GOP Candidates Bring Failed Policies & Fringe Ideology to Georgia

GOP Candidates Bring Failed Policies and Fringe Ideology to Georgia

 

 

Atlanta, GA – This weekend, 10 GOP presidential hopefuls will descend on Atlanta to attend Erick Erickson’s RedState Gathering.

 

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement in advance of the Republican event.

 

“If anything, this gathering will prove that the GOP field is nothing more than a dozen or so charlatans willing to say anything to get elected. I’m not sure who will emerge as the ‘victor’ this weekend, but if any of these candidates end up closer than a mile from the White House, the middle class loses.

 

“Frankly, the individual candidates don’t matter. They’ll all gurgle the same tired, failed policies of yesteryear that favor those at the top while kneecapping the middle class.  They’re all the same, they all live in the past, and what we really need is a Democrat to move our nation forward.”

 

Before the candidates begin fishing for right-wing votes in Georgia, here’s a recap of where they stand on the issues.

 

Donald Trump

Cited James O’Keefe while claiming that President Obama’s stance against voter ID laws was “wrong.”

 

Is willing to shut down the federal government over access to health care.

 

Opposes raising the minimum wage.

 

Wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

 

 

Jeb Bush

Limited early voting opportunities in Florida and claimed “very strong justifications” for enacting voter ID laws that disproportionately affect minorities, women, students and the elderly. [St. Petersburg Times, 6/21/05], [Jeb Bush, Immigration Wars, 3/5/13]

 

Said we need to “phase out” Medicare.

 

Plans to deliver economic growth by asking Americans to “work longer hours.”

 

As governor, slashed taxes by billions, benefitting corporations and the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

 

Supports cuts to funding for women’s health.

 

 

Scott Walker

On signing into law Wisconsin’s restrictive voter ID law, Walker remarked, “this one’s obviously special.” When later asked to document the number of voter fraud cases in Wisconsin, Walker admitted, “I don’t know the exact number, probably a handful.”

 

Called the minimum wage a “lame idea.”

 

Oversaw the worst job growth in the Midwest.

 

Advocated for the dismantling of Wisconsin’s ethics board.

 

Is more restrictive on women’s health care than most other GOP candidates.

 

 

Chris Christie

Suggested that the Democratic push to expand voting opportunities was “an opportunity to commit greater acts of voter fraud across the country.”

 

Wants to raise the retirement age, forcing seniors to work longer.

 

Said he hasn’t “given any deep thought” to foreign policy.

 

Claims to be a “problem solver,” while acting like a bully.

 

 

Mike Huckabee

Told a crowd of activists that they could stop voters from casting a ballot by letting “the air out of their tires on election day” and “Tell them the election has been moved to a different date. That’s up to you how you creatively get the job done.” MSNBC

 

Said the health of the mother is not a factor in a woman’s right to choose.

 

Said he won’t rule out using federal troops to stop abortions.

 

Is no stranger to offensive rhetoric.

 

 

Marco Rubio

Blew off concerns on voter ID laws, saying “What’s the big deal?”

 

Wants to raise the retirement age and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

 

Believes focusing on the minimum wage is a “waste of time.”

 

Says that Social Security and Medicare has “weakened us as a people.”

 

 

 

Ted Cruz

Said that “the court rightly decided” to gut keep provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

 

Led the 2013 government shutdown, costing our nation’s economy $24 billion.

 

Believes Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme.”

 

Wants to “slash the corporate tax rate”, while proposing a 23% nationwide sales tax on just about everything.

 

Rick Perry

Signed into law a restrictive voter ID law that endangers ballot access for an estimated 600,000 Texans, then claimed on national television that “I think we make it pretty easy in the state of Texas for people to vote.”

 

Vetoed equal pay legislation in Texas and called it “nonsense.”

 

Doesn’t think there should be a minimum wage.

 

Has given away billions in tax breaks for businesses while presiding over a 170% increase in state debt.

 

 

Bobby Jindal

Turned a $178.5 million surplus into a $141 million deficit.

 

Wants to repeal the ACA and turn Medicare into a voucher program.

 

Rejects Medicaid expansion, while 240,000 Louisianans go without health care and his state is ranked 48^th in overall health.

 

 

Carly Fiorina

does not support legislation requiring equal pay (but who needs it, when you have a $21 million golden parachute to rely on).

 

Called for overturning Roe v. Wade, which would take women’s rights back to the 1960’s.

 

Fiorina backed a measure that would have required women who were raped to file a police report before obtaining an abortion, even after GOP women in Congress said the bill was too extreme.

 

Doesn’t take access to contraception seriously, saying women have “plenty of access to birth control both before and after” the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision.

 

 

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