Tom Poetter's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Tom Poetter has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2014 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests.
Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2014.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- We reduce federal debt when we grow Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We can do two things, in particular, to reduce the federal debt. First, we can restore short and long-term benefits to the most marginalized and injured citizens in our society, the poor, who are being punished by austerity economics and austerity politics. Government should restore unemployment benefits to the most fragile part of our workforce -- the long-term unemployed (cut for nearly two million people now since December 28, 2013) and we should work across party and geographic lines in states and municipalities to restore food stamp benefits to millions of Americans struggling to feed their families in the richest nation in the world. Both of these parts of the social safety net actually increase investment in our economy because the money gets spent directly in the economy. Investing in Americans helps us all, and leads to economic recovery. Second, we can focus on job creation and workforce education, which includes higher education. (votesmart.org)
- In 2001, John Boehner helped push through a bi-partisan bill, No Child Left Behind, which he counts as one of his greatest legislative achievements. But his joy must be contrasted with the pain suffered by schools, teachers, students, and parents as a result of the draconian measures of the law, which introduced high stakes testing regimes that squelch teaching, narrow the curriculum, and dampen student achievement, and opened the door to punishing schools and communities for so-called low performance. (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- "We have a new federal law -- The Affordable Care Act -- which congress passed, the Supreme Court upheld, and that is being implemented. Let's follow the lead of the neighboring commonwealth to the south, Kentucky, which is viewing universal access to healthcare as a great feature of a secure and meaningful life in its state. Kentucky is working hard at the local level to help all parties to gain access, to negotiate the costs, and to work out the kinks in the system. As a nation, we have needed to take a step toward "health security" for many generations. The time is here and now to make it work, not to tear it down. Let's work together to make it work, and to reap the benefits of a healthier America." (votesmart.org)
- "Let's pass an immigration bill that provides security and opens possibilities for residents to gain full citizenship. Let's give people who want to work and who have led solid lives among us the freedom, the peace of mind, and the opportunity to find legitimate work, to pay their fair share in taxes, and to build a better America. After all, many of us trace our origins to distant shores; let's welcome neighbors in, not work blindly and with malice to keep them out, to marginalize them." (votesmart.org)
- "I believe that we are going to be locked in one the greatest, most political debates in some time as the Republicans in the House try to save face and try to cultivate votes by working on an immigration bill in 2015. But the Speaker promises only to address the key issues piecemeal, and not take on the great sweeping problems that plague us as a nation. Mainly, we need a bill that reduces the fear experienced by resident workers, scared of being deported, of coming out of the shadows. We are going to have to give in on extreme demands for security of our southern border, but this compromise must be accompanied by a clear path to permanent residency and to citizenship. This is the least we can do for those who live and work here bravely, paying taxes and contributing both to the economic and cultural capital in our society but who feel disenfranchised and unable to come out of the shadows." (votesmart.org)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
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