Wes Vernon
Freshman lawmaker starts off with a bang
By Wes Vernon
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) has been in Congress for barely a year, and already his activism on behalf of America's values has marked him as a lawmaker destined for leadership upon gaining more seniority.
That assumes the good conservative voters of Georgia's Tenth Congressional District will keep him here in Washington, where he has hit the ground running.
Their congressman puts every vote in the House to a four-way test: (1) Is it constitutional and a proper function of government? (2) Is it morally right? (3) Is it something we need. (4) Can we afford it?
A primary in a few days
A physician by profession (who made house calls) and a businessman, Paul Broun (pronounced Brown) upset the odds to squeak through to a 404-vote victory in last year's special election to the seat formerly held by the late respected Charlie Norwood.
Broun, a former Marine, stunned the punditry's conventional wisdom when he came from way behind in the elimination match to defeat State Sen. Jim Whitehead in the deciding race.
Now, on July 15, Broun goes to the voters again in a Republican primary which — in this GOP-heavy district of country courthouse towns, a few small cities, cotton fields, gently rolling hills, and the Appalachians at the North Carolina border — is virtually tantamount to election, even at times such as these when the national political winds appear to favor Democrats.
The man who never says die
The son of a veteran 38-year Democrat state senator, Broun declared himself "far, far apart from his dad" on the issues. It appears, as well, that whereas the elder Broun was a solid insider during his political career, starting in the days when the Dems ruled the "Solid South," the younger Broun — in the district's Republican incarnation of the modern "Solid South" — has been more of a non-establishmentarian.
He lost a previous bid for Congress in 1990, and ran a distant fourth in a U.S. Senate race in 1996. In both contests he was vastly outspent. Undaunted, he again took on the establishment by opposing Whitehead in '07.
In last year's race, he was aided by Whitehead himself, whose penchant for the facetious led him to declare the University of Georgia was "bunch of liberals" and that except for the football team, should be "bombed" — a comment not helpful to him with the shootings at Virginia Tech fresh in everyone's memory. Senator Whitehead stepped in it when he made the careless observation that "Iraq has not been a big thing in our district."
The 404-vote squeaker just a few months prior to his re-election bid left the new congressman precious little time to rack up a record before going back to the voters. On that score, he has delivered in spades.
The record
The Family Research Council Action and James Dobson's Focus on the Family have designated Congressman Broun as a "True Blue Member of Congress," based on his votes regarding family issues.
In accepting the award, Congressman Broun said he was "committed to working on behalf of pro-life and pro-family issues." These include "advancing the principle of religious liberty, preserving the sanctity of marriage, and defending the rights of the unborn, [issues which] define who we are as a people."
Among legislative efforts that Paul Broun has been involved in are those which would provide that human life begins at fertilization, declare English as the official language, repeal the Federal estate and gift taxes (the Death Tax, if you will), and strengthen enforcement of the nation's immigration laws and operational control over borders of the United States. As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Georgian has worked to advance that goal through sponsorship of legislation by restricting access of illegal aliens to driver's licenses.
An avid hunter, Congressman Broun has co-sponsored HR-1399, "to restore Second Amendment rights to the District of Columbia" before the Supreme Court affirmed that right.
While that decision allowed freedom-lovers to heave a sigh of relief, Mr. Broun understands that the hard left — while on the defensive with this issue right now — will stop at nothing to get around the clear meaning of the 5-to-4 ruling. After all, what does it say about the precarious foundations of freedom in America when four justices of the high court are willing to brush off a right that was given us by the Founding Fathers and has stood the test of 232-years time?
The contrast
In addition to Paul Broun's reputation as Georgia's only 100% house-call doctor, he also became a Navy Medical Officer. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he served as a member of St. Mary's Hospital Foundation Board and of its Long-Range Planning Committee.
His primary opponent Barry Fleming, on the other hand, is a career politician who cut his teeth as a staffer for two Democrat congressmen before switching parties (when doing so became politically wise) and is lashing out at Congressman Broun as if in desperation.
He aimed a rhetorical barb at the congressman for working with the entire group of Georgia's Republican House members in co-sponsoring an effort to make English the official language. Broun had the backing of the entire Georgia delegation and the bulk of the membership of the conservative Republican Study Committee. That Fleming would criticize Broun for not seeking the help of the likes of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who is opposed anyway) and Maxine Waters — the notoriously ultra-liberal congresswoman from Los Angeles — is instructive. Trying to get meaningful help from Pelosi and Waters on an issue such as this is futile. And if Fleming favors English as the official language — as he claims — he should not be taking pot-shots at congressman Broun, who is working in the trenches to get the job done.
Secondly, even Paul Broun's legislation to deal harsh punishment to pedophiles (allow chemical castration) and child rapists is not safe from the Fleming attack ads. The congressman is the father of three and grandfather of two small children.
Fleming's idea of approaching the problem is to require internet service providers to monitor the e-mail and websites visited online and downloads and uploads of every customer. That is like asking the United States Postal Service to open the mail before delivering it. As the Broun campaign notes, the bill would create "the most massive invasion of privacy in the United States."
Negatives backfire
Congressman Broun is holding up very well in the polls, but he cannot and is not taking anything for granted. Pollsters indicate that negative ads can be effective if the pounding continues without letup. Though Fleming's incessant negativism has backfired and brought him a lot of criticism, overconfidence is the last thing one finds at the Broun campaign headquarters. Fleming — as State House Majority Whip — is not without some pull with the local establishment, and is capable of calling in his chits.
Again, this is it — the real election in Georgia's 10th. If Broun survives the GOP primary next week, he should have little trouble dispatching the Democrat candidate Bobby Saxon in November.
Note — Contributions can be mailed to The Paul Broun Committee — P.O. Box 7165 — Athens, Ga. 30606, or Contribute online at www.paulbroun.com. Click on Donate.
© Wes Vernon
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) has been in Congress for barely a year, and already his activism on behalf of America's values has marked him as a lawmaker destined for leadership upon gaining more seniority.
That assumes the good conservative voters of Georgia's Tenth Congressional District will keep him here in Washington, where he has hit the ground running.
Their congressman puts every vote in the House to a four-way test: (1) Is it constitutional and a proper function of government? (2) Is it morally right? (3) Is it something we need. (4) Can we afford it?
A primary in a few daysA physician by profession (who made house calls) and a businessman, Paul Broun (pronounced Brown) upset the odds to squeak through to a 404-vote victory in last year's special election to the seat formerly held by the late respected Charlie Norwood.
Broun, a former Marine, stunned the punditry's conventional wisdom when he came from way behind in the elimination match to defeat State Sen. Jim Whitehead in the deciding race.
Now, on July 15, Broun goes to the voters again in a Republican primary which — in this GOP-heavy district of country courthouse towns, a few small cities, cotton fields, gently rolling hills, and the Appalachians at the North Carolina border — is virtually tantamount to election, even at times such as these when the national political winds appear to favor Democrats.
The man who never says die
The son of a veteran 38-year Democrat state senator, Broun declared himself "far, far apart from his dad" on the issues. It appears, as well, that whereas the elder Broun was a solid insider during his political career, starting in the days when the Dems ruled the "Solid South," the younger Broun — in the district's Republican incarnation of the modern "Solid South" — has been more of a non-establishmentarian.
He lost a previous bid for Congress in 1990, and ran a distant fourth in a U.S. Senate race in 1996. In both contests he was vastly outspent. Undaunted, he again took on the establishment by opposing Whitehead in '07.
In last year's race, he was aided by Whitehead himself, whose penchant for the facetious led him to declare the University of Georgia was "bunch of liberals" and that except for the football team, should be "bombed" — a comment not helpful to him with the shootings at Virginia Tech fresh in everyone's memory. Senator Whitehead stepped in it when he made the careless observation that "Iraq has not been a big thing in our district."The 404-vote squeaker just a few months prior to his re-election bid left the new congressman precious little time to rack up a record before going back to the voters. On that score, he has delivered in spades.
The record
The Family Research Council Action and James Dobson's Focus on the Family have designated Congressman Broun as a "True Blue Member of Congress," based on his votes regarding family issues.
In accepting the award, Congressman Broun said he was "committed to working on behalf of pro-life and pro-family issues." These include "advancing the principle of religious liberty, preserving the sanctity of marriage, and defending the rights of the unborn, [issues which] define who we are as a people."
Among legislative efforts that Paul Broun has been involved in are those which would provide that human life begins at fertilization, declare English as the official language, repeal the Federal estate and gift taxes (the Death Tax, if you will), and strengthen enforcement of the nation's immigration laws and operational control over borders of the United States. As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Georgian has worked to advance that goal through sponsorship of legislation by restricting access of illegal aliens to driver's licenses.
An avid hunter, Congressman Broun has co-sponsored HR-1399, "to restore Second Amendment rights to the District of Columbia" before the Supreme Court affirmed that right.
While that decision allowed freedom-lovers to heave a sigh of relief, Mr. Broun understands that the hard left — while on the defensive with this issue right now — will stop at nothing to get around the clear meaning of the 5-to-4 ruling. After all, what does it say about the precarious foundations of freedom in America when four justices of the high court are willing to brush off a right that was given us by the Founding Fathers and has stood the test of 232-years time?
The contrastIn addition to Paul Broun's reputation as Georgia's only 100% house-call doctor, he also became a Navy Medical Officer. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he served as a member of St. Mary's Hospital Foundation Board and of its Long-Range Planning Committee.
His primary opponent Barry Fleming, on the other hand, is a career politician who cut his teeth as a staffer for two Democrat congressmen before switching parties (when doing so became politically wise) and is lashing out at Congressman Broun as if in desperation.
He aimed a rhetorical barb at the congressman for working with the entire group of Georgia's Republican House members in co-sponsoring an effort to make English the official language. Broun had the backing of the entire Georgia delegation and the bulk of the membership of the conservative Republican Study Committee. That Fleming would criticize Broun for not seeking the help of the likes of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who is opposed anyway) and Maxine Waters — the notoriously ultra-liberal congresswoman from Los Angeles — is instructive. Trying to get meaningful help from Pelosi and Waters on an issue such as this is futile. And if Fleming favors English as the official language — as he claims — he should not be taking pot-shots at congressman Broun, who is working in the trenches to get the job done.
Secondly, even Paul Broun's legislation to deal harsh punishment to pedophiles (allow chemical castration) and child rapists is not safe from the Fleming attack ads. The congressman is the father of three and grandfather of two small children.
Fleming's idea of approaching the problem is to require internet service providers to monitor the e-mail and websites visited online and downloads and uploads of every customer. That is like asking the United States Postal Service to open the mail before delivering it. As the Broun campaign notes, the bill would create "the most massive invasion of privacy in the United States."
Negatives backfire
Congressman Broun is holding up very well in the polls, but he cannot and is not taking anything for granted. Pollsters indicate that negative ads can be effective if the pounding continues without letup. Though Fleming's incessant negativism has backfired and brought him a lot of criticism, overconfidence is the last thing one finds at the Broun campaign headquarters. Fleming — as State House Majority Whip — is not without some pull with the local establishment, and is capable of calling in his chits.Again, this is it — the real election in Georgia's 10th. If Broun survives the GOP primary next week, he should have little trouble dispatching the Democrat candidate Bobby Saxon in November.
Note — Contributions can be mailed to The Paul Broun Committee — P.O. Box 7165 — Athens, Ga. 30606, or Contribute online at www.paulbroun.com. Click on Donate.
© Wes Vernon
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