Labrador Reacts to Minnick’s Claim of Budget Progress
Posted on Jun 03, 2010
(Eagle, Idaho) State Representative Raul Labrador, the Republican Party’s nominee for Congress in the 1st District, responded to press stories that Walt Minnick is claiming progress in securing a line-item veto bill.
“I recognize the public relations value of Mr. Minnick’s claims,” Labrador said in a prepared statement. “particularly this close to a tough election. But the simple fact is, the only thing that is going to stop this horrendous flow of red ink is a change in political leadership. The most effective thing we can do to arrest the irresponsible spending of this Congress is to take the gavel away from Nancy Pelosi. And Mr. Minnick is unwilling to do that.”
Labrador pointed to national news reports today showing that the national debt has now topped $13 trillion.
That same article (Washington Times; 06.03.10) reported that the national debt has been growing at $5 billion each day since Barack Obama became president, three times the rate America saw under President Bush.
House Republican Leader John Boehner said today, “A $13 trillion debt is an alarm bell … but Democrats are not even trying to pass a budget. Instead of paying lip service to this issue, President Obama should call on congressional Democrats to pass a budget that provides the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create jobs and grow our economy.”
Rather than working on press releases touting new legislation, Labrador called on Mr. Minnick to get his fellow Democrats to work on producing a budget which begins turning off the spigot.
“The flow of federal red ink is as out of control as the oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico,” Labrador concluded. “And the reaction of Walt Minnick and fellow Democrats to this budget crisis is equally ineffective.”
LABRADOR STATEMENT ON DON’T ASK – DON’T TELL REPEAL
Posted on May 29, 2010
“Mr. Minnick’s vote is a disappointment to me, and disappointment for most Idahoans,” Labrador said in a prepared statement issued today. “His vote seems especially inappropriate on Memorial Day Weekend. The Clinton Administration found a practical solution to this problem which guarded the military’s integrity. But Nancy Pelosi wanted to appease her base. I am surprised Walt Minnick chose to support her social and political agenda rather than the values of Idaho .”
RAUL LABRADOR WINS 1st CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT GOP PRIMARY
Posted on May 26, 2010
A HUGE thank you to all of our supporters! You all made this possible! Thank you for electing true conservative leadership.
Watch Raul’s acceptance speech below.
Thank you for keeping the momentum going!
Labrador for Idaho
Helen Chenoweth’s Daughter Endorses Labrador for Mom’s Seat
Posted on May 24, 2010
HELEN CHENOWETH’S DAUGHTER ENDORSES LABRADOR FOR MOM’S SEAT
(Eagle, Idaho) Meg Chenoweth Keenan, daughter of Idaho’s beloved late Congressman, Helen Chenoweth-Hage, announced today that she has made her choice for Congress.
“I am generally reluctant to make public endorsements in primaries,” Keenan said in a prepared statement. “However, there has been some speculation about how my mother would see the race for the 1st District seat. As the person closest to her throughout her political career, I would like to offer a unique perspective.”
“The candidates are close on the issues, and we are fortunate to have two good candidates willing to serve,” Keenan continued. “What distinguishes Mr. Labrador are three things:
“Raul Labrador is authentic. As important as the particular issues are, they are still trumped by the ability of voters to know that they are dealing with the Congressman and not a political machine. Everyone knew what my mother stood for and that truly marked her service in Congress.
“Mr. Labrador also has a deep understanding of our Constitutional government,” Keenan continued. “I believe this enabled him to offer innovative, effective leadership this past session in protecting Idaho’s sovereignty against the federal take-over of health care.
“Finally, Raul Labrador has always kept his word,” Keenan concluded. “This sort of conduct matters in everyday life, but it is absolutely essential for a Congressman to survive in Washington.”
Helen Chenoweth-Hage remains a national icon of the conservative movement, having served the people of Idaho’s First Congressional District from 1994-2000. She died in a tragic car accident in 2006 near her ranch in Nevada.
Labrador said he was “very touched” and “honored” to have Keenan’s support.
“Meg’s mother is a hero of mine,” Labrador said. “She was the epitome of a Reagan conservative. If I am chosen by the people of Idaho to serve them in Congress, I will do my best to live up to Helen’s record of outstanding service to America.”
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NRA Praises Labrador
Posted on May 24, 2010
This is from an NRA email update regarding Gun Rights legislation and what Raul Labrador did in the Idaho Legislature to help support it! Click here to view the full newsletter. Excerpt:
Idaho: Gun Rights Restoration Bill Headed to General Order!
Please Contact Your State Legislators!
House Bill 631 passed out of the House State Affairs Committee today, March 18 and will advance to General Order where it will be amended with language approved by the courts, clarifying the true intent of the bill. HB 631 is designed to create an Idaho state law that meets the requirements set in the Federal NICS Improvement Act of 2007 to grant relief from mental health disabilities that prevent firearms ownership.
State Representative Raul Labrador (R-14) stood strong to heavy questioning from hostile members of the committee, the representative from the Idaho State Police, and the representative from the Attorney Generals Health and Welfare division. He did an excellent job of answering their questions to defend this valuable piece of legislation for the people of Idaho.
Nampa’s Idaho Press Tribune: Labrador best GOP choice for 1st CD
Posted on May 23, 2010
When Raul Labrador speaks, you hear Raul Labrador.
The two-term state representative is articulate in expressing his staunchly conservative views and unapologetic that they’re core values of his belief in the American system of government.
Faced with questions about his record, Labrador offers no excuses.
Two years ago, he helped usher in a change in the leadership of the state Republican Party that moved its leanings further to the right and left bad feelings among some moderates that linger today.
Does he regret being a part of the effort that created that rift?
No. His response is direct, pointing at the last legislative session that made monumental budget cuts, fended off suggestions to raise taxes and ended without a marathon that dragged on for weeks. The work to strengthen the party’s conservative base paid off to make that possible, he says.
He answered a Tea Party survey by saying he believes the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which provides for direct, public election of senators — should be repealed.
The suggestion drew a round of criticism from editorial pages across the state. Time to backpeddle?
No…
Idaho Statesman’s View: Labrador has credibility Ward lacks
Posted on May 23, 2010
Despite more than a year of full-time campaigning, decorated Marine Major Vaughn Ward has proven himself untrustworthy.
Labrador has earned the support of Republicans in Tuesday’s primary. He has earned the opportunity to present his case to 1st Congressional District voters in the fall, in a heated race likely to carry national implications.
Let’s be realistic. Should a Republican win in November, the victor will be a newcomer in what will probably be a deeply split House. No first-termer will be a phenom. Labrador has the better chance to make an impact.
North Idaho’s Spokesman-Review: Labrador best choice for Minnick challenger
Posted on May 21, 2010
The Spokesman-Review
On Tuesday, Idaho Republicans will be doing something they haven’t done since 1994: picking a GOP challenger they hope can unseat an incumbent Democrat in the 1st Congressional District.
Five Republicans (plus an independent and a Libertarian) will appear on the ballot against freshman Congressman Walt Minnick, but the contest has turned into a showdown between military veteran and ex-CIA employee Vaughn Ward and state Rep. Raul Labrador, an attorney. Both men list addresses in Eagle, just north of Boise, but they’re even closer ideological than geographical neighbors.
On the most prominent social and fiscal issues, Labrador and Vaughn are solidly in the same conservative camp. Gun rights? They’re for them. Reproductive rights? They’re against.
Government should be small and restrained. Taxes should be low. Borders should be secure.
Picking an effective carrier of the party’s standard will require Republican voters to look beyond the issues.
Endorsements are sometimes helpful, and Ward claims the most prominent names – former Govs. Dirk Kempthorne and Phil Batt and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, for example.
Nevertheless, give Labrador the edge for hands-on lawmaking experience. Ward has worked as an aide on Capitol Hill, but Labrador is a legislator and has proved himself in that capacity.
Meanwhile, several disconcerting disclosures that have emerged from Ward’s campaign tilt the scales in Labrador’s favor.
He was delinquent in paying his property taxes. He also declined to report some of his wife’s financial assets on his campaign disclosure forms as required by law. Both situations were corrected only after they were made public.
Most recently, it was shown that several comments on Ward’s official website were taken, practically word for word, from other political figures’ sites.
An occasional oversight is one thing, a pattern of missteps suggests that a candidate lacks a measure of meticulousness that we prefer to see in public officials.
After Tuesday, the general election face-off between Minnick and his Republican challenger will sharpen. We believe the interests of the state will best be served if the final months of the campaign can focus on substantive issues and avoid distractions. Labrador represents the more promising choice.