PDA

View Full Version : Lamar Smith - Enemy of Liberty




WhistlinDave
07-11-2012, 04:07 PM
Is there any faction within the Liberty movement who sees getting Rep. Lamar Smith (TX) out of office as a priority? The reasons I think he should be ousted are:

1. Smith was the creator of SOPA, and
2. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he single-handedly blocked HR 2306 from ever being introduced so it could be debated in committee and eventually move on or be killed one way or the other. HR 2306 is the "End the Federal Prohibition of Marijuana" bill which would remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and would leave it up to each individual state to decide how they want to regulate marijuana. This was a huge abuse of his power in the chair position, to block this properly introduced bill by deviating from standard procedure.

Both of these issues clearly indicate Smith has the mentality of a tyrant, a dictator, someone who likes to tell others what to do. Personally I think his time as a lawmaker needs to be set to expire soon. Thoughts?

qh4dotcom
07-11-2012, 04:10 PM
According to Ron Paul, Lamar Smith is no enemy of liberty...he's a true gentleman...in fact we need more leaders in Washington to adopt his style of governing



Dear Fellow Texan,

As you know, America faces tremendous problems. I have dedicated my career to fight for solutions, but I need friends in Congress who will help and work with me in these critical times.

That is why I am grateful for the friendship of Congressman Lamar Smith. Lamar Smith is a thoughtful, intelligent leader who keeps his door open to me and is always willing to listen. As the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Smith's word carries a lot of weight on Capitol Hill and I am glad to see he fights to take principled stands on important issues like Healthcare and Cap and Trade.

Congressman Smith made a point of reading both of my recent books, The Revolution: A Manifesto and End the Fed and I enjoyed our discussion. True intellectual exchange has become all too rare in Washington and I appreciated his effort.

Lamar is also one of the true gentlemen in Congress. I value Congressman Smith's thoughtful approach and consider him a true friend. If more leaders in Washington adopted his style of governing, I know we could break down a lot of barriers.

I am proud of my friendship with Lamar Smith. I hope you will consider supporting him in his bid for re-election.

In Liberty,

Ron Paul

http://www.dailypaul.com/121785/ron-paul-promises-to-support-texas-incumbents

WhistlinDave
07-11-2012, 04:31 PM
Thanks for making me aware... But I'm really surprised at this endorsement. I don't understand it, given Smith's recent history.

I suppose it would be unrealistic for me to expect that I would agree with Ron Paul on everything. I think he's way off on this one.

LibertyEagle
07-11-2012, 04:40 PM
Thanks for making me aware... But I'm really surprised at this endorsement. I don't understand it, given Smith's recent history.

I suppose it would be unrealistic for me to expect that I would agree with Ron Paul on everything. I think he's way off on this one.

Yeah, there was some reason he did it. I've seen it posted here. I agree with you, Lamar Smith is pretty horrible.

Keith and stuff
07-11-2012, 04:56 PM
Yeah, there was some reason he did it. I've seen it posted here. I agree with you, Lamar Smith is pretty horrible.

I think it was about his End the Fed bill which never moved. However, a socialist US Senator from VT got a very weak version of it passed. So, Ron Paul compromising principle did accomplish something. I agree with Ron Paul, it is OK to very rarely compromise principle.

TCE
07-11-2012, 07:42 PM
It's not even worth your time. Lamar Smith will decide when he wants to leave the U.S. House, he will never be voted out of office. This is the district Sheriff Mack ran in and Lamar Smith won with 76.6% of the vote. It is R+14, so, again, no chance Smith get booted.

AJ Antimony
07-11-2012, 07:53 PM
Getting rid of Lamar Smith could be a priority for the liberty movement, but that wouldn't make it a possible priority.

Sheriff Richard Mack challenged Smith for the GOP nomination this year and got obliterated. This tells me that Smith is very popular in his district and isn't worth targeting.

Besides, why fight an uphill battle to beat an entrenched incumbent when the liberty movements constantly lets open House seats go to waste?

TCE
07-11-2012, 07:55 PM
Getting rid of Lamar Smith could be a priority for the liberty movement, but that wouldn't make it a possible priority.

Sheriff Richard Mack challenged Smith for the GOP nomination this year and got obliterated. This tells me that Smith is very popular in his district and isn't worth targeting.

Besides, why fight an uphill battle to beat an entrenched incumbent when the liberty movements constantly lets open House seats go to waste?

Pretty much.

Thomas Massie's seat, for instance, took a lot less work and a lot less money than your average House seat and we're in great shape to take that one. Targeting open seats in less-densely populated states is the way to go, and as the liberty movement has evolved, we have learned that lesson time and time again. Targeting entrenched incumbents is a great way to burn through a lot of money and get absolutely nowhere.

WhistlinDave
07-11-2012, 08:04 PM
Thanks very much for all the responses... I guess I'll just have to hope that he'll eventually slip up and do something bigger, something more voters will notice. They must not have noticed either of these things, or else they just didn't care. (I thought either one by itself was pretty significant. I guess not.)