Pete Hoekstra

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="044005a0exvipq.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eastside Republican Club"><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B> </B></FONT><B>  | </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><B>Eastside Republican Club</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>Events</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="eastside_republican_review_summary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ERC Review"><U><B>ERC Review</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="michigan_s_13th_district.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congressional District News"><U><B>Congressional District News</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="civic___governmental_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="erc_officers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Pete Hoekstra</B></div> <div> <A HREF="link_to_michigan_gop.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Michigan Republicans"><U><B><IMG SRC="05358580.gif" border=0 width="88" height="88" ALT="Michigan GOP" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="michigan_s_13th_district.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congressional District News"><U><I><B>Congressional District News</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_testimonials.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Theyre Saying About Us"><U><I><B>Read what they've said about us</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B><IMG SRC="81b871f0.gif" border=0 width="135" height="31" ALT=">>Events" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>  <A NAME="top_of_page"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <I><U>Candidate for US Senate</U></I></div> <div> <B>Pete Hoekstra Predicts</B></div> <div> <B>Michigan to Elect New Senator</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="1c1c2c8e0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="398" ALT="Pete Hoekstra makes the case for structural reform at the federal level" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="4"></FONT></div> <div> “I will fight to pass a balanced budget, reduce government spending, eliminate senseless regulations, and help grow our economy," Pete Hoekstra promised the Eastside Republican Club during a November campaign stop.</div> <div> Vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Debbie Stabenow, the former U.S. Congressman from Holland spoke to the November 15, 2010, ERC Forum at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.</div> <div> Reflecting on his past electoral successes, Hoekstra said, “I do know how to beat incumbents!”</div> <div> With confidence, he said, “In 51 weeks we will have elected a new Senator.”</div> <div> Of course, Hoekstra is working hard to be that new Senator, but his first objective is to win the August 7 Michigan Republican primary leading up to the November 6, 2012, General Election. <I>>></I><A HREF="http://www.hoekstraforsenate.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hoekstraforsenate.com/"><U><I>Learn more</I></U></A>.</div> <div> “The sooner we unite behind a candidate, the better opportunity we'll have to turn the incumbent out,” he added.</div> <div> Noting that it is a long road to the general election, Hoekstra said, “We want to peak in 51 weeks!”</div> <div> <I><B>Contrasting Views</B></I></div> <div> Comparing his views with the incumbent's, he told his fellow Republicans, “There is a clear difference.”</div> <div> “She has consistently been the most liberal senator in the United States Senate. We need someone to represent our collective values.”</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="236" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 258 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="1c24e6fc0.jpg" border=0 width="230" height="252" ALT="ERC chairman Jenny Nolan welcomes Pete Hoekstra to Nov 15 ERC Forum" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 271 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="1c23e6090.jpg" border=0 width="230" height="265" ALT="Pete Hoekstra with GP North YAF leader Grant Strobl at Nov 15 ERC Forum" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 208 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="1c2de6ca0.jpg" border=0 width="230" height="202" ALT="Judge Murray visits with Pete Hoekstra at Nov 15 ERC Forum" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> Acknowledging that cutting the enormous federal deficit involves generating federal revenue, he said, “It's more complicated today, because the deficit hole is deeper.”</div> <div> Hoekstra said our greatest drive must be for economic growth, not a mere increase in federal revenue.</div> <div> He sees the way out as a combination of cutting taxes, reforming entitlements, and restraining spending.</div> <div> Hoekstra said, “We can not tackle the deficit without reforming entitlements. We have to do government differently--structurally revise government.”</div> <div> Specifically, he proposes that K-12 education be left to the states, their legislatures, and local school districts. He also favors backing down federal transfer payments.</div> <div> Hoekstra noted that, “Today, Michigan is a donor state.” He said that in most cases, “taxes collected in Michigan, should stay in Michigan.”</div> <div> For example, he believes that Medicaid should be controlled by the states.</div> <div> “If we put in place the right policies, we can get economic growth going.”</div> <div> “We must eliminate uncertainty,” he said.</div> <div> Hoekstra criticized the “lazy federal government” for delay in approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada that would create jobs and bring crude to U.S. refineries.</div> <div> On foreign policy, the former ranking member of the permanent select Committee on Intelligence said, “Israel is a great ally--I support Israel.”</div> <div> “We have shared values.”</div> <div> <I><B>Federal Tax Policy</B></I></div> <div> Co-founder of the congressional Tea Party Caucus, Hoekstra boasted, “I signed the no-tax pledge.” It was his endorsement of the Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.</div> <div> He called for reform of the tax code. Citing the Solyndra bankruptcy, he called for an end to “crony capitalism” and closing tax loopholes.</div> <div> It is jobs, he said, that drive overall economic growth, “not the federal government picking winners or losers.”</div> <div> Of the several tax proposals touted by candidates for the GOP presidential nomination, Hoekstra said, “None of them will ever make it through the House.”</div> <div> Yet he agreed, “Compared to the tax system we have today, all of them are a bright shining light.” However, he cautioned, “Transition is the key.”</div> <div> Considering that a Democrat sits in the Oval Office, he noted, “The first hurdle they will face is getting to 60 and 268.”</div> <div> Those are the number of veto-proof votes needed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.</div> <div> <I><B>American Exceptionalism</B></I></div> <div> “In every city I visit around the world, there is one line on Monday mornings: it's at the U.S. Embassy where people are seeking a visa,” he said.</div> <div> Hoekstra said these people all know the U.S. offers individual freedom, the rule of law, and recognizes that every individual has been endowed with rights by his Creator.</div> <div> “They know that here they can work hard, and have the potential to succeed.”</div> <div> <I><B>Republican Presidential Primary</B></I></div> <div> Hoekstra is not campaigning for any one of the candidates in the GOP presidential derby.</div> <div> “What brings us together is greater than what separates us,” he cautioned the Republican audience.</div> <div> He did concede, however, “My personal favorite is Mitt.”</div> <div> Perhaps alluding to the McCain's 2008 decision to curtail his Michigan campaign, Hoekstra said, Romney “will work hard to carry Michigan.”</div> <div> <I><B>Hoekstra Experience</B></I></div> <div> “Why vote for me?” he asked.</div> <div> Hoekstra cited his experience in both private sector and in public service. “When you elect a Senator, you want somebody who will hit the ground running,” he said.</div> <div> Hoekstra served Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993-2010, and participated in developing the 1994 Contract with America that laid the foundation for Republican capture of the House for the first time in 40 years.</div> <div> He helped balance the budget for four years in the late 1990s, even with a Democratic president, and was instrumental in reforming the intelligence community in response to the 2001 terrorist attacks. He also contributed to the 9/11 Commission report.</div> <div> Hoekstra was founding chairman of the Education Freedom Caucus, and has continued to work for reform in education and government, advocating for increased flexibility for parents and states.</div> <div> Currently, he is a visiting Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~ ~ ~</B></div> <div> Candidate <A HREF="http://www.clarkdurant.com/home/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.clarkdurant.com/home/"><U>Clark Durant</U></A> spoke to the <A HREF="durant.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Clark Durant"><U>January 17, 2012</U></A>, ERC Forum. The club hosts former Kent County Judge <A HREF="http://randyhekman2012.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://randyhekman2012.com/"><U>Randy Hekman</U></A> at its <A HREF="hekman.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Randy Hekman"><U>February 21 Forum</U></A>.</div> <div> In addition to Hoekstra, Durant, and Hekman, other announced candidates in the Republican primary are <A HREF="http://garyglenn.us/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://garyglenn.us/"><U>Gary Glenn</U></A> of Midland, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, <A HREF="http://www.peterkonetchy.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.peterkonetchy.com/"><U>Peter Konetchy</U></A>, Roscommon businessman, <A HREF="http://www.boman12.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.boman12.org/"><U>Scotty Boman</U></A>, educator and Detroit libertarian activist, and <A HREF="http://www.chuckmarino.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.chuckmarino.com/"><U>Chuck Marino</U></A>, Brighton businessman.</div> <div> The Eastside Republican Club Forum is normally held on the third Tuesday of the month from September through June. Admission is free and the public is always welcome.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#top_of_page" TITLE="Pete Hoekstra"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>