Bob Anderson: 2018 Election Guide
Welcome to WCCO.com's 2018 political guide!
We reached out to all Minnesota candidates running for U.S Senate, Governor, U.S Congress, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Auditor this fall. Candidates were asked to provide a two-minute video discussing their platform as well as answer a set of our viewer's questions.
Above is the video and below the answers they provided. This is not a paid advertisement nor does WCCO endorse any candidate.
Responses from Bob Anderson, Republican candidate for U.S Senate:
Should Immigration Customs Enforcement -- ICE -- be abolished, and replaced with a different agency to control immigration crimes?
There is no need to abolish a working arm of the federal law enforcement system. Doing so would then require another agency be created, committees formed, and regulations created, which would then create more government, while the illegal entries to the United States would inevitably increase, putting stress on the already overworked Border patrol.
When politicians refer to negative stories as "fake news", do you believe it?
Yes, I believe in the term because I have experienced it firsthand with some of the local media's blatant bias in their reporting on of this election cycle and the race I'm currently in – Minnesotans deserve to know that they have more than one choice for the Republican ticket in November. These media outlets in the cites have misled the public in choosing more heavily to cover candidates of The Establishment.
The term Fake news doesn't necessarily confine it's definition solely to the fabrication or outright false story, but rather it highlights the incredulous bias – objective news reporting has gone out the window when news stories should simply be delivering facts to the public instead of manufactured narratives that support a biased point-of-view.
Fake news is simply shoddy reporting. A part of the problem, I believe, is that journalists and media outlets are too caught up in trying to be 'first' on a story and they sometimes do no verify every lead and every "fact" they report.
My ears especially perk up when I read or hear of a story with unnamed sources. If a journalist cannot verify information, it should not be reported. As the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan often stated, "Trust but VERIFY!"
Should the President be permitted to unilaterally raise tariffs on US imports, or should Congress be required to vote before tariffs are imposed?
This is a multi-faceted question: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution says:
"The Congress shall have the Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States."
However, the power to levy imposts has been inevitably wrapped up with matters of foreign policy, and foreign policy falls more clearly within the presidential domain.
So to answer this question, studying the Constitution will bring a clearer answer, but as a foreign policy tool, the President has the final word.
Should able-bodied Medicaid recipients be required to work?
If a person is able to work and has all the facilities "physically" then there is no question. Even if it is volunteering at a shelter, hospital, library or any other public facility - work is very fulfilling and gives one a sense of pride and accomplishment. However, mental capacity has to be taken into consideration as well. Being a mental health advocate, I know the mind is not always as fit as the body. Someone may look like Hercules, however, something may be affecting their mind. Depression, PTSD, high anxiety, or any other mental health ailments can make it impossible to function as a contributing member of society. These people should not be discounted and they should receive the treatment necessary to make their lives better…thereby removing the stigma case upon them by society, and making them proud and successful members of the workforce.
Do you believe North Korea will "denuclearize," as President Trump says it will?
I see absolutely no reason for North Korea not to follow through with their promise. North Korea would become more of a pariah in the world community, lose the backing of China, who President Trump has already pinned into a corner. Also, if Kim honors the deal, his country will reap the benefits of the Western world's economic assistance, and ensure his people won't have to starve, or be used as slave labor. President Trump has accomplished over 60% of his agenda and knows how to make deals – I trust that the talks between our President and North Korea will continue to succeed; I believe relations will only flourish with peace and that it will remain amicable between both nations.
Do you believe in climate change, and should the U.S. rejoin the Paris climate accords?
According to Americans for Tax Reform, The Paris Agreement was a product of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, where former President Obama met with world leaders to commit the U.S. to non-binding emission reduction targets. Under the agreement, Obama committed the U.S. to wholly improbable reduction goals of 26 to 28 percent by year 2025. A recent study by the Heritage Foundation projected that the Paris agreement and resulting policies would have increased electricity costs for a family of four between 13 and 20 percent annually. The study also projected American families would see over $20,000 of lost income by year 2035. Such regressive policy hits the nation's most vulnerable hardest, who ironically are the same people Obama used to justify the deal. Based on those two studies, President Trump put America First. Promises made, Promises Kept.
