Analyzing Tom Tancredo’s Presidential Potential

Fiscal Prudence: Tancredo’s web site contains the statement that the problem with the Federal Government is not that it does not tax enough. Rather the problem is that the Federal Government spends too much. Tancredo seems to put his vote where his mouth is. He voted against, for example, the Medicare Drug Benefit. In a recent Republican debate, he called for more fiscal discipline and said that there are millions of programs the Federal Government operates that are beyond the bounds of the Constitution. One of the few areas he favors spending is national defense.

Tancredo is best known, of course, for his vocal (and highly quotable) opposition to illegal immigration. What one does not see on his web site or other sources that I looked at is an acknowledgement of the costs of doing some of the things Tancredo wants done. This includes building a fence along the Southern Border and using military personnel to seal the border elsewhere.

What I believe we should be looking for in a candidate is this. A nation $9 Trillion in debt is no different from individual consumers who have maxed out 10 credit cards and are making minimum payments on each by borrowing money from an 11th credit card. The advice you would give an individual like this has two major components: Quit spending money and find a way to get more money. Use that money to pay off the debt as soon as possible. Our government is no different from our individual example. Our government needs first to stop spending more money. Our government needs to find a way to get more money and apply it to the debt. That probably means raising taxes on those individuals and organizations that have been having a party at the expense of the rest of society. Tancredo appears to be inclined to take the first step, but not the second.

We have more detail on that latter point in our Blog. We also recommend the book Perfectly Legal by David Cay Johnston.

Social Tolerance: Tom Tancredo seems to never have met a divisive social wedge issue he didn’t like and endorse. Abortion, Gay Marriage and Stem Cell research are all things he opposes. Traditional conservatism at one time meant giving individuals the right to make their own choices for how they live their lives. Tancredo has abandoned these precepts in favor of interfering with the rights of individuals to make their own choices for how they live their lives. This is a significant contradiction to his supposed desire for limited involvement of the Federal Government and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Among the more amazing reasons he gives for opposing gay marriage is the need for the state to take action to ensure that procreation will occur.

At a time when our nation is over $9 Trillion in debt, stuck in a war we can’t seem to either win or get out of, and seemingly incapable of doing such things as building levees and bridges that can withstand the stress of daily life, Tancredo’s emphasis on these social issues shows that he is someone who majors in minors. After the Presidency of George W. Bush, this country desperately needs someone who can appeal to our higher nature. Tancredo does not demonstrate these qualities with his position on these policies.

We are seeking a candidate who will simultaneously seek Limited Government and the strongest National Defense possible.

Ours is not the usual definition of Limited Government. As such, we are looking for someone who can articulate a balanced viewpoint of when Government should take an active role on behalf of all Americans against entrenched political and monetary interests and when Government needs to butt out. That means when the need seems to be for the first role, then those running Government must find a balance between enabling a robust enough organization to do things right the first time and resisting the urge to create an over sized bureaucracy. In reviewing Tancredo’s web site and blog and looking at other sources, we simply do not get a sense that Tancredo has that kind of perspective in his approach.

In the area of National Defense, Tancredo (once again to his credit) correctly interprets our conflict as being with Radical Islam. His position towards Iraq in comparison to many of his competitors (both Democratic and Republican) is shallow and fails to inspire any confidence that he understands how to harmonize the political, economic, diplomatic and military instruments needed to prevail against Radical Islam. His declaration that he would consider bombing Mecca in retaliation for an attack on America reveals a regrettable tendency to insert his foot in his mouth.

Like many of the current Presidential candidates, Tancredo has no military experience. We consider this to be a significant shortcoming when the nation is at war. We’ve commented on this before in the Blog.

Tancredo is an experienced legislator. He is not an experienced executive. America has often found former Governors to be solid performers as President. Governors must juggle the requirements of actually running a government that provides services, dealing with the various department heads within that government (some of whom may be from different parties) and with their legislature in a way that is pleasing to the ultimate customer government serves, voters. Legislators do not have this kind of proven leadership experience. Neither does Congressman Tancredo. We are sure he is a fine, decent, well meaning and intelligent man. He simply lacks the kind of background and outlook we think we need in the next President of the United States.

Here is how we would rate Congressman Tancredo in the various areas on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being highest or best.

Fiscal Prudence:  6
Social Tolerance: 4
Limited Government: 5
National Defense: 5
Intangibles: 4