Who should I vote for in the 2008 North Carolina 10th District House Race?
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Johnson: A Teacher's Son Strives for Better Education Johnson, son of a public school teacher, wants to reform No Child Left Behind. He wants to provide more funding for the program and raise standards to improve teachers’ and students’ performance. The Democratic challenger recognizes math and science as key studies for the future global economy. He wants better pay for teachers and advocates hiring young teachers to stem shortages. Side: Education
North Carolina's 10th Congressional District's Democratic challenger Daniel Johnson has laid out a comprehensive energy plan as part of his platform. In his bid for election against Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry, Johnson pushes for more conservation and added supply to help wean us off of foreign oil. In addition, he supports the creation of green jobs to move America from petroleum use to renewable resources, specifically wind, solar, and biofuels. Energy is a very important issue to Americans and having a strong policy on energy independence is an important fact of this election cycle. Side: Johnson's Energy Policy
Congressman Patrick McHenry, running for reelection in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District, voted against the Commodity Market Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 6604), a bill to regulate excessive energy speculation that has been responsible for driving up the cost of oil. As of now, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has no regulatory power over the futures market in regards to energy and has come to be widely known as the “Enron Loophole.” The bill was supported by 61 Republicans but McHenry chose to block its passage. He has received $58,000 from the energy industry in his bid for reelection and his opponent, Democrat Daniel Johnson, has taken the opportunity to question McHenry's support for Western North Carolinians. Side: McHenry Votes to Keep Enron Loophole
Johnson: Cut Costs Before Universalizing Health Care If anyone outside of North Carolina were to look at Johnson’s plan for health care, they could easily be forgiven for mistaking him for a Republican. Johnson prioritizes cutting costs and mentions little about universalizing coverage. The Democratic contender does, however, support S-CHIP, a program that provides health care to children. Similar to the Obama plan, Johnson wants to give tax breaks to small businesses in order to encourage more coverage. Increasing the size of the insured pool would minimize risks and then theoretically reduce costs. Side: Health care
Johnson and God’s Green Earth Johnson, a Democrat, appears to have gone native on his red state of North Carolina. The challenger wears his religion on his sleeve when he talks about the environment. Johnson believes that the environment must be protected and he will be a “responsible steward of God's creation.” The mountains, forests, and streams of the 10th District, Johnson believes, make an ideal environment for positive family values. He pledges to invest in clean, renewable energy. Notably, he supports hunting and fishing and proposes to set aside federal and state land for these purposes. Side: Environment
Johnson Takes the Other Party's Position on Iraq “Victory in Iraq will be a stable, independent government that will allow our troops to leave as quickly and safely as possible,” according to Johnson. He does not, as other Democrats, advocate an immediate withdrawal let alone a timetable. Johnson still believes that Iraq is a part of the war on terror, despite the minimal presence of al-Qaeda and discounted justifications for war. He supports providing the resources the military needs to have to fight. Side: Iraq
Johnson: A Democrat Advocating a Seemingly Republican Economic Policy Johnson again appears to be a member of his opposing party. This time he is so on economics. He pledges to cut taxes and cut spending. But the key difference is that he wants to target these tax cuts on the middle and working classes as well as businesses and high-income classes. The Democrat wants to “cut wasteful spending” and end subsidies to corporations. He recognizes China’s growing ownership of American debt, but he doesn’t acknowledge how Chinese money benefits America. Side: Economy
“Since September 11, 2001, our troops have performed above and beyond the call of duty in their military campaign against fundamentalist Islamic terrorism. Unfortunately, major mistakes were made in how we entered and prepared for the war in Iraq, and the focus on Iraq has over-extended our armed services and diverted resources from other fronts, most importantly Afghanistan. Victory in Iraq will be a stable, independent government that will allow our troops to leave as quickly and safely as possible. Going forward, Congress has the obligation to provide the military with the resources it needs and to hold the White House accountable for its policy on fighting terror. We must increase pressure on the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own peace and security. Finally, Congress must ensure that our nation is prepared to confront the ever-changing battlefield of the global war on terror by strengthening our military, increasing our diplomatic efforts, and protecting possible domestic targets.” This is a more eloquent way of saying, “We need more wars.” There is no difference between what Democratic Congressional Candidate for North Carolina’s 10th District Daniel Johnson is saying and what the Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry is stating. The Democrats did this in most the debates without being too blunt about their support for our constant wars. Nevertheless, the 10th District in North Carolina will welcome Mr. Johnson because, as he states in the video below, he comes from a good home, son of a teacher and a minister, served his country well and so on. Mr. Johnson's Announcement
Side: Daniel Johnson
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Congressman McHenry Goes Guns Blazing Congressman McHenry adamantly supports the gun ownership. He opposes registration laws. “History demonstrates that registration is the first step to confiscation,” states McHenry on his campaign website. In a more radical clam McHenry states, “Gun control laws only endanger honest citizens.” The incumbent believes that criminals are undeterred by such laws and citizens are needlessly inconvenienced. He cosponsored the SAFE Act, a concealed weapon bill; the Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a bill that protects firearm manufacturers from litigation; and the Firearm Commerce Modernization Act, a bill that eases regulation on licensed dealers. Side: Guns
McHenry Devalues Gay Marriage Like the rest of his party, Republican Congressman McHenry openly professes what he values. And what he does not. Gay marriage is like a catch phrase that the left, Hollywood, and academics have attempted to elevate to legality, according to McHenry. He supports a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. He is weary of judicial activists who would “recklessly” legalize gay marriage and crush the “backbone of American society.” Side: Gay Marriage
McHenry: Low Regulation, Tax Cuts, and Financial Industry Will Create Jobs McHenry claims to put economic security at the top of his agenda. McHenry admits that the 10th District has faced “significant job loss.” His solution? Eliminate regulations on businesses and support financial service industries. What else? Tax cuts. He wants to repeal the estate tax and reform the Alternative Minimum Tax. To cope with the loss of textile and manufacturing jobs, McHenry pledges to retrain workers through the North Carolina Community College System. These policies, however, seem like indirect or long-term solutions that may do little to help those hurting from economic loss now. Further, it is doubtful that manufacturing workers will easily transfer to the financial services sector. Side: Economy
McHenry: Says Nothing on Iraq and Sees the Worst in Rogue Nations Curiously Congressman McHenry not once mentions Iraq on his campaign website under the National Security and War on Terror rubric. He does, however, state that he “supports President Bush and his global efforts to track down and eliminate terrorists and their sponsors, no matter where they hide.” It is unclear whether he considers Iraq a haven for terrorists. He notably mentions President Bush’s stance against North Korea and Iran. He firmly believes that rogue nations – when not pressed by the U.S. – “will acquire and sell nuclear technology to anyone.” The incumbent takes a particularly hawkish, worst case scenario approach to national security. Side: Iraq
McHenry: Ending Litigation Will Lower Health Care Costs What does Congressman McHenry believe is the biggest problem with health care? High costs. Why are they high? Litigation and jury awards. The Republican incumbent claims that the lawsuits put doctors out of business by driving up insurance premiums. He proposes to cap jury awards limit lawyer’s take from injured patients’ suits, and scheduling payment plans. McHenry does not advocate universal coverage, but he does support tax-free Medical Savings Accounts that would limit health care costs for those enrolled. Side: Health care
“…Supports the President’s tough stand against rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. Unless faced with strong opposition, countries such as these will acquire and sell nuclear technology to anyone, including terrorists determined to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States.” Anyone who uses this kind of language against another nation is not only dangerous but irresponsible to the Congress. The Democrats and Republicans have used this language many times in the past in regards to Iraq and will continue to do so in the future with respect to Iran. Republican Congressman of North Carolina’s 10th District Patrick McHenry is the supporter of President Bush’s Doctrine, which the Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin believes is “Bush’s worldview.” However, in terms of his merit on Foreign Policy Rep. McHenry has voted to slash funding to the United Nations, which is something no one, besides a Republican Texas Congressman, has done. Fortunately, this vote was supported by the majority of the House of Representatives, which is a good sign to future international entity relations. McHenry & Iran
Side: Patrick McHenry
McHenry Votes No to the Bailout Explaining his position, after the vote, McHenry stated, “While I believe that action is needed, the legislation before Congress represented a fundamentally flawed approach to addressing the turmoil on Wall Street. At a time when Western North Carolina families are struggling to pay their bills each month, I believe it is inherently wrong for Congress to open the taxpayers’ check book and cut a $700 billion check to bailout Wall Street. There are alternative approaches to address this problem that do not require generations of American families to pay the bill for the irresponsible actions of Wall Street." He, however, offers no solution to the crisis and leaves it the Democratic opposition to come up with a plan. McHenry states, “Now that this bill has failed, I encourage the leaders of the Democrat-run Congress to offer legislation that will bring stability to our financial markets while providing protection for taxpayers.” Side: Bailout
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