Posted on 09/18/2007 7:01:36 AM PDT by SittinYonder
Republican presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo said last week that the New Hampshire Primary and the Iowa caucus are critical to his chances of becoming his party’s nominee.
“We’ve got to do well in New Hampshire and in Iowa,” said Tancredo, in an exclusive interview with the Journal on Sept. 6. “Those two states have to be our springboard for the rest of what is coming after that. We count on that. I don’t necessarily have to win both, but I have to do well and if I can do that it will definitely catapult me into the next round.”
And he took some shots at other GOP presidential hopefuls.
“The one thing I can guarantee you that separates me (from other Republican presidential candidates) is that the person I tell you I am and the things I believe in are how I’ve felt my entire political life and have been my entire political life,” said Tancredo. “I haven’t accepted new positions in order to be accepted by the conservative voting block in New Hampshire. I have a consistency that no other candidate has.”
As for the Democrats, Tancredo believes he can take them. “Frankly, the two front runners (Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton) are eminently beatable,” said Tancredo. “I would actually like to see Obama nominated because no matter what, I could beat him.
“I think that he would provide a really good role model for people in this country and for people in the black community and I think that would be a really good thing generally speaking, but aside from that, he’s beatable.” Tancredo, known for his strong stand against illegal immigration, said he plans to address that issue immediately should he become president.
“We need to worry about securing the bordering, going after employers who hire illegal immigrants, deporting people who are here illegally and won’t go home voluntarily while also shutting down sanctuary cities,” said Tancredo.
The ongoing War in Iraq, however, could take precedence. “I believe we can’t completely leave Iraq,” he said. “I think we can disengage, but not completely withdraw from Iraq … because we have strategic interests in it that we’ll keep us there for a long time.
“We can’t be patrolling the streets of Baghdad because that is a task for the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government, which they need to take on. We have to be in areas that are strategically located so we can react quickly if we need to and that could be along borders, along a pipeline, but that is a decision to be made at a later date with the military. We are going to have a lot of people there for a long period of time.”
Tancredo, who supported the war, admitted there have been mistakes made since dethroning the longtime dictator of Iraq.
“We were wrong in what we assumed would be the reaction of Iraqi people,” he said. “We were wrong in what we believed would be the reaction of the Sunni and it’s these things we are paying the price for but if you keep looking in the rear view mirror, you’re never going to find a way home.”
Later, in a meeting with about 30 supporters in the Town Hall courtroom, he acknowledged that many consider him to be a “one-trick pony” because of his dedicated focus on the issue of illegal immigration, Tancredo said there are other issues that he’d like to address, including eliminating the federal gas tax.
“It should all be collected and spent by the state. That would automatically increase the amount states would get without increasing taxes one penny and it wouldn’t have to go to Washington.
“States are responsible for the construction and maintenance of highways and the government doesn’t repair or build highways, but we do take away money from everyone who buys gasoline. Some states benefit but many states don’t. It shouldn’t be that way. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware … all the ones getting more than their fair share naturally are going to fight this but New Hampshire should stick in there and say, ‘We want to keep the money we’ve spent here on gasoline for highways and bridges.’”
He also favors privatizing Social Security.
“You have three choices: Increase taxes, reduce benefits or structurally change it and it’s the latter,” said Tancredo. “I actually like the idea of an individual being able to own their own Social Security just like they would their 401(k) and I would push that again. It’s by far a better thing for individuals and a better thing for the Social Security Trust Fund, which is not going to be around that much longer.”
And he supported the Town Council’s vote against bilingual signs at Wasserman Park.
“It’s great,” said Tancredo of the vote. “(Town Councilors) Dave McCray and Mike Malzone … I spoke with the two of them, especially Mike, who is quite a character, and I really appreciate him and Dave, too, for hanging in there and doing what’s right.
“We should not be a bilingual nation. We are moving in that direction, but I’m glad to see the Town Council, the town fathers and the folks who have control over this situation said, ‘No. We’re not going to do that, and if you’re here you have to speak and read English.’ It’s terrific.”
lol ... that’s really some title!
Should be: “Tancredo tells Journal all Democrats are ‘eminently beatable’”
Any way to change that?
On Western Civilization:
“We are the last best hope of Western civilization. And so all of the theories that go behind our activities subsequent to these nuclear attacks going off in the United States, they go out the window because when -- when we go under, Western civilization goes under.”
- Tom Tancredo
Click for more on Tancredo on the issues.
FREEPMAIL ME TO BE ADDED TO THIS TANCREDO ’08 PING LIST
Good article. Thanks for posting!
Couldn’t pass up a URL that intriguing!
in other news: Tancredo Tells Journal all Democrats are “eminently beatable”
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