Blair Walsingham'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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Blair Walsingham has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.
Tennessee Congressional Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| For over a century in America we tried banning abortions. It's time to pause the debate and consider the why. My plans tackle head-on the reasons women choose abortion. Financial security and healthcare are the keys to reducing abortion. I will advocate for family leave so a woman can spend those critical early weeks to care for her newborn. I will raise the medicaid wage cap to provide healthcare to more women and improve sex education. Additionally, I will advocate for economic and education opportunities that allow women more choice. | |||
| Yes | In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Yes | Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare? | ||
| I support reasonable debt management and a balanced budget. I will reform our tax structure so corporations are taxed fairly and advocate for a "Freedom Dividend," basic income for all citizens over 18, paired with a value-added tax applicable to all goods and service transactions throughout the supply-chain. Staple goods would be exempt making this a highly progressive system, resulting in all Americans benefiting from gains in technology in automation. UBI coupled with VAT will eliminate the need for the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. | |||
| Yes | Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| I will work to overturn Citizens United, the voice of the people should always be louder than money. I will also introduce campaign finance reform legislation, including "Democracy Dollars." These are vouchers for $100 per election, per eligible voter. If used by just 50% of eligible voters, these public use vouchers will drown out corporate money by a factor of 4:1. | |||
| Unknown Position | Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct? | ||
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| No | Do you support increasing defense spending? | ||
| We need to maximize the efficiency of our military, eliminate waste, and ensure funds are spent correctly. Our troops must be equipped to protect themselves and to defend our nation, but I will avoid unnecessary conflicts, work with global partners in diplomacy and avoid hasty military actions. I oppose preemptive military force and would repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force. We must be smart about when and where to utilize our force. We can reduce conflict by encouraging marginalized countries to participate more fully as part of the world community. | |||
| Yes | Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| Federal spending increases opportunities across the nation. Rural grants bridge communities and spread the resources for education and healthcare. But we can't use federal dollars bailing out corporations. Ensuring corporations pay their fair share of taxes and instituting a nationwide basic income will reduce poverty and help many Americans avoid debt and dependency. An economically secure population ensures the success of businesses through their spending power. Rather than the government dictating what businesses or corporations are successful in the marketplace, that choice should be made by the American people, with their wallets, and where they decide to spend their dollars. | |||
| No | Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards? | ||
| The job market in America is increasingly competitive. More people without college degrees are facing decreased job opportunities and widening wage gaps. We know that education is an essential tool to empower people and pull them out of poverty. For all Americans to have that chance, we must understand the causes of inequality in education. We know that districting, economic disadvantages, and a lack of funding creates disparities in schools. Individualizing education and giving our students the attention and support they need, rather than teaching to a standardized test, will improve our educational systems and keep our economy growing. | |||
| Yes | Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Developing renewable energy initiatives will pay itself back with reduced energy costs in the long term. We can lower operating costs of education, healthcare, and government by investing now in renewable energy based on the geography of each region. Federal regulation of greenhouse gases will also encourage investment in renewable energy. Motivated by quarterly returns, many corporations fail to see the big picture, and the carbon tax will result in improved environmental protection as well as help shape long-term plans for decreasing expenditures on energy. | |||
| No | Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| I agree that the Second Amendment is a sacred right,and there are many reasons for gun enthusiasm. I grew up with guns and could never imagine legislating that right away. Frankly, we don't need to. What we need is to combine outside-the-box thinking with common sense policies that reduce the potential misuse of firearms. Moms Demand Action trusts me to represent the interest of American families because I will advocate for legislation that emphasizes legal acquisition of firearms by those who have passed a basic background check and completed a safety course. | |||
| No | Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| Rather than repealing the Affordable Care Act, we should work to improve it. We need to support, improve and expand our current healthcare systems to ensure universal access and care for all Americans. We need local leadership to be accountable, and access all federal funds available for funding healthcare. Paid sick leave, especially during a health emergency such as COVID-19, is essential to protecting our workforce. However, we must also keep in mind the resources of small businesses compared to the wealth and power of major corporations when assessing who must bear the cost. | |||
| No | Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border? | ||
| No | Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | ||
| The border wall is a waste of taxpayer money and does not address the root causes of immigration and integration into American society. Undocumented people in America do not need to be sent back to their home countries, and should be allowed to stay in their communities while awaiting court hearings. Monitoring systems ensure compliance without the taxpayer bearing the cost of holding facilities or deportations. And most importantly, we need to focus on creating a path for citizenship for immigrants. | |||
| Yes | Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)? | ||
| No | Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts? | ||
| We need to focus on building bridges and fostering diplomacy to encourage countries to participate more fully as part of the world community. To ensure world peace, the US should help fight the proliferation of nuclear weapons, however military force must be a last resort. American intervention overseas, in the Middle East and elsewhere, is an ongoing drain on our resources. We need to bring our troops home and end the Forever Wars. We need to invest in America, focus on our economy and our people, and act in concert and cooperation with the international community. | |||
| No | Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)? | ||
| International trade, and the economic benefits it brings to the national and the world economy, is an essential part of the American economy. However, we cannot forget about the American workers, or the workers in the global community, who are impacted by the imports of foreign goods and jobs moving overseas. | |||
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