US Senate

 US Senate

Susan Hutchinson, R
https://www.susan4senate.com/
https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/05/18/26248767/senator-maria-cantwell-draws-a-challenger-former-state-gop-chair-susan-hutchison
Former chair of WA Republican party, quit after a series of foot-in-mouth incidents.
 ~ called Seattle’s income tax on the wealthy “a veiled attempt to turn over the constitution” and urged rich people to engage in “civil disobedience” by refusing to pay.
~ said Trump’s “grab ‘em by the pussy” remark was just him channeling Bill Clinton, and besides, Trump was a registered Democrat at the time so it doesn’t count.
~ told Ted Cruz he was a ‘traitor’ at the Republican national convention for not being pro-Trump enough.
~ she refers to herself as “ballot babe.” Meaning?
~ wrote to Inslee about Syrian refugees vs 1970s Vietnamese refugees, explaining that Syrians were “the ISIS JV team” and all they really want is charter schools.

from her website:  https://www.susan4senate.com/
~ she has successfully fought a state income tax.  And that is literally the only policy statement to be found on the entire website. She stresses all the committees to which she has been appointed and all the good works she has done as a volunteer. Oh, and she was a reporter for KIRO radio for many years.
Video rap – claims “the incumbent” cares about DC, not WA. She lists all the ills in Seattle, while the city collects more taxes. Fighting tax increases. Republicans gave college tuition cuts, balanced the budget, and funded public schools. Opponent is a lifetime politician.
“When Trump is good for WA, I’ll support him, and when not, I can talk to him.”

Opening speech, debate #1: We are in desperate need of change. Our economy is thriving. Cantwell worked furiously against the tax cuts and jobs bill fueling this prosperity. Cantwell is a DC professional. No one sees her here in Washington.  I’m a military wife, mother, and daughter. I care so much for people. You may remember me from my old days on the news. You trusted me then and you can trust me now.

10-6-18 press release re Kavanaugh.
Congratulations to Judge Kavanaugh.  I hope today's vote brings to an end the divisive and highly partisan attacks on the U.S. Supreme Court and our Constitution.

The confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh follows weeks of abuse of our most important liberties by the Senate Democrats.  From the very first days of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination, my opponent Senator Maria Cantwell pledged to do whatever it took to defeat him, even on Meet the Press threatening her colleagues about their possible “career ending” votes.  She voted NAY against Kavanaugh, just as she voted NAY against Neil Gorsuch.  Just as she would have voted against ANY nominee.  Let’s make sure her vote is career ending by voting her out of office in November.

Democrats and their media allies worked to destroy this man’s reputation and family for their political gain.

You can see the smoke from out of control forest fires. Inslee and Cantwell say its global warming, but its really mis-management. I am not beholden to the ‘let it burn’ Seattle extreme environmentalists. I will work for science based resource management so we will have clean air and salmon and jobs.

These are my18 issues
1. Supreme Court –   I support Justice Kavanaugh and will vote Republican every time.
2. Economy & Jobs –   I support President Trump’s tax cuts, which have created lots of jobs and cut unemployment and increased wages.
3. Taxes –    I’m in the front line of the fight against a state income tax, carbon tax, and Seattle’s ‘head tax.’  I intend to downsize IRS and cut the federal budget.
4. Military Readiness –   I will vote to increase the depleted military budget.
5. Immigration – I will promote legal entry and block illegal entry. I will support a border wall in every effective form, physical, electronic, and law enforcement.
6. Trade – I will speak persuasively with the president about our state’s interests. Tariffs should be discouraged.
7. 2nd amendment, gun control -   We need to deal with mental health issues. Don’t penalize millions of law-abiding gun owners. Mass shootings by disturbed young men could have been avoided but authorities failed to act.
8. Obamacare – Socialized medicine is bad. Single payer is bad, Universal health care is bad. I will work for market based solutions.
9. Opioids – I will tighten prescription rules, prosecute drug traffickers across borders, promote recovery programs, and re-evaluate Medicaid distribution of opioids.
10. Agriculture – I am endorsed by the Farm Bureau. I will fight for farmers by protecting property and water rights from burdensome federal regulations.
11. Forestry & Fishing – The federal government has mismanaged federal forests so now they burn and the salmon are disappearing. I will defend our fish and forests, timber jobs, and fishing fleet. I will work to restore salmon runs. I will support modern and effective forest management practices for federal lands.
12. Housing Affordability – 40% of the cost of new housing is red tape and impact fees. The federal government can provide incentives for housing ‘opportunity zones’ around transit hubs. I will support housing affordability.
13. 21st Century Education – I will work for systemic changes that emphasize learning and competency. I will work to stem the skyrocketing cost of college education.
14. Israel and the Middle East – I support moving the US embassy to Israel’s capitol, Jerusalem. I favor a 2 state solution for Palestine but no negotiations can begin while some factions remain committed to the destruction of Israel. A wise strategy is to support our friends’ military capabilities & encourage strong economic growth.
15. Debt – The national debt is unsustainable. I will work to reduce annual deficits and balance the budget. Economic growth is the engine for debt reduction.
16. Women and Workplace Equity – I will support economic opportunities for women. There is no place for ‘me too’ incidents in the workplace.
17. Infrastructure and Traffic – I will bring federal infrastructure dollars home. I will work for fully electric clean vehicles, driverless vans, and more efficient commuter patterns. I will get funding to help alleviate traffic congestion on our highways.
18. Term Limits – I agree that Cantwell should not have a 4th term.

Where to begin. Ms Hutchinson is so fundamentally a Trumpista. I wonder if she even realizes the internal inconsistency of her wish to shrink the federal budget while increasing the already bloated military budget. She loves the Trump tax cuts which are devastating domestic programs and wants to make sure there is no income tax in Washington, which has the most regressive tax system in the country. She loves Israel and evidently sees no inconsistency in her position of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem while claiming to favor a 2 state solution. Just her hate for “socialized medicine”, single payer, and her claim that market based solutions are the way to go would be enough to put me completely off. We have long had a market based medical system. Its called fee for service and if you don’t have the fee you don’t get the service. So simple. Of course that leads to a whole lot of unnecessary deaths of people who have been exposed to untested and/or unregulated toxics. Somehow the corporations are free to profit from the sale of these toxics but the exposed public has no right either to prevention or cure without the fee for service payments. What’s wrong with this picture?

The fact that she champions both Trump and Kavanaugh is more than enough.

I’m not going to refute everything the woman says but it is 99% bogus. Even if she were running against a really weak wishy-washy dem, I would still not vote for her.



 Maria Cantwell, D, incumbent
 https://www.cantwell.com/
 She believes climate change is real and needs to be dealt with. She sees a potential for clean energy creating many good jobs. She strongly supports the Paris agreement. She’s been fighting to protect our coasts from offshore oil drilling, our national lands from exploitation, and to keep our waters clean.

 She worked to get rid of Scott Pruitt from EPA and pledges to oppose any new nominee with similar anti-environmental policy.

 She has supported the Mueller investigation from the start, is very concerned about Russian interference with US elections, and is doing what she can to keep it from happening again.

 She is a strong supporter of net neutrality, the Affordable Care Act, and pretty much the whole progressive agenda. Oh, and she’s a big supporter of Roe v Wade, which is why she fought long and hard against Kavanaugh.

 She has fought for DACA, Dreamers, and the release of the children kidnapped at the border.

 She fought the tax “reform” ripoff.

 She is by no means perfect, but she’s been in the Senate long enough to have some influence, and she uses it for the most part to push our issues and to oppose the right wing takeover.

 Here are excerpts from my email log:
 “The evidence (of climate change) is too strong, and too terrifying, to ignore. Join me in demanding that the Trump administration step up to fight climate change. Our future depends on it!”

 About yesterday’s debate (with challenger Susan Hutchinson) “Washington State and our country cannot afford another rubber stamp for Donald Trump.”

 “The GOP got what they wanted all along: Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. But America watched. And we will remember. And we will act in November.” She campaigned against Kavanaugh.

 “I recently helped secure $70 million in the National Defense Authorization Act which will help clean up the groundwater contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). I was also able to secure $10 million for a health impact study on the effects of these substances, which are still unknown. Contaminated water remains a serious health threat to communities in Washington State and across the country. Harmful contamination in drinking water systems is unacceptable.”

 “The Land and Water Conservation Fund is in danger of losing its funding (it lapsed as of 10-1-18). I’m asking you to add your voice to mine urging Congress to reauthorize funding for the LWCF.”

 “While I am proud to have worked with the administration to secure funding for our brave firefighters currently putting out the blazes that are choking Washington State families, when it comes to combating the root problem our environment and planet faces, our president and his administration are in deep denial. My opponent has been in lockstep with the president since the 2016 campaign. She’s even blamed me for the wildfires that are devastating our state.”

 “On Thursday they (Senate Republicans) voted AGAIN to try to defund Planned Parenthood. The GOP has taken every chance is has gotten to try to strip away access to critical healthcare services and a woman’s very right to choose.”

 “I am proud to have received the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. Together we will go head to head against corporate polluters, expand access to public lands, and stand up for places like Puget Sound, Bristol Bay, and the Methow Valley. I will continue to fight every day to stop this administration’s ridiculous plan to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protect Washington’s clean air and water, and combat climate change.”

 From the Conservation Voters’ endorsement: “She has also been a strong supporter of America's clean energy future and has helped the State of Washington become a leader in green jobs. She fought to stop the tripling of National Park fees and has been an important ally of America's best parks program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Senator Cantwell has earned an impressive 92% lifetime score on LCV's National Environmental Scorecard.”

“Our fears have been realized - our public lands are being sold off to the highest bidder. Newly released documents confirm that the Interior Department plans to use land stripped away from National Monuments for commercial logging, fishing, and ranching.
“And it's not just our Monuments and Parks, either. The administration is also fast-tracking their plans to turn our Arctic into an oilfield, rushing environmental inspections so that they can pay for their tax cuts for billionaires - no matter the cost to our environment.
“From selling off our public lands and the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, to polluting Bristol Bay and our Northwest fisheries, the Trump administration is actively undermining environmental protections and threatening our health, economy, and our planet's future. I'm outraged.”

“The images and stories emerging of young children ripped from their parents' arms and being held in detention camps are appalling and deeply disturbing. This latest assault on our American values of decency, family, and hope for a better life is unconscionable.”
“It is heartbreaking knowing that this past Father's Day weekend hundreds of children were being forcibly separated from their parents by federal agents. It's worse that the Trump administration knows about it, supports it, and continues to perpetuate it every day.”

“Time has run out for net neutrality. Republicans in the House of Representatives have the chance to follow the Senate's lead. They have the opportunity to pass bipartisan legislation that would join us in halting the FCC's repeal of net neutrality. Instead, they have refused to act. And now, net neutrality has been officially rolled back. Starting today, internet service providers can begin taking steps to undermine the free and open internet. They can create fast lanes for corporations who can pay more, while putting average Americans in the slow lane. They can determine which content you see and which content you can't.”

“One year ago today, Republicans in the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They acted like it was a holiday, driving to the White House en masse to party with President Trump. GOP leaders even played the 'Rocky' theme song. But while the GOP was celebrating the loss of healthcare for 23 million people, we jumped into action. Thanks to the work of hundreds of thousands of progressives like you, the GOP's repeal bill died in the Senate.”

As I said above, she’s not perfect, but she obviously shares our/my values.

I will be voting for Maria Cantwell.