Posted on 01/25/2007 5:42:41 AM PST by GulfBreeze
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter plans to make his Republican presidential bid official at a Spartanburg, S.C. breakfast meeting Thursday.
The 14-term conservative from California set up his presidential exploratory committee last week.
Hunter has made no secret of his White House aspirations. He announced his intentions in October, becoming the first GOP candidate to declare a presidential run, and then began making stops in early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
He is scheduled to return to New Hampshire on Monday to repeat his announcement.
Little known outside of Congress and his San Diego district, Hunter can use the exposure. He is a strong foe of illegal immigration, an issue that plays well in South Carolina, which has some of the nation's lowest wages as well as one of the country's highest jobless rates as manufacturing jobs leave the state.
Hunter already has some deep-pocketed allies in South Carolina, including textile magnate Roger Milliken, who strongly supports Hunter's promise to protect U.S. manufacturers.
Hunter also wants fences extended along the U.S.-Mexico border and supports the prosecution of smugglers bringing illegal immigrants across the border.
Last week, Hunter filed a bill calling for a congressional pardon of two U.S. Border Patrol agents who are both serving more than a decade in prison for shooting a Mexican drug dealer as he fled, then covering up the crime.
Jose Alonso Compean and his colleague Ignacio Ramos "rightfully pursued a suspected and fleeing drug smuggler. It is irresponsible to punish them with jail time," Hunter said.
Hunter was born in Riverside, Calif., and was an Army Ranger in Vietnam. He worked his way through law school with farming and construction jobs. Hunter won his U.S. House seat in 1980 and has been an ardent military supporter, serving as House Armed Services Committee chairman until Republicans lost control of Congress in November's elections. His son has spent a pair of seven-month tours in Iraq.
© 2007 Associated Press.
That's great, but the MSM has already selected McCain and Guiliani as our candidates. He may have to wait until next time around.
Better than Duncan Hines ain't it?
Excellent post.
Bookmarked for further action.
This thread, in addition to promoting Duncan Hunter's candidacy, has given us a very good window as to who FR's conservatives and liberals are.
You're dead-on Old_Mill. Those who count Duncan out at this stage are just silly people. Those of us who have been in tough grass-roots SUCCESSFUL campaigns know that name and money at this stage aren't determinative.
Hunter is worth a very close look at this stage and lets see if he can catch a little wind in his sails. There are still PLENTY of wealthy conservatives that haven't found their home yet - not with McCain, Romney, and Rudi as the top dogs right now.
I think is points out there are more than one kind of conservative. There are the culture warrior conservatives ( I call them the single digit types) and then there are the traditional conseravtives interested in low taxes, small government and liberty. ( the double digit types)
Given the midterm election, the culture warriors like Hunter are doomed during this election cycle. The Culture warriors call the traditionalists RINOS. So be it...But the Rinos are now driving the GOP bus....
Hunter will never get into double digits.Frankly If I were a betting man, I'd give you odds he doesn't getter higher than 5% before he goes belly up. Even 5% is being generous.
Those "double digit traditional conservatives" you point out have traditionally gone by another name: Libertarian. We all know how successful they have been in convincing the country about the validity of their GOP fiscal + Dem social point of view.
The beauty of Ronald Reagan is he could talk a good game about abortion, immigration, and the general culture war but in fact he didn't give two hoots in hell about it. He was a traditionalist conservative who was deeply committed to a strong defense, free trade, and law and order and a sound economy. Reagan sounded like a culture warrior but he wasn't. And that was his genius....
I would direct you to Reagan's book, "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation" if you wish to know how wrong you are in making such a statement. Then again, you already know that before you made it, didn't you.
I would direct you to Reagan's book, "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation"
It wasn't a book...it was an article written in 1983 for.. NR I believe. It also wasn't written by Reagan. It was ghost written for him by Micheal Deaver. 1983 was the 10th Anniversary of Roe and Pro-life folks were questioning Reagan's pro-life bonafides. Deaver's article was the response.
Now....if you can point to some tangible thing Reagan did to oppose abortion other than talk about it and provide ghost written articles then I'd be pleased to see it.
Reagan's brillance was he was a traditional conservative who could appear to be a culture warrior.
bump
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