Justin Amash in The New Republic
On Civil Rights:
Proposed amendment to curb warrantless surveillance
He has been a far more consistent advocate for civil liberties than many on the left, particularly as it relates to surveillance. Most recently, Amash's bipartisan amendment to curb warrantless surveillance failed in the
House, thanks in part to the many Democrats who are unwilling to spend any political capital to make sure Americans are not spied on by their own government.
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 29, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Real threat to marriage & religion is government, not gays
To his credit, Amash has shown the ability to evolve. In 2010, he was in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act; by 2013 he had come out in support of the much more anarchist-libertarian solution of getting government out of marriage all together,
tweeting that the "real threat to traditional marriage & religious liberty is government, not gay couples who love each other & want to spend lives together."
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 29, 2019
On Crime:
Introduced legislation to end federal death penalty
He announced on Twitter that he was introducing legislation to prohibit the federal death penalty, after the Department of Justice announced that it would end an unofficial moratorium on
federal executions that had been in place for two decades.
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 29, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Voted no on Keystone pipeline for favoring special interests
Only one Republican voted against approving construction for the Keystone XL pipeline. That was Representative Justin Amash."The latest #?KXL bill combines the cronyism of previous bills--specially exempting one private company from the laws and
regulations that apply to all other companies," he posted on Facebook following the vote. Amash's point is that Congress has no place exempting a single corporation from all the usual regulations and review steps that apply to private projects.
Source: The New Republic magazine, articles on 2020 candidates
Feb 11, 2015
On Homeland Security:
Wants to close Guantanamo prison
Amash has always been something of a wild man compared to the Republican status quo, and a "close, but not perfect" kind of libertarian ally. Not yet 40, he is the son of Palestinan father and a Syrian mother, both Christian. It's almost impressive that
he hasn't fielded more tinfoil-hatted accusations of being a secret backer of Sharia law--though he has been accused of being in the tank for Al Qaeda for wanting to close Gitmo.
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 29, 2019
On Principles & Values:
Partisanship undercutting our constitutional basis
Amash announced that he was leaving the Republican Party, his political home of the last ten years. Amash framed his decision as a classic pox-on-both-houses jeremiad, with the headline declaring: "Our politics is in a partisan death spiral.
That's why I'm leaving the GOP." In his Post op-ed, Amash wrote that devotion to party over principle had undermined "the most basic tenets of our constitutional order: separation of powers, federalism, and the rule of law."
Source: The New Republic magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Jul 29, 2019
Page last updated: Aug 06, 2024