Buddy Roemer in The Wall Street Journal
On Abortion:
Tight limits on abortion are unconstitutionally restrictive
Some of Roemer's past positions might give evangelical voters pause. As governor, he vetoed three bills that imposed tight limits on abortion, calling them unconstitutionally restrictive. He also greatly expanded gambling in the state.Midway through h
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Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Longshot from Louisiana"
Mar 16, 2011
On Energy & Oil:
Railed against ethanol subsidies in Iowa
Roemer portrays himself as a hard-nosed businessman who has the guts to tackle the deficit by slashing any program he deems ineffective. As if to prove he wouldn't be beholden to anyone, Mr. Roemer railed against ethanol subsidies in
Iowa, a state full of corn farms. An analyst in attendance, writing on an Iowa political website, called Roemer "one of the most interesting candidates of the night; it's unfair and unwise to fully dismiss him."
Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Longshot from Louisiana"
Mar 16, 2011
On Government Reform:
Won Governor & House seat with voluntary contribution limit
Roemer is back, making an improbable run at the 2012 GOP nomination for president. Roemer, who plays down his Harvard MBA in favor of a folksy, fresh-off-the-family-cotton-farm demeanor, impressed some political observers with a forceful speech at an
Iowa candidate forum last week. His biggest applause line: a "declaration of independence" from special interests, punctuated by his pledge to take no political action committee money--and no donation at all greater than $100.
The other potential candidates, "they've got PACs and they've got airplanes," Roemer told the crowd. "All I've got is me and you. I think it's enough."
Roemer has gotten by before without big money. He served four terms in the House in the
1980s and was one of the few members of Congress to decline PAC money. He voluntarily set strict campaign-contribution limits during his successful run for governor in 1987.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Longshot from Louisiana"
Mar 16, 2011
On Principles & Values:
Placed third in 1991 re-election bid
Roemer made a splash more than two decades ago in the Louisiana governor's race with his "slay the dragon" cry, defeating an incumbent snared in corruption investigations. Four years later, Roemer made an ignominious exit from the governor's mansion when
in a bid for re-election, he came in behind David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. Mr. Roemer, who switched from the Democratic to the Republican party while governor, made one more failed run in 1995, then retreated to the private sector.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Longshot from Louisiana"
Mar 16, 2011
On Principles & Values:
Publicly described himself as "a church-going Methodist boy"
Roemer described himself at the forum as "a church-going Methodist boy" and added a fervent "thank you, Jesus" when he recounted meeting his third wife, a church pianist. Roemer talks proudly of his successes in Louisiana: overhauling campaign-finance
laws, strengthening environmental protection, testing teachers for competency and balancing the state budget. But he also gained a reputation in the state as arrogant and aloof. "He wouldn't return calls. To anybody," said one state Senator.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Longshot from Louisiana"
Mar 16, 2011
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