U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and state Rep. Raul Labrador are the only major candidates among a field of 17 for federal office in Idaho to reply to the Tea Party Boise candidate survey.
Notable for their absence are incumbent Reps. Walt Minnick and Mike Simpson and Labrador's principal opponent in the 1st District GOP race, Vaughn Ward.
Minnick, a 1st District Democrat, “opted out” of the survey, meaning he replied to the request on time but declined to complete the survey in full, as Tea Party Boise required.
He submitted a letter.
Simpson, a 2nd District Republican, did not respond to the survey by the April 24 deadline, said Brendan Smythe, a co-founder of Tea Party Boise. Among Simpson’s three opponents in the May 25 GOP primary, only Katherine Burton of Boise responded. Republicans Chick Heileson and state Rep. Mike Mathews did not respond, nor did Democrat Mike Crawford. Independent Brian Schad responded.
Crapo’s GOP opponent, Claude Davis, responded. But Democrats Tom Sullivan and William Bryk did not reply. Incumbent Sen. Jim Risch joined Minnick in opting out, but he is not up for re-election until 2014.
Smythe said the biggest surprise was Ward, who did not respond on time. Ward and Labrador are vying to challenge Minnick in November.
“That was the big news for us,” Smythe said. “I’m very surprised that Ward did not answer the few simple questions.”
Asked whether Ward’s decision not to respond might cost him votes among Tea Party supporters, Smythe said, “I don’t know. We’ll see how the chips fall.”
Ward is scheduled to appear at a Tea Party Boise forum with Labrador and eight other U.S. House candidates in both the 1st and 2nd congressional districts at Eagle High School on Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Ward’s campaign manager, Ryan O’Barto, said in an e-mail Thursday, “We submitted the candidate survey yesterday and we are excited to discuss the issues during the upcoming Tea Party Forum.”
Ward's answers don't appear on the Tea Party site because they were late, Smythe said.
Crapo and Labrador were largely in concert on the survey questions, agreeing 54 times and differing nine times.
Both back a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, favor a permanent ban on earmarks, want an audit of the Federal Reserve, want to eliminate the federally-controlled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and support replacing the progressive income tax with a “fair, flat or consumption tax system.”
The nine questions on which they differ are:
Labrador supports mandating a 25 percent cut in federal employment, excepting the military and Department of Homeland Security. Crapo answered “not sure.”
Labrador favors replacing the federal employee pension plan with a 401(k). Crapo answered “not sure.”
Labrador backs publishing all campaign contributions on his website. Crapo answered “not sure.”
Labrador would vote to repeal the 17th Amendment, which mandates popular election of U.S. senators, and would return the job to state legislatures. Crapo opposes repeal.
Labrador would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and return “all control of education to the individual states.” Crapo answered “not sure.”
Labrador favors returning all federal lands to the states, upon the request of state governments. Crapo answered “not sure.”
Labrador would vote to withdraw from the United Nations. Crapo answered "not sure."
Crapo, who is seeking his third six-year term, strongly agrees that senators should be limited to two terms and House members to three two-year terms. Labrador answered “neutral.”
Labrador strongly agrees that he would not request earmarks. Crapo answered “neutral.”
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Ward thought the survey was a past-due Valley County tax notice, so he ignored it.
Tea Party Canon
I am just about as conservative as they come and I would not sign this pledge. It is just gobbledygook. I am dismayed that Labrador and Crapo signed it. Not pay attention to talking points? How would you find out what is important to the other guy if you didn't ask or listen to what he has to say? This was conjured up by a bunch of goofs. Conservatives had nothing to do with it. Candidates pledge not to take money from big donors? Who is a big donor? What is considered a big donor donation? If the RNC sends a candidate a $100.00 check is that a violation? How about if my rich uncle sends in a $100.00 check? Any candidate who signs this pledge is just asking for his opposition to go over everything he says, does and accepts money or support from, with a fine tooth comb and use this nonsense pledge against him. Any pledge should be about sustaining legitimate conservative ideals. This is pledge a trap.
No Surprises Here...
Actually, no one wants to "officially" sign on to this bunch of misfits and malcontented racist.
Lip service can only go so far. When the rubber hits the road, the "Tea Party" is nothing more that hot air designed to stir peoples emotions, but solve nothing..
That is exactly why Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are involved.
What???
Barrett, you should get out more. Turn MTV off and actually listen to what is being said.
I get out plenty...
I get out plenty, and even though I have 300 channels on my Dish, I never watch M-TV. I do hear and UNDERSTAND what's being said, hence: My opinion.
What's your excuse?
If he actually watched it there'd be NO HYPHEN. NEXT!
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You can use any words you like here, as long as you don't use actual words.
You should as well, as MTV hardly plays any music now.
When I read comments on Yahoo about Arizona I can see gunshots and army troops coming and I don't even know what the h3ll for anymore. They are braindead and it had might as well be 1949 again.
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You can use any words you like here, as long as you don't use actual words.
Crapo Steps up
Say what you may about the Tea Party but, they are voters and I give props to Crapo for responding to their survey when many others dodged it.
thanks for that...
LMAO!!!
Dishonest Wording
"Crapo and Labrador … support replacing the progressive income tax with a 'fair, flat or consumption tax system.' "
Since when is a flat tax fair? By definition:
A tax such as a sales tax that applies equally to every purchaser but which results in taking a larger percentage of income from a low-income person than from a high-income person.
This is one of those things
Yep. It sounds good on the surface but we have used tax policy to advance agendas for decades. It has been a good tool. Flat tax seems, at first glance, to be fairer. But what are the short and long term implications? I don't know and just spouting simplistic ideas may SOUND good but is it really? I want to hear what all sides have to say about it and then I want each to address the other side's objections. Then I want to hear from experts who have no agenda. I want to know what the various models predict. I want to know where it has been implemented, what worked and what didn't work.
Ward Machiavellian, Labrador baying at the moon
Vaughn Ward's handlers are excruciatingly sneaky. They purposely mailed the form back to the tea party group late to have it both ways. He can say he responded, while describing his answers any way he wants.
But Raul Labrador is ignorant as people get and baying at the moon crazy. (No offense to my own chocolate Lab, who is much smarter than Raul.) Much of what he is campaigning on has absolutely nothing to do with the duties of an elected federal representative. He is campaigning for the job of God, which is not available.
Furthermore, a state as poor as Idaho has a dependency relationship with the federal government. In Labrador's ideal world, life in Idaho would not be merely nasty, short and brutish, people would starve or die for lack of basic health care. They would go without education altogether and drink fouled water and eat poison food. The democratic republic form of government would no longer exist, replaced by fiefdoms ruled by territorial overlords.
Idahoans have made poor choices politically.
But what do you REALLY think?
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You can use any words you like here, as long as you don't use actual words.
How many....
Mistakes is Ward going to be allowed make before people start wondering if this guy really can do the job? I mean, look at the very simple things that he and his "handlers" have just screwed up. Even Harley Brown seems to have done better as a candidate so far!
Who's Vaughn Ward?
Who's Vaughn Ward?
There is a lot of info at the link below so take one bite at at time.
If you questioned at all, this supposed farm boy from Idaho, and who he is, what he is, and who he intends to represent as a U.S. Congressman from Idaho District 1, here is the skinny on this guy, his confirmed connections, and their intentions for him, and quite possibly Idaho.
http://www.chad4congress2010.com/campaign/Opponents.htm#Vaughn_Ward
It starts off with some letters from a concerned citizen here in Idaho, followed by 21 "clues" indicating who this guy is, followed by campaign contributions, followed by individual contributors, followed by background info on the individual contributors, followed by articles and letters by Vaughn Ward supporters.
In other words, same old propaganda crap site ad nauseum.
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You can use any words you like here, as long as you don't use actual words.