Jordan shares campaign message

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NEW BREMEN – U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan’s campaign message to the New Bremen/New Knoxville Rotary Tuesday morning emphasized his desire to see the Republican campaign promises kept.

Jordan, a Republican representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District, is running for re-election in 2018. The 14 counties he represents include Auglaize, Mercer, and Shelby counties. He is opposed by Democrat Janet Garrett in the Fall 2018 election.

Jordan credited the administration of President Donald Trump for the positive things that had accomplished including economic growth of 4.1 percent, reduction of regulations, the US Embassy move to Jerusalem, getting the US out of “that crazy” Iran deal, return of North Korean hostages, lowered taxes, and plentiful jobs. Jordan said the only down factor was lack of help. He said in a 20 mile radius around Sidney Ohio, four major companies had 1,000 jobs they want to fill.

But Jordan said there were other, more important unfulfilled Republican election promises “the American people remember.” In particular, he cited the failure to abolish national health care, saying “Obamacare is still Obamacare” and that fact that there was still no building of a security wall at the Mexican border, which is “the promise the American people remember most.”

Should he be re-elected this fall, Jordan said he intends to campaign to be Speaker of the House to facilitate movement on these issues.

For now, Jordan favors Congress putting the building of the wall on the spending bill as soon as they return in September and then send it to the Senate and “see what Mitch McConnell can do to get it passed before the end of the federal fiscal year Sept. 30.”

Jordan felt that the 60 vote rule allowed the Senate to keep “kicking the ball down the road” and avoid voting on tough issues.

The Representative also said he felt fundamental liberty is under attack in Washington. He spoke at length on what he termed “the loss of free speech” on social media platforms such as Twitter. He said this issue was playing out in all kinds of ways.

For an example, he said he and other congressmen experienced a slowdown of information on Twitter.

“Four of us were shadow-banned in the last six weeks by Twitter,” said Jordan, “which is a way they (social media) can limit access to certain people.”

He said four congressman most active in conservative action with the FBI/DOJ issues, himself, Devin Nunez, Mark Meadows, and Matt Gaetz experienced Twitter slowing down access to their accounts. Jordan said he questioned their motives when Twitter officials said it was just a glitch in their algorithm.

Jordan also said that they were holding September hearings on other free speech issues, such as IRS involvement limiting what pastors can say on the pulpit in regards to political action without endangering their tax-free status.

However, he said, their planned hearings on free speech issues on college campuses was more worrying. Jordan said he had heard some campuses had bias response teams that make sure people don’t say inappropriate things on campus and reporting them.

“It’s like a bunch of narcs running around on campus.”

Jordan said he asked a liberal professor if one could say “President Trump is president” anyplace on a campus with Safe Spaces and Free Speech areas and that the professor had replied, “It depends.”

Jordan also defended the tariff debate now going on. Jordan said Trump had said he wanted a level playing field and zero tariffs. Using an example of auto imports, he pointed out that an automobile made in the US auto and sent to Europe has a 10 percent tariff while European autos sent to the US only have a 2 % tariff. Jordan said he knew it was not easy right now, but he claimed the vast majority of people he talks to are in favor of what the president’s actions.

Jordan was asked his opinion of the outcome of the Urban Meyers situation at OSU. Jordan said he was uncertain of what would happen, but he felt that Meyers seemed like outstanding guy dedicated to his family and his athletes. In regards to his own problems with charges while he was a wrestling coach at OSU, Jordan said “ridiculous things have been said about him (Jordan) in the last seven weeks that are totally false and happened 30 years ago,” and he bemoaned how the press had run away with it, putting on a person with a criminal record to talk against him. He said a second witness against him had spend 18 months in prison for fraud. “This is a time in history when people say crazy things and the press runs with it.”

In regards to the elections this fall, Jordan felt that, although the races will be tight, the Republicans would retain a majority. However, he said that if the Democrats gain control, the four things on their platform are to raise taxes, abolish ICE, socialize medicine, and impeach the President. “So that’s what at stake,” Jordan said.

Further, Jordan said he supported the House version of the pending Farm Bill, which included stricter work requirements for people receiving public support.

Jordan also challenged the motives of the recently dismissed FBI agent Bruce Strzok, whose wife worked for the Clinton campaign, putting into question motives of the agency itself.

He finished his speech by saying that every two years those running for office such as himself have the opportunity to put their agenda before voters. If elected, he said, “We then go out and do what we said we would do.”

He said the problem in Washington was that elected officials found reasons not to act. For example, he said he felt the spending bill would be kicked down the road, including building that wall, with Congress continuing to pass temporary measures to keep the government going.

By Sandy Rose Schwieterman

For the Sidney Daily News

The writer is a regular contributor to the Sidney Daily News.

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