Jane Norton, former Colo. Lt. Governor and Republican U.S. Senate candidate, appeared on Adam Schrager’s “Your Show” this weekend. She stayed for a mere ten minutes, less than half the time most of the other candidates have given to Schrager. But she hit on her talking points and avoided any mention of lobbyists and religion. For the Norton campaign, that’s a win.
She said she’s running for office because she has watched “big government” spending go out of control and is alarmed by the “expansive role of government” that has been ascendant since Pres. Obama came into office. She also wants to secure the borders against illegals and stay the course in Afghanistan. Video after the jump.
Norton should be clear on the stump because it seems clear from her answers on Schrager that she’s not entirely opposed to big government. She fits into the tradition established over the last three decades, where Republicans stand against government-spending on social programs but for government spending on law and order and national security.
Libertarians will note that her fears of big government haven’t moved her to seriously consider asking banks to repay TARP bailout money or to stop paying executive bonuses with our tax money. She didn’t say our budget-busting state-building enterprises overseas should be scaled back or ended, on the contrary. She also didn’t say, as a true small-government libertarian might, that “securing the borders” would be woefully expensive and also likely a fool’s errand that might lead to a dreaded expanded role of government. Nor did say she would roll back any Homeland Security breaches of individual liberties. Even in decrying the Obama stimulus package, she didn’t say she was against stimulus payouts. In fact she’s for them, so long as they have “sustaining impact,” whatever that means.
Where would she cut back?
She’d crack down on earmarks and superfluous add-ons to emergency spending. There’s also unauthorized federal spending that she would attempt to end. She might try to pass a federal balanced budget law.
If a desire to slay the big government dragon is what’s truly motivating Jane Norton to run for Senate, then she will need larger-gauge ammunition than this.
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