Years ago, Mike Simpson and I had a civil relationship. He was a Member of the Idaho House and I was in charge of a public policy think tank. Never chums, we were at least friendly to each other.
He and I knew each other when he was "just a Legislator". He soon became Speaker of the Idaho House and his power increased. For some crazy reason, I became a key speaker for the conservative community's concerns in Idaho.
Long winded, seemingly often self-important, verbose and a bit too self-aware, the speaker always had something to say.
Oh, as a point of clarification, I was referring to myself....not to Mr. Simpson! (Ha!)
He and I had a total tearing apart of our personal and political relationship over a social issue - legislation that I had written, hoping to secure his approval and yet failing to receive it. In those days, "tearing asunder" seemed to be both a political lifestyle and a personal methodology for many of us in the conservative school of thought, my sharpened skills placed me at the head of the class...
And I clashed often with Mr. Simpson. Unfairly on many occasions. Mike Simpson is a man of his own opinion. He was mentored by political men from his neck of the woods - men with whom I also occasionally had disagreements, but honorable men, nonetheless.
Then US Congress came and now years have gone by.
And a new wave of conservatives have popped up, asking questions - often with AND without an agenda.
ICB's recent balanced view allows Congressman Simpson to speak out on key issues of interest to all of us. ICB also raises a couple pointed concerns presented by another blogger, less open to Mr. Simpson's perspective. Mike does a great job answering those comments with grace and dignity. Kudos to both ICB for the balanced interview and to Mike Simpson for the honest answers.
Life changes us all, doesn't it?
Mike Simpson is a different man, lo these many years later. I suppose I am too.
Loss and gain can change us all.
My concerns and OUR differences seem so petty today, in the long shadow of international terrorism, economic meltdown and societal change.
Working TOWARDS common interests is so much healthier than being known for what a person's against, isn't it?
My years of working with ex-addicts and seeing lives changed have actually changed me. As I often say with a chuckle, "I moved from State Legislators and US Representatives to ex-addicts and ex-inmates...and it may well be, that I traded up".
Well, not so with Mike Simpson (and ALL the other Federal delegates representing Idaho). These are good men, working hard for all of us. Mocking hard work doesn't help anyone. Civil debate helps us all.
Den
Here's ICB's blog posting:
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ICB Spotlight Interview with Congressman Mike Simpson
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hello Conservatives,
ICB was pleased to have the opportunity to ask Congressman Mike Simpson, 2nd District of Idaho a few questions in the ICB Spotlight. The Simpson camp was very accommodating and receptive to this Q&A and considering how busy it’s been on the hill I very much appreciate Congressman Simpson taking the time to fit us in. All of Congressman Simpson's answers are posted in full, exactly as answered by him. The answers were not cut or edited in any way. Simpson has come under some fire as of late on numerous issues and I asked him about some of the criticism and found his answers interesting. I hope you enjoy the exchange as much as I did. So let's get to it.
ICB: You were a cosponsor of H.R. 1245, the homebuyer tax credit bill that recently passed. What are you hearing from the white house? Will the president sign it?
Simpson: While I strongly believe the overwhelming majority of efforts undertaken by Congress to stimulate the economy over the past year have been unwise and ineffective, I support the homebuyer tax credit. There is strong evidence to show because the central problem underlying our poor economy is the dramatic decline in the housing market, the credit actually works. Further, I believe there is a substantial difference between a tax credit, which simply allows people to pay less in taxes, and direct spending by the federal government, which inevitably grows government. I am not hearing anything directly from the White House regarding the homebuyer tax credit, but given the overwhelming support for its extension in Congress, I do expect President Obama will sign the extension into law.
ICB: What is your opinion on all of President Obama's Czars? Con. Minnick says they don't exist.
Simpson: I strongly oppose the way in which President Obama is utilizing Czars. I am worried that he is using the appointment of Czars to put in place advisors that otherwise would not survive the scrutiny of the Senate confirmation process. All cabinet level appointments must undergo confirmation by the Senate – Czars do not. Given the high profile and extensive responsibilities given to some of the Czars, it seems to me that they really should be cabinet level appointees and go through the confirmation process. Therefore, I have joined in with efforts to thwart this practice, shed more light on the actions of the Czars, and subject them to greater scrutiny.
ICB: You, Mr. Risch and Mr. Minnick have notified commanders at Mountain Home Air Force Base and the Idaho Air National Guard they have both qualified as top five locations, in their respective categories, under consideration for the new home for the F-35 fighter jet training program. How good are our chances?
Simpson: I believe Idaho stands a very good chance of being awarding the F-35 mission for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the quality of the Idaho training ranges is among the best in the world. They cover vast areas of very rural terrain and have only very limited impact on Idaho’s populated areas. This affords the Air Force extensive flexibility in training and utilization of its personnel and aircraft. The Idaho Congressional Delegation has worked for many years with the Air Force to improve facilities and prepare for a future mission such as the training and operation missions of the F-35. While the competition is tough, I believe Idaho stands a very good chance of landing these missions.
ICB: Will sanctions against Iran work, and do you have confidence in President Obama to get control of this situation? It was my opinion that the French sounded tougher then President Obama.
Simpson: While I am extremely reluctant to commit American assets to a military strike, or strikes, on Iranian nuclear facilities or other Iranian assets, I am fearful that sanctions alone will not be sufficient to deter Iran from its nuclear pursuits. I believe that all options, including those that involve military action, must be on the table. Iran now represents one of the greatest threats to regional, global, and American security. If it obtains nuclear weapons capabilities, the security implications for our nation and the world are profound.
ICB: Conservative blogger, Adam Graham has made some tough comments about you lately. Specifically he said about your next election contest, “Well, Simpson is so confident, he’s done the political equivalent of walking out on the battlefield in t-shirt and gym shorts. When he’s back in his district, he doesn’t hold town hall meetings where his constituents can ask him questions. He doesn’t have representatives show up at Central Committee meetings, which is a good thing as his staff makes the downtown DMV look like the Missionaries of Charity. I’ve gotten more polite service at a Subway near BSU. That says something.”
“Simpson has taken his position for granted. Even Simpson’s fundraising numbers are weak. They’re the numbers of a man whose political career has become a never-ending victory lap. Now, he faces a challenge. Not two unknown challengers throwing in their hats at the last minute before the filing deadline, but one challenger who is raising money and building an organization in a year when incumbency will offer less advantage than any year since 1994.”
“This race is a sleeper, but I’m watching this race with interest. It’d be great to send Mike Simpson back to dentistry, so the only people he causes pain are his patients.”Any comment?
Simpson: Adam is entitled to his own opinion. I have never taken any race in my life for granted and will not take this one for granted either. I believe competition is a good thing and that voters deserve choices in elections, which they will certainly have in the primary next year. I am proud of my record of service to my constituents and of my voting record in Congress, which is one of a pragmatic conservative who has opposed over $4.5 TRILLION in spending this year alone as well as efforts to expand the definition of hate crimes, the Democrats’ Health Care Entitlement Plan, the Democrats’ Cap-and-Trade proposal, and myriad other cornerstones of the liberal agenda. In addition, I am strongly supporting a number of other fiscally-conservative bills this Congress including the Balanced Budget Amendment, legislation to sunset all federal agencies and require their reauthorization, and legislation to repeal the Obama-Pelosi stimulus bill. I am proudly pro-life, and I strongly oppose illegal immigration, gun control and the efforts of Democrats to institute a secret ballot in union elections. As I said, I am proud of my conservative record and confident that I have voted in the best interests of Idaho throughout my nearly 11 years in Congress.
ICB: Now that the war on terror (even if Pres Obama does not want to call it that) is in Pakistan and Afghanistan do you have confidence that Pres Obama will support the troops and give them what they need to succeed? And why do you think the President is taking so long to give his decision?
Simpson: I am as perplexed as anyone about the amount of time that President Obama is taking to respond to the request for more troops. My Republican colleagues and I believe that we need to do one of two things – either fight to win or get out. President Obama has chosen a third option, the worst option, which is to do nothing. I cannot explain why he has chosen to wait so long, but his willingness to second guess the decisions of our commanders in the field is troubling.
ICB: You got some criticism for supporting cash for clunkers, why did you support that bail out?
Simpson: I did NOT support the Cash for Clunkers program. I voted against the creation of the program and would do so again today if another vote occurred. I will be the first to acknowledge that I did vote for the release of an additional $2 billion for the program, but it was not a vote in support of the program. Please let me explain. The release of the additional $2 billion for the program was offset by a reduction of $2 billion from the Obama Stimulus Bill. If that $2 billion would have remained in the stimulus bill, it would have been spent, like most of the other $785 billion in the stimulus bill, to grow government agencies and government programs that will live on for decades into the future. By voting to move that $2 billion out of stimulus and into Cash for Clunkers, I felt the money at least would be sent back to the American people where they would spend it far more wisely than the government would. As I said, I did NOT support the Cash for Clunkers program and do NOT support it now. In fact, I oppose it. My vote on the additional $2 billion was not a choice of supporting or not supporting the program. It was a choice between $2 billion for Clunkers or $2 billion for stimulus and I made the decision that $2 billion for clunkers was the lesser of two evils. I want to be clear that this is not some new explanation of that vote. It was my explanation on the day I made the vote and has remained my explanation ever since.
ICB: How would you grade President Obama's job performance so far?
Simpson: It depends. I give him an F for the impact of his agenda but an A for his ability to drag Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid along on that agenda. I believe he is moving our nation down a road of inevitable reliance on government for even the most basic functions of our daily lives, and this worries me a great deal. I am particularly worried about his efforts to convince the American people that they can have all of these great benefits – like health care, clean energy, and new labor laws – for free. So while I can only give him an F for the direction in which he is leading the nation, I am amazed at his ability to lead his Democrat comrades in Congress down a road that will not be tolerated by the American people and will lead to their quick return to minority status in upcoming elections.
ICB: Has Idaho unemployment topped out and what do you see for the future and in what time frame?
Simpson: I am not an economist and have a hard time predicting what Idaho’s economy will look like next month, in sixth months, or a year from now. What I can tell you is that I believe the Idaho Legislature and Governor Otter have been wise to take a conservative approach to spending and any projections of recovery. I believe they should plan for the worst, hope for the best, and make sure that Idaho does not fall victim to the economic traps of states like California and New York. I remain hopeful that Idaho’s economy will soon improve and that the unemployment numbers will reverse course, but I fully expect the economic recovery to be painfully slow and job growth to be among the last indicators that recovery is well underway – particularly if the federal government continues its course of trying to spend its way into recovery.
ICB: Chick Heileson said in a press release, “"I want to see the Constitution followed, I think Mike Simpson believes he is a Constitutionalist, but if you look at the document and compare it with his voting record, he's not following it the way he should." What do you think he means by that and what is your response?
Simpson: Like Adam Graham, Mr. Heileson is entitled to his own opinion. However, I am a strong supporter of the Constitution and look to its guidance often in the efforts I undertake as a Congressman.
ICB: Anything you would like to share that we have not covered yet?
Simpson: Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my thoughts.
Thanks again to Congressman Simpson for coming into the Spotlight. With the primary rushing up on us, May 25th. It is about crunch time for the candidates and things will certainly heat up. Simpson’s primary challenger, Chick Heileson has agreed to a spotlight interview on these pages and I hope to have it posted by the weekend.
ICB
Posted by Idaho conservative blogger at 5:25 PM
Labels: Mike Simpson Walt Minnick Jim Risch Adam Graham Chick Heileson Interview
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