Labrador Leads RNC Coalition’s National Conference Call on Small Business Issues
Posted on Aug 26, 2010
RNC Invites Raul Labrador to discuss issues that matter with business owners in Idaho and across the United States
“We need to stop the Obama red-tape machine that is strangling job growth in our country”
Boise, ID- Republican nominee for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, Rep. Raul Labrador was invited by the RNC to lead a nationwide conference call today to discuss economic issues with hundreds of small business owners.
Labrador commented in a prepared statement, “We discussed the real issues that are important to business owners and all Americans. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and we all agreed that less government red-tape and reducing the burden of taxes on businesses is one of the keys to economic recovery. We talked about the economy and creating jobs. We spoke a lot about how the Obama/Pelosi agenda has hurt their businesses and what a GOP led Congress would do to change that.
The conference call comes on the heels of a recent trip to Kansas City, Missouri where Labrador was introduced by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele at a breakfast for RNC State Chairmen, National Committeemen, and National Committeewomen. Also, at the Kansas City meetings, Labrador participated in the RNC Breaking New Grounds Candidates Panel where they discussed the Republican Party and it’s outreach efforts to voters.
Labrador concluded, “I am overwhelmed by the support of the Idaho Republican Party, The Republican National Committee, and the NRCC. We are all working well together to build a grass roots team that will achieve victory in November, and restore fiscal sanity to the U.S. Congress.”
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Raul Labrador’s Position on Illegal Immigration
Posted on Aug 24, 2010
*The substance of this statement was delivered at a Boise Press Conference in May of this year.
Illegal immigration is a crucial issue. Idahoans care deeply about it … Americans are very troubled.
The Arizona law has forced the illegal immigration problem onto center stage.
First – let’s talk about the building national crisis. The Arizona state government took decisive action to protect its state and people from an onslaught of violence. It is also facing a crisis because its social service systems and institutions are being overwhelmed by the presence of some 500,000 illegal immigrants.
Of course Arizona had to act. Now we see demonstrations and cries of ‘racism’ and calls for boycotts against the state of Arizona. That is wrong.
The anger and criticism is misplaced. It should be directed at the federal government – which has played games with this major problem instead of finding solutions.
I am particularly incensed about president Obama’s decision to sue the state of Arizona over its desperate attempt to defend itself, to defend a culture of law and order.
That said, it is clear that we cannot have a piece-meal solution to the problem of illegal immigration. I’m not here to tell Arizona what it should do, and I commend the legislators of that state for forcing the political elites to pay attention to this crisis, to the plight of many states, particularly in the southwest.
It is the federal government which is responsible for securing our borders, not the individual states. They simply don’t have the resources. Instead of messing around with unconstitutional threats like Obamacare – congress should be focused on protecting the nation.
I believe my background in immigration law, my expertise on the complexities of this problem uniquely qualify me to help find real, lasting solutions to this crisis.
To that end… I want Idahoans to know the principles I would advocate should I have the honor to serve as your next congressman:
First: no meaningful reform can move forward without securing our borders. Americans need to know, for certain, that the federal government is in control of our borders … not a bunch of drug thugs in Mexico or South America.
The situation down there is serious. Very serious, and deteriorating quickly.
I read a study earlier this year indicating that violence is on the rise. According to a report by the national drug intelligence center … part of the justice department … we are seeing an average of three border patrol agents physically attacked each and every day!
That same report found that someone is kidnapped every 35 hours from Phoenix, Arizona!
To secure our nation, I advocate sending the US military to the border to battle the drug terrorists just like they are battling Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. They would provide serious firepower and back-up to our border patrol agents.
The abuse of our citizens … our sovereignty … must simply end. I call upon president Obama to send military forces to the border immediately.
Once the chaos has been arrested, I believe we can move forward to have a rational discussion about future policies … and what we should do with those already here, who got here illegally. We can have sober conversations about the need of Idaho’s agricultural sector for a steady, dependable supply of labor.
I would like to lay out a few principles for immigration reform that I believe could work:
Let me make it clear – I do not support amnesty for illegals. Let me say it again: no amnesty … not now, not ever.
Those here illegally must return to their home countries and apply to re-enter per the laws of the United States of America.
Massive police round-ups are both frightening and expensive. And I fear it would take too long.
To help speed-up the process, I would be willing to offer illegals an incentive to come forward: should they do so willingly and in some reasonable time-frame – we would guarantee them first consideration by the state department to return legally.
Those we have to go find and arrest … well, they go to the very end of the line.
While that is happening, we need to greatly streamline our guest worker program, particularly for the agricultural sector. Farmers wishing to hire workers should be able to do so in a straight-forward, fairly simple manner.
Agriculture is, after all, the backbone of our state’s economy. We have to pay attention to its legitimate needs.
My fellow Idahoans – despite what you may be hearing out there, Raul Labrador is not “soft” on illegal immigration. I understand the issue better than probably anyone else in Idaho.
I have great respect for the law. That is why I spent years to become an attorney. Immigration laws must be enforced so they are respected.
I will close by observing that this challenge is reaching a critical stage – which can cause social unrest and heighten racial tensions. No one wants that.
While we are dealing with policies and legal issues – it is important to remember that we are still dealing with human beings.
America is a great and generous country, built by immigrants. But it is also a nation built on the law. Once legal order is restored, we can regain our empathy for the poor father and mother who only want opportunity for their children.
I will close by sharing a few words from Ronald Reagan’s farewell address to the nation on January 11, 1989. He shared his vision of America, his “shining city upon a hill.”
I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.
Labrador Denounces Comments From Harry Reid
Posted on Aug 11, 2010
LABRADOR DENOUNCES COMMENTS FROM HARRY REID, EXPECTS DEMOCRAT PARTY AND WALT MINNICK TO CONDEMN REID’S STATEMENTS
“Harry Reid’s latest race-baited words are simply unacceptable to all members of the Hispanic community and I fully expect his party and Walt Minnick to condemn these terrible comments immediately.”
August 11, Boise. Republican congressional candidate Raul Labrador, condemned in the strongest possible way the ill-tempered, ignorant comments uttered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said, “I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic heritage can be a Republican. Do I need to say more?” Labrador, who was born in Puerto Rico, issued the following statement today on the aforementioned comments:
“I cannot believe an elected leader of Harry Reid’s stature can continue to make racist comments about huge numbers of Americans. Harry Reid’s latest race-baited comments are simply unacceptable to all members of the Hispanic community. Denigrating the entire Republican Hispanic community, including myself, is simply outrageous. Contrary to Senator Reid’s beliefs, the Latino community is perfectly capable of making choices of political affiliation that are in its best interests, including being Republicans.”
“Statements such as these prove the message of the Democrat Party as one of inclusiveness and tolerance is nothing more than cynical political posturing. I expect the Democrat Party that continues to keep Reid in a position of Leadership to denounce his statements and I fully expect my opponent Walt Minnick to condemn these terrible comments immediately.”
Raul Labrador’s Statement on AGC’s Endorsement of Walt Minnick
Posted on Aug 06, 2010
If you favor increased taxes, my opponent is your guy.
I have spoken to many individuals and small business owners in the construction industry about the economic mess we find ourselves in. They all agree that government spending is out of control. It is disturbing to me that an organization that is supposed to be representing the interests of their small-business members is more concerned about their own self-interest rather than what’s best for our country. More government spending with Minnick and Pelosi will only be paid for by higher taxes. Therefore the endorsement made by the Associated General Contractors today shows that they are in favor of raising taxes to fund the liberal spending policies of Minnick and his Democrat friends, even in the middle of a recession. I am not only against that, but I will fight for the interests of Idahoans.
I opposed the gas tax because it was the right thing to do for the people of Idaho. In these economic times, we simply cannot afford to pay more taxes for inefficient government programs. We need to cut spending, we need to cut taxes. The American people realize that the madness of out of control federal government spending must end. I hope special interest groups like the AGC come to this realization too, before it’s too late.
Labrador Campaign Releases Poll Results
Posted on Jul 15, 2010
Shows Minnick Has Modest Lead – But Facing Serious Re-Election Problems
(Eagle, Idaho) The Labrador for Idaho Campaign made public an internal poll done this week, showing that incumbent Democrat faces a difficult, uphill climb to re-election.
In a head-to-head matchup, Democrat Walt Minnick is preferred by just 37% of voters in Idaho’s 1st CD, with 27% choosing Republican Raul Labrador. 26% were undecided.
Pollster Bob Moore, a highly experienced Republican pollster based in Portland, found that, “Labrador is trailing because he is less well-known than Walt Minnick”. Moore went on to note that Minnick’s advantage is limited to just those voters who have not yet heard of Labrador. Even more significant is the fact that only 38% of voters believe Democrat Minnick deserves re-election, while 40% want someone else.
One of the more encouraging pieces of data revealed by the poll is that Labrador is actually leading, 41% – 36%, among voters who are familiar with him.
“I have to say that I am very heartened by this polling data,” Labrador said in a prepared statement. “Obviously, I would rather be ahead – but I am satisfied that the polling shows Idaho is ready to make a change, that this race is more than winnable. I am excited by the opportunity of earning the votes of those undecided today.”
The analysis by Moore Information found that Idaho voters are very unhappy with the direction of the country. In fact, 61% of all voters interviewed said they want to vote for a Republican candidate “who will provide a check and balance on President Obama and the Congressional Democrats”.
The survey was conducted July 12-13 among a representative sample of 300 voters in Idaho’s 1st CD. The potential sampling error is 6% +/-, at the 95% confidence interval.
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 Economic Development
Posted on May 22, 2010
LABRADOR PRESS STATEMENT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
MAY 18, 2010
My friends, thank you for coming today.
Everyone knows that the economy and jobs are the biggest challenges facing Idaho, and America, now and in the foreseeable future.
Nancy Pelosi and President Obama have pursued a policy of economic madness: They have massively increased spending with the vain promise that this will somehow put people back to work. Not only will this not solve our economic woes – it threatens economic ruin.
Just last week, the head of the Bank of England stated that America’s burgeoning debt crisis is very similar to the dynamic at play in Greece. It is heartbreaking to realize that the United States of America is being run like third-rate European power.
That must end.
The people of Idaho deserve leadership and some specific ideas about how we can rebuild the American economy. Before people make their decision next week, I’d like to offer the voters of the 1st District some concrete proposals – so they can see I take this problem seriously and am prepared to offer real solutions and leadership:
There are three basic principles I think necessary to long-term economic growth:
1. We must cut government spending:
This means putting a hard cap on more bailouts for entities like Fannie Mae – which now has a blank check from the Obama Administration. But it also means going through the federal budget and conducting performance audits of each office in each federal agency.
I know how to cut budgets – I know how to resist the special interests – we’ve been doing it in the Idaho Legislature for the past two years to ensure that Idaho’s economic house is in order.
But our deficits and debt have gotten so large that we cannot fix this massive problem through cuts alone. It will take too long.
America must grow its way out of this debt. We need to focus on helping the private sector grow wealth and jobs again.
That means energy.
2. America must increase the supply of cheap, domestically produced electrical energy.
We must revamp our national forest policy to encourage the harvesting of timber, cleaning up our forests, to produce wood-based energy products.
We have within our borders one of the world’s leading research facilities on nuclear power. INL has shown France how to become self-sufficient – why can’t America?
I want Idaho to become the great energy exporter for the whole western region through the development of safe, cheap nuclear energy. While California and Oregon are ringing their hands about global warming – we can be selling them electricity and reducing CO2 emissions in the process!
Increasing our energy production means attracting new industries to Idaho who need access to cheap energy.
I have seven specific ideas for encouraging the development of privately-financed nuclear power plants in Idaho. I’ll talk about just a few here:
We must have litigation reform. Lawsuits by environmental groups are killing private developers. We need to revamp this system. Groups abusing our courts to impose their agenda must pay the price – they should post bonds, and environmental groups should have to pay the investors if they lose.
We also have to revamp INL’s mission so that private developers get access to the immense technical resources available at the site. This improves safety … and makes sure that our nuclear industry is at the cutting edge.
We must further create an ombudsman’s office in the Department of Energy to assist private developers with permitting and environmental regulations.
The culture around energy production needs to change. Government must see its role as helping the development of this tremendous resource, rather than one of obstruction and regulation. How is the government serving the people of Idaho by throwing road-blocks into energy development – making it more expensive?
3. The third part of my economic development strategy is to retool government spending. The spending done by the federal government must be guided by three priorities:
# National Defense
# Protecting our seniors
# Invigorating economic development
Each dollar spent must be scrutinized: Will it help grow the economy?
We need to make strategic investment in our national infrastructure – not just roads, bridges and airports – but in our people.
I would like to conduct a thorough performance audit of the Department of Education. I generally believe that it is totally inappropriate for the federal government to be involved in this state, local and parental area of policy.
On our road to eliminating this whole department, however, we need to start slashing. Part of the money saved should go into deficit reduction. But another chunk should be available to the states in the form of string-free block grants.
These monies should be controlled by the Legislature and State Superintendent to fund STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) grants/scholarships for high school and college kids in Idaho. Some of this money should also go into Vocational/Technical scholarships and programs.
If we are going to build a high-tech future for Idaho, we will need to develop a work force that is second to none.
I don’t pretend to be an economist with all the answers to rebuilding Idaho’s economy. But maybe that’s a good thing. I am a common-sense guy and I’ve learned a lot talking with the people of the First Congressional District. The proposals I’m offering today are not the entire solution, but are a good first step towards getting us out of our economic woes.
With that, I’d be happy to answer any questions.
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.