Posted on 09/23/2011 4:57:21 AM PDT by marktwain
Not one Republican presidential candidate has offered a plan for reforming the Justice Department or preventing future administrations from plowing forward with catastrophes like Operation Fast and Furious, the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case or the politicization of the career hiring in the DOJ’s civil rights division.
Operation Fast and Furious hasn’t come up during a debate yet, nor has reform of the Justice Department. Many of the candidates have not even commented on Fast and Furious. After an extensive search, The Daily Caller only found two candidates who have: Congressman Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich’s comments on Fast and Furious came during a speech in early May to the National Rifle Association. “[The administration’s] total mismanagement of the sting into Mexico, the Obama administration is the most consistently anti-gun administration we have ever seen,” Gingrich said.
Paul’s comments came via a campaign statement in mid-June. “The ATF has a long history of abusing our Second Amendment rights, so I was glad to see Congressman Issa demanding answers on the Project ‘Gunwalker’ scandal,” Paul said. “My hope is that the recent hearing will further expose the ATF’s and Attorney General Eric Holder’s assaults on law-abiding gun owners, and more people will start questioning the need for unconstitutional agencies like the ATF that exist solely to infringe on American citizens’ God-given right to keep and bear arms.”
Other candidates, including Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, businessman Herman Cain and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum have been mum on Fast and Furious.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has been mum, too, but his campaign spokesman Tim Miller told TheDC on Thursday afternoon that he wouldn’t allow these to types of programs to exist if elected president. (RELATED: Dueling press releases, bewildering polls as GOP hopefuls gear up for Orlando debate)
“Governor Huntsman would obviously ensure that the law is upheld in his administration and he’d be diligent in bringing to an end irresponsible and ill-advised Obama Administration programs like Fast & Furious,” Miller said in an email to TheDC on Thursday.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa endorsed Romney on Thursday, even though the former Bay State governor hasn’t forcefully spoken about Justice Department reform or about Operation Fast and Furious. Issa has spearheaded the congressional investigation into what happened during Fast and Furious and who’s responsible for it.
Issa praised Romney’s business experience in the private sector, but as far as what’s publicly known, Romney didn’t have any conversations whatsoever with Issa about Fast and Furious or the Justice Department.
Heritage Foundation DOJ expert Hans von Spakovsky told TheDC that he’s disappointed that Justice Department overreach hasn’t made it into the political limelight yet. Spakovsky said he hasn’t seen any of the candidates talking about the issue.
“One thing that [Attorney General Eric] Holder has kind of taken advantage of is the Justice Department budget, it needs to be drastically cut,” Spakovsky said in a phone interview. “The budget has gone up enormously for the Justice Department in the Obama administration and the problem with that is with these huge increases in the budget, they’ve hired huge numbers of new lawyers.”
With former DOJ civil rights division official J. Christian Adams, Spakovsky has exposed the Obama administration for hiring ideologues with a political agenda for supposedly apolitical positions in the DOJ’s civil rights division.
At the civil rights division, where Adams and Spakovsky formerly worked, the Obama administration has hired about 113 new lawyers. Spakovsky adds that the boatload of new of lawyers need something to do, so they pursue otherwise fringe cases.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told TheDC that Americans shouldn’t have to wait until the next election cycle for DOJ reform, and said Obama should “dump Holder” now.
Even so, high-level government corruption is something Fitton hopes all political leaders on both sides attack. Fitton expressed hope that Republican candidates would begin to address Justice Department reform.
“As a watchdog that’s looking for leadership, whether or not people are running for office, you want people to be talking about issues we know people care about,” Fitton said. “We know people care about corruption in government and that’s obviously not being talked enough about by either the Obama administration or Republicans.”
When TheDC asked each of the six major Republican presidential candidates’ campaigns what type of plan for Justice Department reform they have, none answered.
Gunwalker ping.
Instead we're talking about a vaccination no one cares about.
Most of the debate last night was just a rehashing of issues that have already been addressed in previous debates - most questions were designed to pound on Perry and elevate Romney - while making Bachmann look like a crazy person.
I don't know about anyone else - but FOX does the worst debates of any so far - CNN's was by far the best one - they actually let thoughtful questions be asked. Yes, the questions came from "ordinary" people - but FOX chose which ones to be asked. They definitely had an agenda last night, and it wasn't to attack Obama.
I didn’t see last night’s debate (I was working) but from what I’ve read here it sounds awful. Yet I don’t blame FOX as much as I blame the candidates. It sounds like Gingrich is the only one pushing back against the media. I want to see my next PRESIDENT up there, and the POTUS wouldn’t stand for media manipulation—he/she would know how to charm the media and take control of the debate.
There will be a clothes-pin-vote in 2012, as Romney is the Annointed One by the SRM and Republican Establishment, and Perry is Romney-lite (terrible on immigration, and allowing this country to be over-run by law-breakers, just to pander for their votes).
JUST ONCE, I'd like to hear the question "would you support a Federal Law that makes English the official language of the United States?"
First thing to do after the 2012 election is get rid of all the career Marxists........in every Department of Government. Then we will reorganize each department using people who care about our country.
When we have the right candidate. I doubt the ones running evnn have an inkling about this.
Dump this 2 months before the election. It will show that obuma and the federal fascist bureaucrats are murderers, the media is filled with Goebbel’s hacks and the rat party is seditionist, making them all hated and ineffective going into the election. This is our opportunity to completely destroy the leftist scum in America and drive them into the sea.
Timing is everything.
Agree that the candidates should steer these stupid questions into answers that bring up issues that really matter. Gingrich is the only one that seems to do this. They’ve got to stop letting the media set the agenda - it’s difficult to get the word out when the people that are spreading the message, censor and manipulate what can get out there to the masses - but like it or not - that is the challenge they all face.
Agree X 1000
I work in a 'bad' section of the city, and I think of this issue every damned day.
It's the perfect example of the Liberal Plantation Mentality. Everyone knows that the best way to prevent the Balkanization of a country without a unifying religion, ethnicity or political belief is by having ONE official language. Yet I've encountered more than one English teacher who says I'm vile for wanting to 'force' non-English-speakers to "give up their heritage."
To which I of course respond the only logical way: "Yes, I do want them to give up their heritage in public. They can yammer away all they want in private, but in the public sphere, only by mastering the dominant language can they participate fully in our society."
Of course, if that happened, those very immigrants would be more apt to vote Republican as they are now full citizens, and the illegals would be easier to spot...
Great, great, great point.
It sounds like a cliche but it’s true, they really do have to speak over the heads of the media TO the American people. But too many of them want the media to love them.
I think RWR’s clear desire to speak to the people, and his clear amusement at the powerlessness of the media to paint him as they wanted, were huge parts of his success.
Yes, that’s what made Reagan special.
Not ,too hard to figure. Many involved here,Holder Zero,Valeire Jarrett who makes all the calls, are all black. Bring it up and we are racists.Same ol, same ol.
Newt is the smartest guy on the panel every time. But he’s going nowhere.
First, at least indictments or even convictions, before popping off during a POTUS campaign.
DOJ is every President’s Mafia. No sense in rocking the boat when they can come in handy next administration. (no sarc)
In my opinion, the lack of a candidate willing to expose the corruption in DC throughout this Administration, this Whtie House, and the DOJ, EPA, NEA, etc. smells and looks very sinister. We The People must find someone with the spine and guts to tell the truth and expose the treason taking place. The candidates unwillingness to take a stand and expose the enemies within, IMO, makes them accomplices and only serves to highlight how spineless and gutless they are.
I love your moral clarity,ETR.
I only see one person remotely capable of being this person,and she hasn't declared yet.
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