Jason Kander was spotted with another Obama-loving liberal Democrat in Missouri this weekend, tagging along with Al Franken – a left wing Senator who has already helped to fill Kander’s campaign bank account.
It’s only fitting that Kander and Franken are buddying up in their free time. They both have a lot in common, including their love of Obamacare, gun control, job-killing environmental regulations, and a soft stance on national security.
KANDER AND FRANKEN: TWO LIBERAL PEAS IN A POD
On Obamacare
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In January 2010, Kander Voted Against A Resolution [HCR 18] To Urge Missouri’s Congressional Delegation To Vote Against Obamacare. [The House] passed a non-binding resolution tonight urging the state’s congressional delegation to vote against the current health care legislation before Congress. (Springfield News-Leader, January 19, 2010; Missouri House Journal, January 19, 2010, Overall vote on HCR 18: 111-46, Kander vote: No)
- “Sen. Al Franken Is Not Backking Down From His Support For The Affordable Care Act… … ‘I think that what we’re seeing is something we can build on, and it has several very successful areas,’ he said.” (MinnPost, 7/3/14)
On Gun Control
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In 2011, Kander Voted Against The Bipartisan Missouri Firearms Freedom Act [HB 361], Asserting The State’s Right To Supersede The Obama Administration’s Gun Control Regulations. (Missouri House, HB 361, Bill Summary; Missouri House Journal, March 17, 2011, Overall vote on HB 361: 118-37, Kander vote: No)
- Franken Supported Strict Gun Control Legislation Banning Assault Weapons And Limits On Ammunition Magazines. “Minnesota Sen. Al Franken says he’ll support tightening background checks and putting limits on ammunition magazines. As for the assault weapons ban, Franken on Thursday issued a statement after he said the Rochester Post-Bulletin ‘mischaracterized’ his position in a newspaper story. ‘I also support the principle that we should reinstate an assault weapons ban, and I will carefully review any proposal to do that,’ Franken said. ‘We need to make sure we don’t really have weapons out there that are really designed for the battlefield, and not for hunting.’” (Catalina Camia, “Senate Dems On ’14 Ballot Not Wowed By Obama Gun Plans,” USA Today, 1/17/13)
On Job-Killing Environmental Regulations
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In 2010, Kander Voted Three Times Against A Resolution [HCR 46] To Urge Missouri’s Congressional Delegation To Oppose A Democrat-Proposed Cap-And-Trade Bill [HR 2454]. Urges the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind its formal endangerment finding on greenhouse gases and urges our congressional delegation to vote against H.R. 2454 known as “Cap and Trade.” (HCR 46, 2010 Bill Summary; Missouri House Journal, March 23, 2010, Overall vote on HCR 46: 112-41, Kander vote: No; May 14, 2010, Overall vote to Concur to Senate Amendment to HCR 46: 114-38, Kander vote: No; Overall vote to Adopt HCR 46: 113-41, Kander vote: No)
- Franken Supports Cap-And-Trade. “Franken wrote in 2008 that he supports a cap-and-trade system for regulating carbon emissions, and he criticized the Bush administration for rejecting the Kyoto Protocol — an international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” (Kevin Diaz and Pat Doyle, “Senator Al Franken: Goodbye To The Class Clown,” Star Tribune, 7/4/09)
On National Security
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‘Progressive’ Kander Proposed Fighting Radical Terrorists By Calling In The Peace Corps. “As a progressive, my beef with President Bush isn’t that he’s fighting a war, it’s that he’s doing it wrong. I want to win every bit as badly as he does, if not more, but I believe that means the symbol of America can’t just be a soldier with an M-16. It must also be a peace corp volunteer armed with the knowledge to improve crop yields, an American diplomat holding court on the rule of law, and a doctor curing the sick in a village clinic… Young men with good jobs, food on the table, and subsequent honor in their homes do not become terrorists, let alone suicide bombers.” (Rants From The Rookery, 4/23/07)
- Franken Supported The Obama Administration’s Nuclear Giveaway To Iran, Calling It A “Strong” Deal And “The Most Effective, Realistic Way To Prevent Iran From Getting A Nuclear Weapon Anytime In The Next 15 Years.” “After careful review, I have decided that I will vote in support of the agreement the United States and our international partners reached with Iran last month. … Many have expressed reservations about the deal, and I share some of those reservations. It isn’t a perfect agreement. But it is a strong one. This agreement is, in my opinion, the most effective, realistic way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon anytime in the next 15 years.” (Al Franken, Op-Ed, “Al Franken: Why I Support Iran Deal,” CNN, 8/13/15)