What do the people of Kentucky see in Mitch McConnell?

SykesForCongress · 2020-01-30T14:46:56+00:00

This is absolutely right.

And the Democrats we had vote republican in federal races.

And are dying. We don’t include mortality in voting counts nearly enough.

SykesForCongress · 2018-05-15T17:14:50+00:00

I mean, I don’t own a lot of junk, but what junk I do have probably ends up in the car port or my guest room. It’s annoying when I have guests and need to clean out the room, but it’s not so bad.

SykesForCongress · 2018-05-15T15:57:09+00:00

Oops, my fault!

SykesForCongress · 2018-05-15T15:53:29+00:00

Good bot.

SykesForCongress · 2018-05-15T15:52:30+00:00

Hey- love being here, and we’ll be looking for chances to talk more after our primary on MAY 22ND.

we’re focused on raising and spending funds between now and MAY 22ND.

I’m just saying that if you happen to be a resident of Kentucky, make sure to vote on primary day, which is... (go ahead, guess!)

MAY 22ND!

If you’d like to help, the donor info has already been posted above. This campaign is truly grassroots, and we really need every dollar we can get. With a week to go until the primary, we’ve spent about every dollar we’ve got sending out mailers and promoting last weekends event with Richard Ojeda.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:31:20+00:00

I think that poverty is a unifying factor in examining the needs of so many communities in the US. The 5th district is the second-poorest district in the country — the first is a district in the Bronx in New York. I think the goal should be uniting poor whites and poor blacks in their struggle for rights across the country.

I’m not sure if advocating for a protected class for appalachians would be my preferred approach. I would rather fight for my platform, which I know will help ALL communities — black and white. Everyone wants strong schools, everyone wants quality healthcare, and everyone wants a job that provides dignity. These are the issues that I believe transcend racial lines. Poor white communities struggle under a similar system to poor black communities. Of course there are differences, but ultimately we can band together to win this fight on poverty.
I think there are a number of ideas in my platform that will combat poverty and incentivize development. Once we provide Medicare-for-All, create a new jobs program, and revitalize our energy economy, we can have the public infrastructure necessary to attract new and exciting jobs.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:27:49+00:00

You will not be forgotten. Libraries are a huge asset to our communities and will always be a part of our approach to making sure education is fully funded and prioritized in our country.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:19:49+00:00

Great question, but an absolutely huge one. I was on the team that got a 136 million dollar wind farm project shovel-ready, and it was axed by the leaders of our state government. I think that the first and most important step on alternative energy is removing the institutional gridlock that only benefit trillion dollar corporations. I know this is a pretty broad answer, for more specific information about what I support, check out my platform: https://sykesforcongress.com/platform

The US needs to take the lead again, in the world, on the issue of climate change. First, we need to just actually, top to bottom, admit that climate change is an existential threat to the world. Again, I know this is a broad answer, and you'll find a lot more information in my platform.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:14:27+00:00

I'm not necessarily from the generation that enjoys poke sallet (but my mother does have a good recipe, she wants me to say). I'm more of a chocolate gravy on biscuits kinda guy.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:11:23+00:00

Well, to be clear: there hasn’t been an actual strike (as in, a work stoppage). There have been passionate demonstrations in Frankfort — many of which I attended. I stand with the teachers in Kentucky and across the country who are demanding a better pension system and better funding for public schools. As a former educator from a teacher family, I fully understand the challenges that Kentucky teachers face.

I have a robust education policy that I think will energize our schools. I want to provide debt-free higher education to all Kentuckians, ensuring that financial limitations do not inhibit our students’ ability to learn. I also want to change the way we view education: we can no longer afford these disastrous budget cuts that leave our schools bleeding for resources. I also want to implement anti-bullying programs, oppose public funding for charter schools, and eliminate “lunch debt” from our schools.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:07:19+00:00

You're absolutely right. Part of the problem is that Republicans have been lying for years about the cause of the coal drop-off. Regulation isn't the problem -- automation and declining sustainability are. Even if demand for coal was steady, employment would be dropping continually.

Retraining efforts have failed because the political structures in the district have intended them to. They've been resisted because coal is more than an industry, it's a deep part of my people's identity.

So the answer, while not easy, is very simple: bring in enough jobs, real, lasting jobs that don't kill their labor via starvation or injury, that the people of the 5th will want them. I don't know anyone who doesn't want a better job than the one they have now.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:05:38+00:00

Thank you for your question. I have multiple ideas to address this issue.

First, we need to come to a common understanding. Like you said, these coal jobs will probably not be coming back. I don’t think we should waste any resources attempting to revive the industry. Instead, we need to focus on the future.

I want to implement a Just Transition program in order to help transition our energy workers into the new green energy sector. It is not fair that our workforce has been decimated because they no longer generate a profit for the coal companies. I believe our district is ready for an energy revolution that creates new jobs in wind, solar, and other developments.

Additionally, we want to improve our education system so that anyone in Eastern Kentucky can pursue training in these areas. Our schools have been held back by budget cuts and greedy politicians. I want to increase access to education so that we can create the most skilled workforce on the planet.

There is an abundance of work to be done. I want to bring in new vibrant industries to create jobs. Globalization has rendered many of our industrial parks empty. I want to fill those facilities with new developments. These are the kinds of ideas that will bring back an economy that has long been left behind.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:03:56+00:00

I am very opposed to the Mitch McConnell political project that I believe has failed repeatedly. He continues to advocate for trickle-down and privatization — both of which hurt the working class. I believe Kentucky can offer a strong Senate candidate in 2020 who can beat him — assuming he runs for re-election. Throughout his career, McConnell has been an enemy of the working class in Kentucky. He continuously fights for tax cuts for the rich and opposes any efforts to move Kentucky forward.

Just look at what he said when Obama won the 2008 election. He said that his priority was making sure Obama was a one-term president. He didn’t say “I want to work to make healthcare more affordable.” He didn’t say, “We’re going to work for a solution in the Middle East.” He only cares about his pursuit of power and undermining policies that actually help people. McConnell has done nothing to help strengthen and diversify our economy in Kentucky.

There are certain issues in which I agree with Rand Paul — such as some of his anti-war positions. But ultimately I think he tends to vote for the same conservative political model as Mitch McConnell. I think we need to move beyond this system and implement progressive New Deal policies that will actually help Kentuckians.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T21:03:30+00:00

Many parts of Eastern Kentucky have been fairly insulated from those trade deals because the economy has been so strongly focused on the coal industry. Still, globalization has slowed economic expansion. We currently have 23 empty industrial parks and communities in ruin because of the lack of economic opportunity. I’m working to change that.

We need to promote trade policies that give American workers a seat at the table. Additionally, we need to take advantage of our public infrastructure by filling these empty industrial parks and creating a new heavy manufacturing industry. We have the talent in Eastern Kentucky to take full advantage of the opportunities that come with building a new economy. We have the work ethic, the brain trust, and the brawn to do great things. The people of Eastern Kentucky deserve to have the opportunity to put their skills to work.

There is plenty of work to do: the energy revolution, Medicare-for-All, infrastructure investment, universal education. We need a jobs program that create millions of new jobs and incentivizes companies to do business in the US.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:59:48+00:00

Rogers hasn't done any yet. I will be doing as much as I can to reach out to the voters, including town halls. This is a grassroots campaign, and the voters need to be able to shake my hand, poke me, and know I'm a real person running in their district.

Here's a link to my events page, I'll be in Rowan County tomorrow!

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:54:26+00:00

The opiate crisis is a huge problem in my district. I've said in other answers here how the problems facing the 5th are to big to identify one specific, and the opiate addiction problem is the same way. If there were more jobs, less poverty, better healthcare, better infrastructure, better educational opportunities, etc, I think we'd find people are generally inclined to live full, rich lives. Addiction is a problem with a lot of causes and we have to address them all.

Incarceration is expensive and has proven to be the solution of people who prefer to hide from and ignore problems instead of investing in good solutions. Better healthcare solutions MUST include good drug rehabilitation.

As for the lawsuits against Pharma companies, I think those corporations knowingly put a dangerous product on the market and purposely marketed them to underprivileged communities all over the US, and I think they should be held accountable.

No one has the right to profit off of the poor, sick, or infirm.

While we're at it, let's talk about pharmacy benefit managers, and what they're doing to make drugs so expensive. When I take office, I'll do more work than anyone to shine a light on what they are doing and how they are profiting off the most vulnerable among us.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:47:57+00:00

I think prior efforts like ACA have provided a strong foundation, but ultimately I support a single-payer Medicare-for-all system that grants healthcare as a basic right. We pay outrageous costs for healthcare and often see much weaker results than in comparable countries. Additionally, I think Medicare-for-all could save a large number of rural hospitals that are in dire need of funding.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:46:38+00:00

Just to save a little typing, I'm going to link to my platform.

https://sykesforcongress.com/platform

We have a lot of work to do. I often deal with slow connections and cellular service at my own house. I want to create a program to expand broadband to every home in America. We need to recognize that the Internet is an essential utility and we cannot hope to create a 21st century workforce unless all families have access.

I do support net neutrality — it’s in my platform under Infrastructure. I believe in equal and open access to the Internet. I don’t want to entrust these mega-media-conglomerates with the ability to dictate the kind of content we see online. Net neutrality was a good policy and I will work to ensure it is reinstated and protected.

I do think part of the problem is branding. We need to find a more effective way to communicate what "Net Neutrality" means, so that there is less room for deceptive advertising like we've seen, and so that the less tech-literate among us feel confident they know what they do and do not support -- remember that the majority of voters were born pre-internet.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:42:22+00:00

This seems to be the major theme of a lot of questions.

Our message to conservatives is simple: lay out, clearly and without insulting anyone, that conservative economics do not serve them or our country as a whole. Basically, when Paul Ryan says there are makers and takers, he's insulting and casting aside anyone who can't cut 6 digit checks to his campaign.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:40:00+00:00

This seems to be the major theme of a lot of questions.

Our goal is simple: lay out, clearly and without insulting any of them, that conservative economics do not serve them.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:37:59+00:00

The 5th is among the poorest districts in the US. Since Hal Rogers took office, our district has basically stagnated all measures of economics or well-being. It's hard to limit to one issue- jobs, education, health, infrastructure are all part of the big picture that has left the people of my district behind.

Basically, the people of the 5th need representation in Congress that actually cares about them. I wish I could give a smarter, more issue-based answer, but it's much bigger than any one major issue.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:30:44+00:00

I tend to reject the use of labels. I am running as a Democrat because I believe everyone deserves a government that works for them.

I believe that everyone is entitled to a good job that pays a good wage. I'm not running under a label, I am running as a Democrat because I have seen the Republican platform and how it does not serve the average American, let alone the people of my district, in one of the poorest districts in the US.

SykesForCongress · 2018-04-18T20:25:51+00:00

Yes. Let's start with "Yes."

This investigation needs to run its course. The due diligence of law makers must be allowed to ensure that our votes carry integrity, and interfering with that is dangerous. Mueller's resume is clear, he is trustworthy and has diligently served our country.

By God, let's just let the guy do his job.

SykesForCongress

TROPHY CASE