RUTHFULLY YOURS

U.S. Senate

Jon Tester (D)  Next Election in 2018.

John Walsh (D)  Incumbent

With Sen. Max Baucus confirmed as the new ambassador to China in February 2014, Montana’s governor appointed Democrat Attorney General John Walsh to fill the remainder of Baucus’ term.

http://johnwalsh2014.com/     http://www.walsh.senate.gov/

He enlisted in the National Guard as a private, working hard and rising through the ranks to become adjutant general, leading the Montana National Guard. As a battalion commander, John led more than 700 brave men and women overseas to Iraq in the largest deployment of Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen since WWII. As Adjutant General, he continued his life of service, preparing Montana’s service members for deployments and making sure they received the benefits they earned and deserve. During his time as adjutant general, John championed the Yellow Ribbon program, an initiative that provides valuable resources to National Guard members and their families at all stages of their deployment and ensures Guard members get their well-earned services and benefits when they return home. Montana’s successful Yellow Ribbon program became a blueprint for similar efforts nationwide.

ON ENERGY   APRIL 29, 2014   Keystone supporters push for swift Senate vote

11 Senate Democrats urged Obama in a letter to approve the pipeline by the end of May. Six of the 11 are on the ballot this fall, including Landrieu, Begich and Walsh, and Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Warner of Virginia.

Dirk Adams (D)  Challenger

http://www.adamsformontana.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY   The Keystone XL Pipeline  – The proposed Keystone XL pipeline (which is only a shortcut on an existing pipeline) is a bad deal for Montana. Yet Dirk Adams is the only candidate, Democrat or Republican, who is standing up against it. The pipeline promises jobs it won’t deliver. It will cause problems for landowners. The last pipeline TransCanada built in Montana had 12 spills in its first year of operation, spewing over 20,000 gallons of crude. The Keystone XL pipeline is bad for the environment and the businesses that depend on it. It is bad for Montanans’ health and pocketbooks.

Climate Change – Dirk Adams recognizes the critical nature of climate change. It is a global issue. In Montana where agriculture is our biggest industry, it’s a game-changer. Winters that are too wet or too dry or too cold or too warm wreak havoc with the water supply we depend on in the summer, which in turn affects our crops, livestock, and people’s paychecks. Climate change cannot be ignored. Adams is committed to making sure real and meaningful action is taken in recognition of climate change.

HEALTHCARE   The Medicaid Expansion for Montanans is a no-brainer. All we need to do is say “yes” to federal funds and 60,000 more Montanans have health care coverage. Those federal funds include Montana taxpayer dollars. There’s no reason to send that money to other states when the need for health care here at home in Montana is great.

The Affordable Health Care Act (“Obamacare”) has the right goal. But many compromises were made along the way and implementation was clumsy. The Affordable Health Care represents a step in the right direction in terms of intent but there is still much work to do to reform our health care and insurance industries to achieve a system that is efficient, fair, and meets the health care needs of citizens.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS   Dirk Adams supports full access to reproductive health care for women, including birth control and abortion. Recognizing that rights that cannot be exercised are not rights, he also supports clinic access laws to keep physicians and patients and their families safe and free from bullying and intimidation. The lives and health of women will always come first for Adams when it comes to policy concerning reproductive rights and he will work to keep women’s reproductive health services available, accessible, affordable, and safe.

Adams’ mother ran the first family planning clinic in East Texas in 1962 (before abortion was legal). The importance of the full array of reproductive health care services being available for women was instilled in him from an early age and is one of the issues that defines him politically. Abortion rights are about more than health care, they are also about privacy, one of the most significant and serious issues of our times. They are about the integrity of the individual and the right to self-govern at the most intimate levels of one’s personal life. Dirk Adams is committed to being an advocate and champion for reproductive rights and services.

John Bohlinger (D) Challenger

http://www.bohlingerforsenate.com/

Susan Cundiff (R) Challenger

http://susanforussenate.com/

Steve Daines (R) Currently Congressman At Large

http://www.stevedaines.com/     http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Steve_Daines.htm**

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE   I support full repeal of ObamaCare.  This law imposes a heavy tax and regulatory burden on American families and small businesses, and it will cause millions of Americans to lose the health coverage they currently have. It will also lead to higher health costs and higher premiums, and it will drastically increase federal spending by subsidizing health coverage for millions of Americans and greatly expanding Medicaid.  Further, the law weakened competition and choice in Medicare and authorized a board of unelected officials to make further Medicare cuts.  I believe ObamaCare’s government-centered approach represents the wrong solution for the health care challenges in our country.

While ObamaCare is not the solution, I certainly recognize that our health care system has major problems. First and foremost, I believe doctors and patients, not insurance companies or the government, should be in charge of health care decisions. Further, I support reforms that would slow the rapid growth in health costs without jeopardizing access to high-quality care.  I believe Congress should provide people with greater freedom in shopping for health insurance, make the costs of medical care more transparent, and reward innovation in the delivery of health services. I will also back commonsense medical liability reform, because doctors currently must practice high-cost “defensive medicine” to protect themselves against unwarranted lawsuits.

IMMIGRATION AND HOMELAND SECURITY   As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I am committed to ensuring that the federal government effectively protects Americans from terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber attacks, and other threats, while safeguarding our liberties and privacy.  Our country faces a number of threats, and I will work to conduct vigorous oversight of the government’s response to those threats.  We must be vigilant against all who would do harm to this country, but must ensure that we don’t sacrifice our freedom and liberty in the process.

Protecting our nation’s borders is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation.  The increase in illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human smuggling is unacceptable.  I will continue to work to secure our border.

ENERGY   As a fifth generation Montanan, I know our state’s natural resources are central to our way of life and an engine to our economy and job creation.  Our pristine glacial peaks and rivers, vibrant forests, wide open spaces, and rich mineral and energy deposits earn beautiful Montana its name-the treasure state. As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, I will work to preserve Montana’s way of life by encouraging responsible stewardship as we continue to develop our natural resources.

In addition, I support an all-of-the-above approach to securing American energy independence that includes alternative sources of energy-hydropower, wind, and solar-along with coal, oil, and natural gas. Montana will continue to lead the way, through the pending construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, promoting exploration and sustained development of the Bakken oil shale, continuing to lead in domestic coal production, and expanding our renewable energy production. Montana is setting an example of how domestic energy development can be done in a responsible manner to reduce our dependence on foreign energy while sustaining our resources for generations to come.

Champ Edmunds (R) Challenger

http://www.champ2014.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY   America’s enemies hold the key to our energy-a fundamental part of our free society. Over the past decade, natural resources-coal, oil and natural gas-have been discovered across North America that could make us energy independent and lower our cost of energy. We need to get the government out of the way and develop responsible American energy that produces jobs, revenue and security. I’m ready to approve the Keystone pipeline and responsible energy production across the country. This will bring thousands of jobs to Montana alone.

ECONOMY AND JOBS   If we wanted to pay off the national debt today, every man, woman and child in the United States would have to write a check for over $53,000. The government cannot tax its way out of this crisis. We must grow the economy and the best way to do this is unleash the power of the free market through lower taxes and less regulation.

Montana families are working hard to make ends meet, yet the Federal Government continues to borrow and spend. As a single father of two, and a member of Montana’s House Appropriations Committee, I have experience balancing budgets and I want to take that experience to Washington with me.

HEALTHCARE   Montana overwhelmingly agrees that government run healthcare is not a step in the right direction. Montana’s own senator, Max Baucus, authored the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare), voted for it and now calls it a “train wreck.” Meanwhile, insurance rates for Montanans are skyrocketing and small businesses are suffering.
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Every Montanan wants healthcare to be affordable, but no Montanan wants the false promises, political favors and exorbitant costs of Obamacare. I support a market solution to healthcare that provides quality care at lower prices.

At Large

Steve Daines (R)  Is leaving his seat to run as Candidate for US Senate in 2014

Elsie Arntzen (R) Challenger

http://www.elsieformontana.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE   The President sold Obamacare as a plan that would help cover the uninsured, lower insurance costs, and make it easier for businesses to cover their employees. As I predicted, the results have been the opposite. Insurance rates are skyrocketing, more people have had their plans canceled than have signed up, and businesses are eliminating jobs as a result of this disaster.

Obamacare must be repealed and replaced with common sense reforms that actually lower the cost of health insurance, not increase it and allow businesses to grow and succeed. I believe health care reform should include things like medical malpractice reform. This will stop the frivolous lawsuits that force doctors to practice defensive medicine and drive up costs. I think we should allow small businesses to pool together to buy insurance. This would enable Montana’s small businesses to have the same buying power as big businesses. Finally, I would allow people to purchase insurance across state lines to create more competition and lower costs.

ECONOMY   The President and the radical left who support his agenda have declared a war on the West. Day after day, President Obama and his EPA issue rules and develop policies that hurt Montana’s Economy. His administration cuts off access to our public lands and places barriers in the way of responsible resource development here in our Treasure State.

They don’t understand our way of life in Montana. Washington doesn’t understand what it means to live off the land. They don’t understand that Montana resources reduce energy prices, and improve our economy, but can also reduce our reliance on energy from people who would like to see America destroyed.

I will stand up to Obama like the schoolyard bully he is to Montana’s economy.

SPENDING, DEBT AND BALANCING THE BUDGET   As a school teacher, I have seen a lot of red ink on papers, but nothing compares to the red ink in our nation’s budget. Year after year trillion dollar deficits and a President with no plan to stop the out of control spending. As it stands now the greatest challenge facing our country is the towering 17 trillion dollar national debt.

Balancing our nation’s budget will not be easy. We cannot wave a magic wand and make the deficit disappear. However, there are some elementary, common-sense solutions we can find to stop the out of control spending. To start with, I would repeal Obamacare. That saves us 1.7 trillion dollars on day one. Next I would sponsor a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution to force Congress to make the tough spending choices that Montana families make every day, just like we do each session in the Montana legislature. Third, no more bailouts. And finally, I would permanently eliminate wasteful earmark spending.

Matt Rosendale (R) Challenger

http://mattformontana.com/

Corey Stapleton (R) Challenger

http://www.coreystapleton.com/home/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

MILITARY   As a former Navy officer I will always be a close ally with all active duty military and veterans. I am an 11 year veteran myself. I received the Montana National Guard’s “Guardian of the Guard” Award in 2012 for my career of legislation on behalf of veterans. I firmly feel that we need to remain ever vigilant to threats against America, and continuously improve our readiness and abilities against those who would harm our country. – See more at: http://www.coreystapleton.com/issues/#sthash.ik9NFpGw.dpuf

JOBS AND ECONOMY   Meaningful creation of jobs comes from the private sector. The fundamental conflict occurring in America between the major political parties is ‘scope’ of governmental intervention. Adding massive spending is not going to create sustainable jobs in Montana. Everyday I help Montanans figure out how they can afford to keep their homes, send their kids to school, and plan for retirement. But to do any of that first requires good jobs are available. I understand the worries too many families are facing, and my focus is keeping and creating good-paying jobs here in Montana.

NATIONAL DEBT   National Debt America is trillions of dollars in debt, and Washington D.C.’s politicians use their position to convince Americans that somehow we need more debt. This is epic failure and endangers our national security and our ability to compete in a world economy. We need to reduce our national debt now. America’s rise to greatness last century was tied to the United States loaning money to other countries-not vice versa. Washington is mortgaging the futures of America’s children and grandchildren and it cannot be allowed to continue.

Drew Turiano (R) Challenger Tea Party

http://drewforcongress.com/

   HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE   The Affordable Care Act known as Obama-Care has without question become one of the greatest debacles in American history.

There is no longer a question of “is Obama-Care bad for America“, but “how much damage will Obama-Care do to America“?

With the Obama-Care tentacles now reaching into every aspect of America’s lives and businesses, we must stop any further encroachment. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this horrific law is costing America millions upon millions of full-time jobs. This is only the beginning of the Obama-Care devastation to our nation.

As your United States Congressman, I promise that I will do everything in my power to reverse this atrocity on America. I will never vote to fund any part of this law, nor will I ever vote to support this law in any fashion if given the opportunity.

I further promise that I will sponsor or co-sponsor legislation that disassembles as many portions of this law as I possibly can.

IMMIGRATION   There are many different opinions on the issue of just how many illegal aliens are on American soil. Current estimates range anywhere from 11,000,000 (that the current administration is claiming) to as high as 25-30,000,000 that opposing experts claim.

The operative word in this entire discussion regarding this issue is “Illegal”.

Most in the media and the current administration are now content to use the words “undocumented worker”. These people are not only undocumented; they are illegal and are in legal terms-guilty of committing felonies by illegally entering the United States.

The current bill passed by the United States Senate last year known as S-744 seeks to totally undermine our current laws regarding immigration in America.

Below are only a few of the many reasons why I will oppose this horrific piece of legislation if elected as your next Representative:

1.  S.744 does not require any additional border fencing or completion of current border fence requirements. Instead, it requires DHS to submit to Congress a fencing “strategy,” in which DHS recommends what additional fencing is needed along the U.S.-Mexico border, if any. (Sec. 5, p. 24)
2.  S.744 voids state and local E-Verify laws. (Sec. 3101, p. 511)
3. S.744 does not require the deportation of a single illegal alien. DHS is never required to deport an alien whose RPI (Registered Provisional Immigrant) application is denied-for any reason.
4. S.744 states in (Section 2101 pages 64-67) that DHS is authorized to forgive and expunge the record of an illegal alien that has committed the following crimes. Keep in mind that many of these crimes are actually felonies.

As your Representative from the Great State of Montana, I will only support legislation that does the following:

1. Secures these United States of America from anyone entering without proper identification and documentation.
2. Enforces the current laws on the books. These laws were very effective for decades until this administration decided to begin ignoring them.
3. Prevents the American taxpayer from supporting anyone that is in the United States illegally.
4. Regulates the immigration to the United States of America by only those individuals that will assimilate into our society and provide an addition to America rather become a drain on our nation.

Ryan Zinke (R) Challenger

Retired Navy Commander

http://ryanzinke.com/

John Lewis (D) Challenger

http://montanansforlewis.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

CREATING JOBS   Let’s bring ‘Made in USA’ home again During his role in public service, John Lewis was instrumental in helping Senator Max Baucus organize Montana’s famous economic development summits.  The summits resulted in new, good-paying jobs across Montana.  John supports responsible policies that boost Montana’s “all of the above” energy industry and also our state’s $6 billion-per-year outdoor industry.  In Congress he will champion efforts to bring back manufacturing to America by closing tax loopholes that make it easier to for corporations to ship jobs overseas.

ENERGY SECURITY   Finding a responsible balance   Montana is uniquely positioned to be a world leader in energy development with all of our energy resources: wind, solar, natural gas, oil, geothermal energy, coal mining and biofuels.  John supports responsible policy that balances all of our energy resources, with an eye toward the future.  In Congress he will support a strategy that will protect Montana jobs in both traditional and renewable energy development.

HEALTHCARE   All Montanans deserve access to affordable, quality health care
All of Montana is considered rural and many of its small towns are considered “frontier” communities that lack access to health care.  John Lewis believes that all Montanans deserve access to affordable, quality health care no matter where they live.  That means creating incentives to bring good health care providers to small communities.  It means improving access to health care for veterans, seniors and children.  And it means holding the nation’s insurance companies accountable-to make sure that they don’t charge women more than men, or that they don’t deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.