Joel Winters - The Man Everyone Loves!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 01:56PM It was pointed out in responses I've received from different candidates that Joel Winters was named as someone they respect. This was uniform through responses from Democrat, Republican and Independent alike. So what is it about Joel that makes him well respected across the board? I have my theories.
For one he has integrity. Listen closely to him sometime. His views are based on sound beliefs and even when you disagree with him he is able to articulate why he has the stance he has. As with most political beliefs his views come down to one basic stance, don't force your will on others.
He knows and understands the Constitution. This is a rare trait in elected officials. Joel stands up to defend not only the portions of the Constitution the Republicans step on but that Democrats step on as well.
He thinks for himself. While Joel identifies himself as a Democrat (I'd personally call him a Constitutionalist like myself) he isn't afraid to stand up against his own party when they are wrong.When he disagrees with you he explains himself in full and doesn't get personal. A perfect example of this was his letter to the NHLA explaining why he feels they slant to the right (as some posters here have likewise suggested). He gave sound arguments and suggestions for improvements which he believes would help make their rating system fairer rather then just discount them as something not to be believed (for the record he scored a B with them which is a nothing to be ashamed of). To my knowledge they are looking into implementing as many of his suggestions as possible (since not every vote is a roll call vote it does tie their hands a bit as far as what bills they can rate on).
Lastly and most importantly he's a good honest person. In all the times I've listened to him speak in hearings or spoken to him one on one I've never questioned the validity of what he says nor have I ever felt he was trying to put one over with slick talk or partial facts unlike many other politicians I've dealt with.
I can't think of any state rep more deserving of re-election then Joel and I hope Conservatives, Liberals and moderates alike join me in this line of thinking and overwhelmingly vote to keep him in our state house.
Reader Comments (10)
Joel didn't sell out -- he told me during the campaign he would vote for the minimum wage hike, and he has his reasons. Ever ask him?
I volunteered to manage Joel's campaign in 2006, not only because he mostly shares my philosophy of government, but because he earned my respect with his leadership in the fight against Real ID. And he has been an outstanding legislator -- it's no easy thing garnering respect from so many different factions, and Joel has never ceased to impress me with his ability to do so.
Rick, I am glad you agree... hey, even Chaz likes Joel! I hope the good people of West Manchester realize what a good rep they've got.
Matt
Joel is one of a kind
Since there are so many bad reps out there we should cherish the ones we do find we agree with even if it is only 80% or 90% of the time.
I really don't think it's practical for every single participant on this site to ask him personally. How about you just tell us what he told you?
Wouldn't that make sense?
The issue came up when Joel was responding to a candidate survey. He wanted to make sure I knew he would vote in favor of a minimum wage, since I was volunteering my time to manage his campaign (yes, that's called "integrity"). I told him there was no point in discussing it right then, that we should focus on working together and winning the election... on the condition that if he won, he'd give me a chance to argue him out of his vote.
Then, when the vote came along, I was busy and neglected to call him... in part because I knew it was going to pass by a wide margin, and therefore his vote WOULD NOT AFFECT THE OUTCOME. Unfortunately, to a small handful of libertarians and fiscal conservatives who insist on 1000% perfection, this vote is what springs to mind when they think "Joel Winters." I know better than to suggest that such individuals should reassess their priorities... it's much easier to harp on one vote than to actually perform a holistic analysis of a legislator's record (more than just votes -- committee work, bills sponsored, bills advocated for/against, etc.).
I'll add this about Joel -- he's his own man, and he cares a lot more about what his constituents actually think than about comments on some blog somewhere...
Matt
I'm a libertarian and fiscal conservative. I don't demand perfection anybody. I'm working for Peter Bearse despite my disagreeing with him on some points because I think he's the best candidate in that race.
All I want from Joel Winters is 80% agreement plus some explanation of his positions on minimum wage and RGGI. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Currently he's at 75% NHLA grade and two big unanswered questions. That's why he's the man not quite everybody loves.
But goodness knows he's better than most of them. That's because most of them are horrible.