Renee Ellmers to Announce Congressional Bid

If I had been told during the Obama coronation that in just over a year a nurse from Dunn, NC would be challenging the political establishment and a seven-term incumbent in one of the state's most liberal districts, I probably wouldn't have believed it, but that's exactly what's slated to happen this afternoon as Congressional hopeful Renee Ellmers launches her campaign for NC-2. I was pleased to take part in a conference call with Mrs. Ellmers last night in which she discussed her upcoming bid. She hit all the major talking points: "Washington is broken," she says, and she's an outsider who—unlike our current representation—can help pick up the pieces; she's against health reforms that aren't really about care, and her work as a nurse gives her unique insight into the Health Care industry; she understands that perhaps the most important issue facing the U.S. today is our lackluster economy, and unlike Obama and his cronies, she understands the government can't actually create sustainable, private-sector jobs.

Talking points are one thing, and Americans have every right to be skeptical of rhetoric. But as we gear up for the political season, I think its important to note that Renee Ellmers actually believes what she's telling North Carolina, and she doesn't need a teleprompter to share those beliefs. She's passionate. She was driven to action because of Health Care, but she understands defeating ObamaCare is just the tip of the iceberg as America shifts back towards the ideals of our founding. Now, on to the issues:

On the Budget:

Under Obama, the United States has seen it's highest deficits, both actual and projected. I've often asked myself when deficits became something our government "planned for." No, Mr. Obama, that's not "how budgeting works." Renee understands our current spending binge is unsustainable, but she also recognizes that there is no spending without Congress. As she noted, the root of the problem lies with representatives like Etheridge, the Democrat incumbent, who has used his position on the House Budget and Ways & Means committees to enable the fiscal nightmare we are currently living through. Cutting the budget starts with Congress.

On Illegal Immigration:

"Amnesty is off the table," but we can't afford to just start rounding people up without a plan. Renee understands before we can decide what to do about the illegal immigrants already in our country, we have to stop the inflow. She's a strong supporter of providing additional border security and actually enforcing the laws we already have. She supports policies that prevent businesses from hiring undocumented workers.

On the role of Government:

Renee supports limited government. Like many Americans she's watched as the government attempts to reach its hand deeper and deeper into our lives. She uses ObamaCare as the perfect example. It's a bill that the American people don't want; it won't fix the problems it was supposedly designed to solve, and the bill will grant immense power over our personal, medical decisions to bloated, inefficient bureaucracies that turn every patient into a statistic—just ask the Brits about QALYs. Renee Ellmers respects the Constitution. She understands there are some areas where government doesn't belong.

On the Second Amendment:

Renee Ellmers acknowledges the Second Amendment as an individual right "to keep and bear arms," and she opposes gun-bans which never apply to criminals. That said, she adds the cautionary note that this right endows gun owners with a tremendous responsibility to ensure their weapons never become instruments of crime.

[print_link]