An Open Letter To Congressman Duncan Hunter
By GOPaisano Posted in 2008 — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Dear Representative Hunter,
First of all, I hope you and your family enjoyed Thanksgiving. I'm sure that you all kept your son, First Lieutenant Duncan Duane Hunter, in your thoughts and prayers as he serves his country in Iraq. I'm sure he's brought so much pride to your family, as he has to his country.
Truth be told, sir, you've done us proud too. I'm not merely talking about your highly decorated service in Vietnam, or all the pro bono legal work you did for the poor before entering politics. No, I'm talking about your record in the Congress. From 1980 to present day, you have served this country with honor as a United States Congressman who has carried the banner for conservatism and peace through strength. In fact, out of all our candidates, you have the most experience in government, and are only behind Senators Biden and Dodd among all the candidates.
You have held strong to your pro-life convictions, and earned triple-digit sponsorship on your Right To Life act in the House. You have stood strong on border security, and yet, you regularly win north of 60% of the Hispanic Vote in your district and recently were the only Republican with the "cajones" to show up to the primarily Democrat National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. We haven't agreed on everything, sir. You hold the dubious distinction of being a Republican who opposed NAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO. But we understand your concern for American workers, and applaud the intent if not the action.
Unlike others, I do not dismiss you for being a Congressman rather than a Senator. I understand that in a state as generally Democratic as California, there is no room for job advancement in that way. You have as much right to be on that stage as anyone.
Except...it's November. Late November, at that. On January 3rd, we will be casting our first votes in Iowa. Remember Iowa? Gov. Tommy Thompson dropped out after receiving 1039 votes. You got 174. Five days later is New Hampshire. You're fighting Tancredo for seventh place there. Yes, out of eight.
You put up a great fight. You have never sounded out of your league in a single debate. But at this point, without a lead in any early state--not even Wyoming or Nevada--it's just not possible. Something terrible would have to happen not only to Rudy Giuliani, but John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Fred Thompson. I'm not even sure you could compete with Paul's money if it came down to you two and Tancredo.
Maybe your aspiration is for something other than the Presidency. Maybe you'd like to be Vice President, or (as has been suggested from the day you announced) defense secretary. Quite honestly, Congressman, you're not helping your chances at those positions by setting yourself up for a series of embarrassing defeats. If you have an aspiration for a lower position, then just go ahead and endorse the person you think has the best chance.
It pains me to say this, it really does. If you caught fire, I was ready to support you in a heartbeat. But you didn't, and Congressman Hunter, I think it's time you stepped down from this race.
While I understand GOPaisano's sentiments, I don't think Mr. Hunter should withdraw from the race. Full disclosure, I like Rudy(he's not a "new tone" kinda guy, thank God)but can't vote for him in the primary because I'm pro-life; the general election is another matter altogether. Of the so-called "top tier" candidates, I like Fred Thompson the best, based on his pro-life record(including oppo to embryonic stem cell research), his common sense approach to immigration, and solid views on national security. But I'm not totally comfortable with Fred(the representing the bad guys on the gag rule and the oppo to tort reform), and I share Duncan Hunter's concerns about workers displaced by free trade, even though I only agree with him on oppo to the WTO because of its infringement on our nat'l sovereignty. In short, Duncan Hunter most closely mirrors my views and I doubt I'm alone, so I hope he stays in the race.
But why would you rather have Hunters name off the ballot then on it? Without starting a war here, D Hunt is a better candidate for conservatives then most of the top polling Republicans. I know nobody outside of California knows him, which I would blame on whoever is running his campaign, but common.
D Hunt or Huckabee? D Hunt or McCain? D Hunt or Romney? D Hunt or whoever, Hunter is the more stomachable candidate for conservatives. If you get rid of names and just show policy, I bet he's poll higher. If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle, I know, but I think you can understand the point Im trying to make.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
At this point I may just vote for Hunter, out of pure indecision (and a wee bit of dissatisfaction) with the top-tier candidates. Some may say it's throwing my vote away but he really is the best of the lot. Sad to say that he never caught on.
your vote is NOT wasted. If you continue to vote for him after he does not get the nomination -- they you have thrown away your vote!
========
Considering where the good doctor's head was, when practicing medicine, is it any wonder that the man has issues?
I've been working on the Fred 08 campaign, and during my "rounds" I'm frequently visiting with a local representative of Congressman Hunter's. I think Duncan Hunter is a fantastic individual and presuming of course he does not catch fire, I would love to see him as a possible Veep pick for any of the candidates, obviously Fred especially. I do also think that Hunter should should stay in this for a while though, after all, with the illegal immigration issue certainly not going away, I see him as a leader in this area for years to come. I'm convinced if not a VP or cabinet member he could realistically be a top tier candidate in the next election.
His desire to stay in this race should tell us something about him, at bare minimum he wants his issues heard.
I do know a bumper sticker has circulate for Thompson/Hunter 08.
Duncan Hunter has been outspoken on a lot of great issues that need to be addressed. Just because the MSM doesn't give him the time of day doesn't mean that Duncan hunter isn't out there fighting the good fight.
I think that Mr. Hunter is a crucial mouthpiece to the election right now. Issues:
War on terror
Immigration
Border security
Fair Tax
Stronger military
Return manufacturing to America
Won't raise taxes
No North American Union
Independent America, no Globalism
No nuclear Iran
No gun control
No socialized medicine
Alternative energy
No Socialism
Loves God/America/Constitution
I'm for Duncan Hunter 2008!
are indistinguishable from John Edwards. I am not surprised that the Hucksters think he might endorse their guy.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
I dont think that we will ever understand what really happened to the Republican Party; I dont even care to get into the whole mess.
But what I can tell you is that Daddy Romney is throwing his money around, Rudy is throwing his celebrity around, Fred seems more and more like a ghost every day, and I hear that Huckabee is trying to hire David Copperfield to make his actual record as Gov. AK. disappear. And 3 (Rudy, Mitt, Mike) couldnt muster a Conservative Record if they combined them!!!
How does a guy like Duncan Hunter not get MORE support in the GOP than Rudy or Mitt??
Conservatives (as known in my world) would never run to candidates like Rudy or Mitt?
We(GOP) need to stop trying to be like the Democrats to beat them!! This is a failure in politics. We do not have to come to the center to win. Now I am begining to see why the People DONT VOTE in such large numbers. After years of being ignored, we act ignored.
This is an excellent letter. With only 174 votes in Iowa, he should probably get back to doing his job as an elected official. I think the reason he's hanging around is that he wants access to money in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which would double his money. But he has to raise $10 million evenly over 20 different states in order to do that. More details in the most recent article on my blog:
Living On Anon
Anthony Marenna's Political Blogging Community
http://LoAnon.blogspot.com
I really like your blog by the way. I'll bookmark it.
I bet he would endorse Huck once he drops out. They maintain friendly connections (e.g. see http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/rock-n-roll-huckabee/)