Why Not Bob Giuda? - Granite Grok

Why Not Bob Giuda?

As one of the leaders of the NHRCV I played a part along with our tireless leader Kevin McHugh when our membership voted to endorse Jennifer Horn late last year.  We here at the Grok have endorsed Jennifer and yes I had a hand in that as well.  And since then a few libertarians–Bob Giuda’s core of support–have tried to have their way with us on our selection.  I think that’s great and I encourage it.  But I thought it appropriate to offer something of a rebuttal–which happens to be one of the single biggest reason why I chose Jen Horn over Bob.

Let me preface that first with this.  Bob is fantastic on just about every issue.  He would do a great job.  He is a true wonk.  He’s a bit ornery–a fighter–and that’s good. But he can’t win the primary because he is convinced that Washington is incapable of repealing Obama-care. That we have to get in there and retool it–give it the Steve Austin treatment.   I completely disagree with that and all of it’s broader implications; implications that should have made any support by the libertarians who thought about it long enough nearly impossible.

By my thinking "tweaking" is a public acknowledgment that wholesale changes in how Washington works are near-impossible.  That’s just the wrong attitude going in.  We don’t want to put band-aids on it, we want to cut the tumors off.  And we need people who are prepared to flush it down the hole and return the money and power back to he states and the people whenever and wherever possible.  Tweaking is how it has been done in the past and tweaking has only lead to more government.

And if Bob doesn’t think we can repeal Obama-care, then we can’t begin to think he’d advocate repealing the Bank reform Bill.  And what about everything else in the 2000 plus page section of the democrat majority lexicon?  What is so intractable about DC regarding Obama-care that does not apply to nearly everything else that needs to go?  What if they have or will try to pass Cap and Trade or a carbon tax, some kind of immigration reform, or pro-union legislation?  Are we stuck with the bureaucratic slag that sticks to these institutions of government like gum to a shoe on a hot summer day while Bob figures out which bits to cut off?

As much as  I agree with Bob’s issue objectives–and I think we agree on almost everything, I’ve got serious concerns about his launch vehicle.  It suggests that repeal has never been possible so we can’t expect it to be in the future, even though a majority of America supports it.  Repeal should be the goal, not just of Obama-care, but more than half of the Federal Government if not more.  I don’t want it tweaked I want it gone.  And while no one running can guarantee that, Jen’s not on record claiming it’s not the best way to go.

So the fact that the libertarians–who love to remind us "Conservatives" about how easily we’d give up our principles for an "electable Republican" candidate–have more or less hitched their cart to a guy who won’t immediately try to repeal one of the most unconstitutional (un-libertarian)  pieces of legislation ever enacted.  That’s the literary equivalent of a fatal flaw.

Washington needs it barnacles scraped not rearranged or painted over and this may be the best opportunity in a lifetime to get enough new blood into the House to advance wholesale changes.  Jennifer Horn is just as good on principles.  She’s a real citizen legislator.  She has put in plenty of time on the ground with the grass roots and even run a respectable district-wide campaign.  She is electable and has broader support.  She’s also in favor of repealing things at the federal level that don’t belong at the federal level which you don’t need a masters in political science to understand. 

Don’t tweak it, don’t over think it, just repeal it, and then keep going.  

 

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