During 1998, conservatives
looking for a candidate to unite behind in the 2000 presidential campaign
had started to throw some support to Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO). However
on January 5, 1999 Ashcroft announced he would not run. Under the
auspices fo the Madison Project (Purcellville, VA), leading social conservatives
organized an ad hoc group, the Committee to Restore American Values.
CRAV held a special interview session at a Washington, DC hotel on February
3, 1999, which drew six of the Republican presidential hopefuls.
CRAV also requested that candidates complete a 10-page survey on subjects
ranging from their philosophy of government to national defense.
The survey, below, courtesy of the Associated Press, points to some of
the major issues of concern to social conservatives.
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 1 |
| Philosophy of
Government |
Please describe your general philosophy of government and
what practical steps you would take to implement it.
|
| Economics
|
Do you believe taxes are too high?
Yes___No___ Do you believe that taxes should not be raised under any circumstance? Yes___No___ Do you believe taxes should be reduced? Yes___No___ Do you believe that the tax system should be simplified? Yes___No___ How would you simplify the tax system? |
| Federalism
|
Would you ever support the introduction or passage of an
unbalanced budget?
Yes___No___ Do you support the introduction and passage of an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget and two-thirds majority vote in each House of Congress to raise taxes? Yes___No___ Please state your substantive position on federalism. |
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 2 |
| Federalism
(continued) |
Please state your position on the meaning and the application
of the 10th Amendment.
Will you veto all legislation that uses federal funding to control activity
that is constitutionally within the exclusive purview of state or local
governments?
Please itemize as many major federal programs or agencies as possible,
which you believe, are beyond the constitutional power of the federal government
and which you would work to eliminate.
|
| Judicial Appointments
|
Please describe the methodology and philosophy, which you
would employ for the appointment of judges to the federal courts.
Please specify any specific philosophical standards or requirements you
would employ for judicial nominations.
Would you require judicial nominees to possess philosophical qualifications
in addition to appropriate experience and judicial temperament?
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 3 |
| Judicial Appointments (continued) | Would you require nominees for any federal judicial office
to possess a judicial philosophy that leads them to the conclusion that
Roe
v. Wade was incorrectly decided? Would you require nominees for
the Supreme Court to also believe that this decision should be reversed?
Yes___No___ Would you require nominees for any federal judicial office to possess
a judicial philosophy that leads them to the conclusion that Roemer
v. Evans was incorrectly decided? Would you require nominees
for the Supreme Court to also believe that this decision should be reversed?
Would you require nominees for any federal judicial office to possess
a judicial philosophy that leads them to the conclusion that Employment
Division v. Smith was incorrectly decided? Would you require
nominees for the Supreme Court to also believe that this decision should
be reversed?
|
| Abortion
|
Please state your substantive position on abortion.
Should Roe v. Wade be reversed?
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 4 |
| Abortion
(continued) |
Should any federal funds be used to fund abortions?
If so, in what cases.
Yes___No___ Should any federal funds be given to organizations which perform abortions? Yes___No___ Should any federal funds be given to organization which advocate abortions? Yes___No___ Should any federal funds be given to international family planning? Yes___No___ What commitments relative to abortion would you require from appointees to the Supreme court or lower federal judicial positions? Would you sign a federal law banning partial birth abortions?
|
| Religious
Freedom
|
Please state your beliefs and philosophy concerning the
meaning and application of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise
Clause of the First Amendment.
Were Employment Division v. Smith and Boerne v. Flores correctly
decided?
Would you require judicial nominees to possess philosophical qualifications
in addition to appropriate experience and judicial temperament?
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 5 |
| Religous
Freedom (continued) |
What role may religion legitimately play in American public
life?
Do you believe the Supreme Court's establishment of religion decisions
have strayed from original intent? If so, please specifiy what decisions
or policies you believee are improper.
How would your views on free exercise and establishment of religion
issues affect your judicial nominations?
Would you place a creche on the White House lawn?
|
| Gambling
|
Please state your views concerning the proper regulation of gambling. |
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 6 |
| Gambling (continued) | Would you support the institution of a federal lottery?
Yes___No___ Do you believe that any form of gambling should be permitted in any area under federal control? Yes___No___ Do you normally call games of chance "gambling" or "gaming"? Gambling___Gaming___ Would you appoint representatives of the gambling industry to any position within the United States government, including commissions to study gambling? Yes___No___
|
| Education
|
Please state your substantive position on the federal role
in education.
Please state your position on "educational choice" and the proper role
of the federal government in such programs.
Is federal control of k-12 education (through funding restrictions or
otherwise) constitutional?
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 7 |
| Education (continued) | Would you veto any bill, which places any federal restrictions
on private or home education?
Yes___No___ Do you support School to Work? Yes___No___ Would you make the elimination of Goals 2000 an educational priority for your administration? Yes___No___ Would you sign Congressman Joe Pitt's "Dollars to the Classroom" legislation? Yes___No___
|
| Second Amendment
|
Please state your substantive position on gun control.
Do you believe gun control reduces crime?
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 8 |
| Foreign
Affairs |
Is a strong Israel vital to U.S. interests in the Middle
East?
Yes___No___ The fact that capitalism has triumphed in almost every country in the world--increasing free enterprise among the world's entrepreneurs and consumers--is laudable. However, should the U.S. government's foreign policies be designed to secure the rights and interests of both U.S. producers and consumers without using the power of government to favor one over the other? Yes___No___ Should all treaties be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, as required by the Constitution, and should the Senate jealously guard its jurisdiction over any treaty matters, which any executive might try to enact via executive orders? Yes___No___ Sould any treaty be approved which attempts to determine U.S. domestic policy at either the state or federal level? Yes___No___ Do you support an amendment to the Constitution which would make clear that 1) in any instance wherein the Constitution and a treaty obligation are said to be in disagreement, the Constitution shall prevail, and 2) that no state or federal law regarding a domestic policy quesiton can be amended or nullified in any way except by a constitutional amendment, a federal law or federal court ruling? Yes___No___ Do you believe stricter immigration laws are needed to protect the economic and political rights of U.S. citizens? Yes___No___
|
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 9 |
| Foreign
Affairs (continued) |
Do you agree with the following statement: U.S. foreign
aid should be designed to promoted U.S. interests; therefore, it is most
often appropriate to tie it to the development of political and economic
liberty abroad?
Yes___No___ Should judgements about U.S. membership in and contributions to international economic organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, always be made with the goal of furthering U.S. interests? Yes___No___ Unless U.S. security dictates otherwise, should U.S. financial support be given to international organizations only if they hold recipients accountable to practice free market economics and only so long as such assistance does not constitute a "moral hazard?" Yes___No___ Should the United States utilize its permanent membership and veto power in the UN Security council as a means to promote the interests of the United States in the international arena? Yes___No___ Should the United States withdraw membership from an UN entity, which promotes interests at odds with the interests of the United States, e.g., the Economic and Social Council, and the various programs, which deal with domestic issues. Yes___No___ Should the United States continue to demand sound fiscal and administrative reform of the United Nations, and use contributions as leverage to achieve that reform? Yes___No___
|
| National
Defense |
Has the Clinton administration cut too much from the defense budget?
Yes___No___ Should the United states move to deply available missile defense technologies as soon as possible? Yes___No___ |
| CRAV
Presidential Survey |
Page 10 |
| National
Defense (continued) |
Is homosexuality compatible with service in the U.S. military?
Yes___No___ Should the United States get approval from the United Nations before engaging in any military action? Yes___No___ Is U.S. security threatened by foreign powers? Yes___No___ The first duty of the U.S. government is to secure the lives and property of its citizens. Does this duty require the maintenance of defenses-including nuclear defenses-adequate to deal with all perceivable threats? Yes___No___ Should U.S. military forces ever be placed under the command of the UN? Yes___No___ Should U.S. troops be deployed overseas for humanitarian missions? Yes___No___ Should the United States use any appropriate means, including the use of deadly force, to preempt as well as to retaliate against international terrorist attacks on U.S. interests? Yes___No___ Should the so-called "Dole Amendment" be adopted, to augment the War Powers Act, to further clarify that, in keeping with the views of James Madison and other Founders, the President may send U.S. military forces into harm's way only in emergency situations where U.S. persons or interests are at risk? Yes___No___ Should women be assigned to combat roles in the U.S. military? Yes___No___
|