Jeff Sessions Attempts to Strike a Balance Between Alabama Values and Economic Issues
During an appearance on WVNN’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the front-runner to take on Democratic incumbent, Doug Jones, attempted to carve out a pragmatic balance between conservative Alabama values and economic issues that are the bread and butter talking points for many candidates.
“I think I understand that,” Sessions said. “I really do. I’ve never been particularly confused about it. A United States Senator is a great august office. It’s very important. A United States Senator can, in fact, impact economic day-to-day activities of a state like supporting a military base. Or, if they’re going build a missile plant is it going to be in Troy, or is it going to be in Ohio? It is going to be built. It is not bad government to say ‘build it in Alabama.’ So, working with Senator Shelby and our delegation, we’ve had some really good success. You cannot tilt at windmills and ignore bread-and-butter issues of your state.”
“However, people want more than that,” he continued. “They want more than just GDP growth. They want more than even economic prosperity. They want a cultural confidence and security — that their country is not hostile to their values, that allows men and women of faith to be respected and exercise their freedom of religion in ways they chose not dictated by Washington. There are a lot of issues that go beyond just economy. But good Republican economics basically, effectively applied, will help create growth as we are seeing today. And in addition to that, we need to defend the moral and religious values of our people because if we move toward this ‘let the government take care of everything,’ socialism of the left, Democratic left, this will be a disaster for America. It is a big fight going on right now, and I intend to be a part of it.”
If Sessions wins the Republican nomination and faces Doug Jones in the 2020 general election, he will have a tough time making the case that Jones is a Socialist. As I explained in one of my previous articles, Jones’ voting record is moderately liberal at best. He has been reluctant to embrace left-wing policies like Medicare for All and he voted against the Green New Deal. He has also endorsed the Democratic frontrunner for President, former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden is seen as the moderate candidate of the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary and he has been a vocal opponent of Medicare for All on the campaign trail and in the primary debates. Jones, like Biden, has championed fixing the Affordable Care Act with more modest measures like adding a public option.
The Alabama primaries will be held on March 3, 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020.
Dakota Layton graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He is currently enrolled at the University of Mississippi where he is working to earn his Master of Arts in Philosophy.
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