Regardless of how these extremist MAGA candidates reply, will any of our hard core Trumpists NOT support them?
Would you support one of these candidates regardless of their views?
Are you even interested in their views?
https://apple.news/AeATrnOyPRjm0gNfpb0HCYg
MAGA Republican Senate candidates should have to explain themselves
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) concedes that candidate “quality” might inhibit Republicans from retaking the Senate. It’s both a remarkable admission and an accusation unsubtly leveled at the person — the defeated former president — who plucked many extreme MAGA believers out of primaries. Moreover, less than 80 days before the midterms, it sounds like a concession that even in an environment supposedly favorable to Republicans, they could wind up with fewer seats than they control now. (Maybe GOP donors should save their money.)
Considering the range of Republican Senate candidates who have taken bizarre and extreme positions — Blake Masters in Arizona, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, J.D. Vance in Ohio, Herschel Walker in Georgia — McConnell might be right. Interestingly, some of them have agreed to debate their opponents, which provides a critical opportunity for voters to see just how far into MAGA lunacy the GOP has descended.
As a preliminary matter, debate moderators should insist that candidates answer the questions they are asked. If the candidates deflect or flat-out refuse, moderators should ask again. And if they still don’t get a response, moderators should point out to the audience that the candidate apparently has something to hide.
Any candidate for Senate should be compelled to answer serious questions on a host of topics.
On the Constitution:
- Did Joe Biden win the presidency legitimately? If not, tell us what evidence you have. - What, if any, actions did you take to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president? If you didn’t have specific evidence he lost, how do your actions square with our democracy? - Was it wrong to encourage an armed mob to march on the U.S. Capitol? What about to tell the mob that former Vice President Mike Pence “didn’t have the courage” to help steal the election? - Should every qualified American citizen be able to cast a ballot? Is it better if more people vote or fewer people vote?
On inflation/the economy:
- You opposed legislative efforts to stop gas company price-gouging, measures to empower the secretary of health and human services to negotiate drug prices, a proposal to limit insulin costs to $35 a month, measures to cap out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries, and tax credits to switch to clean energy products. What’s wrong with Americans benefiting from lower prices on these things? - Explain how Republicans are going to reduce inflation. - Under Biden, the federal deficit has decreased. Under Donald Trump, it went up. How can Republicans claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility? - Can you assure voters you will not seek to impeach President Biden? If not, on what basis would you think impeachment appropriate? - How much is your state getting from the bipartisan infrastructure bill? Was this a good law? If not, should your state give the money back? - Would you support allowing the U.S. government to default on its debt? Allowing a government shutdown?
On national security and crime:
- Which was the right approach: Expand NATO as Biden did, or pull out of NATO as some Republicans suggested? - If Biden leaves office with top-secret documents, should he be prosecuted to the full extent of the law? Why not hold Trump to that standard? - The FBI obtained a warrant to search Mar-a-Lago based on a showing of probable cause. How was this an abuse of power? - Some Republicans have called for defunding the FBI. Do you agree? - When is violence justified, if ever, should your candidate not win? - Should anyone be able to purchase an unlimited number of AR-15-style semiautomatic weapons? - Do you support any federal registry for gun ownership? - Does climate change pose a threat? What should we do about it?
On 14th Amendment issues:
- Should a teenage rape victim be able to obtain an abortion? - What about a victim of incest? - What about a woman who has a serious health condition that pregnancy would aggravate? - Should women be permitted to travel to another state to get an abortion? - What should be the penalty for a woman who obtains an illegal abortion? - Would you vote to codify the right to access contraception? The right for gay couples to marry? The right for an interracial couple to marry?
In sum, MAGA Republicans should not be able to evade explaining their extreme positions. After all, if their views are so popular, they should be eager to share them, right?
MAGA Republican Senate candidates should have to explain themselves
