Bryan Fischer
GOP: here's the campaign platform conservatives want to see
By Bryan Fischer
Follow me on Twitter: @BryanJFischer, on Facebook at "Focal Point"
If a GOP candidate wants to win the nomination of his party, here's the campaign platform that'll do it. If the GOP candidate wants to defeat Barack Obama and win the White House, here's the campaign platform that'll do that to. This is the ideal GOP candidate speaking:
Domestic affairs — My administration will be the most pro-life, pro-family administration in a century.
1. I will vigorously defend DOMA in court, and immediately rescind any spousal benefits that were granted by my predecessor to partners in same-sex relationships.
2. I will vigorously support a federal marriage amendment, which will define marriage as the union of one man and one woman and will disallow recognition of any marriage counterfeits such as domestic partnerships and civil unions.
3. I will support and sign a law that, under the 14th Amendment, grants the right to life to human beings from the moment of conception, and which uses constitutional authority to remove this issue from the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary.
4. I will veto any budget or appropriations bill that funds Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider, or that funds "comprehensive" sex education programs.
5. I will veto any budget or appropriations bill that funds embryonic stem cell research.
6. I will reinstate the Mexico City policy to prohibit the spending of taxpayer dollars overseas to promote abortion.
7. I will only appoint to the federal judiciary judges who are strict constructionists, whom I know for a fact believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided on both moral and constitutional grounds, and who believe that Kelo is a gross abuse of government's eminent domain power and a violation of the right to private property.
Budget — I agree with President Obama that our government must live within its means. Unlike him, however, for me this is not just a slogan but an abiding conviction. Here's how I will use my authority to get control of our budget.
1. I will veto any budget that raises overall federal spending, including entitlement spending, by more than two percent per year. The CATO Institute has determined that if federal spending were frozen at current levels, the budget would balance by 2017. If spending is allowed to grow by one percent a year, the budget will balance in 2019, and if it grows by two percent a year, it will balance by 2021. If Congress wants to spend at higher levels, it will have to do so over my veto. I will deliver a balanced budget to the American people by the end of my second term. The goal will be to reduce federal spending to 18% of GDP.
2. I will veto any increase in the nation's debt ceiling, period. If Congress wants to spend your grandchildren's money on programs that we do not want, that do not work, and which are not authorized by the Constitution, it will have to do it over my veto.
3. I will veto any budget that does not reduce actual spending by 12% a year on any federal program and any exercise of federal power that is not authorized under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. This must be an actual reduction in spending, not a reduction in the rate of growth. This will get us on a glide path to eliminate the departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and the EPA by the end of the decade. This will include reductions in welfare spending. Welfare responsibility will be gradually transferred back to individuals, families, communities, churches and private charities where it belongs. The American people are the most generous, open-hearted people on the face of the planet and can be trusted to look after the neediest among us.
4. I will immediately revoke any regulation issued by any executive department agency which is not pursuant to powers authorized in Article I, Section 8.
Entitlements — I will reform entitlement spending in the following ways:
1. There is no such thing as an "entitlement" program. No one is "entitled" to somebody else's money, and the laws that established Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid make it clear that these programs can be altered by Congress whenever necessary or prudent. I will call them what they are, wealth transfer programs, which are in desperate need of urgent and immediate reform because they are on a completely unsustainable path.
2. I will veto any budget with Social Security appropriations that does not create an option for younger workers to put their payroll taxes in a personalized account. Nothing will change for workers over the age of 55. People under the age of 55 will be allowed to choose between the current system, with its abysmal rate of return, and a 401(k) retirement account with their name on it, which they can pass on to their descendants. After all, it's their money; they earned it. If Congress refuses to set up personalized accounts for younger workers, it will have to do it over my veto.
3. I will veto any Medicare budget that does not immediately convert Medicare to a voucher system. Vouchers will be sent to seniors under my first budget which will enable them to purchase their own health care insurance with no interference or control from the federal government. If Congress wants to continue to break the bank with the current Medicare system, it will have to do it over my veto.
4. I will veto any Medicaid budget that does not convert Medicaid to a system of block grants to states. The Medicaid budget will be divvied up on a per capita basis, making distribution absolutely fair and equitable. We will trust state governments, who are closest to the problem, to manage these resources effectively. If Congress wants to continue to break the bank at the federal and state level, it will have to do it over my veto.
Immigration — I will get control of our immigration problem immediately.
1. I will seal the southern border with Mexico by ordering National Guard troops to the border in sufficient force levels to stop this invasion of our sovereign territory. This will be my first action as commander-in-chief.
2. I will actively support the building of a double-layer security fence along our entire border with Mexico. If we built the Empire State Building in 17 months, we can build a border fence by the end of my first term.
3. There will be no amnesty and no path to legality or citizenship for any illegal alien, period. No one will qualify for legality simply because they have managed to break our immigration laws longer than anybody else. We will repatriate illegal alien families intact. Members of those families with legal status may choose to stay. Thus, if the family unit is separated, it will be their decision and no one else's.
4. There will be no federal benefits of any kind for illegal aliens. Anytime an immigrant comes into contact with a federal agency, proof of legal residency must be supplied, or the E-Verify system may be used to determine if the applicant has a legal right to be in the country. A mismatch will result in a report to immigration authorities. We will deal with the 12-20 million illegals currently in the country through attrition rather than by trying to round them up. States such as Alabama have seen significant self-repatriation when immigration laws are fairly enforced.
5. The Department of Justice under my administration will not take states like Arizona, Utah, Alabama and South Carolina to court when they take steps to deal with the failure of the federal government to stem the flow of illegals into their state. I will support their efforts, and direct my administration to cooperate with them in every way possible.
6. I will strongly support the Secure Communities program. Cities will know that they have a friend in the White House as they cope with the problems of illegal immigration.
5. Due to the threat of terrorism, we will no longer accept Muslim immigrants from nations identified by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism. Preference for refugee status will be given to Christians who in danger of persecution in their country of origin.
Foreign affairs -
1. The United States military will be used only for the purpose of neutralizing threats to our national security. Once our forces have neutralized the threat, they will return home. Under my leadership, the US military will no longer be used for nation-building activities. What kind of nation they build will be up to them. I will simply let them know that if they build a nation that threatens us again, we'll be back.
2. Our only interest in the Middle East is Israel.
3. Iran cannot be permitted to develop nuclear weapons. Military force will be used if necessary to prevent this from happening. I will take foreign leaders at their word; if they threaten the United States, I will assume they are serious and must be stopped.
4. We must build the finest and most comprehensive missile defense system in history. A nuclear warhead launched from Iran could be over the continental US in 33 minutes, and a detonation in the atmosphere would generate an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) that would send America back to the 18th century.
5. I will immediately revoke permission to military chaplains to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies on military bases and installations.
6. I will veto any military appropriations bill that does not include legislation reinstating the ban on homosexual service in the military. If Congress chooses to endanger our national security by threatening recruitment, retention and readiness because it wants to use the military as a social engineering lab, it will have to do so over my veto.
7. Service in the US military is a privilege, not a right. Service in the US military will be reserved for those whose ideology does not direct them to kill their fellow soldiers.
Next stop: the White House
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
November 30, 2011
Follow me on Twitter: @BryanJFischer, on Facebook at "Focal Point"
If a GOP candidate wants to win the nomination of his party, here's the campaign platform that'll do it. If the GOP candidate wants to defeat Barack Obama and win the White House, here's the campaign platform that'll do that to. This is the ideal GOP candidate speaking:
Domestic affairs — My administration will be the most pro-life, pro-family administration in a century.
1. I will vigorously defend DOMA in court, and immediately rescind any spousal benefits that were granted by my predecessor to partners in same-sex relationships.
2. I will vigorously support a federal marriage amendment, which will define marriage as the union of one man and one woman and will disallow recognition of any marriage counterfeits such as domestic partnerships and civil unions.
3. I will support and sign a law that, under the 14th Amendment, grants the right to life to human beings from the moment of conception, and which uses constitutional authority to remove this issue from the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary.
4. I will veto any budget or appropriations bill that funds Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider, or that funds "comprehensive" sex education programs.
5. I will veto any budget or appropriations bill that funds embryonic stem cell research.
6. I will reinstate the Mexico City policy to prohibit the spending of taxpayer dollars overseas to promote abortion.
7. I will only appoint to the federal judiciary judges who are strict constructionists, whom I know for a fact believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided on both moral and constitutional grounds, and who believe that Kelo is a gross abuse of government's eminent domain power and a violation of the right to private property.
Budget — I agree with President Obama that our government must live within its means. Unlike him, however, for me this is not just a slogan but an abiding conviction. Here's how I will use my authority to get control of our budget.
1. I will veto any budget that raises overall federal spending, including entitlement spending, by more than two percent per year. The CATO Institute has determined that if federal spending were frozen at current levels, the budget would balance by 2017. If spending is allowed to grow by one percent a year, the budget will balance in 2019, and if it grows by two percent a year, it will balance by 2021. If Congress wants to spend at higher levels, it will have to do so over my veto. I will deliver a balanced budget to the American people by the end of my second term. The goal will be to reduce federal spending to 18% of GDP.
2. I will veto any increase in the nation's debt ceiling, period. If Congress wants to spend your grandchildren's money on programs that we do not want, that do not work, and which are not authorized by the Constitution, it will have to do it over my veto.
3. I will veto any budget that does not reduce actual spending by 12% a year on any federal program and any exercise of federal power that is not authorized under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. This must be an actual reduction in spending, not a reduction in the rate of growth. This will get us on a glide path to eliminate the departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and the EPA by the end of the decade. This will include reductions in welfare spending. Welfare responsibility will be gradually transferred back to individuals, families, communities, churches and private charities where it belongs. The American people are the most generous, open-hearted people on the face of the planet and can be trusted to look after the neediest among us.
4. I will immediately revoke any regulation issued by any executive department agency which is not pursuant to powers authorized in Article I, Section 8.
Entitlements — I will reform entitlement spending in the following ways:
1. There is no such thing as an "entitlement" program. No one is "entitled" to somebody else's money, and the laws that established Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid make it clear that these programs can be altered by Congress whenever necessary or prudent. I will call them what they are, wealth transfer programs, which are in desperate need of urgent and immediate reform because they are on a completely unsustainable path.
2. I will veto any budget with Social Security appropriations that does not create an option for younger workers to put their payroll taxes in a personalized account. Nothing will change for workers over the age of 55. People under the age of 55 will be allowed to choose between the current system, with its abysmal rate of return, and a 401(k) retirement account with their name on it, which they can pass on to their descendants. After all, it's their money; they earned it. If Congress refuses to set up personalized accounts for younger workers, it will have to do it over my veto.
3. I will veto any Medicare budget that does not immediately convert Medicare to a voucher system. Vouchers will be sent to seniors under my first budget which will enable them to purchase their own health care insurance with no interference or control from the federal government. If Congress wants to continue to break the bank with the current Medicare system, it will have to do it over my veto.
4. I will veto any Medicaid budget that does not convert Medicaid to a system of block grants to states. The Medicaid budget will be divvied up on a per capita basis, making distribution absolutely fair and equitable. We will trust state governments, who are closest to the problem, to manage these resources effectively. If Congress wants to continue to break the bank at the federal and state level, it will have to do it over my veto.
Immigration — I will get control of our immigration problem immediately.
1. I will seal the southern border with Mexico by ordering National Guard troops to the border in sufficient force levels to stop this invasion of our sovereign territory. This will be my first action as commander-in-chief.
2. I will actively support the building of a double-layer security fence along our entire border with Mexico. If we built the Empire State Building in 17 months, we can build a border fence by the end of my first term.
3. There will be no amnesty and no path to legality or citizenship for any illegal alien, period. No one will qualify for legality simply because they have managed to break our immigration laws longer than anybody else. We will repatriate illegal alien families intact. Members of those families with legal status may choose to stay. Thus, if the family unit is separated, it will be their decision and no one else's.
4. There will be no federal benefits of any kind for illegal aliens. Anytime an immigrant comes into contact with a federal agency, proof of legal residency must be supplied, or the E-Verify system may be used to determine if the applicant has a legal right to be in the country. A mismatch will result in a report to immigration authorities. We will deal with the 12-20 million illegals currently in the country through attrition rather than by trying to round them up. States such as Alabama have seen significant self-repatriation when immigration laws are fairly enforced.
5. The Department of Justice under my administration will not take states like Arizona, Utah, Alabama and South Carolina to court when they take steps to deal with the failure of the federal government to stem the flow of illegals into their state. I will support their efforts, and direct my administration to cooperate with them in every way possible.
6. I will strongly support the Secure Communities program. Cities will know that they have a friend in the White House as they cope with the problems of illegal immigration.
5. Due to the threat of terrorism, we will no longer accept Muslim immigrants from nations identified by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism. Preference for refugee status will be given to Christians who in danger of persecution in their country of origin.
Foreign affairs -
1. The United States military will be used only for the purpose of neutralizing threats to our national security. Once our forces have neutralized the threat, they will return home. Under my leadership, the US military will no longer be used for nation-building activities. What kind of nation they build will be up to them. I will simply let them know that if they build a nation that threatens us again, we'll be back.
2. Our only interest in the Middle East is Israel.
3. Iran cannot be permitted to develop nuclear weapons. Military force will be used if necessary to prevent this from happening. I will take foreign leaders at their word; if they threaten the United States, I will assume they are serious and must be stopped.
4. We must build the finest and most comprehensive missile defense system in history. A nuclear warhead launched from Iran could be over the continental US in 33 minutes, and a detonation in the atmosphere would generate an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) that would send America back to the 18th century.
5. I will immediately revoke permission to military chaplains to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies on military bases and installations.
6. I will veto any military appropriations bill that does not include legislation reinstating the ban on homosexual service in the military. If Congress chooses to endanger our national security by threatening recruitment, retention and readiness because it wants to use the military as a social engineering lab, it will have to do so over my veto.
7. Service in the US military is a privilege, not a right. Service in the US military will be reserved for those whose ideology does not direct them to kill their fellow soldiers.
Next stop: the White House
(Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Family Association or American Family Radio.)
© Bryan Fischer
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
