meanwhile, Turner has recently begun questioning Weprin’s ethics and small business experience.
“Exactly how much was David Weprin being paid on Wall Street when he gave himself a $22,000 taxpayer-funded raise as a part-time City Council Member,” William O’Reilly, Turner’s campaign spokesman said. “We know it was at least $100,000, but it may have been many times that figure. Mr. Weprin needs to explain to the public who paid his part-time salary how much he was making and whether he still considers that 25 percent raise appropriate.”
The attack on Weprin’s outside income comes on the heels of Governor Andrew Cuomo signing the Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011, which requires state public officials to disclose other sources of income.
Turner’s campaign is also deriding Weprin’s small business experience. Weprin recently released a small business jobs plan that called for increased innovation, decreased taxes and relaxed credit rules.
His Republican opponent was not impressed.
“Career politicians like David Weprin have driven tens of thousands of jobs out of New York State,” O’Reilly said, calling the plan was “flimsy.”
“Because of their overtaxing and overspending, New York is ranked the worst state in America to do business. Mr. Weprin’s so-called jobs plan is an insult to the intelligence of New Yorkers.”
by Eric Yun
