Richard Viguerie: Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young “shocking and disappointing;” Texas Congressman “put pork ahead of principle”
Written by ConservativeHQ NewsBureau on 2008-08-25T21:06:59+00:00
August 25, 2008

Richard Viguerie:  Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young “shocking and disappointing;” 
Texas Congressman “put pork ahead of principle”

    (Manassas, Virginia)  By endorsing Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) for reelection over his principled conservative challenger, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) has put “pork ahead of principle,” Richard A. Viguerie said.

     Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, said the endorsement is “completely inconsistent with everything Congressman Paul has said that he stands for.  But, unfortunately, it is consistent with his record of pork-barrel spending for the folks back home in his district.”

     Viguerie noted that, according to a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, Paul “is trying to nab public money for 65 projects, such as marketing wild shrimp and renovating the old movie theater in Edna that closed in 1977 — neither of which is envisioned in the Constitution as an essential government function.” 

     (A list of Congressman Paul’s earmark requests for Fiscal 2009 has been posted at http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2008/04/ron_pauls_earmarks_for_fy2009.html .)

     Young is extremely influential on congressional pork.  He is the 7th most senior member of the House and the 3rd most senior Republican, and chaired the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 2001 until the Democratic takeover in 2007.  He is currently the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee.

     Paul is supporting Young against Sean Parnell, whom Viguerie called “a principled conservative reformer who will fight the ‘culture of corruption’ in Washington.”

     In contrast, “Young represents the system of earmarking and pork-barrel spending that works hand-in-glove with Big Government against the interests of the people of Alaska and the entire nation.”

     Young, who is under federal investigation for illegal gratuities and unreported gifts, is “a world-class porker, infamous for his Bridge to Nowhere and hundreds of millions in other earmarks,” Viguerie said.

     “I have been a strong supporter of Ron Paul for many years, including naming him one of the nation’s up-and-coming leaders in a Conservative Digest magazine article I published almost 25 years ago,” Viguerie said.  “His overall record on other issues far outweighed his atrocious use of earmarks for his own district. 

     “However, his endorsement of Don Young is something no conservative or libertarian can excuse.  I’m sure I join many fans of Ron Paul who are shocked and disappointed by this decision.”

--30--

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called “one of the creators of the modern conservative movement” (The Nation magazine) and one of the “conservatives of the century” (The Washington Times).  His latest book is Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big-Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books), which, Jerome Corsi wrote in WorldNetDaily, is "destined to become a classic of conservative thinking" and "may be the most important conservative book written in the last quarter century."

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Blog Comments

AmericanCitizen
Earmarks for his own district? Is that not how he gets the tax money that came out of his district back into it? Whatever man. Watch you mailing list shrink considerably tonight. You don't exist anymore.
Ciel
He’s still under attack. Trying to smear him again? This mailer came out just in time for the convention...interesting. I wonder if Don Young’s so called “principled, conservative challenger” is of the neo-con variety. Yeah, yeah, I know. Ron Paul’s the worst “porker”, most wasteful spend thrift of them all, right, Viguerie? These people need a legitimate argument. Oh yeah, I forgot, they can’t find one, that’s why they keep regurgitating the same tired and ridiculous BS that doesn’t hold water. I'll say I’m not the least bit shocked and awed or disappointed by Viguerie’s predictable behavior. I’ve learned Ron Paul’s upstanding behavior well enough to trust he always has truly sound, principled reason for his decisions and behavior. In today's society that's the shock and awe.
Stefan
The most shocking is Richard Viquerie's non-endorsement of Ron Paul during the election cycle is the worst kind of hypocrisy. Dr. Paul does not know Parnell at all, so how can he comment on him? Paul ONLY noted the positive things he agrees with. Young is NOT listed as a supported candidate by Paul's Liberty PAC, while someone like fiscally conservative congressman Scott Garret - who had a strong verbal exchange with Young in congress - is supported. Ron Paul supporters still remember that ultimateronpaul.com was only made in order to get email addresses of supporters and that a pro-war candidate Woody Jenkins, was recommended to support. In 2006 after the election Viquerie has clearly mentioned the Iraq war as being th reason for the defeat of the Republicans in the House and Senate, yet now in 2008 Viquerie wants to support candidates that are still pro-war. What is his explanation that Jenkins lost so badly? "Don has been an outspoken voice against environmental extremists over the years, and has strongly opposed the types of federal regulatory overreach advocated in the name of environmentalism." "I am also glad to have Don as a cosponsor of one of the most significant pieces of legislation I have introduced, the Liberty Amendment. Few members of Congress have shown the insight to understand the importance of this sweeping legislation to restrain the federal government, and even fewer have shown the courage to cosponsor this bill. Don is one of those". I' am sure Viquerie would support the same aspects in DOn Young, who is far from a perfect incumbent. The Neoconservatives are really only a small group, but highly influential unfortunately, pro-choice and they are ALL big government Republicans and very one-sided and hawkish. Message to Viquerie: No future alliance with neocons are possible, they should be driven back where they came from: the Democrats. Ron Paul has shown that with an extention of his unique diverse new alliance, a strong win of 60% plus is possible in a few years.
libertynow
Yep this seals the deal. I am not voting for Bob Barr. This move was retarded to bash the leader of the freedom movement when Barr needs our support. If Barr was smart he would fire you today. All Ron Paul supporters that are not already turned off by Barr the drug warrior/partiot act voting / Iraq war voting ex neocon will be now.
Joe
This attack on Paul just confirms to me that Richard Viguerie is nothing more then a fake conservative. I guess it's o.k. to send your tax dollars to Washington and receive nothing in return. Where's Richard when it comes to spending all those tax dollars on war pork? Where's Richard stand on the Defense of Marrage Act for the unborn? Why I guess he'd just like to keep the issue of Abortion in the courts for another 50 years! Where's Richard stand on the IRS and the Federal Reserve? Why I guess Richard just likes to keep that tax exempt status with the IRS while he blasts the only true Conservative and Constitutionalist in our Gov't today. Nice way to betray a real true Conservative in Dr. Paul!
Zachariah B. Wiedeman
This is a totally unfair accusation against Reps. Ron Paul & Don Young and is simply blind buying into media propaganda - and NOT a careful journalistic understanding of the issues at all. In a word, this article is CRAP. The main problem with this is that so-called "The Bridge to Nowhere" ISN'T a bridge to nowhere! That was just a tagline that liberal media used to slam Rep Don Young & Sen Ted Stevens. The bride in question (which is still unbuilt) is the Gravina Island Bridge which is intended to replace a ferry to Gravina Island that runs every 15-30 minutes at high capacity for $5/car. The intention is that this bridge will spur further development on Gravina Island that is currently inhibited from its little access. This is no "bridge to nowhere" as the media has portrayed it. Should the federal government be spending money on a bridge that only benefits residents of Alaska? Well, no - but the principal is that they shouldn't be taxing that money away from Alaska in the first place - which is why Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens want to RETURN the money to Alaska where it belongs - something very in line with Rep. Ron Paul's own political philosophy which goes something like this: The federal government stole this money from my district, so I'm going to fight to get it back and spend every penny of it right back here in my district. "Pork" spending gets a bad name, but people don't seem to realize that that money has already been DECIDED to be taxed and spent in the federal budget. If congressmen and senators didn't ask for the money to be spent in their district and their state, it would just be spent elsewhere. Appropriating the money congress has already decided to steal from the American people in taxes ISN'T out of line with the political philosophy of someone who supports limited government. It is actually EXACTLY in line with it, because it is a way of giving that money back to the taxpayers who lost it in the first place. Rep. Don Young ACTUALLY happens to support a bill to abolish the income tax! If the income tax was abolished, he wouldn't need to create "pork barrel" projects to benefit his constituents - the money would STAY right there in his district where it belongs and they could spend it on whatever they want! Possibly even a bridge to Gravina Island to help develop the region. When the people of Alaska decide to spend their own tax money on the exact same bridge intended to benefit themselves, try calling it a "bridge to nowhere" then. It won't sting as much. Richard Viguerie needs to do his research stop deceiving people with unfounded slander.
WheresTheBEEF
How about adding some substance to the article, rather than opinion and commentary. Sir, Would you like some facts with that hearsay? Even if you hate him, you can learn something from reading the Revolution a manifesto. infowars.com
Crazy Redneck
I can't speak intelligently to the endorsement of Don Young on any other issues, but all the outrage over pork spending is simply a political tool. The fact is pork is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the remainder of gross government spending. Even the $29B in 2006 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. Certain politicians will use what sounds like a large amount of money to further their own agenda. Let me throw a number at you. $1.1T. What's this? The amount of money the Department of Defense put down as undocumentable adjustments in FY2000. This means, they don't know where the hell $1.1T went. For FY2009, there will be a $490B budget deficit. That's a lot more than the paltry sum of $29B in pork spending for FY2006 right? Pork is a way for representatives to give income tax dollars back to their districts...tax dollar, I might add, that wouldn't have been taken in the first place if federal government were operating under its Constitutional limitations.
Edward
Just the fact that Young voted for and supports the Iraq war should have been more than enough reason for RP to not endorse him. RP has a valid argument about returning tax money to folks in his district, however as far as I know he has never explained where he gets the amounts he asks for...For example when the Wild American Shrimp Marketing got $10+ million in earmarks thanks to RP...did they pay tax bills totaling $10+ million? Looks to me like they made a handsome profit. And it's not fair that most folks in his district don't get their money back and a few privileged ones do...especially if those who do make a profit....so what RP is doing is a transfer of wealth from the people in his district who don't get their money back to those who do. I think anyone will find it hard to disagree with me. I am still a big Ron Paul supporter but this is quite shocking.
Jason
Remember, Viguerie recommended GW Bush to the conservative voters. Twice. I think I'll stick with Dr. Paul.
Stacy
I would like my Reps. to get their districts some of the money back that is sent to DC. If that is the only thing you have against the good doctor you should be supporting him not condeming him! IMHO Ron Paul is the only man in DC that can be trusted. He is doing a fantastic job of educating Americans on what is REALLY going on in our currupt government. He loves his country and is a TRUE PATRIOT. He deserves a place in the history books, but I doubt that will happen. It is tragic that the American people have been denied the opportunity to be lead by one of the greatest Americans in the history of our great nation!
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