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Jim Barksdale's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Jim Barksdale has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2016.

  • "Jim feels strongly that we as a nation must live up to our ideals and today, that means ensuring all who live in this country, including women, are treated justly and fairly, as espoused by Eleanor Roosevelt in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "I'm not for raising taxes. I'm for auditing the government, reducing our spending … There are plenty of areas of waste." (votesmart.org)
  • "And finally, we see it in the mass incarceration rates, African Americans are five to seven times more likely to be put in jail for the same crimes as white people, and that's wrong!" (votesmart.org)
  • "While Jim believes people who commit crimes should go to jail, he wants to see crimes by non-violent offenders addressed with alternative sentencing strategies. The best way to reduce crime is increase job opportunities as it is better for our society if non-violent offenders are rehabilitated instead of only being locked away." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "He (Barksdale) drew the line at raising taxes, sticking to the mantra that cutting government waste and withdrawing from international conflicts can raise the revenue needed for social programs and infrastructure improvements back home." (votesmart.org)
  • "Rebuilding infrastructure in Georgia and across the country will help put people back to work, grow our economy, ensure the roads and bridges our families travel on are safe, increase access to rural broadband internet so entrepreneurs can start businesses wherever they want to live and increase the quality of life in Georgia for all of our citizens." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Jim is opposed to the so-called 'Opportunity School Districts' that will harm Georgia’s educators and children." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "Using an 'all of the above' energy portfolio that includes nuclear power while renewable technologies develop and become cheaper, Jim supports targeted investments to develop technologies that can help create good paying jobs in Georgia and solve our energy needs." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Jim believes we have to seek a clean energy future both for the future of our economy and the health of our planet." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Citizens who follow the law should be able to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Jim believes those people should also pass a background check and the 'gun-show loophole' should be closed. Individuals who commit felonies, face domestic charges, or are on the suspected terrorist no-fly list should not be sold firearms until their situations are cleared." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Jim believes it’s outrageous that people in other countries can buy the same prescription drugs for less than we can in the United States, and wants to see Medicare be able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices in order to cut costs without reducing quality for our seniors." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Jim knows the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but he believes it was a good step toward providing all of our citizens the freedom to get sick without the threat of bankruptcy." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Jim believes we need a comprehensive solution that protects our borders, provides a pathway to legal status and, in some cases, citizenship for undocumented workers that work hard, pay taxes and want to raise their families in our democracy." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Legislation passed in North Carolina aimed at the LGBTQ community threatens to codify discrimination where it does not belong – inside of our legal codes. Jim is opposed to discrimination in every form and as a U.S. Senator, he will be an ally in the effort to eradicate it from our society." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "We spent trillions of dollars on wars in the Middle East that were completely unnecessary and have not made us safe, and I oppose those wars." (votesmart.org)
  • "In the U.S. Senate, Jim will be a voice for using all the tools of diplomacy in the pursuit of peace – including trade deals that provide an equal playing field for American workers and enhance our exports – and work to end U.S. military involvement in wars that our not ours to fight, as doing so can make matters worse and ultimately leave our country less safe." (jimbarksdale.com)
  • "Jim Barksdale believes ISIS terrorists are our enemy and should be dealt with accordingly and the Georgia GOP knows it -- which is why they readily lied about Jim's words because they thought nobody would ever find proof." (votesmart.org)
  • "Instead they want us to try to balance the budget, on the backs of seniors by privatizing Social Security and turning Medicare into a voucher program. We can't do that." (votesmart.org)
  • "Jim will protect Georgia’s seniors today and future generations by never voting to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher program." (jimbarksdale.com)

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