Hot Air � Terrific: Tancredo threatens to launch third-party bid for Colorado governor

Hot Air � Terrific: Tancredo threatens to launch third-party bid for Colorado governor

New Tancredo Television Ad

Daily Kos: Tancredo wants US to abandon New Orleans

Daily Kos: Tancredo wants US to abandon New Orleans:

"GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) said Friday it is
“time the taxpayer gravy train left the New Orleans station” and urged an end to
the federal aid to the region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years
ago. “The amount of money that has been wasted on these so-called ‘recovery’
efforts has been mind-boggling,” said Tancredo, who is running a long-shot
presidential campaign. “Enough is enough.” Citing administration figures, the
lawmaker said that $114 billion has been spent on the effort to rebuild a large
stretch of the Gulf Coast after the storm hit New Orleans in August 2005 and
claimed more than 1,600 lives. “At some point, state and local officials and
individuals have got to step up to the plate and take some initiative,” said
Tancredo. “The mentality that people can wait around indefinitely for the
federal taxpayer to solve all their worldly problems has got to come to an end.”
The lawmaker criticized in particular the amount that has been wasted through
fraud and abuse, estimated at $1 billion. "

A number of factors are always involved in any disaster. The disaster in New Orleans raises a number of questions though about the role of government in my mind. More specific the role of Federal Government. Granted it was a disaster that ranks at a level that it is impossible to find a comparable example to discuss, but I am going to try. When there was the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, there was a great deal of damage done to the city and its infrastructure. It was able to put some strength and will into coming back, and it has. A better example might even be the city of Santa Cruz, which lost its entire downtown area. The people of the city came together, cleaned up the city, they were cut off from the outside, they didn't wait for help. The city struggled for well over ten years coming back from the loss, but it did come back.

In both of these example the federal government played a minor role in bringing the cities back. Most of the money and the effort to rebuild came from the local and state governments, as it should. The second thing is that even San Francisco did not come back over night, it was a hard road.

What do people expect, that New Orleans is going to be completely rebuilt by federal money. I don't think that the federal government owes any city that nature of salvation. It shouldn't be in the business of rebuilding, it should assist state and local bodies as they work to rebuild. The question that hangs out there in the air, is why it seems like there is so much crying and waiting in New Orleans for someone else to save them. The storm itself is an example, we blame the state and the federal government for not removing people, but what about the blame that they hold for not taking the responsibility to remove themselves. There are some who have reasons that they could not leave on their own, but that number statistically speaking is much lower than the number who stayed and waited.

If a man swims out into the ocean till he gets tired, and calls for help, should someone else swim out there and help him? If people don't leave a city that is about to be hit by a disaster because they are too lazy to do so, or just don't take the danger seriously, who is responsible for their being in danger? Should the long slow pace of rebuilding be accepted as the natural process, or should resources by put to use by government agencies to expedite the process? The questions are all related, and the way you answer one effects the way you look at the others.

O'Reilly Factor w/ Michelle Malkin

PoliPundit.com » “Presidential Candidate Blames Killings on Newark Sanctuary Policy”

PoliPundit.com » “Presidential Candidate Blames Killings on Newark Sanctuary Policy”

If the suspects are found guilty, Newark and its political leadership share a degree of responsibility,” Representative Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, said on the steps of the gold-domed City Hall, surrounded by a dozen supporters and slightly more protesters who rallied against him. “I encourage the family of the victims to pursue a lawsuit against the city.”

This is a terrible crime, and it is being abused by people on the right for their own political goals. It isn't shocking to those who have been following the race that Tancredo would join the anti-immigrant fervor that is building around this case. This case is about a break down of the system in general, and not so much a case about immigrants. I have said this before, but crime is not an immigrant issue. Some crimes are committed by immigrants, but some are not. I think to attempt to twist this case into the political mold of the right wing anti-immigration groups corrupts the justice process. It isn't good for the victims and it isn't good for the community.

MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Republicans Flub the Facts at Iowa Debate

MotherJones.com MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Republicans Flub the Facts at Iowa Debate:

"-Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney falsely claimed U.S. job growth had been nearly 17 times faster than Europe's. Actually, European Union employment grew faster than that of the U.S. last year. Romney's source for the information told
FactCheck.org that he himself would no longer use the figures.
-Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani accused Democratic candidates of 'appeasement' toward Islamic terrorists. In fact, leading Democratic candidates have spoken out strongly against terrorism.
-Sen. John McCain claimed American families spend $140 billion of their income preparing federal income tax returns. We find no support for that figure, which the Internal Revenue Service puts at $19 billion.
-Rep. Tom Tancredo claimed illegal immigrants 'are taking a large
part of our health care dollars.' But the independent Rand Corp. estimates that
undocumented immigrants account for 1.5 percent of health care spending or
less."

Why do they think they can still get away with this?

Reasons Why to Vote Tancredo in the Iowa Straw Poll

IowaPolitics.com: Tancredo says threat of attack on holy sites would deter terrorism

Iowa Politics: IowaPolitics.com: Tancredo says threat of attack on holy sites would deter terrorism

"'If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of
that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and
Medina,' the GOP presidential candidate said. 'That is the only thing I can
think of that might deter somebody from doing what they would otherwise do. If I
am wrong fine, tell me, and I would be happy to do something else. But you had
better find a deterrent or you will find an attack. There is no other way around
it. There have to be negative consequences for the actions they take. That's the
most negative I can think of.'"

I am dumbfounded by a statement like this, all at once he shows that he cannot be trusted to understand the nature of the enemy we face, and his own decision making process. I am thinking that Rudy may no longer rate as the scariest person in this race, and that is saying a lot.

Tancredo Demands Apology from Brownback

Tancredo TV Commercial

My Take on Tancredo's Take

Video: Rep. Tancredo hears from an Iowan about illegal immigration

Tancredo Introduces Legislation to Preclude Citizenship for Babies Born to Undocumented - TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime

Tancredo Introduces Legislation to Preclude Citizenship for Babies Born to Undocumented - TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime:

"His latest is to introduce a bill that he knows will not pass but hopes will
push emotional buttons back into overdrive.
Everybody knows that if you are
born in this country, you automatically are a U.S. citizen. Under Tancredo's bill, a baby
born to undocumented residents would be stripped of citizenship."

This is not who we are as a country and I don't think this is the kind of country that Americans want to live in. Taking a stand like this on such a touchy issue can be done by someone with such a small chance of winning the White House. He should be aware of the fact that from this point on he has no chance of winning.

Crooks and Liars » What if you held a debate and *almost* no one came?

Crooks and Liars » What if you held a debate and *almost* no one came?:

"The one photo the GOP does not want anyone to see was snapped at yesterday’s
NAACP GOP Presidential Candidate Forum. The NAACP invited all 9 Republican
candidates to the forum, but only one showed up: Tom Tancredo. All the
Democratic Presidential hopefuls showed up for their forum."

In the same way that I think that the Democrats made a mistake in not taking part in the debate hosted by Fox News, I think the Republicans are making a mistake by not being a part of this debate. When you choose not to debate you look like you are afraid of the questions that might be asked of you, and you look like a coward. That is one trait that no one wants in a leader.

Tancredo: Dems See Immigration As Source Of Voters

Daily Kos: Republicans Love Torture

Daily Kos: Republicans Love Torture:

"[C]andidates were asked whether they would support the use of
waterboarding — a technique, defined as torture by the Justice Department, that
simulates drowning and makes the subject 'believe his death is imminent while
ideally not causing permanent physical damage.'
Both former mayor Rudy
Giuliani and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) suggested they would support using the
technique. Specifically asked about waterboarding, Giuliani said he would allow
'every method [interrogators] could think of and I would support them in doing
it.' Tancredo later added, 'I’m looking for Jack Bauer,' referencing the
television character who has used torture techniques such as suffocation and
electrocution on prisoners. "

This is why I fear Giuliani, I am 100 percent against torture, it isn't right and it doesn't work.