Aug 14, 2012

Tea Party Republican Adam Hasner: Too Extreme for Florida Families and Seniors

Known as the “indisputable king of partisan warfare,” Tea Party Republican Adam Hasner (FL-22) is too radical and too extreme for Florida seniors and families. Hasner has even been named as one of the “8 Craziest Candidates of 2012.” In addition to his Tea Party ties, Hasner supports Congressman Paul Ryan’s plan that ends Medicare in order to protect tax breaks for millionaires and corporations shipping jobs overseas. In an overwhelmingly Democratic district that gave President Obama 57 percent of the vote in 2008, Hasner’s out-of-touch agenda makes him unelectable.

Hasner is Too Extreme for Florida Seniors. Hasner supports Congressman Paul Ryan’s plan that ends Medicare and raises health care costs by $6,400 for Florida seniors to give people earning at least $1 million a year a $265,000 tax cut. He even thinks that the billions of cuts to important infrastructure investment and education didn’t go far enough.

Hasner “Steadfast” in Support for Ryan Budget, Though He Said it Did Not go Far Enough. “While others stick their fingers in the wind to see what the election results from last night mean for their support of the Ryan Plan, I remain steadfast in my support [...] In fact, my only complaint with the Path to Prosperity Plan is that it does not go far enough, fast enough, to address Washington’s unsustainable spending. Unlike my opponents, I would vote for the plan without hesitation, because I know that the alternatives are rationed care and declining healthcare options, watching Social Security and Medicare slowly go bankrupt, or America faltering under the weight of unsustainable entitlement programs.” [Tampa Bay Times, 5/25/11]

Hasner is Too Extreme for Florida Middle Class Families. Instead of focusing on creating jobs in Florida,  Hansner wants to ship jobs overseas and protect corporate tax loopholes that reward outsourcing of American jobs. Hasner even supports eliminating the Department of Education which would cost Florida $10.4 billion in education funding, shifting those costs to state and local governments.

Hasner Pledged to Protect $92.5 Billion in Subsidies That Encourage Companies to Outsource Jobs. The Americans for Tax Reform pledge has become a litmus test for Republican congressional candidates and Members of Congress. The Americans for Tax Reform falsely claims that cutting tax expenditures constitute a tax increase. In reality, it is widely recognized that cutting tax expenditures is just another way to cut spending. Hasner, who signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, has promised to protect $92.5 billion in subsidies that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas. [CBS News, 11/20/11; Americans for Tax Reform Pledge, 5/13/11; Americans for Tax Reform, 4/11/11; Center for American Progress, 3/11]

Hasner Said We Could “Begin to Eliminate” the Department of Education. “But one thing I know we can begin to do in terms of our domestic discretionary spending is begin to eliminate agencies and departments and transform them into the types of agencies that you would never recognize. The Department of Education, the Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, these are the easy cuts, this is the low hanging fruit.” [Southwest Florida 912 Group, 7/25/11]

Hasner is a Tea Party Republican. Although he might try to run as a moderate, Hasner was one of the first Tea Party Republicans in Florida and even his advisors have said that he is “certainly not a guy who governed as a moderate.”

Touted His Involvement in the Beginning of the Tea Party Movement.  “I don’t think the Tea Party should ever go away. I think the Tea Party was the great American awakening [...] I didn’t just join into this. I was at the Capitol steps in Tallahassee in 2009, we had our first Capitol Hill Tea Party Rally.” Speaking of the Tea Party Hasner said, “In 2010, this movement saved the Republican party. In 2012, this movement is the only thing that could potentially save our country.” [Boca Raton Tea Party, 10/04/11; Big Voices Media Interview, uploaded 7/23/12]

Advisor Confirmed Hasner Not a Moderate. “This has never been a guy who ran as a moderate and certainly not a guy who governed as a moderate. His voting record is that of a limited government conservative,'' said Rick Wilson, campaign advisor. [Tampa Bay Times, 6/09/11]

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