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What would it be like if the balance of power in the Senate was flipped so that pro-life
and pro-family legislation could get a fair hearing? Well it could happen this very year.
This is the CitizenLink Report.
Hi, I'm Stuart Shepard along with John Paulton who follows races around the country for CitizenLink.
Hi, John.
Hi, Stuart.
Let's just cut right to the case: Obamacare. The colossal failure of Obamacare has put
many races into play that just a year ago many of us wouldn't have thought could be
possible, but here we are.
Oh, that's right. You know there were a number of Senators that cast what could be viewed
as 'the' vote -- the tie breaking vote on Obamacare and they have to face re-election this year.
Now that Obamacare is coming into fruition and we get to see what it's like, it's a new
environment for a politician to have to face and that's changed the dynamics this year.
What else is putting these races into play? What other issues are causing these to be
talked about?
Well I think the ongoing debate or the ongoing situation with our national debt continues
to grow, just continues to pile up. That will be a continuing issue this year in the elections.
And then I think for us, for I think many of the viewers of this program they recognize
the issues, the attacks on our religious freedom and those continue to mount in more and more
states. I think those issues are going to become, and those are tied to Obamacare, I
think those are going to factor into this year's elections in some significant ways.
Now at this point in time the House has conservative leadership in the general sense -- I know
some people would argue about that, there are many conversations to be had, but generally
speaking, conservative legislation, pro-life legislation, pro-family legislation can get
through the House fairly easily as these things go. But the Senate has been a continual roadblock
particularly with Majority Leader Harry Reid deciding what bills get a hearing and which
do not. But there are also other constitutional duties that the Senate has that come into
play with this. What else do they do that's important, that's significant?
Right. They have to confirm all of the President's appointees. All of the cabinet level appointees
and similar high-level appointees have to be confirmed by the Senate. And of course
that includes judges, the biggest one of all. When you're talking about the Senate you're
talking about the courts really and of course on our issues, especially issues like life,
marriage right now, religious freedom, the courts are having a huge say and so the Senate
becomes so important.
And that's the place where it all happens.
That's right.
Alright, let's get specific. Let's run through the list of states that we'll be watching
through this election season. First, Alaska.
Alaska is a key state. Mark Begich is up for his first re-election campaign and there are
two candidates within three or four points of him.
Alright, Arkansas.
Tom Cotton is an up-and-comer Congressman, first term Congressman running against Senator
Mark Pryor and some polls have him up five points. Tom Cotton is a strong pro-family
conservative and this is one of the biggest races in the country.
Colorado
Colorado is kind of a dark horse. It's emerged because of ObamaCare. Mark Udall was one of
those Senators who got Obamacare over the hump and a couple of polls recently have had him
up by just a couple points over challengers.
Alright, Iowa.
Another dark horse. If the right candidate emerges for this open seat we can see that
become very competitive.
Alright, Louisiana.
Louisiana is a big state. Mary Landrieu is the incumbent there. She's won a number of
races by the skin of her teeth. This year doesn't look like it's going to be any different
except that I think she has a real chance to go down this year.
Michigan
Michigan is another I would say a dark horse that has emerged recently. No Republican has
won in Michigan since 1994 but that was the last time we had an open seat in an off-year
election. That's the situation this year and Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land, former
Secretary of State, is looking very good in the polls.
Okay, Montana.
Montana is an open seat again although the Governor has just appointment a replacement
so technically he's the incumbent now. But Congressman Steve Daines is a very pro-family
Congressman who I think has an excellent chance of winning that seat.
North Carolina.
That will be a hard fought contest. Polls show a very tight race. Kay Hagan is the Democrat
incumbent. Several Republicans are running there. All of them right now running slightly
ahead of her but that will be a hard fought contest all the way through to the end.
And that's a state that at least at the state legislature has gone conservative over the
last few years.
That's right. It's changed dramatically.
South Dakota.
South Dakota's an open seat with Tim Johnson retiring and it looks like an excellent chance
for a strong pro-life candidate to win there.
West Virginia.
Republican's haven't won a Senate seat there since 1956 but this looks like this will be
the year when they change that.
What's happening there that's leading to that?
It's an open seat and there's just say a good possibility with a Republican Congresswoman
running for that election, running for that seat, a good chance that she'll win that.
She's not stellar on pro-family issues but she would be a big improvement.
Now that 10 states around the country, that's one-in-five states that could change.
How many of those would need to shift in order for the balance of power in the Senate to
change hands. What are we looking at?
Yeah, we'd have to have a six seat change. A five seat would produce a tie but then of
course the Vice President casts the tiebreaking vote so six seats at this point would actually
produce a change in control.
And that's a total shift from one side to the other.
That's right, that's right.
John, what can people do? I mean there are a lot of folks who would like to see a change.
They'd like to see more legislation that's in harmony with their beliefs getting passed.
What can they do at the grass roots level to make a difference here?
Well I'd say first of all let's not forget that they need to pray. I think we in politics
are especially guilty of producing our big plans that we're excited about that's going
to change the day, change the world. We need those, we need those big plans. I think those
of us on the pro-family side have some of those plans but we need to look to the Lord
first and so I would encourage our listeners to be praying about this election. Secondly
get involved in campaigns in your state. There are some great candidates running, candidates
worthy of support and one person getting involved is surprising sometimes how much you can make
a difference. But then thirdly you can also support other groups that are engaged in these
types of things. There are a lot of groups doing good things. CitizenLink is one of those.
We will be engaged in most of the states that we mentioned here today in various ways; On
the ground, putting boots on the ground but also engaged through mailings and the phone
calls and the usual things, but communicating clearly where the candidates stand on these issues.
So people can back those organizations that are doing those types of things.
I'm going to ask you a question here and I don't mean it to be a fluffy question, but
are you optimistic?
I am, I'm very optimistic. I think this is a crucial time for America, I think this is
a time where things can still go either way but right now we have been given a phenomenal
chance in 2014 to re-route our country and we need to take advantage of it.
Very good. John, thanks for your insights, thanks for keeping track of all these box
scores around the country. It's good to watch these things.
Oh, thank you.
Thanks for your input. And thank you for watching. We encourage you to write to us, let us know
what's happening in your state. What do you think about the campaigns and elections this year.
You may write to us at Mail@CitizenLink.com
We can't respond to every note but we do read everyone that comes in and we appreciate your
questions, your comments and your concerns. And remember to pray for new candidates to
be put into place around the country, to be in these races who represent the values that
we share. Pray for their piece of mind as they go through what can be quite a gauntlet
to get from a deciding to run all the way into possibly being elected into office.
Pray that they will have wisdom and insight as they run their campaigns and run them honestly
and fairly. And pray for our country, for the nation. This is a pivotal year for the
issues that we care about. Remember to pray diligently and regularly for this nation of ours.
And also remember to Stand Tall and Be Heard!