Rep. Hoekstra stresses conservative ideals
Brian ManzulloU.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., told about 50 students Tuesday night that President George W. Bush is giving conservatives a bad name.
"Bush isn't a conservative president - he is only conservative on social issues and national security. Bush has grown spending further than anyone could imagine a Republican could," he said.
Hoekstra spoke in the Bovee University Center Lake Michigan Room about various issues regarding the presidential elections as an event sponsored by Campus Conservatives. The event was a question-and-answer session for students.
"This election is a lot like the '92 and '94 elections," Hoekstra said. "What type of change will we have in 2009?"
Hoekstra said great conservative ideas regarding the economy include leaving gas tax money in the state and abandoning programs such as "No Child Left Behind."
One student asked him what he thought of McCain ending his campaign in Michigan.
"It was a huge disappointment," he said. "There are a lot of independents in Michigan, and he even had appeal to a lot of Democrats on the east side of the state. Hillary (Clinton) and Obama blew off Michigan in the primaries; this was a prime state for McCain."
Another student asked about Michigan's high unemployment rate and what needs to be done to attract more people.
"Michigan is an absolutely great state," he said. "We have natural beauty, water resources, great colleges and lots of capabilities. We just need the right leadership."
On Republican presidential candidate John McCain's vice presidential pick, Hoekstra said he would have preferred Mitt Romney, but he believes Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has real strengths in certain issues.
"What she should do is focus on things she knows, such as oil, Alaska and being an executive," he said. "Nobody goes into the role of vice president fully prepared to be a heartbeat away from presidency, but from what I've seen, she has full capacity to be vice president."
Topinabee senior Dennis Lennox II, Campus Conservatives spokesman, said it was an honor to have a congressman on campus.
"It's not everyday you have a congressman on campus," Lennox said. "This is a rare opportunity. He was dead-on when it comes to the important issues Michigan is facing."
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