Muskogee County GOP hear presidential reps

County GOP hear presidential reps
By Cathy Spaulding
Phoenix Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

Muskogee County Republicans wanting to strengthen America’s borders, empower the states and get rid of the Internal Revenue Service heard about presidential candidates who want most of those same things at their monthly meeting Thursday.

Representatives for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Texas Congressman Ron Paul and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson promoted their candidates’ position before about 50 GOP supporters at Jasper’s Restaurant. Absent were representatives for U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Speaking for Huckabee, former state Sen. Scott Pruitt got the most rounds of applause from those in the room.

“Mike’s not for reducing the tax code but eliminating the tax code,” Pruitt said. “Huckabee said we don’t need a tax on production, we need a tax on consumption. We need to get rid of the imbedded costs of production. He’d like to see a ‘vacancy’ sign at the IRS.”

Huckabee also supports modernizing the efforts to curb illegal immigration and for making borders more secure, he said.

“He was the only candidate talking about illegals going back and starting over” and coming into the United States legally, Pruitt said.

Sharon Caliendo, a Norman political consultant speaking for Giuliani, reminded Republicans that the United States has “two borders to secure.”

“The northern border is the more dangerous because Canadian immigration policies are so open,” she said, adding that Giuliani proposes Border Patrol outposts every 50 miles along the borders.

Giuliani, who was mayor when terrorists hit the World Trade Center in 2001, feels national security is a big issue, Caliendo said. “But so is border security.”

State Rep. Charles Key said Ron Paul wants to shrink the federal government, eliminate the Internal Revenue Service and return power to the states.

“Paul is against income tax,” Key said. “Our problems stem from being so used to big government.”

Paul also opposes American involvement in Iraq, but supports efforts in Afghanistan, Key said.

“The war alone will bankrupt us if we continue on the path we’re on,” he said. “It is costing us $3.5 trillion.”

Several in the audience challenged Paul’s opposition to involvement with Iraq.

“If we just bring them home, who is going to fight the war on terror?” asked Tom Tinnin of Fort Gibson. “The Islamic world wants to kill us.”