Change course: For North Carolina, Thom Tillis is the right voice in trying times

Make no mistake. The battle over the North Carolina seat in the U.S. Senate currently held by Sen. Kay Hagan is not really just about North Carolina.

That's why there are almost non-stop ads calling Republican challenger Thom Tillis everything from a woman hater to an elitist who could care less if children are educated or not.

It is why there have been hundreds of millions of dollars spent by outside interests in the state -- and why you can't go five minutes on your television without seeing yet another mudslinging commercial.

And it is why even though Sen. Hagan has a dismal record that suggests that her primary focus is doing what her party tells her -- sometimes at the expense of what her constituents want -- and a lackluster leadership presence for the issues that matter to her state, she has still managed to get some lukewarm endorsements for the seat.

This is about keeping control of the Senate any way the Democrats can -- even when a senator clearly needs to find a new job.

The problem with Sen. Hagan is something that she said herself, years ago, when she ran against then Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

She was right to point out then that Dole's 92 percent agreement with President George W. Bush suggested something, a focus on something more than the issues that matter to North Carolina.

And then after unending criticism of Dole everywhere she could say it, Hagan turned around and did the exact same thing -- even surpassing it.

It is a problem that Hagan votes so often with the president and was considered a key ally for most of her time in Washington. The very policies she supported and rubberstamped are the ones that have led to some serious concerns that are troubling many Americans today.

But there is another reason to make a change. And this one is about performance.

It is a problem that Hagan has no legislative achievements to claim, no leadership on key bills. Attention she has received as a senator has been about whether or not she would stand with the president on key issues -- often in direct opposition to what North Carolinians told her they wanted.

And one of those stands came when she cast the deciding vote on Obamacare -- the health care reform legislation that is crippling the nation's small businesses, messing up private insurance for millions of Americans and creating high deductible insurance policies that essentially leave the nation's middle class uninsured. And that is all before we really see the impact it will have on the availability of care and the ability of Americans to choose their own doctors.

But what really matters is that North Carolinians were clear -- they did not want it. They wanted something else.

But Hagan voted for it anyway.

And yes, it matters that she missed that ISIS briefing. Sen. Hagan is from a state that has thousands of military families and billions in military assets.

And with the threat of a major concern overseas -- a crisis that could involve boots on the ground and could affect thousands of North Carolina families -- she did not go to a key classified briefing, but instead went to a fundraiser, not in Charlotte or Greensboro or even Raleigh -- but in Manhattan.

What does that say?

The Hagan campaign has pulled out the stops on its attacks on Tillis. Research some of the claims in those ads yourself. You will be surprised at where the truth lies.

But they have positions to attack because Tillis is not the sort to simply sit there and vote.

He takes stands, sponsors legislation, advocates for his constituents -- sometimes against those who might wish he had kept quiet.

He has promised to vote to repeal Obamacare and to be part of an effort to come up with a real solution to the health care crisis that helps the 50 million Americans who are uninsured or who are underinsured, but does not trample on the care, choices and the wallets of the 250 million other Americans.

He will stand for jobs, growth and responsible leadership. He will stand with the voices that want to create a strong country to leave to our children and grandchildren -- and that includes making smart foreign policy and security decisions and making sure that this mountain of debt starts a downward trend.

He will stand for North Carolina's right to make decisions for itself and rail against executive and judicial overreach.

That is what this state needs at such a critical time in this nation's history and when many Americans are concerned about the direction of their country.

The bottom line is simple. President Barack Obama is absolutely right. This Senate election is a referendum on his policies, and North Carolina is key to keeping the Senate majority the Democrats need to continue those policies -- not because this state stands with him on most issues, but because there was a senator in office who did.

And Tillis said it, too, right here in this newspaper.

This is not just about him becoming senator. It is about a shift. It is about leadership. It is about North Carolina's voice. It's as much about changing the course of the country as it is about changing North Carolina's senator.

Tillis is a strong leader who understands that his job is to be the voice for North Carolina in the Senate.

He will stand firm when he needs to and will listen to what the voters have to say. He is not afraid to challenge anyone -- and to stand up for those he represents.

And right now, that is what we need.

Published in Editorials on October 29, 2014 11:17 AM