A Conversation with Jim Gilmore
The Washington Post reported that you have not had “a single formal campaign event with actual voters present,” nor a kickoff rally. Why is that?
The Washington Post is misleading people. We made a strategic decision not to campaign in Iowa. We wouldn’t rule out going out there, but we do not believe that is the best expenditure of our resources…. So the point is this, the Washington Post reporter said, well you haven’t done any rallies in your own name, thinking about Trump. Trump has decided to do that, we’ve decided not to. It’s just a simple matter of campaign strategy and tactics. Now one last thing, if I wanted to go do that, I’m sure I could do it. If I wanted to spend $3,000, rent a theater and take my entire staff to rally people from around New Hampshire to come into a theater, I’m sure I could do that. But that’s not the most effective way to campaign right now in our judgment.Your elevator pitch?
It’s a long pitch, but if you live in NYC you’ve got a lot of floors: 1) We don’t believe the economy is good at all. And it’s having a dreadful impact on people, specifically young people coming out of college. Many of them are having trouble getting adequate jobs – 48% of recent graduates are not working in jobs that are appropriate to their degree…. Millions of Americans are under-employed. Wages are stagnant. I have a specific plan to grow the economy:a. Targeted tax cuts. Simplify the personal tax code and implement a unified business tax. Everybody conducting commercial activity will be taxed at one rate – 15%.
b. Eliminate the death tax.
c. We have to get rid of all of the regulations with American business startups. Many of your readers are going to want to start businesses, and they’re going to find out how hard it is in America today because of its left-wing approach to government regulation.
2) The Obama-Clinton pullback philosophy has allowed very evil people to evade us, creating very dangerous international challenges facing our country. As a result, we’re challenged by the Russians in Europe, by the Chinese in the Western Pacific, by the Iranians who want to build a nuclear bomb (and we just entered into an agreement that’s going to permit that eventually), and by the dissolution of the Middle East, which is leading to terrorist activity that could potentially strike this country. I have a specific program to strengthen the country:a.The sequester must come off of the budget.
b. We have to form a new Middle East NATO
Quick-fire…
Iran Deal:
The Iran deal is bad and should be renegotiated. It almost guarantees nuclear weapons for the Iranians up the road, which means the rest of the Middle East has to start reacting to that right now. I am the only candidate who has proposed a solution: the formation, with American leadership, of a Middle East NATO, which would not only restrain Iran, but would also begin to put together a coalition necessary to attack ISIS.Syrian Refugee Crisis:
I think that we are challenged here in the United States, because we don’t have jobs yet for our people who are already here. I want to deal with that before we start taking in tens of thousands of additional refugees. I think [Senator Kerry’s announcement to increase the number of refugees the US accepts to 100,000 refugees in 2017] is very humanitarian, but I think it puts the cart before the horse. We have to deal with our own immigration issue. We have to restrain the benefit programs in this country that destroy the American budget, and we have to restore the American economy. We haven’t done any of that yet before we start taking in 100,000 new refugees.Immigration:
a) We will not deport the 12 million people who are here illegally. But I would require them to apply for a work permit in order to stay. b) There would be no path to citizenship if you have gotten status in this country illegally. So I’m opposed to amnesty. c) I am opposed to Donald Trump’s position that we should begin to eliminate birthright citizenship. I believe young people born in this country are Americans. d) I believe the current crisis means we have to do more to secure the border. e) We should eliminate sanctuary cities. f) Anyone who comes in now and overstays their visa when they come across the border illegally should be deported. Starting now. I’m willing to be flexible with the 12 million who are already here, because we’ve inherited that problem.