The Issues Really Don't Favor Dan Newhouse, But Who's Paying Attention?

Newhouse Cutting a Ribbon

Dan Newhouse Doesn't Court the Progressive Voter

I’ve followed Congressman Dan Newhouse’s activity on and off over the last two years -- ever since his re-election in 2018, defeating Democrat Christine Brown, 63% to 37%. This year he's been more active, with mostly meaningless photo ops. Newhouse includes the following issues on hiscampaign website:

1. Budget and Taxes
2. Seniors
3. Immigration
4. Hanford
5. Agriculture
6. Veterans

Congressman Newhouse has a very brief blurb under each heading. His ideas about what matters in those areas aren't going to convince any Progressive voters that he's the man to represent them. If Newhouse's voter base actually examines the issues the Congressman has listed, they'll have to ask themselves some awkward questions, e.g.;

1. Can Republicans, Newhouse included, really be considered "fiscally responsible," given the massive tax cut they passed just before the coronavirus tanked our economy, resulting in record deficits?

2. Does Newhouse agree with President Donald Trump on​ slashing hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security?

3. Is Newhouse okay with the Trump administration’s family separation policy -- kids in cares-- nationwide immigration enforcement raids, tightening asylum rules, and abandoning the promises made to DREAMers? What's Dan doing to help farmers harvest their crops?
   

4. Why hasn't Newhouse spoken out about Hanfordvitrification plant contractors billing the Department of Energy for fraudulent labor costs?

5. Why hasn't Mr. Newhouse been more effective in convincing the Trump Administration to ratchet back the bluster on "winning" the trade war with China, and why does Dan insist that cow manure is not animal waste?

6. Why hasn't Congressman Newhouse addressed Mr. Trump's despicable comments about America's military men being "losers" and "suckers?"  
   

 

Does Newhouse Appeal to Independents and Moderate Republicans?

Now, most Republicans aren't even going to read Newhouse's website. They'll just vote for him out of habit. But there’s an outside chance his Democratic challenger, Doug McKinley, with a targeted, grassroots campaign, can peel away 13% to 15% of Newhouse’s 2018 percentage, leaving the race about even, or even tilting it to McKinley.What might convince Independents to give McKinley (@Doug_McKinley) a second look, and might even cause some moderate Republicans to scratch their heads and rethink their unwavering support of good-ole Dan, is not just the contradictions in what's in his issue statements, but also what's missing from Dan's list of issues, i.e.:

• Health care
• Trade
• Climate Change

These are issues that should concern any voter in the sprawling, ag-intense, rural, 4th District of Eastern Washington.

Health Care

Newhouse voted ~ 56 times with his Republican colleagues to “repeal and replace” the ACA, and Trump is suing to overturn ACA now. He’s installing a conservative justice to replace RBG, who already opined that the ACA was unconstitutional. Rural hospitals/clinics in the 4th are practically broke. All while COVID-19 is raging. Even those who survive an attack, are likely to be left with pre-existing conditions. If the ACA goes, so goes coverage for them. Furthermore, Trump’s 2017 tax cut, taken together with the economic impact of the pandemic, means that big cuts are looming for Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. If I read the census tables correctly, there are about 228,000 people in Newhouse’s district covered only by Medicare or Medicaid.

Trade

The retaliatory tariffs resulting from Trump’s trade war with China have hurt Washington’s farmers.  Dairy exports to China dropped by 75%, fruit exports dropped by over 16%, and wheat exports dropped by an amazing 94%. But Trump is buying off the farmers with massive taxpayer-funded bailouts; the Administration gave farmers across the country $12 billion in 2018 and another $16 billion in 2019, as part of the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), aka “socialism.” But  bailout money is distributed based on acreage and not a farmer’s need, so about half of the money (47%) went to the largest 10% of operations across the country.

Climate Change

Steve Ghan (@steveghan1), who leads the Trip-Cities chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby has tried multiple times to get Newhouse to join the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus. Newhouse won't do it. There is not one single Republican from Washington on the caucus. Agriculture accounts for $51 billion (13%) of Washington’s yearly economic activity. The counties that play the biggest role in the state’s agricultural economy are Grant and Yakima, in Newhouse's Congressional District 4.The Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington has for some time assessed the consequences of a warming climate on Washington. In a 2019 report, “No Time to Waste,” they wrote, "Warming is expected to increase the number of very hot days and the chance of both droughts and floods, bringlarger and more frequent wildfires to both sides of the Cascades and challenge agriculture through stresses onirrigation supplies and changing pests anddiseases.” They went on identify health impacts, increased wildfires, impacts on water availing, etc. Why is Newhouse, like so many other Republicans,  ignoring this? Because of vested interests in a carbon-intensive economy — his biggest contributor by far is the agribusiness sector.

Newhouse Outraises McKinley by Hundreds of Thousands

Newhouse has received $782,280 as of 07/15/2020. Of that, $440,762 is from PACs. By contrast, as of 06/30/2020, Doug McKinley has received only $35,154, with $5,750 coming from Democratic Central Committees. To the winner go the spoils, and Republicans have won the congressional seat in the 4th Congressional District way back to before it was redistricted in 2000. This means that campaign activities must be grassroots, and given the coronavirus pandemic, that means on-line, predominantly social media.Look, it isn't only the Russians who can use social media (and hacking) to influence America's political campaigns. Even before the pandemic, social media was an essential element of any forward-looking political campaign, especially those seeking to recruit younger voters to the cause. A new study by Pinar Yildirim, et al, points out that, "political newcomers can get a substantial boost in support by using social media channels, which cost next to nothing and are easily tapped by anyone with an internet connection."So, don't wait for someone to tell you to post to Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, or Snapchat, or what ever else tiks your tok, get busy!_________________________________________
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