Analysis
of the difference between the self-identified “conservative”
candidates in this race requires an understanding of the
“neo-conservative” movement that arose in the 1970s. The advocacy
by GOP Neoconservatives for military intervention by the United
States abroad has come to overwhelm the traditional “Main Street”
Republican conservatism especially dominant in Ohio via many
generations of the Taft family.
by Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
Congresspersons
often disappoint voters, saying one thing while running for office
and forgetting their promises once elected. Therefore it is
essential to know more about candidates and understand them more
completely. This is especially true of the 14th
District Congressional Race, North East Ohio
This year's
race for Ohio's 14th
Congressional seat is taking place in one of the few districts which
could result in a change of party. It is a foregone conclusion that
both major party candidates will be well funded and the ballot for
the general election will include a Libertarian candidate, David
Macko. Libertarian candidates generally draw around 3% of the vote,
enough to edge out incumbent David Joyce in favor of Wagner in
November if Joyce wins in the primary.
This is a
race to watch, one where better understanding the candidates provides
a forum for identifying the ideas which, today, are presented as the
philosophical viewpoint shared by those within the party. Reasonable
people would assume these ideas, presumably, were arrived at after
long dialog and thorough consideration.
We can also
expect to see a battle between interests from outside the district
spending money in support of the candidate they have decided to back.
We will examine these retrospectively in each instance.
The
candidates presenting themselves for election are asking to be hired
to do a job for their constituents. Will they honor their promises?
It is
reasonable to begin with their compensation, if elected.
Congressional
Pay
As the ones
doing the hiring you should know that the candidate you elect will
receive a base pay of $174,000
per year.
Benefits
are far more generous than the average American can hope to receive.
After five years of service the Representative becomes eligible for a
pension. After service of 25 years, no matter what the
representative's age, pension payments begin.
Read more
about Congressional benefits here.
Representatives
also receive, according to public record, a “Members'
Representational Allowance (MRA) is made available to help members
defray expenses resulting from three specific components of their
"representational duties," those being; the personal
expenses component; the office expenses component; and the mailing
expenses component.”
In
2012 the individual representatives received MRA allowances ranging
from $1,270,129 to $1,564,613, with an average of $1,353,205.13.
Additionally,
the office of Representative offers many other ways to generate
income to the office holder. Some of these are covert and ethically
questionable. Others are entirely legal. Most congresspersons leave
office far wealthier than they were when they arrived.
The
contest between the two Republican candidates will be decided in the
Primary on May 6. Incumbent David Joyce will face off with Matt
Lynch. The winner will then face Libertarian candidate David Macko
and Democrat Michael Wager in November. This first article delves
into two term s,'Conservative' and 'Neoconservative.'
The
term Conservative has a long history in American politics.
Both
candidates claim to be Conservatives. Neither identifies themselves
as a Neoconservative. These two terms, today confused, have
diametrically different meanings.
Therefore,
we will begin our inquiry by determining if both, or either,
candidate is accurately using the term and if not, what term does
correctly place them ideologically.
The
term, Conservative, has been in use for over a century and its
meaning was stable until relatively recently, this beginning with the
introduction of the term, Neoconservative, which came into common
usage in the 1970s.
The
Difference - Conservative and Neoconservative
A
Neoconservative is, according to the dictionary,
“one
who advocates the assertive promotion of democracy and United States
national interest in international affairs including through military
means.”
Max
Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Senior Fellow for National Security
Studies, wrote an article appearing on the Council on Foreign
Relations website on February 9, 2003.
The article was titled,
“America's
Destiny Is to Police the World.”
Americans,
and conservatives, look back on a long tradition for viewing war with
caution. George Washington said in his Farewell Address, delivered
September 17, 1796, “Foreign
attachments
are
particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent
patriot."
Conservatives
are, historically, anti-war.
We
now know lies were used to sell the Iraqi war to Americans and that
lying is a matter of policy for NeoConservatives, this through the
political philosophy of Leo
Strauss
Leo Strauss
Strauss
died in 1973 leaving a legacy of work which was eagerly seized on by
Neoconservatives. Strauss taught that if you were destined to rule
lying and cheating to achieve your goals was entirely acceptable.
An
excerpt from
Reading
Leo Strauss,
by Stephen B. Smith, published by the University of Chicago, includes
the quote,
“Strauss is widely regarded today as a founding father, perhaps the
Godfather, of neo-conservatism, with direct or indirect ties to the
Bush administration in Washington.”
Karl
Rove is widely viewed as a NeoCon as are George W. Bush and Dick
Cheney and many in the Bush administration.
Being
hired by Bush and associates hinged on your agreement with
Straussianism. Potential recruits for policy and political work
were invited to learn about the philosophy of Straussianism. If an
attendee agreed with Straussianism they were often mainstreamed into
positions of power.
Lew
Rockwell, President of the Mises Institute, told me in 2007 about
such a seminar he attended years earlier and acknowledged this as a
reason the Mises Institute ended up at the University of Auburn in
Alabama. He could not agree with Straussianism.
We invaded Iraq because, Saddam
Hussein, who had very recently been our personal asset, had been
proven, beyond doubt, we were told, to possess Weapons of Mass
Destruction.
Invading Iraq
“Announcing the
invasion of Iraq on March 19,
2003, Mr. Bush said,
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no
doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of
the most lethal weapons ever devised." [CBSNews]
Fast forward to May 6th
of 2004 and we find George W. Bush crawling around under his desk
looking for some shred of evidence WMD existed.
"Those weapons of mass
destruction have got to be somewhere,"
Bush joked. "Nope, no
weapons over there ... maybe under here?"
[CNN]
What is a
Neoconservative?
The
term 'neoconservative' was brought into usage by Irving Krystol, a
former Trotskyite who in the 1970s changed his registration from
Democrat to Republican. A Neoconservative is a curious amalgamation
of Trotskyite and student of Leo Strauss. Trotsky was a ultra-Left
Communist who was eventually assassinated by Stalin. Marxists and
Communists work for a highly centralized national system to maximize
their control.
What
is a Conservative?
Conservatives, and the philosophy of
Conservatism, are not nearly as colorful. Conservatives favor
localized government, in alignment with the Constitution.
The two most prominent conservatives
in the 20th
Century were Robert
Taft, who served in the United States Senate from Ohio from
1939-1953, and Barry Goldwater, who served from Arizona from
(1953–65, 1969–87).
Known
as Mr. Antiwar Republican, Taft opposed opposition to the attempts of
fellow Republicans to compromise with the failed New Deal of FDR and
the American stampede to war.
Acknowledged
as “Mr. Conservative” Goldwater's answers to the questions sent
to 14th
District candidates are provided using quotes from him on the issues
and comments from reliable sources.
Six
Questions on policy for Congressional Candidates
[Questions
were submitted to each candidates. Each failed to respond. Responses
from Matt Lynch are drawn from a questionaire available on the
Internet from the Ohio
Christian Alliance.
Joyce failed to respond to any questions, Lynch responded to all
questions.]
1.
What policy should be followed on gays serving in the military?
“You
don’t need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You
just need to shoot straight.” ~Barry
Goldwater
Dave
Joyce - No
Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response. From Christian Alliance Questionaire -
Supports
“Federal Marriage Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as a union between one man
and one woman.”
2.
If elected, would you support a woman's right to have an abortion?
“Today’s
so-called ‘conservatives’ don’t even know what the word means.
They think I’ve turned liberal because I believe a woman has a
right to an abortion. That’s a decision that’s up to the pregnant
woman, not up to the pope or some do-gooders or the Religious Right.
It’s not a conservative issue at all.”
~Barry
Goldwater
Dave
Joyce - No Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response. From
Christian Alliance Questionaire -
Opposes
“Health and Human Services mandate (HHS) that would require
employers, including religious institutions, to cover contraception,
sterilization, and abortifacient drugs.”
3.
Do you support the legalization of marijuana?
Dave
Joyce - No
Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response. From Christian Alliance Questionaire - Opposes
legalization of marijuana..
4.
If you had been serving in Congress in 2003 would you have supported
the Invasion of Iraq?
It
is not clear Goldwater would have voted for the invasion. But if he
had, given his record for plain speech, the opinion of those who
knew him is that he would have taken corrective action as soon as the
lies were discovered, which happened in 2004.
Dave
Joyce - No
Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response.
From
Christian Alliance Questionaire -
Supports “Recognizing
Jerusalem as the undivided capitol of Israel.” Question
goes to American involvement with entangling foreign powers.
5.
Will you support an investigation on the malfeasance which has taken
place in banks and financial institutions related to foreclosures,
robosigning, and other questionable practices?
Although
Goldwater died in 1998 his record for plain speech and accountability
is clear. It was Goldwater to forced Nixon to resign in
1974 when the evidence of the cover-up became overwhelming and
impeachment was imminent.
Dave
Joyce - No
Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response.
6.
What is your position on damage to private property and health
resulting from oil spills and fracking?
“While
I am a great believer in the free enterprise system and all that it
entails, I am an even stronger believer in the right of our people to
live in a clean and pollution-free environment.” ~Barry
Goldwater
Dave
Joyce - No
Response.
Matt
Lynch – No Response.
[The
questions were formulated not so much to contrast the candidate
responses but to measure deviation from traditional Conservative
stances on issues which changed within the last part of the 20th
Century, after the rise of Neoconservatism.]
Goldwater
and Taft did not endorse any specific behavior on the part of
individuals, generally following the principle that individuals have
a right to make these decisions for themselves and that government
had no role in such decisions. This echoes the principles laid out
in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Both Taft
and Goldwater were strong advocates for accountability for both
corporations and individuals.
It
appears that neither of the Republican candidates for the 14th
Congressional seat can be assumed to hold positions consistent with
Conservatism as they failed to answer after multiple requests and the
answers which are available fall outside those expressed by Taft and
Goldwater.
Personal
and Political Ethics
As
an ethics issue it is impossible not to mention the attack on
candidate Lynch by the Joyce campaign on claims Lynch had not paid
his taxes. Late payment had resulted from financial difficulties
encountered in 1993 when Lynch took time away from work to care for
his wife, Jamie, when she was dying of cancer. Medical bills had
reached $100,000. All debts were brought current in a timely
fashion, as medical bills were paid off and he rebuilt his
interrupted career, according to Lynch.
The
attack on Lynch, stemmed from events nearly twenty years ago, and
unexplained non-responses by both candidates point to further issues
as yet unidentified.
A
second attack by Joyce has taken place in the last few days with
claims he, as an Ohio state Legislator, failed to vote for the budget
proposed by Governor Kasich for Ohio. A response on this charge came
from a local resident, Monique Kawalek, who stated in her letter,
“FACT:
THAT BUDGET INCREASED SPENDING BY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND RAISED
SALES TAX AND REAL ESTATE TAX so YES, he voted against that tax
and spend budget. “
In
the last few days before balloting took place on May 6th
both campaigns received substantially increased presence on the
Internet through ads appearing on political sites which draw readers
who are generally Republican. This approach for a mass spending of
funds in the last few days became ubiquitous with the campaigns for
'local initiatives' which were funded by the Kochs through their
multiple front organizations beginning about 2002.
Today,
the approach is widely used to change the outcome of local elections
by many corporate interests. The post election article will delve
into these organizations and how they operate, and their probably
goals and motives as we continue our inquiry into how the term,
'Conservative' changed.
Further
Questions to be answered – Who is deciding elections, how this is
managed, and continuing insights on this race and the back story
