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By Hans Zeiger
Disregard
for the U.S. Constitution is the norm in Congress these days. Whether
constitutional government will survive is contingent on two factors: the
character of the American people, and our capacity to decide rightly in matters
like Michigan's 7th District race for Congress.
The
7th District is one of this year's most hotly contested Congressional primary
races, where Congressman Nick Smith is retiring from his longtime seat. It is a
secure Republican post, so whoever wins the August 3 primary will win the
election. The six-way Republican race features three moderates with extensive
legislative experience, a man without any sort of political experience, a man
with a radically liberal record named Joe Schwarz, and a proven conservative
statesman named Tim Walberg. The
moderates are State Representatives Gene DeRossett, Clark Bisbee, and Paul
DeWeese. DeRossett has voted to raise taxes and preserve anti-small business
"living wage" ordinances, and liberal unions have given him their
support. Bisbee also voted to raise taxes, to increase the state budget, and he
voted against the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. DeWeese voted to
raise taxes and spending as well, to allow illegal immigrants to obtain a
Michigan driver's license, and to maintain affirmative action and racial
preference programs. During
his sixteen years in the Michigan legislature, Tim Walberg kept a promise never
to vote in favor of a tax increase. When other Republicans voted to up the tax
on cigarettes, Walberg kept his pledge. The state constitution his constant
guide to policy, Walberg earned the respect of legislators on both sides of the
aisle, not through unnecessary compromise but through honorable integrity,
humility, and prudence. Like
the late Ronald Reagan, Tim Walberg is an eternal optimist, a man with a
tremendous stock of hope invested in the American dream. Walberg is a longtime
pastor whose Christian ministry has taken him around Michigan to mobilize
Christians to make a difference. Unfortunately,
the moderate candidates are competing with Walberg for the conservative vote,
risking a default victory for the liberal, Joe Schwarz. Commentator Robert Novak
estimates that Schwarz is the current frontrunner in the 7th District
Congressional race. Schwarz,
a former Michigan legislator and chairman of John McCain's victorious Michigan
primary race in 2000, is a fiscal liberal and a social liberal. He has the
touted endorsement of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a wealthy
coalition of so-called RINOs - Republicans in Name Only - who identify
themselves in their mission statement as the "pragmatic center." Even
the League of Conservation Voters, left-wing endorser of Clinton, Gore, and
Kerry, has wildly thrown itself behind Schwarz's candidacy. All
in all, Joe Schwarz does not belong in the Republican Party. He is a Democrat at
heart, and a socialist at mind. At a recent candidate debate, Schwarz
demonstrated that he is thoroughly pro-abortion, warmly in favor of universal
federal health care, and enthusiastic about increased federal spending for
higher education. "He
is the proven liberal Republican and I am the proven conservative
Republican," says Walberg. "Everyone else is either untested and a
mere status quo moderate." The
point is, Tim Walberg should win a seat in Congress, and Joe Schwarz should
register to vote in the Democratic Party. Congressional races have national
consequences, and this one in particular. Supporting
a candidate like Tim Walberg is important for the future of the Republican Party
and the future of America. Last year, the California Republican establishment
ditched Senator Tom McClintock in his candidacy for governor of California in
favor of the liberal Arnold Schwarzenegger. McClintock was not only qualified
for the job, he believed in the principles of the Republican Party. The
same could be said of conservative Congressman Pat Toomey, recently defeated in
the Pennsylvania Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Toomey
lost to liberal incumbent Senator Arlen Specter by a margin of less than two
votes per precinct after George W. Bush and Senator Rick Santorum foolishly
rallied Republicans to support Specter. In
character and principle, Tim Walberg is much like Tom McClintock or Pat Toomey.
In the outcome of Michigan's 7th Congressional District primary race, let not
that comparison be made. It would be a shame if Republicans allowed Joe Schwarz
to win this race. We can avoid another RINO in Congress by visiting Tim
Walberg's website at www.timwalberg.com <http://www.timwalberg.com/>.
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