I plan over the next few months on giving you my take on the Republican crop of Presidential candidates for 2008. I know it's early but I am a junkie for this stuff. I decided to start my profiles with Congressman Duncan Hunter. I figured that Rudy, Mitt and the rest have enough publicity already and can wait for their turn on the Lazy Dog. Duncan Hunter is a near perfect candidate. In fact the biggest knock on him is that he has virtually no chance of winning. I have heard him say that he has run underdog campaigns in the past and won. I know all about the straw polls that he has done well in but...let's face it, the bigger candidates have a whole lot more money and exposure. Hunter is banking on a groundswell of grassroots support but the chances of that are minimal. Don't get me wrong, I hope it happens. I am not ready to endorse a candidate yet but Hunter is at or near the top of my list.
Duncan Hunter has been in congress since 1980 and has been a tried and true conservative. He is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and is a huge supporter of the United States military. He is a true believer in the Ronald Reagan philosophy of peace through strength. On other issues he also has been consistently on the right side of the issues. Hunter was one of those who spearheaded the fence along the San Diego and Mexican border that has shut down most illegal immigration on that stretch of border. He is very strong on border security and would not offer amnesty to those illegal aliens who are already here.
Hunter is also big on cutting the outrageous spending of the federal government and balancing the budget. He supports conservative judges, is firmly pro-life and has consistently defended second amendment rights. Not only does he support tax cuts but he supports revamping the federal tax code. Tax reform is one of the most important issues to me and Duncan Hunter is a co-sponsor of the Fair Tax Act in congress. The only issue that I can see some on the right having with Hunter is his stance on trade. He often speaks of a fair trade policy that would put the U.S. at a competitive advantage. Some of his rhetoric has a tinge of protectionism but from what I have seen he is not an isolationist in any way. In areas of education he supports vouchers and even supports transferring NEA funds to local school art programs.
Duncan Hunter is an intriguing candidate. I havent heard enough of his speeches to decide whether he is the spokesman for conservatism that we have been waiting for. What I have found though is a candidate who has been a strong conservative who has never waivered or been willing to sacrifice his principles in order to get along with the enemy. Add to that that he is a strong defender of America and would be a terror warrior and you have a candidacy that hopefully will make a mark.
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2 comments:
That's really a decent thing to do: giving Duncan Hunter the first shot at your candidate profiles.
Hunter is a decent American as is his son who's on his way to fight in Iraq.
If I could find a way to buy into his legitimacy as a candidate I would jump on board full force. I just don't know if his campaign will catch fire. From what I have seen of Hunter I hope it does.
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