Other than being a Democrat and not Thom Tillis, the Raleigh N&O editorial board has a tough time providing a reason to vote for her. I’m going to blow by the “outside money” bit, which I somewhat agree with, when it comes to money from outside NC, and they do not mention the huge amounts spent on Kay, and get to the meat
(Raleigh N&O) But at the end of the TV blitz is an election. Voters will have to choose. Our choice is Kay Hagan.We wish we could say the senator earned our support by her advocacy, but this race full of money has been bereft of real issues, ideas or solutions. Hagan has made the race less about governing the nation and more about Tillis’ role in shaping the dismal record of the state legislature.
They have a good point: what policies, exactly, has Hagan run on? The N&O apparently had a hard time finding any. That “dismal record of the state legislature”? The People of NC wanted those policies passed. Things like Castle Doctrine, ie, Stand Your Ground. Expansion of gun rights. Tax decreases. And so on.
Tillis has run mostly against President Obama. When he does focus on his actual opponent, he talks about what she hasn’t done. In the contest’s second debate, he asked of Hagan, “Tell me what you’re proud of. Tell me what you’ve done. Tell me the promises you’ve fulfilled. That’s what this election’s about.â€
Kay wasn’t able to answer. Because she votes with Obama 96% of the time. 99% in 2014. Tillis has noted the teacher pay increases and the increases to education, which, of course, Kay and her backers lie and say it was a decrease.
But beyond the vacuous ads and the candidates’ talking points, this race really is about something. Indeed, it’s about two things.
• No. 1, it’s about keeping a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. A Republican takeover will intensify the standoff between the president and congressional Republicans. It will generate efforts to cut off funding and produce bills booby-trapped against vetoes. That would be bad for government, bad for the economy and bad for a nation already discouraged by the slowness of the economic recovery and Congress’ lack of action.
And that’s it right there. The N&O doesn’t even proclaim impartiality, but are advocates for Democrats. Furthermore, the fail to note the large amount of poison-pill bills pushed in the Democrat controlled Senate. Going further, while the GOP controlled Congress would surely pass some booby trapped bills (that’s politics, people), what they really mean is legislation that the majority favors, while Obama opposes it.
Tillis’ idea of what government should do is that it should do less. “It’s very simple: Government needs to get out of the way,†he said in the second debate.
On the flip side, Hagan and the N&O think the government should be even more involved in our lives. Way more involved. Immensely involved.
The truth is that Hagan – often to the frustration of liberals – is a middle-of-the-road type. And she’s strong in two areas that Republicans favor and that are important for North Carolina’s economy: the military and banking. As a member of the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services, she has been a strong advocate for the state’s military bases and veterans. As a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and a former employee of North Carolina National Bank, a predecessor of Charlotte-based Bank of America, she understands the needs of the banking industry but also stands up for consumers.
Hey, they finally say something positive about Hagan! Hooray. Near the end of the editorial. And, in fairness, she has been a good proponent of the military. But, that’s it. There’s nothing else, except that she’s a supposed moderate. Who votes with Obama 96% of the time. This is all about supporting Democrats. The N&O has almost never supported a Republicans. Kay Hagan has done almost nothing for North Carolina during her six years in office. She enthusiastically voted for the Stimulus (which she benefited from) and Obamacare, among other pieces of legislation, which were against the wishes of the People of NC.
