LANCASTER, Pa. -- Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak came to the cozy La Cocina Restaurant here Wednesday to chat with 60 business owners, community leaders and residents about how to boost small businesses and fight unemployment.

"I represent the face of unemployment," Joe Horn, who's unemployed and in his 50s, told Congressman Sestak.

"I want to support the congressman and anyone else who is supporting unemployment benefits," added Mr. Horn, who said he'd worked all his life until the recession left him looking for work.

According to Mr. Sestak, 600,000 Pennsylvanians are unemployed. He said small businesses are key to reducing that number because 80 percent of all jobs are created by small businesses.

Mr. Sestak claimed that his Republican opponent, Pat Toomey, a conservative and former congressman, has proposed a $3,000 tax increase for the middle class.

Mr. Sestak said he entered the Senate race a year ago "to fight on the side of working families. Middle-class workers across the state are struggling because of failed choices that put the powerful ahead of the people."

He praised the Clinton administration, for which he worked as a Navy admiral in the 1990s. But he blamed former President George W. Bush and Mr. Toomey for the current state of the economy.

"We had the largest budget surplus in the history of America under President Clinton, who created 22 million jobs," said Mr. Sestak. "When Congressman Toomey stepped out of Congress (five years ago) he left the largest budget deficit in the history of the world."

Mr. Sestak claims the conservative ideology of folks like Mr. Toomey is what has destroyed the economy, and he said he's determined to fix it.

As part of his "Plan for Pennsylvania Families," he introduced legislation to have a 15 percent tax credit for small businesses, so they can increase hiring and create up to five million jobs over the next two years.

Mr. Sestak also would like tax benefits to encourage investments in small businesses and proposes increasing available credit to allow more entrepreneurs to start businesses.

But Mike Barley, a spokesman for the state Republican Party, criticized Mr. Sestak for his praise of Mr. Clinton and for having Mr. Clinton come to Pennsylvania to campaign for him next week in Scranton.

Mr. Barley charged that Mr. Clinton, at the behest of the White House, offered Mr. Sestak a position in the Obama administration to drop out of the U.S. Senate primary against incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.

Now, Mr. Barley added, "It looks like Bill Clinton is still trying to help Joe Sestak land a job," by campaigning for him.

Mr. Sestak will be making several stops in Pittsburgh on Aug. 16, including a similar business forum. He noted the sharp decline in the city's population over the last 30 years and said he's determined to bring job growth to Pittsburgh.

"The majority of Pittsburgh works in small business and that's where the working families are, and I will always side with working families," he said.

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