Congressman: AR-15 a 'symbol of liberty'
Also warns U.S. must rip Obamacare 'out by the
roots' to avoid 'economic meltdown'
Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., says he is
the only true constitutional conservative in the Republican race for U.S.
Senate in his state, and he vows to be a tireless champion for creating jobs,
ending deficits and repealing Obamacare.
The congressman also identifies
himself as a staunch defender of Americans’ Second Amendment rights and is even
awarding an AR-15 as a prize from his campaign. Accused by one of his opponents
of using “gimmickry” with the AR-15, Broun said at a time when he believes
President Obama is actively trying to restrict gun rights, it is important to
make his views crystal clear.
“It’s not a gimmick. It’s just a
means of getting my supporters all across this nation to understand that I’m
fighting for liberty. Guns have always been a symbol of liberty,” he told WND.
Broun also said his most prominent
challengers either have no conservative record or lack consistency in backing
conservative principles.
The wide-open race started last
year when Sen. Saxby Chambliss announced he would not seek a third term. Eight
GOP candidates are seeking the nomination, but early polling suggests four of
them appear to have the strongest odds. In addition to Broun, fellow Republican
Reps. Jack Kingston and Phil Gingrey are in the race, along with former
Secretary of State Karen Handel.
Media reports in Georgia suggest
the candidates largely hold the same positions and differ only in nuance. Broun
begs to differ.
“All the candidates in this race
can be categorized into three different groups. There’s one group, and
(Handel’s) a part of it, that claims to be conservative but has absolutely zero
record to back that claim up.
“In fact there’s some things in
the past where she has supported funding for Planned Parenthood. That’s not
conservative,” he said.
“There’s a second category of
candidates that claims to be conservative, but their record does not back up a
consistent conservative position.
“That’s where Kingston and Gingrey fall,” Broun said. “And
there’s one candidate, me, who has a proven, consistent, constitutional voting
record.”
When asked to point to votes where
he was a “consistent” conservative and Kingston
and Gingrey were not, Broun pointed primarily to spending issues.
“Both of them have been huge
earmarkers,” he argued. “In fact, at one time, Jack Kingston had more earmarks
than all of the Republican delegation from Georgia put together. Both of them
have voted for expansion of government under George W. Bush. As an example, Dr.
Gingrey told me one of the proudest votes he’s made was expansion of Medicare
with Part D.
“Both of them have voted for
bigger and bigger government programs.
“Both of them have voted to raise
the debt ceiling. I have never voted to raise the debt ceiling. I’ve never
voted for a stimulus package,” Broun said.
“I’ve never voted for a bailout.
They have.”
Broun explained that he brings a
very specific approach to any vote, an approach he believes would help America avoid
many of our national problems.
“There are four questions that I
ask about all legislation. All four have to be yes before I vote yes. The first
is, ‘Is it constitutional according to the original intent? Is it one of the 18
enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8?’ The second question, ‘Is it right?’
He continued, “Does it fit the
Judeo-Christian biblical principles that our nation was founded upon?’ The
third question is, ‘Do we need it?’ Fourth, ‘Can we afford it?’
“If all four are yes, I vote yes.
I’ve done that for six-and-a-half years. If one (of the answers) is no, I vote
no. I’ve been that way for six-and-a-half years. I’m the only candidate in this
race that has a proven true conservative record. I also have legislation to
back that up,” he said.
Broun points to three specific
bills he is sponsoring that he contends would boost job creation and tackle our
debt problem. First, he says his approach to repealing and replacing Obamacare
is the only one that would completely remove government bureaucrats from the
health-care system.
“We’ve got to rip this out by the
roots and replace it with my Patient Option Act. Otherwise our children are not
going to have jobs when they get out of school,” he said. “We’re going to have
a poor economy. We’re going to have an economic meltdown in this country if we
don’t stop this out-of-control government and out-of-control spending that both
parties are guilty of doing.”
He also said he would revitalize
manufacturing in this country by working to remove the onerous federal
regulations that are stifling innovation and expansion. In tackling the debt,
he said his simple approach would be effective in reducing red ink.
“The government must live within
its means,” Broun said. “We’ve got to balance our budget. I’ve got the
strongest balanced budget that’s been introduced in Congress. It caps spending.
It makes it very difficult for Congress to raise taxes, and those are the two
problems with almost every other balanced budget amendment that’s been
introduced.”
The Republican U.S. Senate primary
is scheduled for May 20. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the
top two finishers will advance to a runoff in July. Michelle Nunn, daughter of former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn is the overwhelming favorite
to win the Democratic nomination.
Michelle Nunn & Sam Nunn
Dem Nunn leads GOP rivals in Georgia poll (Past Research for Michelle
Nunn & Sam Nunn)
Note: Paul C. Broun Jr.
is a House member for the GA
congressional delegation, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus.
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