Cravaack seeks 8th congressional seat
His contention the U.S. is heading toward socialism was one factor that made Chip Cravaack a disgruntled constituent and eventually a candidate for Congress.
The retired U.S. Navy and airline pilot said Wednesday the Democratic health care bill, in particular, is an example of this trend. He said three-quarters of Americans are opposed to President Barack Obama's health care legislation, yet the bill's proponents still persist.
"We've got to take back our country," he said. "People need to take back our government. The government is ramming it down our throats."
Cravaack was a guest on Brainerd City Council member Mary Koep's radio program Wednesday in Brainerd.
A resident of Lindstrom, a city southeast of Cambridge in the huge 8th Congressional District, Cravaack is seeking the Republican endorsement for the seat now held by Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn.
Chip Cravaack
Cravaack, 51, said if federal deficits continue to climb Americans will one day pay tax rates of 75 to 85 percent, which in his view amounts to "indentured servitude to the government."
The Cap and Trade bill that Congress is considering amounts to government control of manufacturing, Cravaack said. He said that control of medicine is spelled out as a strategy in the Communist Manifesto and he believes the health care reform bill is unconstitutional.
The Obama administration's government bailout is not working, Cravaack said, noting he would rather the government let the free market run its course. He did not believe a more serious economic depression would have occurred had the government failed to act during the 2008 financial meltdown.
"I'm not sure that would have occurred," he said.
The Republican candidate would like to see a period of three terms or six years set as a term limit for Congress. He pledged not to exceed that if he is elected, describing his bid for office as an extension of his military service (1981-2005).
"This is not a career path," he said. "I'm not a politician. I'd like them to call me a statesman (if elected)."
He voiced no major objection to Obama's military policies in either Afghanistan and Iraq, maintaining that it was primarily a continuation of the previous administration's policies. He did, however, object to stating specific pull-out timetables.
"If you have an 18-month plan, they'll (terrorists) have a 19-month plan."
He said Minnesota needs to focus on creating jobs by encouraging entrepreneurs and corporations to expand here.
Cravaack said he would support the candidate the Republicans endorse next month.
A full-time resident in Minnesota since 1994, Cravaack said the reason he decided to run for Congress was that the incumbent was a main threat to what's going on in our country.
"Our country is going down the tubes," Cravaack said.
The candidate is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (1981). He received a master's degree in education at the University of West Florida in 1989.
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.