CA: Issa backs Bilbray for Cunningham seat

CARLSBAD – Rep. Darrell Issa said Wednesday morning that he was endorsing former Republican congressman Brian Bilbray and will serve as his campaign chairman in the race to replace disgraced Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the 50th District. Pointing out that his district, the 49th, is touched on all sides by the 50th, Issa, R-Vista, said he needs a partner in Washington D.C. who has the experience and integrity to get work done on behalf of the North County.

"When you are looking for someone who is trusted and proven and who has been in the arena and has been bloodied a bit you could not find a better person than Brian Bilbray," Issa said in a news conference at Maxton Brown Park on Laguna Drive, with the Buena Vista Lagoon as a backdrop.

Issa said Bilbray is a proven leader who has been at the forefront of on issues important to North County, such as illegal immigration.

Bilbray, who represented Imperial Beach in Congress from 1994-2000, authored the "birth-right" legislation that is part of the immigration reform package now being considered in Washington, Issa said

Bilbray said he was honored by Issa's endorsement and looked forward to his active participation in his campaign.

"Darrell Issa is a man who knows what need to be done in North County and San Diego and he knows what need to be done in Washington D.C," Bilbray said.

Bilbray also announced that Roxana Foxx, former chairwoman of the San Diego County Republican Party, would serve as a co-campaign finance chair.

Bilbray also picked up the endorsement of the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego County from President Jim Duffy, who said that Bilbray would work on homeland security issues important to law enforcement.

Issa said Bilbray, if elected, will have more senority than he does in Washington and will be "first in line" for key personal, committees and even his choice of offices.

But that's Ok with Issa. "He will take the best he can, but he will do what is right for this district," Issa said.

Among the others in the race are two Democrats – Francine Busby and Chris Young – and six Republicans. The GOP candidates are state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside; former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian of San Marcos; former Del Mar mayor Richard Earnest; businessman Alan Uke of Del Mar and Ken King of Rancho Santa Fe.

Cunningham resigned in November after pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax-evasion charges stemming from his dealings with defense contractors. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27.

The 50th Congressional District runs along the North County Coast from Carlsbad south to Del Mar and also includes the cities of San Marcos and Escondido as well as the neighborhoods of Rancho Santa Fe, University City, La Jolla and Rancho Bernardo.

If Bilbray was running in Susan Davis's 53rd congressional district (which he represented from 2005 to 2001), he would be perfectly acceptable, since his pro-abortion, anti-gun and pro-environmental-extremism votes would be a small price to pay for his good votes on other issues in an *overwhelmingly liberal district* in which President Bush was held to only 38% in 2004 and in which a conservative Republican *could not* win. (BTW, I don't think Bilbray would be a good candidate in Filner's 51st CD, which is majority Hispanic and in which Bush improved his performance from 41% in 2000 to 46% in 2004 and where a socially conservative, economically moderate Hispanic Republican would be our best bet.)

However, in the solidly Republican 50th CD, in which President Bush got 55% in 2004, there is absolutely no good reason to nominate a candidate who is liberal on social issues. We should nominate a solid conservative, such as Kaloogian; in such a heavily Republican district, there is no need for a Bilbray-type moderate who can get votes from Kerry voters. My fear is that the conservative vote will be split between several conservative candidates and allow a social liberal like Bilbray to slip in with 35% or so.

In case anyone doubts Bilbray's pro-abortion, anti-gun, pro-environmental-extremist, and otherwise socially liberal voting record, here are some of his votes from 2000:

National Monument Designations HR 701 (Roll Call Vote No. 164).
The House defeated an amendment that would have prohibited the use of the Antiquities Act to designate national monuments without congressional approval.
The bill was defeated (160-265)
ACU supported this bill
This member voted in opposition to ACU's position

Land Conservation - Local Control HR 701 (Roll Call Vote No. 170).
The House defeated an amendment allowing local governments to veto proposed land acquisition projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund within 90 days of notification.
The bill was defeated (187-238)
ACU opposed this bill
This member voted in opposition to ACU's position

National Endowment for the Arts HR 45 (Roll Call Vote No. 282).
The House defeated an amendment that would decrease appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts by $2 million.
The bill was defeated (152-256)
ACU opposed this bill
This member voted in opposition to ACU's position

Gun Safety HR 4690 (Roll Call Vote No. 324).
The House defeated an amendment prohibiting the Justice Department from implementing the settlement between the federal government and gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson under which S&W would manufacture only safe guns.
The bill was defeated (196-201)
ACU supported this bill
This member voted in opposition to ACU's position

Taxpayer Funded Abortions HR 4811 (Roll Call Vote No. 396).
The House defeated an amendment designed to overturn the Mexico City policy which restricts U.S. funding of organizations directly or indirectly performing abortions in a foreign country.
The bill was defeated (206-221)
ACU supported this bill
This member voted in opposition to ACU's position

Howard Kaloogian is strongly conservative on border security and battling illegal immigration. From his campaign website:

Illegal Immigration
Unlike some politicians, I've never wavered in my position: WE MUST SECURE OUR BORDERS.

I am a constitutionalist, who believes that the federal government is to be limited to the few powers that have been delegated to it. Foremost is defending the country. That means that we must secure our borders and stop the unchecked invasion taking place through illegal immigration.

We are a nation of immigrants, my father immigrated to this country. I don't have any problem with people who want to come here, to make for themselves and their family a better life.

But we our a nation ruled by laws, and people who wish to immigrate to this country need to do so according to the rules. There is something faulty in the logic of those who defend illegal aliens, when they fail to recognize the first act that these individuals have made as "Americans" is to flaunt our laws and engage in a criminal act of sneaking across our borders illegally.

We have a serious problem that is not being addressed when millions of illegal aliens annually sneak in to our country without ever intending to become Americans so they don't comply with our laws or assimilate into our culture. It only took 19 terrorist to bring the country to a halt on 9/11. Most everyone believes that the illegal aliens come here well intentioned, but that does not excuse or pardon their illegal act of coming into the country without permission.

A nation that doesn't secure its borders isn't sovereign. We learned in Iraq that securing the borders was necessary for securing that nation. Why can't we learn that same lesson here in the United States? After all, nobody can guarantee that another 19 terrorists aren't among the millions who are sneaking into our country each and every year.

While I am admirer of President Bush on many levels, he and I have some very different outlooks on how best to deal with illegal immigration.

I have strongly opposed the President's illegal immigration proposals because they have amounted to amnesty on the installment plan. I think it compounds the problem by encouraging more people to attempt to enter our country. In the 1986 amnesty the promise was that this would solve the problem once and for all. It covered 3 million people, and since then our illegal immigration problem got worse - today it is estimated that there are up to 13 million illegal immigrants in this country. Clearly an amnesty solves nothing. Furthermore, it is unworkable. It only applies to those illegal immigrants who have jobs. And, it depends on voluntary compliance on the part of both the employer and the illegal immigrant. Finally, it is morally wrong. We are indeed a nation of immigrants and a country with the most generous system of immigration in the world. Millions of people have applied legally, gone through the process and become naturalized citizens. My family was among them. It is not right to allow others to “cut in line” ahead of those who are obeying our laws.

Tom Tancredo Endorsed Howard Kaloogian for U.S. Senate in 2004
Kaloogian Leads Anti-Illegal Immigration Rally at Republican Convention

Tom Tancredo - Howard Kaloogian - Melanie Morgan
Howard Kaloogian led a rally to OPPOSE giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Congressman Tom Tancredo (Republican - Colorado) flew into California to join the rally. There, Tancredo endorsed Howard Kaloogian for U.S. Senate. The woman on the right is Melanie Morgan of KSFO 560 AM and Chair of Move America Forward

Kaloogian Endorsed by Prop. 187 Author (Ron Prince)
Howard is proud to have been endorsed for U.S. Congress by Ron Prince (the author of the "Save Our State" initiative - Prop. 187). Proposition 187 would have blocked the government from taking taxpayer funds to provide welfare and other subsidies for illegal aliens.

http://www.kaloogianforcongress.com/aboutus.asp?id06=115&par06=104

"I have a clue, one reason I wouldn't live in Tenn."

You'd better thank the people of Tennessee, we kept this country from a Gore Presidency. You'd best remember that, pal.

"I worked in the Reagan compaign. My idea of a conservative."

Then why are you humping for a LIBERAL RINO ?

"To many folks on FR who are the type who voted for Periot and Buchanan and gave us Carter and Clinton"

What relevence does that have to the discussion at hand ? We're not talking about Buchanan or "Periot" (sic). We're talking about Bilbray's record, and it is as clear as a bell. He is out of step with the Conservative voters of the 50th district, period.

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