Given the current political turmoil in the United Kingdom, I have somewhat lost touch with the goings on in the United States and elsewhere. Looking at some of the opinion polls in the United States, on line, which are overall polls putting Republican against Democrat, it would appear to be a close run thing with the Republican vote slightly edging the Democrats.
In relation to the US Senate, so far as I can determine from these polls, 5 Republican senators Richard Burr, North Carolina; Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania; Rob Portman, Ohio; Richard Shelby, Alabama; and Roy Blunt, Missouri, are all retiring or at least not seeking re-election. Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont is also not seeking re-election.
The candidates in Pennsylvania are John Fetterman (D) and Mehmet Oz (R). The polls indicate the state is leaning towards the Democratic candidate, which is not surprising, given the rather repulsive adverts. In a campaign ad, Oz likened himself to former Presidents Ronald Reagan (R) and Donald Trump (R). He said, "You know who else learned in Hollywood? The two greatest presidents in modern history. Like me, they were conservative outsiders who fought the establishment." It is suggested that this seat is a toss-up, but with democratic leanings
In North Carolina we have Cheri Beasley (D) and Ted Budd (R). Budd's campaign website said, "As the owner of ProShots gun store and range, Ted is tired of politicians treating law-abiding gun owners like criminals. He will never waver in defense of the Second Amendment and our hunting heritage." Beasley's campaign website said, "Cheri supports expanding the Affordable Care Act with a public option, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions." Budd’s Biography reads: Budd received a B.S. from Appalachian State University, an M.A. from the Dallas Theological Seminary, and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University. He owned a shooting range and gun store in Rural Hall, North Carolina. Beasley’s reads: Beasley received a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University, a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and a Master of Laws from Duke University. Her professional experience includes serving as a North Carolina supreme court, court of appeals, and district court justice and a partner at McGuireWoods LLP.
According to the polls the State is leaning towards the Republican Party. The contrast between the two could not be more marked. On paper alone, how the voters can even consider voting for Ted Budd is a very sad reflection on the citizens of North Carolina.
In Ohio we have Tim Ryan (D) and J.D. Vance (R). This will most likely be a result for Vance.
Although he has never held political office, he has a best-selling biography Hillbilly Elegy published in 2016 and made into a film by Ron Howard released in 2020, staring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. It is streaming on Netflix. Vance was once a vocal Never Trumper who has, since becoming the Republican candidate, been converted to being a MAGA Trump Supporter. He has been attacked by opponents as a flip flopper and opportunist. In the circumstances not an unjust comment, but he’s got Hollywood filmic credentials behind him, a sort of rags to riches story, overcoming adversity and difficult parenting.
One critic of the film commented “Hillbilly Elegy hinges on Mamaw's (Vance’s Grandmother played by Close) hope that she'll leave her family better off than she found them, and it's clear that Vance's story has fulfilled that wish almost as soon as this movie starts. But the process of watching him cut his losses and recommit to his own success is rendered in a way that it isn't just dramatically unsatisfying in the extreme, but also on the verge of sociopathic”
The Ohio seat was previously Republican so nothing will change there.
Alabama and Missouri are solid republican seats, as Vermont is a solid Democratic seat.
Again according to polls, Arizona (D incumbent - leaning D), Colorado (D incumbent leaning D), Florida (R incumbent leaning R), Georgia (D incumbent - toss up), New Hampshire (D incumbent - leaning D), Nevada (D incumbent - toss up), Utah (R incumbent - likely R) and Wisconsin (R incumbent - leaning R) are the possible problem areas.
So far as I can make out only Nevada and Georgia are a serious problem for the Democratic party maintaining its slim control of the Senate. Therefore a heavy concentration and effort in supporting Raphael Warnock in Georgia, Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada and John Fetterman in Pennsylvania would help the Democratic Party a great deal.
Pennsylvania’s Republican incumbent Pat Toomey is standing down and there is one poll that favours the Democratic Party to win. I do not know what collective funds the party has, but a serious bit of funding for those candidates would not come amiss.
There are five weeks left in which to bring it all together. I would hope that as a matter of urgency, despite the happenings in the Ukraine and hurricanes in Florida and the Carolinas, sufficient attention is being paid to the political situation.
As to the House of Representatives I couldn’t begin to fathom exactly what is going on, but herewith a map to ponder on:
As to the current membership of the House herewith are the numbers:
I have no idea of the state of the parties involved in the election of members for the House of Representatives; however, I have looked at one election contest in the State of Washington District 3. The current representative is Jaime Herrera Beutler. She is a Republican and was one of the very few who voted to impeach Donald Trump on the second impeachment against him. As a result she has lost out in a primary and the new Republican candidate is Mr Joe Kent. He is up against Democratic Party nominee Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez.
Kent is a Trump supporter and election denier. According to his potted biography he was born in Sweet Home, Oregon. He served in the United States Army from 1998 to 2018. Kent received his bachelor's degree from Norwich University in 2017. His professional experience includes being a project manager for a technology company and working for the CIA. Kent has been affiliated with the Global War on Terror Foundation, Concerned Veterans for America, and Boy Scouts of America.
Herewith his answers to questions:
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Fighting the governing class and their corporate counterparts who do not serve the working men and women of this country.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
My late wife, Shannon Mary Kent, killed 16 January 2019. She was killed fighting ISIS in Syria. She always put her country and family first and she never quit in the face of adversity.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
America First, and support and defend the Constitution of the United States
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
Integrity, leadership, service, empathy
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Always represent the will of the people who elected you.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Always stepping forward for our nation and our community when needed.
Mogadishu, 1993 - known to many as "Black Hawk Down". I was 13 at the time and saw that there were brave men and women fighting for our country as the rest of us enjoyed peace at home. I knew at that moment I wanted to join the military, and specifically Ranger Regiment.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
I was a dishwasher, lifeguard, camp counselor and merit badge instructor at Camp Cooper, Boy Scout Camp in Oregon. Each summer I worked at Camp Cooper from age 14 through 17.
What is your favorite book? Why?
My favorite book of all time is About Face by David Hackworth. David Hackworth joined the Army as a private and served in combat in both Korea and Vietnam and worked his way up from Private to Colonel. Despite achieving higher rank he always stayed true his troops and our nation. He always placed the mission first. When he left service, he used his experience to speak out against wasteful wars of intervention.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Losing the love of my life, Shannon Kent, and becoming a single parent and giving up my dream job to be there for my two young sons.
The House of Representatives is the most direct voice that each individual has to the Federal Government's ability to make and pass laws.
No. Candidates need to be well versed in the duties and responsibilities of lawmakers and have enough life experience to know what matters to the people in their district. Politicians must always have the integrity and courage of their conviction to adhere to their oath to the Constitution and the people they represent.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
We have to break away from the failed economic policies and national security strategies that have only benefited the ruling class and China. We must fully audit the 2020 Presidential Election to restore the American people's faith in our democratic system. We have to return critical industries and manufacturing back to America, restore energy independence, and end our wasteful post 9/11 wars. We must also treat the Chinese Communist Party as a threat to our nation's security and leverage the full scope of US economic, diplomatic, and cultural power to isolate the Chinese Communist Party and their barbaric and predatory practices at home and abroad.
Appropriations, Armed Forces, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Natural Resources, Oversight and Reform, Veterans Affairs, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
Ideally, a term length would be four years so that they have more time to get things done and don't have to worry about campaigning and fundraising. However, the House and Senate should be subject to strict 8 year term limits, just like the President. We must end the career political class by recruiting qualified American Citizens to serve our great nation.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Former Representative Ron Paul (TX) and current Representative Matt Gaetz (FL).
The 3rd district is primarily rural and the average voter is deeply concerned about the far left influence coming from Olympia and Portland. That far left influence is all encompassing, starting with radical curriculum in public schools, draconian COVID lock-downs, and deeply affects the way that we harvest our national resources, the lifeblood of our economy. These policies are being made by lawmakers that are completely out of touch with the working men and women of this district and our country.
I strongly believe the US government takes entirely too much money from hardworking Americans and must be a better steward of the taxpayer's dollar. This will be my guiding principle when voting or working on legislation asking the American people to give the Federal Government more of their money.
Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez was born in Texas. She earned a bachelor's degree from Reed College in 2012. Her career experience includes being a business owner.
Her answers to similar questions:
Who are you? Tell us about yourself? I am Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat, fifth-generation Washingtonian, small business owner, and mother. I’m running to represent Washington’s Third congressional district to bring the voices of Middle America back to DC. I will work for Washington by supporting small businesses and worker’s rights, lowering the costs of healthcare, childcare and prescription drugs, addressing climate change by investing in clean energy, getting Big Money out of politics, investing in and expanding apprenticeship and skills training programs, protecting women’s access to health and rights, and tackling the rising costs of food, gas, and housing. I own an auto-repair shop with my husband Dean, but like many small business owners, cannot afford healthcare for the two of us. We pay $500 a month for our infant son, but simply can’t afford an additional $1,200 to cover ourselves. Like so many families today, we struggle to find quality affordable childcare – so our son goes to the auto shop with us every day. I am a member of the working class Washingtonians that have been left behind in this economy and ignored by the political extremes in our nation’s capital – and that’s exactly why I’m running for Congress.
Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? 1-The middle class is an endangered species and small business owners like me have been fighting to create and grow family-wage jobs. Fixing the supply chain, restoring manufacturing, and lowering prices are critical to the long term economic, environmental, and geopolitical security of our country. One example: right now, China controls virtually all the inputs into solar panels and produces them with slave labor, while American manufacturers are struggling to compete. To pursue energy independence and renewables we have to bring manufacturing back to America. 2- We absolutely need to get big money out of politics, I refuse to take corporate PAC money. 3-I am the only pro-choice woman on the ballot, I will fight to protect the right to choose what happens to my own body.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Economy, plastic pollution, affordable childcare, fixing the supply chain, safe communities
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Humility, discernment, and transparency are some of the most important principles for an elected official to uphold. Southwest Washington needs someone who is able to set aside their own personal interests to do what is in the best long-term interest of this community. Someone who will get laws passed that benefit our region and prepare us for long-term success. We must look to the future. As climate change intensifies and water aquifers dry up, the Pacific Northwest will increasingly become a climate sanctuary. We must act now to preserve the interests of current residents and future generations. I love my current job- I want to serve in congress to help my community but I have no need to compromise my values to gain or maintain power.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it? When I was eight or nine years old I started taking care of horses at the local stables before and after school. Because I was charging just .25 cents to feed and turn a horse out to pasture, soon I was swamped with more work than I could take on, rising earlier and earlier to keep up. I wish I could say I was smart enough to raise my prices and find a sustainable work load, but instead I spent my mornings scheming ways to make the tasks more efficient. I kept my little business going till I reached highschool and understood the financial reality that staying in the horse world would entail - in short, $2.50 a day of income wasn’t going to cut it. This early adventure in entrepreneurship probably stunted my bank account, but it was an invaluable lesson in the value of work and the critical necessity of fair compensation for work. We’re seeing folks drop out of the job market because, in the absence of labor unions, work has become degrading and poorly compensated. People have fewer options to find work that is rewarding and fairly compensated and it’s critical that we pass legislation like the PROAct to put family-wage jobs back on the table.
What is your favorite book? Why? The last book I read was How The World Really Works by Vaclav Smil.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life? Straight out of college I started working with my husband in what became our business. Balancing the tight budget of our customers with the long-term safety and reliability of their cars is a difficult job. We have to clearly understand their priorities, effectively communicate available options, and earn their trust through consistently delivering value. If only our elected officials felt this same sense of obligation. On top of this, we have to navigate a confusing bureaucracy of OSHA, the EPA, the SBA and local and state laws. Meanwhile, decades of disinvestment in public education make it even harder to find employees with the skills they need to be successful in this demanding industry. As a woman working in the automotive industry, I’ve had to develop a quick wit, a strong bull detector, and frequently, sharp elbows. I expect all of this to be invaluable in congress.
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? We can’t keep sending the same career politicians to DC and expect and expect a better outcome. Too many of our elected officials are coming from a monied political class; doctors, lawyers, bankers. People who know how to make deals and make believe, not make things better. As someone who has worked in the trades fixing things, I understand the perspective of the folks trying to make our economy run. More important than previous elected office is a demonstrated commitment to serving your community.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? Money in politics. Love of money is the root of all evil and we cannot address our biggest threats like climate change or a disappearing middle class without having political leaders who are honest dealers that put the interest of their constituents above high-dollar donors.
Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? Compromise is unquestionably necessary. There are moral issues that are non-negotiable, for instance, a woman’s right to choose. There are also issues like tax reform, education, and money in politics that are so broken that we can’t afford not to compromise. Congress is in a state of political gridlock and we cannot let perfect be the enemy of good any longer.
It would appear both of them lay claim to working class to middle class aspirations. They both want to bring the manufacturing of goods back to the United States from China, which appears to be the villain of the piece. They both seek to serve the working people in their community. They are against ‘big money’. They are against professional politicians and would deal with the length of terms of office. They are sceptical of the professional monied classes. Both believe in free enterprise. Both want some form of tax reform. Both want to make things better.
It is difficult to ascertain just what they know or feel about the constitution, but Pérez believes in ecology and climate change and would react accordingly. She is pro choice. She does not lay blame on anyone and believes in compromise in order to get things done. She sees congress in deadlock and does not attribute the cause of the impass to any particular party.
Kent on the other hand challenges the outcome of the 2020 election. He clearly sees any opposition as being from the left wing or far left. It is an all encompassing complaint. He believes strongly in the military and would like to emulate Matt Gaetz. That alone should put him out of the running. Matt Gaetz is a Florida Lawyer (although In October 2021, the Florida bar suspended Gaetz from practicing law due to unpaid fees.) His father and grandfather were both politicians. His father was a member of the Florida State Senate and his grandfather was a mayor of Rugby, North Dakota. So much for Mr Kent’s ending the career political class and integrity.
The contradictions in Mr Kent should leap out at the average voter. In a non-partisan primary election on the 2nd of August 2022 Ms Pérez was 8.2% ahead of Mr. Kent. One would hope that on the 8th November 2022, in the absence of all the other candidates in that August Primary she would gain the seat; however, Ms Beutler had 22.3% of the vote and if the republicans who voted for her, and other republicans, shift their vote to the republican Mr Kent. then I am afraid she will lose by some 70,000 votes. The republican vote on the 2nd August was in fact split between 5 republican candidates. Two of the 5 republicans who ran in the primary on 2nd August were Heidi St John and Vicki Kraft, both of whom are far right on the political scale and Trump supporters, with Kraft being an active 2020 election denier. The 5th, Mr Leslie French, with 0.5 % of the vote is a member of the Gun Owners of America and National Rifle Association, which kind of says it all. He claims “More than anything else I love this Country, I love our Constitution, and I love God.” There is therefore no hope at all for Ms Pérez, which is a shame.
What is also sad, is that 5 Republicans
put themselves forward in the primary, but only 2 democrats. The other democrat
was a Mr Davy Ray, although probably a bit too laid back. He was an Obama
supporter back in the day, although he did better than Leslie French with 1.7%
of the vote. Clearly more Democrates need to come forward
I don’t know if the Washington District 3 election is similar in make up to the rest of the country, or whether the antagonism towards Ms Beutler for voting to impeach Mr Trump brought out the deniers and far right candidates in numbers. It is difficult to say, but I believe every American citizen able to vote in the numerous elections taking place on Tuesday the 8th November 2022 should be looking very carefully at the prospective candidates and propositions on the ballots before them. The results on that day could affect the entire world just as gravely as the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s economics have screwed up the United Kingdom since last Friday 30th September 2022.
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