Arkansas Senate Race -- A Comparison of Two Candidates
August 5, 2004
(AgapePress) - One of the U.S. Senate races of interest to pro-family advocates this fall is taking place in Arkansas, where first-term Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln is being challenged by Republican State Senator Jim Holt. As a help to the people in Arkansas, we are offering this comparison of the two candidates.
AgapePress contacted both candidates, asking them to write a column explaining why they should be elected to the U.S. Senate to represent the people of "The Natural State." Their responses appear below. AgapePress encourages its readers to get involved and to work for and to contribute to the candidate of their choice. Following each column is contact information for that candidate.
Contact Information for
State Senator Jim Holt |
Holt Says Arkansas Voters Have A Choice
We are at one of the most pivotal points in our nation's history. I believe the very soul of our nation is at stake.Let me say that I am running for the U.S. Senate as a conservative. I am solidly pro-life. I am for fiscal responsibility. I am for prayer in schools. I am for keeping the phrase "under God" in the pledge. I am for strengthening families, eliminating government waste, allowing taxpayers to keep more of their earnings, advocating for the elderly and disabled, regaining local control of schools, confronting judicial activism, keeping our promise to our veterans, enforcing our immigration laws, encouraging small business development, and maintaining a strong national defense.
I'm running to give the people in Arkansas a clear choice. One issue which clearly shows the difference between her and me is homosexual marriage. I am opposed to homosexual marriage. Sen. Lincoln voted for homosexual marriage. She will tell you she did not vote for homosexual marriage. In fact, on her website she says she opposes homosexual marriage. True, the Senate vote on July 14 was a vote on ending debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment. But those knowledgeable of the game of politics knew that vote was only a showpiece. Those who voted against ending the debate, as Sen. Lincoln did, were voting to kill the FMA that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Like the other 99 senators, she knew what that vote meant. She also knew she could explain it away by saying she believes it should be up to individual states to define marriage. On her website she says that each state should define marriage. She believes there should be fifty different definitions of marriage. But when an activist Federal judge strikes down the marriage laws, the rights of the states to define marriage will be taken away.
The first sentence on her website issues page for Marriage is this: "I oppose same sex marriage." But Sen. Lincoln voted for homosexual marriage. Why did she vote for something that she says she opposes? Because that is what good politicians do. Say that which is popular, then explain away your vote with a confusing explanation.
"Throughout my life, my religious faith has guided my strong belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman," Sen. Lincoln says on her website. But Sen. Lincoln voted for homosexual marriage.
"I support a strong Arkansas law which defines marriage as only between a man and a woman regardless of where the marriage is performed," she writes, knowing that one federal judge can and will, with one stroke of the pen, knock down the "strong Arkansas law" which she says she supports. But it gives her political cover. She can say what she knows people in Arkansas want to hear while voting completely opposite.
"As a daughter, mother and wife I am committed to making sure that Arkansas' children are supported by strong families," she writes. But Sen. Lincoln voted for homosexual marriage. Sen. Lincoln's words sound good. But her votes don't match her talk.
Now the voters in Arkansas have a decision to make. But they also have a clear choice. I will not try to play politics. I will stand on principle. I am opposed to homosexual marriage. And I will not try to muddy the water to justify my convictions.
I cannot fix everything that is wrong with America, but I will wholeheartedly support the Federal Marriage Amendment. And I promise you that I will give my last breath trying to bring this country back to the principles upon which it was founded.
Contact Information for
Senator Blanche Lincoln |
Lincoln Works to Help Arkansans
U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln is running for re-election this year, and her record makes a strong case for the voters to send her back to Washington.Since Lincoln began her public service as a U.S. Representative from Arkansas, she has worked to support Arkansas working families, honor the commitment that our government has made to our troops and veterans, protect Social Security and Medicare, improve public education, and grant access to health care for the more than 40 million uninsured Americans. She has continued to stress those priorities during her last five and half years in the Senate.
Lincoln has worked to extend help to those who have been hurt by the slow economy. Arkansas has lost 32,000 manufacturing jobs since 2001 and manufacturing jobs in America are now at a 53-year low, according to the Department of Labor statistics.
"More than a dozen times, I have supported efforts in the Senate to raise the minimum wage or extend unemployment benefits to displaced workers but Administration and their allies in Congress have blocked us each time," Lincoln said.
The rising costs of health care have made it difficult for working families in Arkansas to obtain health insurance. Lincoln has spearheaded efforts to combat the crippling effects that a slow economy and rising health costs has had on working families.
"I have introduced legislation to help small businesses provide health insurance to their workers," Lincoln said. "Working families who don't qualify for Medicaid or other government-assisted health care are most at risk. If one family member suffers a major injury or illness, it is devastating to the entire family."
Lincoln has also led efforts to ensure that the government keeps the promises that it made to active troops and veterans. In April, Lincoln introduced a "Soldiers' Bill of Rights," which contains ten provisions to ensure fairness and equity in veterans benefits and treatment of active duty soldiers and their families. Four of those provisions have already passed in the Senate due to Lincoln's efforts.
Senator Lincoln has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of like in Arkansas. She has generated millions of dollars in federal investment into Arkansas communities throughout her public service. In the Senate, she marshaled enough support in Congress to pass legislation to create the Delta Regional Authority (D.R.A.). The goal of the DRA is to provide technical assistance and aid to communities applying for federal assistance while fostering cooperation between state and local governments, the private sector, and non-profit groups in the Delta.
Since President Bill Clinton signed the bill into law in December 2000, Lincoln has helped bring over $6 million in funding for projects to Arkansas through the D.R.A. The majority of these projects focus on infrastructure needs in the Delta.
Lincoln also said she is willing to cut short the upcoming Congressional recess and return after the election in order to address the 9/11 commission's recent findings. Currently, Congress is not scheduled to reconvene until September 7 and is scheduled for adjournment for the balance of the year on October 1.
