Cream Of The Crop

Conservative Candidates Are Offering Us Their Best As The Election Approaches

Election Day is only 19 days away and candidates are make their final appeals to the voters they hope to represent. We’ve written about how Florida Governor Rick Scott is courageously reminding people that he is not a scientist when it comes to acting on the climate change that is destroying his state’s future. We’ve observed how Colorado Senate Candidate Cory Gardner is working dutifully to muddy the waters on his anti-women policies (He fooled the Denver Post!). But we know it can get hard to keep up with all of these fine candidates and the leadership they are offering. So here is a list of what some other conservative candidates are saying to boldly defend our values:

Georgia Senate Candidate David Perdue (R):

• In response to questions from reporters about outsourcing jobs when he was a corporate executive, Purdue defended sending jobs overseas as the American Way: It’s “a part of American business, part of any business,” Perdue said. “I’m proud of it.”
• Purdue put out an ad accusing his opponent Michelle Nunn of funding “organizations linked to terrorists.” When asked whether he believed Nunn was associated with terrorists he responded, “Well, that’s what it says in their plan.”

Arkansas Senate Candidate Tom Cotton (R):

• On a local radio show, Cotton stoked voters’ fears by claiming that Islamic Jihadists could collaborate with drug cartels to attack his state.
• In the final debate before the election, Cotton vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected and stated that people with pre-existing conditions were better off before the ACA was passed, when they could routinely be denied coverage.

Kentucky Senate Candidate and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R):

• When asked to answer yes or no to the question, “Do you believe in climate change?” McConnell answered in textbook fashion: “It is not a yes or no question. I am not a scientist. I know there are scientists who think it’s a problem and scientists who think it isn’t a problem… my job is to try to protect jobs in Kentucky now. Not speculate about science in the future.”
• McConnell wants to get rid of Obamacare, but keep the Obamacare website his constituents love. “Kentucky Kynect is a website. It was paid for by a grant from the federal government,” he said. “The website can continue, but in my view the best interests of the country would be achieved by pulling out Obamacare root and branch.”

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R):

• When asked whether there should or should not be a minimum wage, Walker responded that he “doesn’t think it serves a purpose.” Over 2.6 million Wisconsites would get a raise if the minimum wage goes to $10.10 per hour, but Walker is steadfast in his opposition to this working-class issue.

Virginia Senate Candidate Ed Gillespie(R):

• In a nifty display of incorrect logic, Gillespie told women that repealing the ACA will actually improve their access to birth control. (Shh: Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate, which requires insurers to cover all FDA-approved birth control methods without charging an additional co-pay, has made contraception more affordable for millions of women.)

BOTTOM LINE: During campaign season candidates have teams of people responsible for crafting just the right message. These statements by leading conservative candidates demonstrate that they have their fingers on the pulse of what the American people want: Elected officials who ignore the facts, refuse to answer simple questions, oppose policies that would help the middle class, and protect the wealthiest instead of create an economy that works for everyone.

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