Posted on 05/14/2010 9:10:18 AM PDT by pissant
Fellow conservatives, please welcome US Senate candidate from the great state of California, Lt. Colonel Chuck DeVore!
Chuck is THE candidate in the race for the GOP Senate nomination who has a proven track record of both fiscal and social conservatism. He is pro-life, pro-gun, pro-God, and equally important, strictly pro-Constitution. He is currently serving his third term in the California Assembly and is a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserve.
Chuck also was a Ronald Reagan appointee to serve as Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Pentagon from 1986-88. And Chuck shares the Gipper’s philosophy on governance and politics. Some of the folks who have endorsed Chuck’s campaign for US Senate include SC Senator Jim DeMint, radio superstar Mark Levin, California congressman Tom McClintock, and recently retired rock-ribber, Duncan Hunter.
If you have seen the debates, you know that Chuck is quick on his feet, self assured, and most importantly, a genuine conservative
Chuck has been married to his wife Diane for the last 22 years, and they have two wonderful daughters, Amy and Jennie.
So stop by, say hello, and ask any follow-up questions you want. Chuck will be here for about an hour and will answer as many as he can in that time. He can always come back and answer the ones he does not have time for today. And please consider supporting this man, who will vastly improve the US Senate from the moment he walks in the door.
(NOTE: The first 10 questions were answered this AM by Chuck and I included them below for expediency)
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So here are the initial 10 Q&As:
1) Some of your opponents’ supporters have tried to slander you as having a ‘Ron Paul’ foreign policy when it comes to Islamic jihadists, particularly in regards to Afghanistan. Will you please tell us how you would like the US to act in Afghanistan, and furthermore, how you want us to go after the terrorists worldwide?
Afghanistan is not Iraq. The challenges there are very different. Nation building will be a long, open-ended and arduous task. I have constantly said we need to remorselessly kill our enemies, rather than nation-build in a hostile land. For this, we need special forces, human intelligence and drones, not a large conventional force that we promise to soon pull out. Nation-building in Afghanistan will be costly and frustrating. Meanwhile, do to cost pressures, the Obama Administration has canceled a host of important weapons modernization programs.
2) What would you like to see happen with the US relationship to the UN? Keep it the same? Get out altogether? Something in between?
The UN is more trouble than it is worth. If we want to be part of an international organization, why not a group of democracies who enjoy rule of law?
3) In one of your interviews recently, you noted that a real existential threat to the US is China. Former Congressman Duncan Hunter sees the same thing. What changes would you work for as Senator regarding the United States policy and relationship with China?
I would like to consider going back to annual most favored nation status votes. China is a growing strategic threat, both militarily and economically. They have historical grievances with their neighbors and the West. They are rapidly modernizing their military. Lastly, they have manipulated their currency and tax laws to gain a built in export advantage over their trading partners.
4) Do you support the Right to Life Act, defining personhood and therefore conferring Constitutional protections to unborn children? Would you support a constitutional amendment defining such if the courts vacated the Right to Life Act (assuming it passed)?
Yes, but it will be very tough to enact, needing a two-thirds vote to pass out of the Senate and House. In the meantime, we need to do all we can to curtail abortions in America.
5) What is your belief regarding the original intent of the Second Amendment? And do you support that today?
The Second Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, confers an individual right to keep and bear arms. I have a proven “A” rating from the NRA in six years of voting in Sacramento.
6) Your answer during the debates regarding a ‘pathway to citizenship’, better known as McCain’s Amnesty, was superb in that you want to require illegal aliens to leave and get in back of the line. However, once deported, they very often then sneak right back in. Do you support the original Secure Fence Act that was designed to put up another 854 miles of double fence with a Border Patrol road between throughout the smuggling corridors of the SW states? Also, what other enforcement activities, if any, do you recommend to curtail the illegal border crossings?
We need to complete a physical barrier – the virtual fence is virtually worthless. We need to maintain the size of the Border Patrol, not reduce it and, when and where needed, we need to augment the border once again with the National Guard.
7) Most members of Free Republic have their own lists of Federal Government Departments and Bureaus they would like to see eliminated. Can you identify a few Departments or Bureaus or programs you would like to see either eliminated altogether or devolved to the States?
Let’s return education dollars back to the states by eliminating the middle man, the Department of Education. The Department of Energy is also very wasteful, send the stewardship of nuclear weapons back to the Department of Defense and eliminate the Department of Energy.
8) What is your criteria for voting in favor of confirmation for a Supreme Court Justice? Or conversely, what would keep you from confirming a SCOTUS nominee?
One determiner: what is their view of the Constitution and the role of government as defined by it? Example: when Sonia Sotomayor said “empathy” played a big role in her decision making, that was a red flag for me as empathy has no role in rule of law. Further, her overturned decision in Ricci v. DeStefano (the firefighter case) was very revealing. I am the only Republican running who has consistently said from the start that I would have voted against confirming Sotomayor.
9) What role, if any, should the Federal Government have in education?
There is no specific Constitutional role for the federal government for education – although, as we saw in the Northwest Ordinance, the early Congress did see education as important. Education is best left up to the states and localities.
10) What are the top three attributes that you believe you possess that recommends you over your two primary opponents in the race to face Barbara Boxer for the US Senate election?
Philosophical clarity and confidence, combined with a tenacious ability to communicate a vision of limited government in a compelling way.
Right on Chuck.
More liberty and less government should be a compelling to everyone.
Thanks, you have my vote, I wish Sarah had endorsed you instead of Fiorina....oh well. Glad to see the polls have you surging, good luck!!!!
One way that liberals push through new programs is by making farcical claims about costs, such as pretending that Obamacare is not the budget-exploder that it clearly is. How do we get more of the country to understand the duplicity and malfeasance going on with this socialist crusade?
p.s. Thank you for your service!
Good answer, but a followup, if I may: Would you point out any particular policies that you feel are culturally harmful? Would you like to offer any policies that might be culturally helpful?
This is a tough question. Please take your time when answering, so as to avoid giving your opponents red meat to bash you with. :)
Q1. You mentioned the role of special operations and counter-insurgency forces as being, in your opinion, the primary focus of our efforts in Afghanistan. If the Afghani government should change its opinion and wish for a US withdrawal of all forces from the country, what would be your response? Would you advocate covert missions into the country to root out terrorists without the approval of the Afghani government?
A1. We cannot maintain a force in-country against the will of a duly constituted government with whom we are not at war. As for pursuing our enemies and killing them, I would reserve the right to do that anywhere on the planet.
Q2.California has seen a dramatic downturn in military contracting businesses, due in part to base closures but also due to state laws that are unfavorable to businesses. As a US Senator you would be able to prevent future base closures or realignments and keep some of those jobs in the state for your fellow Californians. If military leaders told you the bases were not needed, outdated, or in need of reorganization, would you fight to keep the bases open and save jobs?
A2. We compounded this challenge with high taxes, burdensome red tape and a less than welcome attitude towards the military. Regarding California bases, I would do my due diligence and ask about strategic threats and logistics (for example, the importance of Pacific operations in the grand scheme of things). Beyond that, I would not fight to keep an obsolete or unneeded presence in the state.
LOL! So true.
Wow, this is very cool. I’m here in CA and you have my vote. Keep up the good fight Chuck!
I supported Sen. Jim DeMint’s one-time, one-year, narrowly drawn exception to the Endangered Species Act to overrule the judge. (DeMint, BTW, has endorsed me.) Beyond that, we have to amend the Endangered Species Act to allow for people to be considered more highly in the law.
CRP leadership is a function of many factors: elected officials, donors, staff, and volunteer elected officers. We can always do better. But it’s a complex challenge. Success leads to success.
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Agreed 100%. As a first step. A second step should be accountability from those who steered these institutions into the reef.
I’ll debate anytime, anywhere. So will Tom Campbell. KFI’s John and Ken are trying to get a debate up and running. Fox News would like to do one too. No word from Fiorina as to whether she’ll accept.
No bailouts for California.
Public sector unions? We should go back to the civil service concept.
Thanks!
I obviously do not know how to use this site as I am replying to someone elses post. I just registered. Welcome Chuck. My family is spreading the word for you.
I would like to hear your views on Sarah Palin myself. I was all behind her until she started endorsing RINOs. Hugh Hewitt says we need to ratchet it up slowly, but I disagree. These pseudo-conservatives have taken all the life out of the party.
S, Kresan
Best wishes to you in the race Chuck!!! We need to support true Conservatives now more than ever! Thank you for your service and dedication!
I hope that all of you in other states who support Chuck’s candidacy will consider helping through donations and phone banking, just as we came together nationwide to help Scott Brown. California is an extremely expensive state due to the many media markets. We also have a very user friendly phone banking system which can be utilized anywhere in the country. Thank you for your prayers for California and any help you can offer!
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