In an election year full of name-calling, Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey just secured himself the nickname “Senator Elevator.”
Apparently he was taught from a young age that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” So to avoid insulting presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Toomey has developed a strategy of ducking into the ‘members only’ elevator when asked a question he doesn’t want to answer.
Toomey’s Democratic opponent, Katie McGinty, created an ad that puts a brilliant spin on this lesson by using none of her own words. Instead, the video just shows a Daily Show-style collection of newscasters mocking her Republican opponent’s behavior over the soothing sound of elevator music.
The ad says nothing beyond the clips it shows, delivering its closing jab via a hastily edited photo of Toomey with a thought bubble saying, “How many floors until November?”
Why Is Senator Toomey Hiding in the Elevator?
Although this is not the first time that Toomey has used the elevator as an escape route, this time he was dodging questions on Donald Trump’s speech after the Orlando shooting.The speech saw bipartisan condemnation due to its perceived insensitivity at a time of mourning, Trump’s tactlessness as he insinuated that Obama might be linked to the shooting and plain overt Islamophobia. After the speech, some Republicans could no longer hold their tongues and criticized their party’s presumptive nominee.
Those of them who didn’t want to overtly betray their own party (not only Toomey) had little choice but to employ the toddler strategy: give them the silent treatment and run away.
Toomey and Trump: It’s Complicated
Although McGinty’s ad does not make any direct accusations, it does imply that Toomey is afraid to speak his mind. The Senator originally endorsed Marco Rubio, and then switched to Ted Cruz once Rubio dropped out. Although he eventually came to support Trump’s impending nomination, he did so with palpable hesitation.On a local radio station, Toomey explained, “Donald Trump was not my first choice. He wasn’t my second choice. But, you know, I don’t want to see Hillary Clinton take this country further to the left.” Subsequently, Toomey published an open letter of advice to Trump on how he can be a better candidate.
Toomey has made it obvious that he has problems with the way Trump handles himself. But he still won’t call it out, choosing to literally hide rather than risk being in trouble with his party. McGinty’s ad – although it looks like it was made on iMovie – begs the question: “Does Pennsylvania