Lisa Responds - GOP Pledge Filled with Hypocrisy, Inconsistency
The recent Pledge to America released by Republican leaders is filled with platitudes and makes promises that can not be kept given the realities of our current federal budget. This pledge is designed to lull voters into a false sense of security in casting their votes for Republican candidates.
I’ve been vocal about taxes and the federal budget throughout her campaign and I feel voters deserve the truth about the current federal budget situation. The truth is, we currently spend approximately 94% of our total federal revenue on mandatory expenses, which includes entitlements like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and interest on the national debt. This leaves around $200 billion for all other expenses which would be only enough to pay for roughly one-third of our current defense budget. This is why we have a huge deficit.
Despite the fact that many Republican candidates – including my opponent – claim we have a spending problem and not a revenue problem, this just isn’t true. The fact is, we need more revenue if we are going to fund our important priorities without increasing our budget deficit and national debt.
The Republican leadership refuses to share these facts with everyday citizens because they know we would be outraged. Every American should demand to know how those making this pledge intend to pay for their plan. How will they pay for keeping the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Do they intend to cut entitlements like Social Security or Medicare? Do they intend to default on interest payments on the national debt? Do they intend to jeopardize our nation’s safety by underfunding the Department of Defense? Do they intend to eliminate all federal support for education and undermine the strength of our schools?
Voters must also ask themselves where these ideals were from 2000 to 2008 when out of control spending practices coupled with banking deregulation allowed our nation to fall into a financial crisis. In his remarks Thursday, Representative John Boehner stated, “We [the GOP] are not going to be any different than we have been.” This statement should not give any of us hope for increased fiscal responsibility.
The truth is, in order to deal with our deficit and debt we must both reduce spending and increase revenue. There is simply no question about this. The current budget situation is completely incompatible with reducing the deficit and our national debt. Either those making this pledge do not truly understand the realities of the federal budget or they understand the implications but do not care because they are focused on protecting the interests of the wealthy individuals and/or corporations who support their campaigns. Neither of these explanations is acceptable. Americans deserve leaders who are looking out for the best interests of our nation and everyday Americans, not politicians who either do not know or do not care that they are driving our country into the ground.
“I hear people say (health reform) is unconstitutional. I disagree,” Johnston said. “In the preamble to the Constitution, it clearly states that the purpose is to promote the general welfare of the people, and I certainly see health care as fitting squarely within the construct of general welfare.”
Johnston said she views health care “as a right not a privilege in this country.”
She questioned Moran’s call for Medicare and Medicaid covering providers’ costs.
“It’s important that providers be compensated for their services,” Johnston said. “But what I find interesting is how Jerry Moran and others like him keep saying, ‘We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.’ That, to me, is a case of talking out of both sides of your mouth.”
Johnston said health providers have told her the nation’s health care system is broken and, in general, they support reform efforts.
Johnston said no one should be surprised by Roberts’ decision to endorse Moran. Roberts represented the 1st District in Congress from 1981 to 1996 before moving to the Senate. Moran has held the House seat since elected in 1996.
“It is quite expected and not at all surprising the career politician, a Washington insider, would endorse another,” Johnston said. “I believe Kansans are looking for a fresh perspective.”
Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc. will broadcast a live candidate forum for Democrats seeking the U.S. Senate seat.
State Sen. David Haley, Lisa Johnston, Charles Schollenberger and Patrick Wiesner will appear in the live forum from the KWCH-TV studios on Monday, July 19 at 6:30 pm.
The forum will be broadcast across Kansas on KWCH in Wichita, KBSH in Hays, KBSD in Dodge City and KBSL in Goodland. It will also air outside the Wichita/Hutchinson DMA on KCTV in Kansas City, KTKA in Topeka and on Sunflower Cable in Lawrence. In addition, it will be streamed live here on KWCH.com.
On Monday, Lisa Johnston, Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sam Brownback, received the endorsement of the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC).
“Ms. Johnston’s dedication to women’s rights and reproductive rights, as well as her extensive leadership experience in education, earned her the Caucus’s enthusiastic support,” said NWPC President Lulu Flores in a statement. “If elected, she will champion the NWPC’s values of female empowerment, choice, and equality as well as act as an important voice for change on crucial social issues such as the importance of education and economic growth and job creation for Kansas.”
A new poll indicates Congressman Jerry Moran leads the Republican race for U.S. Senate, while the campaign among Democrats appears to favor candidate Lisa Johnston.
A companion poll by SurveyUSA of more than 350 likely Democratic voters indicated Lisa Johnston, of Overland Park, is leading the primary with 24 percent of support from those polled.
I am happy to report I officially announced my candidacy for the United States Senate on April 28th at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.
After spending seventeen years in higher education teaching and supporting students, I am taking a leave of absence from my position as Assistant Dean at Baker University to become a candidate for the U.S. Senate race. As a political outsider, I will bring a fresh perspective to Washington. I believe the people of Kansas are hungry for a candidate who is not a career politician but is an everyday individual with leadership skills and professional expertise in an area that is critically important for the future of our state and our nation.
WIBW-TV Topeka covers Lisa Johnston’s U.S. Senate Campaign in Kansas on the Live at Five program on April 26, 2010
