Posted on 03/11/2007 11:01:50 AM PDT by LdSentinal
The legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager once wrote of Rep. Duncan Hunter: "Congressman [Hunter] is the best candidate for President of the United States of America that I know -- he has integrity, tenacity, courage, and diplomacy. He is intelligent and thoughtful, does his research, and acts on it. I have known Congressman Duncan Hunter for over 35 years. Duncan served his country in the Army and is a Vietnam vet. In Vietnam, he served in one of the most dangerous outfits -- the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 75th Army Rangers."
Yeager doesn't hold back on his enthusiasm for Rep. Hunter, and many agree he's a man deserving of sitting in the Oval Office.
One reporter covering Duncan's presidential run puts it this way:
"Take one-part Abraham Lincoln, one-part Teddy Roosevelt, one-part Dwight Eisenhower, and one-part Ronald Reagan, combine them together, and you have Duncan Hunter, Republican candidate for president."
Like Lincoln, if elected, Hunter's political career would take him directly from the House of Representatives to the White House.
Like Roosevelt, Hunter is willing to oppose the special interests' foreign trade and illegal immigration policies.
Like Eisenhower, Hunter is a war hero.
Like Reagan, Hunter is for a strong national defense, strict law enforcement, secure borders, and is pro-life.
Although he has not been credited as such, Hunter is also receiving the endorsement of rank and file Republicans. He won the Maricopa County Arizona straw poll, being preferred by Arizonans over Senator John McCain.
He was third in the South Carolina straw poll by six votes. McCain received 164 votes, Giuliani received 162, and Hunter received 158 -- each receiving 24 percent of the vote. This is very significant. Hunter accomplished this with an extremely small fraction of the financial resources of Giuliani, McCain, and Romney -- and even less of the mainstream media publicity and adoration.
It is obvious that Hunter's message of peace through strength, securing the borders, and eliminating the favorable trade laws given to China are resonating with rank and file Republicans - and would probably resonate with many Independents and "Reagan" Democrats as well. If Hunter can obtain the financial resources that the other three already possess he would probably get the nomination.
His credentials are excellent - especially to lead a nation at war. Hunter is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He would be the first baby-boomer president who served in Vietnam. Not only is he a veteran, Hunter's son served two tours in Iraq - one in Fallujah. This would make him the first President since FDR whose son served in combat during wartime.
This "Cincinnatus" family trait would be an inspiration to a nation that desperately needs an inspirational leader.
He believes in secure borders. He is pro-life, pro-Capital Punishment and pro-Second Amendment. However, his most controversial philosophy concerns fair and equitable foreign trade.
This disturbs some Republicans. They misunderstand his attitude as being protectionist. It is not. Hunter believes "American workers are the most productive and innovative labor force in the world. Unfortunately, they are asked to compete in an unfair environment against other workers who make only a fraction of a living wage and are employed by companies that face few, if any, responsibilities to the environment or the long-term prospects of their employees. Our domestic manufacturers are forced to compete against foreign companies that benefit from their country's currency and regulatory regimes."
This is not protectionism. He is for fair trade. He does not want to prevent cheaper, superior, foreign products from being sold in the U.S. He does want to prevent subsidized foreign products from being sold here, while American products are prevented from being sold there.
When he speaks about trade, he alludes to the days when America was the Arsenal of Democracy, saying, "(During WWII) our manufacturing base made more than: ... 2.4 million vehicles; 36 billion yards of cloth; ... 41 billion rounds of ammunition ... our industrial base, was important to collapsing the Soviet Empire ... because it provided the strength in Ronald Reagan's stand against the forces of evil."
Comparing then to now, he make his most salient point, "Today my friends, the Arsenal of Democracy is being pulled away. Massive production of textiles, steel and machine tools are no longer found in South Carolina, or Ohio, or Pennsylvania, nor dozens of other states. ... as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, when I sent my team to get more steel to protect troops against roadside bombs in Iraq, they found only one company in the U.S. making armor plate grade steel ... When a Swiss company cut off the critical component for our smart bombs only one U.S. company remained which could supply it ... if you want to find where our Arsenal of Democracy has gone, you must look in places like ... China." Hunter repeatedly states, "... China is cheating on trade and using billions of American trade dollars to build ships, planes and missiles at an alarming rate while, at the same time, taking millions of American jobs. I will reverse this "one-way street" with a new policy of fair trade for the American worker.
This is the crux of Hunter's trade philosophy. For too long, America has encouraged the erosion of vital defense industries because of inequitable trade policies with Asia and Latin America. Hunter wants to ensure that does not continue.
America could use a president part- Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Reagan. Hunter seems to be it.
Sounds like a winner to me.
So what is his problem, name recognition?
That and he's a congressman.
Has a Congressman ever made it to the White House? I know it's a problem but is it historically impossible?
BUMP
With God, nothing is impossible. Duncan Hunter is THE man!
- YES on No Child Left Behind
- YES on Sarbanes-Oxley
- YES on the 2003 Medicare Drug Benefit
- YES on 2005 Highway Bill
- YES on the 527 bill (he flip-flopped, having first voted NO on McCain-Feingold)
- Hunter also went 0 for 19 on the Flake anti-pork amendments.
Yes, let's put a big spending Republican Congressman into the Oval office.
From the article:
"Like Lincoln, if elected, Hunter's political career would take him directly from the House of Representatives to the White House."
Lincoln and Garfield were from the House of REps, if IIRC. I think it would be most interesting to have a president who had respect and understanding for the 'people's house'.
I signed up for his newsletter on the website over a month ago. Nothing so far. Maybe that is part of the problem.
OK, you don't want Duncan Hunter, who are YOU supporting?
I do know that I won't be supporting a big spending Congressman. For six years people around here have been complaining about the President and GOP spending like drunken sailors...now suddenly spending like a drunken sailor is a virtue?
So Hunter isn't even in consideration for me. Big spending GOP Congressmen are part of the problem, not the solution.
Agreed! But I'm wondering how high a mountain to climb this would be.
Thanks.
I'm just going off the top of my head, but weren't Andrew Jackson, Millard Fillmore and Buchanan from the House of Representatives?
Too much integrity to be manipulated by the power brokers.
(and no family fortune to ride home on)
Apart from the other hurdles Duncan Hunter would have to surmount, and the automatic hostility of the media to someone with his views, TV works against him. I watched his speech at CPAC on C-SPAN and he didn't come across as an electrifying speaker. He needs to be to have a chance, when the media and pundits are doing their best to ignore him.
The frontloading of the primaries next year (the candidates for both parties may be more or less decided by Feb. 5) makes it much harder for the lesser-known candidates to have a chance. I like Hunter and think he is the best of the real conservatives in the race, but I have a hard time seeing him get into double digits in the primaries.
Some of Duncan Hunter's efforts to control spending, among many examples!
STATEMENT OF REP. HUNTER IN VOTING AGAINST THE TRANSPORTATION BILL
The House and Senate approved a $218 billion transportation funding bill which included billions of dollars in questionable, non-transportation funding. A list of some of those projects follows Rep. Duncan Hunter's (R-CA) statement.
"At a time when the Army faces a shortage of $1.7 billion in basic ammunition and our Marines are short $193 million, the highway bill contains $9 billion in funding for such things as a botanical garden, museum exhibits and a film on ‘infrastructure awareness.'
"While I support funding to build and repair our highways and this bill has many good projects, I could not in good conscience vote for legislation which overspends the balanced budget and will possibly take money away from our national defense."http://www.house.gov/hunter/news_prior_2006/hiway.htm
HUNTER “ CHALLENGE” PROGRAM BEGINS AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Washington, D.C. – The Department of Defense (DOD) will begin implementing an innovative acquisition program Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-52) created in the fiscal year 2003 defense authorization bill. This program, the Defense Acquisition Challenge Program, will allow companies, individuals or defense agencies to challenge existing DOD programs with their products and/or services.
“This program will enable the Pentagon to find the most qualified and cost efficient companies to provide the military with the private services they require,” said Congressman Hunter, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “This approach will either eliminate unnecessary spending, or validate the companies with which the DOD is doing business. Both are positive results.”
http://www.house.gov/hunter/news_prior_2006/challengeprogram.html
HUNTER VOTES FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) voted in support of H.R. 4241 (Nussle-IA), the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. This legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 217-215, achieves a net savings of over $50 billion in mandatory spending programs, while also streamlining and reforming several government program http://www.house.gov/hunter/news_prior_2006/buget.vote.release.html
3. Balanced Budget Duncan Hunter I support a balanced federal budget, with additional revenue provided by economic growth, not increased taxes. Further, I support limiting growth in non-defense areas.
Budgetary savings must be identified through efficiency reforms throughout the federal government. Furthermore, we must aggressively attack the creation and funding of duplicative federal programs, many of which simply do not perform but cost taxpayers millions of their hard-earned dollars. According to Office of Management and Budget, 28% of federal programs are either ineffective or have results that are not demonstrated. Reforming, combining or eliminating those programs remains among my highest legislative priorities.
http://sacredcow.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/duncan-hunter-budget-and-economy/
Last year, Hunter sought to eliminate the entire $1 billion the department requested for privatization. Eventually, Congress provided $200 million, including about $115 million for the Hanford wastes.
"He has cut it before and is looking for money," said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., after Tuesday's meeting with Hunter. "I am concerned about this."
Both Dicks and Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., whose district includes Hanford, said Hunter is under tremendous pressure to find money to increase defense spending. "He's in a bind," Hastings said. "But I'm confident we will be OK."
Hastings said Hunter has been "very accommodating," so far, and added he and other lawmakers will continue to talk with Hunter and other members of the subcommittee and the full National Security Committee. Hunter said Hastings has been making an effective case against cleanup cuts but emphasized he has made no final decisions.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/oldnews/1998/0429.html
What is his management/ leadership experience? Even this article does not correctly state his position on trade. He wants to renegotiate some trade deals to improve the ability of Americans to export. That's not protectionist.
DUNCAN HUNTER Champion of Property Rights and Real Free Trade!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1795503/posts
[snip]
"I am deeply concerned with the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision greatly broadening local government’s use of eminent domain in Kelo vs. New London and believe it is important that Congress protect the property rights of private landowners and curb the government from excessive regulatory takings. It is for this reason that I voted in favor of expressing the grave disapproval of the House of Representatives regarding the majority opinion in the Kelo case.
Additionally, I cosponsored H.R. 3268 , the Eminent Domain Tax Relief Act of 2005, which abolished the capital gains tax on private property taken by the government through eminent domain. I also voted in favor of a legislative amendment offered to H.R. 3058, the FY2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, prohibiting federal funding from being used to improve or construct infrastructure support on lands acquired through the use of eminent domain of private property for private development."
Hunter was awarded the American Farm Bureau Federation Friend of Farm Bureau award for the 105th Congress. The "Friend of Farm Bureau" is given each session of Congress to those members of Congress who were nominated by their respective state Farm Bureau and approved by the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.
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