The Issues
Philosophy of Government
JD Hayworth believes that the 2010 election affords us the ability to reclaim our Constitutional Republic. J.D. believes the United States Constitution is a document of limited and enumerated powers, and that the rights not explicitly granted to the federal government are reserved for the States and the people. Nowhere is that more evident than in J.D.’s staunch defense of our Second Amendment rights. That’s why the National Rifle Association consistently rated J.D. Hayworth with an “A” grade.
Health Care
Nowhere is the Obama Administration’s socialist agenda more evident than in their attempts to grab control over 17% of our nation’s economy. We need to elect conservative Republicans who understand that the proper role of government is to create the environment where the free market is allowed to meet the needs of its customers. J.D. Hayworth understands this and is committed to fundamental reforms that make health care more affordable and accessible.
John McCain wants us to believe that he opposes big-government involvement in our health care, but that is little more than election year posturing. He recently sponsored Dietary Supplement legislation that would allow the federal government to take more control over the vitamins and supplements that millions of Americans take every day. It is hard to be taken seriously as a foe of big-government policies when you’re sponsoring big-government legislation.
J.D. Hayworth opposes efforts by the federal government to come between doctors and their patients. He supports health savings accounts, tort-reform, and allowing consumers to buy health insurance across state lines. We have the greatest health care system in the world and we must prevent Washington bureaucrats from destroying it.
Our National Debt
Today, our national debt exceeds $12 Trillion. While we are right to be concerned about the international threats posed by rogue nations and terrorists, there is perhaps no greater danger to the security of our nation than our national debt. Yet today’s politicians continue to spend freely, placing immoral debt onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.
J.D. Hayworth has worked hard to be a conservative steward of your tax dollars, and he has a record of fighting against increases in taxes, spending, and debt. In fact, J.D. Hayworth has a higher lifetime score from Citizens Against Government Waste than John McCain. And J.D. Hayworth opposed the bailouts that John McCain worked for and voted for.
This debt is a drain on our economy and our potential for growth. It must be dealt with quickly by producing real balanced budgets. We know that we can grow our economy and produce jobs through positive stimulation like tax cuts. And a balanced budget and economic growth will pay off our debt long before our children and grandchildren have to pay the cost. Our elected officials must learn from President Reagan: “that government is not the solution to our problems, it is the problem.”
Illegal Immigration
A national leader in the fight to secure our borders, J.D. Hayworth has actually “written the book” on the subject, “Whatever It Takes”. When John McCain proposed his Amnesty Plan—the Heritage Foundation said it would cost taxpayers $2.6 Trillion—J.D. Hayworth stood up and fought against it. Taking on a U.S. Senator with nearly 30 years of seniority took courage, but J.D. understood that our economy could not survive the long-term effects of the McCain-Kennedy plan, and that encouraging millions of people to break our laws was a recipe for disaster.
J.D. has led the fight for real border security, interior enforcement, and requiring that law enforcement enforce our laws and protect our citizens. It is no surprise that he has been endorsed by great leaders like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and State Senator Russell Pearce.
Judges
One of the most critical votes a U.S. Senator gets to cast is to confirm the men and women who get to sit on the bench. Judges are our last line of defense against the tyranny of the government and it is critical that we appoint strict constitutionalists who defend the Constitution and the rights enshrined therein.
That’s why conservatives were so disappointed when John McCain led the so-called “Gang of 14” that scuttled so many of President Bush’s conservative nominees. When liberal Democrats were sabotaging these qualified men and women, conservative Republicans banded together to defend them and attempt to confirm them. But they were betrayed by a handful of Republicans, led by John McCain, who “reached across the aisle” to compromise away the conservative nominees.
As our U.S. Senator, J.D. Hayworth will never forget that his oath is to defend our Constitution, and there is no better way than to confirm strict constitutionalists to the bench at every level in the country.
Defending Life and Marriage
J.D. Hayworth is unequivocally pro-life and pro-marriage. While John McCain supports embryonic stem-cell research, J.D. Hayworth knows that the destruction of human life, even in the name of some “greater good”, is absolutely unacceptable. The unborn, as well as those in the later stages of life, will have an uncompromising champion in J.D. Hayworth. J.D. Hayworth champions the efforts of Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) to concentrate on pluripotent stem cell research which utilizes embryonic-like adult stem cells.
J.D. is also pro-marriage and supports protecting marriage from those who seek to redefine it to suit a narrow political agenda. While John McCain opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, J.D. Hayworth knows that defending marriage, and ensuring its survival as the fundamental building block of society, is a critical task.
Veterans
Let’s honor those who sacrifice for our freedoms, by taking care of our veterans and by doing our part to protect those hard-won freedoms. J.D. Hayworth believes in honoring our veterans’ commitment by ensuring access to their rightful benefits, whether on active duty, serving in the reserves or National Guard, or after discharge. They deserve the very best equipment and training, support here at home for themselves and their families, particularly when dealing with extended and/or repeated tours of duty, and the very best we can provide in health care and other benefits.
During his earlier service in the U.S. House, J.D. Hayworth served as chairman of the Benefits Subcommitee on the House Veteran’s Affairs Committee. He was honored to play a pivotal role in establishing the “G.I. Bill for the 21st Century.” In that role, he honored the promise to today’s all-volunteer force and to all those who have defended our country when called upon.
We also need to honor their sacrifice by not surrendering here at home what they have fought overseas to protect. We must protect and defend our Constitution and our God-given rights. We must ensure the continued survival of our Republic, and we must make government smaller so that we can all be freer as individuals.
Comparing The Candidates
J.D. Hayworth helped write the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. John McCain voted against them and denounced them as “tax cuts for the wealthy.”
J.D. Hayworth opposed TARP. John McCain was a key vote for the measure. In fact, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that “We wouldn’t have gotten TARP done if John McCain hadn’t been supportive of it.” McCain wanted to go even further, proposing an additional $300 Billion to buy up all of the bad debts, leaving the taxpayers to pay for the mistakes of others.
J.D. Hayworth opposed the auto bailouts. John McCain supported them.
J.D. Hayworth opposes Cap & Trade legislation and rejects phony climate change data. John McCain co-wrote the McCain-Lieberman Cap & Trade bill.
J.D Hayworth opposes amnesty for illegal aliens and has a long record of fighting to secure our borders and enforce our laws. John McCain co-wrote the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty bill that the Heritage Foundation estimated would cost the taxpayers $2.6 Trillion.
J.D. Hayworth believes that a vigorous political debate is vital to the long-term health of our nation, and that free speech is the cornerstone of our Constitutional Republic. John McCain co-wrote the McCain-Feingold legislation that placed a gag order on groups like the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life. This legislation was largely struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court because it constituted a direct assault on the first amendment rights of Americans. McCain was “disappointed” by the outcome.
J.D. Hayworth supported the Federal Marriage Amendment and believes it is critical that marriage be protected from those who would redefine it. John McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment.
J.D. Hayworth supports the appointment and confirmation of conservative, strict constitutionalists, as judges. John McCain led the Gang of 14 that blocked the confirmation of just these kinds of judges. Yet John McCain voted to confirm Eric Holder as Attorney General of the United States?
J.D. Hayworth is a proven, consistent conservative, with a lifetime rating of 98 from the American Conservative Union. John McCain’s lifetime rating is 81 and dropping. McCain’s score last year was an abysmal 63. And while John McCain falsely claims that J.D. Hayworth is a big spender, he ignores the fact that J.D. Hayworth has a better lifetime rating from Citizens Against Government Waste than does McCain.
National Security
Both J.D. Hayworth and John McCain supported the surge that worked in Iraq, and both have a record of supporting our men and women in uniform.
But John McCain wants Guantanamo Bay shut down and terrorists moved to the U.S. for trial. J.D. Hayworth supports the mission at Guantanamo Bay and thinks it would be both a mistake and an abomination to award enemy combatants and other terrorists the rights enjoyed by American citizens.
John McCain also wants to tie the hands of our military interrogators by banning enhanced interrogation techniques. J.D. Hayworth recognizes the importance of giving our professionals the tools they need to get the job done. At least four major 9-11 style terror attacks were prevented thanks to information gathered using these techniques, and countless lives were saved.
Of course, no debate over national security can be complete without comparing John McCain’s open-borders, pro-amnesty record with J.D. Hayworth’s effort to secure our borders, defend our homeland, and stop the flow of drugs and violence across our Southern border.
The Economy / Jobs
Perhaps the greatest differences between J.D. Hayworth and John McCain are on the topic of the economy and how to put America back to work. John McCain supports taxpayer-funded bailouts of banks, automakers, and those who made bad decisions with their money.
J.D. Hayworth knows that leaving the taxpayers who did everything right to hold the bag for those who did it wrong is fundamentally unfair. And it sets a dangerous precedent. If investors do not learn from their mistakes or, more perversely, are rewarded for them, then the free market system will be fatally wounded.
We need to allow taxpayers to keep more of their own money. That is why J.D. Hayworth helped to write the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that John McCain opposed. It was McCain who adopted the liberal mantra of “tax cuts for the wealthy” while opposing those cuts. But history showed that J.D. Hayworth was right and John McCain was wrong.
We need to end the bailouts and reverse the TARP programs. Much of that money has still not been spent and what has been spent has failed to produce the promised results. J.D. opposed these programs while John McCain supported them. In fact, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that “We wouldn’t have gotten TARP done if John McCain hadn’t been supportive of it.”
John McCain’s $2.6 Trillion Amnesty program would have devastated our economy and further eroded the wages of blue collar workers in Arizona and across this country. J.D. Hayworth fought John McCain and Ted Kennedy and, with the support of the American people, won. John McCain says he still supports “comprehensive immigration reform” – the code term for amnesty.
Real leadership is not caving under pressure or abandoning conservative principles because you can get good reviews on the editorial page of the New York Times. Real leadership demands backbone and strong unbending convictions that smaller government and lower taxes will lead to a strong economy and the creation of millions of new jobs.
J.D. Hayworth has a proven track record on behalf of the taxpayers of Arizona. The Club for Growth calls John McCain’s record “profoundly disturbing and anti-growth.” The difference is clear.