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Monday, July 11, 2011
Dem Senate Candidate Hector Balderas Calls Out GOP's Heather Wilson for Refusing to Take Stand on Medicare
In an interview with POLITICO on Friday, GOP Senate candidate Heather Wilson continued to deflect questions about whether she would vote for Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare as we know it. She told a reporter, "I'm not in the House of Representatives. This is not something that I have to vote on."
When pressed, Wilson took it one step further, indicating that she didn't need to take a firm stand on the proposal and deflecting blame to Senate Democrats, saying, "It's not my job to do Harry Reid's job here."
In response to Wilson's continued refusal to take a stand on protecting Medicare, State Auditor and Democratic US Senate Candidate Hector Balderas issued the following statement, challenging Wilson to stop weaseling on this issue:
With all due respect to Congresswoman Wilson, that answer is just not good enough. She's interviewing with the people of New Mexico for a job in the United States Senate. They deserve to know how she would act in that job.
In the last job she had serving the people of New Mexico, she voted for the policies that turned America's largest surplus into America's largest deficit and that led us to the brink of economic collapse and high unemployment. So it's even more important that people know this time if she would continue to support policies that are damaging to the economy like the Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it.
The question is not that hard. If you got this job that you're applying for, would you vote yes or no on this plan? I don't believe the answer to deficit reduction or job creation is to pull the safety net out from under New Mexico's seniors, so my answer is no. Congresswoman Wilson, what's yours?
Come on Heather, fess up! You're either supportive of our seniors or you stand in agreement with the miserable plans of GOP leader Paul Ryan to undermine Social Security and punish seniors in order to protect lavish tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. Which is it? Are you ashamed of your position on this issue, or what?
July 11, 2011 at 08:27 AM in 2009 Albuquerque City Council Races, 2012 NM Senate Race, Healthcare, Heather Wilson, Hector Balderas, Senior Citizens | Permalink
Comments
Good job Hector.
https://hectorbalderasfornewmexico.blogspot.com/
Posted by: New Mexican | Jul 12, 2011 7:40:11 AM
Heather Wilson is smart enough to know that she would be better off not saying anything at this time. Will this issue still be around next year? Maybe.
The current headline is a byproduct of whatever is really going on in Washington, with the Republicans and the President circling like wrestlers, saying to the media gathered how they are going to throw each other up in the air so high they'll never come down, etc. It is hard to interpret what that will mean in the final analysis.
Politicians have a choice at this point, which is whether to join in the ringside blustering, or to watch the poker game for signs of what might turn out to be real, as a result.
Posted by: Stuart Heady | Jul 12, 2011 11:50:43 AM
Well, I can point out the obvious. Heather Wilson places no value for social safety nets or services of any sort and will not hesitate to sack them ASAP. Refer to Charles Dickens for Heather's vision of what America should be.
Posted by: qofdisks | Jul 12, 2011 2:07:40 PM
