A few thoughts from Joe From Texas
For the past two years, the U.S. Senate has been evenly divided with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. However, due to the fact that the Democrats control the White House, and the vice president can vote to break a tie in the Senate, the Democrats have controlled the body.
Control of the Senate, combined with control of the White House and U.S. House of Representatives, has meant that Democrats have run Washington will no real opposition for the last two years. In other words, Republicans have been powerless to stop policies that the majority has implemented, so the Democrats own the current problems of the U.S. economy.
As Joe From Texas stated in another post, if you are one of the few Americans who believe the country is on the right track and that you are better off today than you were two years ago, then you should vote for Democrats. However, if you, like the vast majority of your fellow Americans, believe that our country is on the wrong track, then you should vote for change. You should vote to give Republicans a chance to gain the majority and put the brakes on the horrible policies of the last two years--policies that have given us runaway inflation, high gas prices, high food prices, an unsecure border through which people and dangerous drugs are flowing, and foreign policy failures such as the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Joe From Texas believes it is vitally important that Republicans take the majority in both the House and Senate. There are at least 20 to 30 competitive House races and the Republicans only need to win a handful of those to regain control. The Senate is a different story. There are only a handful of competitive races in the Senate and the Republicans must win most of these if they are to gain the majority. For this reason, Joe From Texas has decided to focus on these Senate races.
Why is control of the House and Senate important? The party with the most votes in each body controls the leadership and agenda of that body. Although you may think a Democrat candidate is a nice person, the bottom line is the first vote that person will cast will be to put Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi, both radical leftists, back in charge of the Senate and House. This would mean a continuation of the disastrous policies that we have all been living under for the last two years. Joe From Texas is counting on his fellow Americans to join him in voting to give Schumer and Pelosi the boot on November 8th. According to polls, the following states have the most competitive Senate races and are the key to ending Chuck Schumer’s leadership:
Wisconsin – Incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson is facing Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. One of the things that Joe From Texas likes most about Johnson is the amount of vitriol that the left continues to throw his way. What are Johnson’s short comings from the left’s perspective? He has had the gall to question the left’s narratives on things like January 6th and COVID vaccine mandates. In addition, he has been a solid conservative. Even those who may not agree with Johnson on every issue seem to understand that he has been consistent over time, and voters know what they have in him. Contrast this with Barnes who seems to be backing away from earlier positions because he fears they could keep him from having a shot at winning the race. For example, a CNN.com article on October 7th stated that Barnes has in the past signaled support for removing police funding and abolishing ICE. He now denies that he has ever held such positions. Additionally, in 2015, Barnes liked a tweet from the Supreme Leader of Iran that knocked America’s racial injustice. In case you are not familiar with Iran’s record on human rights, please take some time to read up on it and you will then understand why this shows a complete lack of good judgement on Barnes’ part. Barnes appears to be nothing more than a radical leftist who would join the efforts in which Democrats have been engaged for the last two years to destroy this country. Joe From Texas respectfully asks Wisconsin voters to go out in waves to vote to keep Senator Ron Johnson in the U.S. Senate.
Pennsylvania – This is an open Senate seat due to the retirement of Senator Pat Toomey. The race pits Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, known for television rather than politics, against Democrat John Fetterman, current Lt. Governor of the state. Newsweek, which is not known for being cozy with Republican ideas, recently ran an article comparing some positions of Oz and Fetterman. On inflation, Oz has gone after Fetterman for stating that inflation is caused by the rich, powerful insiders and lobbyists in DC, apparently instead of out-of-control government spending by Democrats. On crime, Oz has called Fetterman “probably the most pro-murderer candidate in America” for his lenient stands on giving criminals second chances. On immigration, Oz is for a secure border with a barrier whereas Fetterman thinks our immigration system is broken and says he will work for reform, including a pathway to citizenship for certain immigrant populations. On election security, Oz is for voter ID laws and supports the states, rather than the federal government, running elections. Fetterman says he “will fight like hell to expand voter rights.” Fetterman is one of the few candidates who has welcomed Joe Biden’s help. In a recent talk about why people should support Fetterman, Biden referenced Fetterman’s support for sending money to Ukraine in the war against Russia. Really Mr. President? Ukraine may be important but what about citizens in this country suffering because of your poor policies? Fetterman suffered a stroke earlier this year, from which he continues to recover. Although some have questioned his ability to handle the office should he be elected, Joe From Texas believes the stroke is of less concern than the policies he continues to advocate, and he hopes the people of Pennsylvania will reject these policies and vote for Dr. Oz on November 8th.
Arizona – Incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, faces Republican Blake Masters. The book on Mark Kelly is easy to write and easy to read. He has been a reliable vote for the Democrat policies that have led to record inflation and created the misery being felt by virtually every American. Masters, a businessman and first-time candidate, has focused his campaign on border security, reducing inflation, strengthening the economy, and combatting crime. Because Arizona is a border state, the current crisis has led to border security being a major issue in the campaign. During a recent debate, Masters referenced Kelly’s claims that he has been focused on the border and has raised the issue with President Biden. “If this is the result of Sen. Kelly being focused on the border, my gosh, he’s the most ineffective and worst senator of all time. The border is wide open. People are walking through by the hundreds of thousands,” said Masters. Joe From Texas respectfully encourages Arizona voters to vote for Blake Masters on election day.
Georgia – Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock faces Republican challenger Hershel Walker. Much like Mark Kelly in Arizona, Raphael Warnock owns the border security and inflation problems that our country is experiencing. Because of the 50-50 split in the Senate, Warnock has had the power to stop the Democrat agenda that has caused these problems at any time over the past two years. However, instead of stopping the agenda, he became a willing co-conspirator in implementing it. In drawing a contrast to his opponent, Walker says he wants to go to DC to stop that agenda. This is a race in which accusations have been thrown around concerning both candidates. As we all know, this country has major problems, and we need to focus on the issues and identify the candidate who is in the best position to end the bad policies that have caused these problems and implement much better policies that can help us work out of this mess. In this race, that task is not difficult. Warnock has been part of the problem for the last two years and, although he tries to sidestep his record in the way he answers questions, he is essentially advocating for more of the same. Walker, on the other hand, is advocating a change in direction. He wants to slow government spending to help bring down inflation, support police in fighting crime, make our country energy independent, and secure the border. Joe From Texas encourages the voters of Georgia to get out and vote for Hershel Walker for U. S. Senate.
Ohio – This is an open Senate seat that pits Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan against Republican political newcomer J.D. Vance, a businessman, lawyer, and author. Although Ohio is increasingly becoming a red state, Ryan has run a good campaign by aggressively working to sell himself as a moderate. The problem, as a September 7th, 2022, opinion piece in the Cincinnati Enquirer points out, is that Ryan is no moderate. The piece states, “he’s voted to federalize elections, admit Washington, D.C., as the 51st state, impose onerous new background check requirements on gun owners, and grant mass amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, in addition to co-sponsoring legislation that would restrict the right of states to legislate on abortion, and voting in favor of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion ‘Build Back Better’ Act.” Although Vance has no voting record, his campaign seems to be focused on reigning in inflation, securing the border, and working toward energy independence. Leftists, frustrated that Ryan can’t beat Vance on the issues and, apparently so far unable to find a Vance scandal, have taken to calling him an extremist. This is right out of the Democrat playbook. If you have not done so, please see the recent post on political extremism from Joe From Texas and you will understand why the use of the extremist label is not bad for Vance. Joe From Texas encourages his fellow citizens in the great state of Ohio to go out and vote for change by voting for J.D. Vance for U.S. Senate
Nevada – The Nevada Senate race features incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto versus Republican Adam Laxalt, former Nevada Attorney General. Polls show that the race is very tight with the candidates essentially tied. A vote for Masto, who has been a good soldier in supporting the Democrat policies that have led to record inflation, high food prices, and a return to dependence on foreign energy, is a vote for more of the same. Not surprisingly, Laxalt is focusing on issues such as combatting inflation, securing the border, and fighting crime to draw a distinction between himself and his opponent. This race appears to be one of the few in a battleground state in which a debate will not occur in 2022. Each of the candidates blames the other for the stalemate. The choice in this race, like so many other races this year, is very simple. If you are happy with the direction of the country, then Masto is your candidate because she represents more of the same. If you, on the other hand, live in Nevada and believe that we need to change course from the disastrous policies of the last two years, please vote for change. Please vote for Adam Laxalt for U.S. Senate.
