Posted on 12/01/2007 11:32:36 AM PST by pissant
The race for the White House took another turn through Aiken County Friday evening, with a visit from Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) at the North Augusta Community Center.
Hunter, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam and has served the San Diego area in Congress since 1981, spoke for about an hour, fielding questions and focusing on his priorities, with foreign trade and illegal immigration among his major concerns.
Addressing international concerns, Hunter focused largely on China's "new flexing of this military muscle that they have." He described that new power as being bankrolled largely by American trade dollars, through Chinese cheating.
Hunter has been in the news this month expressing concerns about investments involving GOP rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with regard to Bain Capital, a company that Romney founded. Hunter has pointed out that the company is "attempting to form a business arrangement with Huawei Corporation, a Chinese corporation founded by an officer of the People's Liberation Army of Communist China, which faces allegations of assisting Saddam Hussein in the targeting of U.S. aircraft and in helping the Taliban develop surveillance equipment," as stated in Hunter's campaign material.
Hunter has claimed that Romney should make a "clear statement" opposing the deal. "His friends are still running that company, and certainly, if he said 'Cease and desist, and don't make this transfer, because it's detrimental to American security interests,' they would do it, they would stop," he said, describing the situation as "sad."
He also hit an upbeat note regarding U.S. efforts abroad. "We're winning in Iraq and we're going to win this war," he said, asserting that Iraqi troops are organized, trained and "not green anymore."
Also getting plenty of attention from Hunter was the question of border security, particularly along the southern boundary. He pointed out his success in San Diego, leading the charge to build about 59 miles of border fence a move that has been credited as sparking a major downturn in crime in San Diego and making a significant dent in "drive-through smuggling" of people and drugs.
He also has helped lead the way in pushing for about 854 miles of additional fencing a double-layer creation to extend across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. So far, however, only 5.15 miles have been completed "just enough ... to do a nice photo opportunity for the President, when he was in Yuma (Az.)," he said.
"Putting in a ... physical, enforceable border is the key thing to illegal immigration, and if you take care of that problem, you obviate ... all of the problems of trying to track people down and catch them, (and) the massive incarceration problem. You eliminate the crime problems. You know, right now we've got 250,000 criminal aliens in federal, state and local penitentiaries and jails."
He said the estimated cost for 1,000 miles of double-layered fencing is $3 billion the same amount that is currently spent annually in incarcerating criminal aliens. "As President of the United States, I'll build a border fence all 854 miles in six months ... That's my commitment to you," he said, triggering applause from most of his listeners.
He praised President Bush for his efforts in fighting terrorism abroad, but pointed out that the U.S.-Mexican border remains "a major exposure to terrorism" and does not get enough attention from national leaders.
Among the youngest of the crowd was Jordan Hughes, a 15-year-old home-schooler from Grovetown, Ga. When asked about Hunter's presentation, she said, "I thought that it was really awesome. I mean, it's good to know that one of the presidential candidates is pro-life and about America coming back to its foundation of the biblical stance."
Tina Hunter, from North Augusta, was one of the event's organizers. She commented, "I think he's got the American values that we're all looking for in this country ... We don't need to be taking jobs overseas. We need to keep them here in the United States and continue to build our economy.
"The other thing I like so very much is, I was in the military and so was my husband, and we have a lot of talent in the military, and he's very supportive of that, and as those men are coming home, they're going to be needing jobs, and by bringing those jobs home, as they're coming home, they're going to be able to have a job." Hunter's local visit came on the heels of an appearance by an extremely high-profile candidate: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), who was in Aiken Monday afternoon. Several other White House hopefuls have also visited the CSRA in recent months. Hunter referred to his North Augusta appearance as "a good round-table conversation."
DH Ping
bttt.
he forgot to mention World Aids Day.
oops! Just posted the same article...I’ll request mine be pulled.
Ha!
8 minutes behind ya! I knew I shouldn’t have stopped to take that phone call! lol
bttt
Hunter is awesome. He has clearly called out a threat that is facing our nation and called it by its name - Socialism. When I read his email about how he wanted to stop the creeping socialism in our country I whipped out the check book and sent him a contribution. No one else is saying that and no one else really gets it like Hunter.
Of course, our puppet masters in the drive by media dont want him, so he will continue to be marginalized in favor of a gun grabbing liberal from NYC.
Sure beats Frudy McRomnabeeson. No wonder the corporatist media at the CNN debate only dared to give him about 5 minutes, total, of response time.
I've been looking for that...do you have a link? If not I'll check through my emails. Some Paul supporter just said that Hunter is a socialist - LOL! Thanks!
“No wonder the corporatist media at the CNN debate only dared to give him about 5 minutes, total, of response time.”
Sad, but true. I’m also really tired of them putting their favorites front and center and Hunter always out on the far end.
Amen to that!
They keep touting Frank Luntz’s little graph but I want to see what his graph did when Hunter spoke about American Jobs for Americans. That line brought the biggest cheer of the night from the audience in attendance.
“I’ve been looking for that...do you have a link? If not I’ll check through my emails. Some Paul supporter just said that Hunter is a socialist - LOL! Thanks!”
I think its on my home email and I am away on travel this weekend. It was on one of the emails about the Nov 30 fundraiser. See, I like some of the nutty stuff that Paul says sometimes like doing away with large govt programs and all, but there are some real weirdos supporting him and I just can not follow him on his stance on the war. I’ve seen it first hand, we are NOT losing, so why quit when we are ahead?
I have a friend at work that is a huge Paul supporter, he’s not a kook though. We have one of those too, but he’s a Democrat. ha ha
What’s really nuts is that he got more time on this one then the ones before it! Him and Tarenceno only got one question each on the last debate before this one (I think it was that one). Either way, I read the whole transcript and they really only got one question each. What kind of crap is that?
Duncan Hunter will garner more support because he keeps telling it straight to the people.
That's ok, the Huckster will pick up all that slack. If Hunter can counter the medias love affair with Rudy-Huckabee, Clinton-Obama, he can run very well in the South, Midwest and the Rust belt.
***Some Paul supporter just said that Hunter is a socialist - LOL! Thanks!***
Democrats, their supporters, as well as Paul’s supporters will say anything and everything to get attention.
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