Posted on 12/02/2011 1:50:20 PM PST by libertarian neocon
The folks at Club for Growth has white papers on all the GOP candidates summarizing their public records and does a pretty objective job. Looking at Newt's I really was struck by how conservative Newt's actual voting record was (which of course was mischaracterized by Jennifer Rubin, who I think must have been offered a post in a Romney administration. How else do you explain her going full spittle in support of Romney and anti-Newt?)., with most of the worrisome aspects of his record coming from speeches AFTER he left public office. This is pretty much the exact opposite of Romney, who has a very questionable record from his limited time in elected office, with most of his conservatism coming from campaign speeches. Anyway, let's look at Newt's actual record:
Is his record perfect? Nope. Not even close. But the point is that on the big issues, he voted Conservative and helped champion balanced budgets and tax reform. Focusing on that actual voting record really makes me more comfortable with him. Especially when his main opponent is someone whose main accomplishment is a massive government healthcare program.
Newt a DC insider who parlayed his years in Congress into a lucrative influence peddling business to the tune of $1.8M for his company -- the WSJ dubbing him "Newt Inc.". He promoted the Global Warming Scheme with Nancy Pelosi. Newt was fined an unprecedented $300K by a bipartisan Congressional ethics committee that eventually drove him from office in 1998. Newt reneged on the original Contract With America -- and even with a Republican dominated House, did nothing.
The man stands ZERO -- and I mean ZERO -- chance against Obama. He won't get a single independent or crossover vote. He's McCain Redux.
Newt is a Rockefeller Republican --a liberal, big government wheeler-dealer who represents everything that the Tea Party protested against a few years ago. I just cannot believe how some so-called Tea Partyers are contorting themselves to make Newt fit that Conservative label now!
Newt a DC insider who parlayed his years in Congress into a lucrative influence peddling business to the tune of $1.8M for his company -- the WSJ dubbing him "Newt Inc.". He promoted the Global Warming Scheme with Nancy Pelosi. Newt was fined an unprecedented $300K by a bipartisan Congressional ethics committee that eventually drove him from office in 1998. Newt reneged on the original Contract With America -- and even with a Republican dominated House, did nothing.
The man stands ZERO -- and I mean ZERO -- chance against Obama. He won't get a single independent or crossover vote. He's McCain Redux.
Newt is a Rockefeller Republican --a liberal, big government wheeler-dealer who represents everything that the Tea Party protested against a few years ago. I just cannot believe how some so-called Tea Partyers are contorting themselves to make Newt fit that Conservative label now!
You seem to be missing a few of Newts hits in there. Let me enlighten you.
04/02/1987 - cosponsored the 1987 Fairness Doctrine
10/22/1991 - voted for an amendment that would create a National Police Corps.
03/—/1993 - voted for sending $1.6 billion in foreign aid to Russia.
1/27/1994 - supported the GATT Treaty giving sovereignty to the U.N.
08/27/1995 - suggests that drug smuggling should carry a death sentence.
04/25/1996 - voted for the then single largest increase on federal education spending ($3.5 billion)
04/10/1995 - supported federal tax dollars being spent on abortions.
06/01/1996 - helped a Democrat switch parties in an attempt to defeat Ron Paul in the 1996 election.
09/25/1996 - introduced H.R. 4170, demanded life-sentence or execution for someone bringing 2 ounces of marijuana across the border.
01/22/1997 - Congress gave him a record-setting $300,000 fine for ethical wrongdoing.
11/29/2006 - said that free speech should be curtailed in order to fight terrorism, called for a “serious debate about the 1st Amendment.”
02/15/2007 - supports Bush’s proposal for mandatory carbon caps.
09/28/2008 - says if in office, he would have reluctantly voted for the $700B TARP bailout.
09/30/2008 - releases his book A Contract with the Earth which embraces man-made global warming.
12/08/2008 - paid $300,000 by Freddie Mac to halt Congress from bringing necessary reform.
03/31/2009 - says we should have Singapore-style drug tests for Americans.
11/15/2010 - defends Romneycare
01/30/2011 - lobbies for ethanol subsidies.
01/30/2011 - suggests that flex-fuel vehicles be mandated for Americans.
02/13/2011 - criticizes Obama for sending less U.S. tax dollars to Egypt.
03/09/2011 - blames his infidelity to multiple wives on his passion for the country.
03/15/2011 - says that NAFTA worked because it created jobs in Mexico.
03/19/2011 - has no regrets about supporting Medicare drug coverage. (now $7.2T unfunded liability)
03/23/2011 - completely flip-flops on Libyan intervention in 16 days.
03/25/2011 - plans to sign as many as 200 executive orders on his first day as president.
04/25/2011 - admits he is a paid lobbyist for federal ethanol subsidies.
07/15/2011 - his poorly managed campaign is over $1 million in debt.
08/01/2011 - hires a company to create fake Twitters to appear as if had a following.
11/16/2011 - revealed he actually received $1.6 million lobbying for Freddie Mac, vs. his previously stated $300,000
Why is he a troll?
Now compare to Bachmann's lifetime ACU rating of 100%.
ACU has zero credibility as far as I’m concerned. Backing Spector against Toomey demonstrated how useless the organization and those scores truly are.
http://www.conservative.org/wp-content/themes/Conservative/keene-archive/keene/030521dk.php
I think the big issue is who gets to appoint the next two Supreme Court Justices.
Will a Gingrich or Romney/Perry appoint Constitutionalist Justices?
Santorum backing Spector is one mistake.
The ACU gives Santorum an 88% lifetime rating, which means that Santorum has made more than one mistake.
Your claim that the ACU ratings have "zero credibility" is not proven by your one example of Santorum backing Spector.
Any of our candidates would be more conservative than Hussein.
Did you even read my link? The ACU’s President was the one backing Spector regardless of the score differences. Show’s how much value the ACU gives to them. Santorum is irrelevant to that equation.
Listen ... we can only vote for those who are running.
Romney and Huntsman and liberals in the wrong party
Paul is a nut
Santorum, Bachman and Perry have proven themselves over and over again to be unworthy.
Cain is gone
Newt is all we have. Is he perfect? nope. Is he head and shoulders better than the others actually running? easily.
I will be supporting Newt.
What about his big government vs. small government record? Is he like Bush and his neocon advisors who pushed for big government solutions always, as they are now, killing our freedoms and economic vitality?
http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/26821/
Why I would NEVER support Bachmann. She tried to screw our veterans.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/01/28/141412/bachmann-veterans/
In her tea party-fueled quest to cut government spending and social programs, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has unveiled a plan to cut $400 billion in federal spending that includes freezing the Veterans Affairs Department’s health care spending and cuts veterans’ disability benefits. The Air Force Times reports her plan would slice $4.5 billion from the VA, including reducing 150,000 veterans’ disability compensation and the amount they receive in Social Security Disability Income.A host of veterans groups slammed Bachmann’s plan:
–Veterans of Foreign War national commander Richard L. Eubank said, “The only discussion the VFW wants is to tell the congresswoman that her plan is totally out of step with America’s commitment to our troops.
Bachmann has House’s 11th WORST record for missed votes...she is not fulfilling her duties to her constituents
Of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, only ten have missed more votes this session than Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, according to the Washington Post’s tally. Bachmann has missed 105 votes, or 13.6 percent of all votes. Fellow Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen had the state’s best record, missing only six votes in the 111th Congress, just one less than Rep. Tim Walz missed.
While California Democrat Rep. Hilda Solis had the highest rate of missed votes — she missed 59 of 78 possibles votes — the number of missed votes by party is roughly the same: Democrats missed 3.5 percent of votes, while Republicans missed 3.3 percent.
Another Minnesotan high on the list: At number 23, Rep. Keith Ellison missed ten percent of the votes, casting 695 and missing 78. Here’s how others in Minnesota’s delegation fared:
Rep. Betty McCollum: 16 missed (2.1 percent of all votes), 757 cast
Rep. Collin Peterson: 25 missed (1.9), 758 cast
Rep. Jon Kline: 12 missed (1.6), 761 cast
Rep. James Oberstar: 10 missed (1.3), 763 cast
Rep. Tim Walz: 7 missed (1.3), 766 cast
Rep. Erik Paulsen: 6 missed (0.8), 767 cast
Bachmann’s Farm Subsidies...more will come out on this..and NO the questions have not been fully answerd.
Bachmann has said that the farm’s founder, her father-in-law, Paul Bachmann, is the only member of the Bachmann Farm Family Limited Partnership who ever applied for farm subsidies — a statement borne out by federal documents. He last applied for federal payments in 2007, and he died in 2009.
But federal documents and courthouse entries in Alma, Wis., show that a neighbor has picked up where the patriarch left off. The Bachmann family partnership signed a lease agreement with the neighbor in April 2008, and he is actively enrolled in the same FSA aid programs.
From 1995 through 2007, the FSA paid $259,000 in commodities and disaster subsidies to the Bachmann farm. Since 2008, FSA payments to the neighbor’s expanded operations have totaled $52,921, records show.
The Bachmann for President team didn’t respond to the Star Tribune’s inquiries about the farm, but a campaign statement given to Politico last month said her share of income from the farm is wrapped up in the family partnership, which she said was formed for estate planning purposes. Bachmann, her husband, Marcus, and their five children belong to the partnership but documents don’t say how much of it they control. Marcus has two brothers, and his mother, Elma, is still alive.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/130509053.html
Not to mention she violated Reagan’s law and attacked Palin via her campaign manager; Perry, Newt and Cain’s 999 plan which she referred to as being more like 666. She also mentioned Trump as a potential vice president.
However, MORE than anything..I won’t forgive her for trying to take our disabled veteran’s benefits away ...she can go to Hades.
Thanks libertarian neocon.
Bachmann has the 11th WORST record on missed votes in congress. She is paid to show up. If you or I did that on our jobs..we would be fired.
Did you even read the ACU website? The ACU rating is a rating of a candidate's voting record. It's not a rating of a candidate's endorsement record.
If you would look at the votes that they rate, you would find that they rate a representative cross section of votes. You would also find that they know when a vote is conservative and when a vote is liberal.
You still haven't proven your claim that the ACU ratings have "zero credibility".
As I pointed out, Newt had a lifetime ACU rating of 90%, Santorum had a lifetime ACU rating of 88% and Bachmann has a lifetime ACU rating of 100%. I think that gives a pretty good indication of their voting record.
I would also point out that all of the candidates have made bad endorsements as has been documented numerous times on FR. Do I need to run through the list again?
It's true that Bachmann has missed numerous votes since she began her run for the nomination.
Bachmann should have resigned her office to make her run. Perry is another one being paid a full time salary by tax payers, while he runs for a promotion.
Thank you for this information. I certainly support our troops and vets before any candidate and they must, too.
That is a good point - and those who support him are hoping he has returned to his CWA roots. Has he? I don’t know, but he’s sounded an awful lot like it. Time will tell. I am hopeful, but not convinced either way.
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