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Editorial: Tillis best for Senate
The Daily Reflector, Greenville NC
Saturday, October 18, 2014
The U.S. Senate race between incumbent Kay Hagan and
challenger, N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis, is among the nation’s
tightest as Republicans look to regain control of the Senate. The Obama
administration’s Affordable Care Act and the president’s unpopular
handling of numerous scandals, military operations and public safety
issues reflect poorly on Sen. Hagan’s close alliance with the president.
Tillis’ lead role in the state’s refusal to accept Medicaid expansion
dollars, and in reshaping funding for education and teachers’ pay in
North Carolina, have worked against him among those who depend on health
care and supporters of public schools.
Hagan and Tillis each discussed their goals and policy positions with
The Daily Reflector’s editorial board — Hagan visiting in August, and
Tillis on Friday.
Hagan has embraced her ranking by the National Journal this summer as
“the most moderate senator,” to which Tillis responds by pointing out
that she has voted with Obama 95 percent of the time.
This newspaper has commended Hagan’s efforts to reach across party
lines, such as earlier this year when she worked with Republicans to
introduce the Sportsmen’s Act of 2014, aimed at providing more access to
federal lands. But Hagan has never emerged as a recognizable advocate
for compromise. In fact, she has steadfastly supported what is arguably
the most divisive piece of legislation this nation has endured — the
Affordable Care Act.
Tillis can be criticized for his stance on rejecting Medicaid
expansion dollars, which has allowed too many working North Carolinians
to fall through the cracks in health care coverage. The move also has
hurt this state’s network of health care providers, a sizable portion of
which are built around government subsidies for indigent care. Tillis’
defense of that position has merit, however, especially noting that he
believes the situation should change next year, now that the state has
corrected budgeting problems with Medicaid.
Although Tillis favors diversifying the public school model in ways
that will not benefit most North Carolina families whose children occupy
schools, his extensive involvement in public schools, including serving
as PTA president, is impressive. Given the chance to expound on his
vision for public education and many other issues, Tillis comes across
as thoughtful, compromising, well studied and sincere.
Tillis sees government’s primary function as helping to promote job
growth. His economic ideas and views on regulation are favorable toward
corporations and wealthy people, with the expectation that such policies
would benefit everyone through job creation. That view has merit, but
must be mindful of the burdens faced by middle- and lower-income
citizens in making sure the balance does not swing too far.
For Republicans, this and other key Senate races seek to end the
gridlock that has essentially shut down the U.S. Senate. Tillis is right
in pointing out that the ACA was ill conceived, deceptively promoted
and is hurting far more Americans than it is helping. He is right to
point out that Hagan’s support for the ACA has disrupted the health care
plans and raised the cost of coverage for most of her constituents.
The nation must move beyond the failed policies and partisan gridlock
that have served to stagnate incomes and slow economic recovery by
stopping the wheels of government, most notably in the Senate.
North
Carolina can best contribute to facilitating that change by electing
Thom Tillis on Nov. 4.
At this moment I can actually feel some degree of pity for Kay Hagan.
Her failure to appear at tonight's "debate" with Thom Tillis is another
defeat for her.
