Republican U.S. Senate candidates debate foreign policy, constitution at CMU

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Clark Durant responds to a question regarding his influence into politics during the Republican U.S. Senate debate in Charles V. Park Library Auditorium Saturday afternoon. (Mike Mulholland/Photo Editor)

Five Republican candidates for U.S. Senate came to Central Michigan University Saturday to debate personal philosophy, foreign policy and constitutional issues.

The debate was sponsored by Michigan for a Conservative Senate and CMU Campus Conservatives and was held in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium. Candidates Scotty Boman, libertarian activist and physics and astronomy instructor; Clark Durant, former Hillsdale College vice president; Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association; Randy Hekman, former prosecutor and juvenile court judge; and Chuck Marino, founder of National Building Inspections were present. Former congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra declined an invite to attend.

The two-hour debate served as an opportunity for audience members to get to know the candidates. Questions were presented and each candidate had about 90 seconds to answer. A lightning round was included, where questions required only a “yes” or “no” answer with no further explanation.

A popular topic was what candidates would do regarding the United States’ involvement in the United Nations.

“I would withdraw us from the United Nations,” Durant said. “I would take the effort to establish a new united body of people around the world who seek freedom, and emulate what America has established and what we have learned since becoming a nation.”

Glenn said that the United States needs to stop funding the body all together.

“We need to get out of and stop funding the United Nations,” he said. “We’ve wasted too much money on it already.”

Candidates were asked to share their ideas to revive and restore the American economy. Marino said we have to fix the issues of national debt, regulations and taxes simultaneously, or else our economy will continue to collapse. He proposed his idea of taking all government departments back to a zero balance at the beginning of every year, and cutting taxes below 24 percent.

“We spend way too much money. We need to manage our spending,” he said. “They (the departments) should have to justify each dollar they spend in a detailed budget.”

Boman said the primary problem with the country’s economy is found within the government.

“The government is absolutely the problem. It’s not that we don’t have enough tax money, it’s that we have too much spending. Cut out welfare and warfare and we could really save some money,” he said.

While other candidates were looking to make cuts, Glenn said taking advantage of natural resources found on our own soil would help relieve economic struggles.

“We ought to aggressively harvest our own oil and gas resources. If we just do that, we’d create 800,000 new American gas and oil jobs,” Glenn said.

Immigration and the right to vote were heavily discussed as well, including states requiring photo identification to vote.

“If states wanted to decide that a picture ID is necessary in order to vote, they should be entitled to do so,” Durant said.

Hekman said immigration is important to the U.S. and legal immigration should be encouraged.

“We love people, but we want people to come legally,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure to secure the borders. We want to encourage legal immigration. Those who have the guts to come to this country are the ones who generate jobs.”

In the lightning round, candidates agreed unanimously that the Internal Revenue Service should be abolished, life should begin at conception, they would never vote to increase the debt of the federal government and that the idea of a flat tax would prove to be beneficial.

After two hours of debate, candidates were given two minutes to make closing remarks.

“Our country is on the brink of being turned into the United Socialist States of America,” Glenn said. “I feel a duty to stop that. I think the threats to our liberty today come from sources domestic more than anything. I’m confident we can make America and Michigan as great as it’s ever been.”

Marino said it is essential that citizens make their voices heard by voting on Aug. 7. The winner of the Republican primary goes on to campaign against Democrat incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

“No man can take your freedoms away. If they try, you have to stand up and fight,” he said. “No longer can the silent majority remain the silent majority.”