Kevin Price
Questions to ask candidates for Congress
By Kevin Price
The Tea Party movement will have many people voting for the first time in years and some voting for the first time ever. When they go into those voting booths they will be filled with anger — even revenge — and will be poised to "get back" at those politicians who have taken this country on such a dangerous course.
Candidates for Congress are applying for a job and it is imperative that they be asked some tough questions before one casts a vote:
© Kevin Price
August 21, 2009
The Tea Party movement will have many people voting for the first time in years and some voting for the first time ever. When they go into those voting booths they will be filled with anger — even revenge — and will be poised to "get back" at those politicians who have taken this country on such a dangerous course.
Candidates for Congress are applying for a job and it is imperative that they be asked some tough questions before one casts a vote:
- What is your employment history? In my opinion, if a candidate has never owned a business and has never been subject to the payroll, regulations, taxation, and licensure laws that comes with it, they should not be taken seriously as a candidate.
- What is your view of the Constitution? The responsibilities of a member of Congress are wide, but the single most important duty is to carry out the responsibilities in the Constitution they have sworn to defend. They need to explain what the enumerated powers in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution mean. They need to articulate the role of the Tenth amendment in limiting federal power. If a candidate does not answer these questions in a manner in line with the Constitution, they have no business running for such an important office. This is the most important question to ask someone running for federal office.
- What other elected offices have you been in? US House or Senate are pretty significant offices. In my experience it takes politicians a significant period of time to "get their legs" in Congress. When I worked for the US Senate I was surprised by how little members knew when it came to conducting their duties. I believe that career politicians are a problem, but I believe it makes sense for the House or Senate to be the next step after serving in a state legislature.
- What other positions have you held? I think that many Americans will be a little reluctant to elect a career "community activist" to any office after Barack Obama. For a long period of time people on every level of government (federal, state, local) were reluctant to elect attorneys to office because who wants to elect individuals who make a living off the proliferation of laws? To me, the best candidate is the one who is most sympathetic to the plight of all Americans and understands the challenges of job creation and economic growth.
© Kevin Price
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
