My Opponents Record - Jeff Flake
Term Limits left behind/DC Representation
1Flake breezed past challenger Stan Barnes to win the 6th Congressional District's Republican primary.WASHINGTON — Jeff Flake pledged during his first campaign for Congress in 2000 that if elected, he would serve three two-year terms. But the Arizona Republican is running again to keep his seat in the House of Representatives.
Sources: U.S. Term Limits, USA TODAY research By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
Jeff Flake is also a supporter of HR 157, a bill that would grant permanent voting representation in the House of Representatives for Washington, D.C. This is directly contrary to the will of the founding fathers, who felt strongly that the seat of the Federal Government should be separate from any of the states. This, too, would certainly swell the ranks of liberal Democrat legislators in the House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs
2Has done a flip/flop on various Economic Sanction Issues:
CUBA
Congressman Flake Applauds Obama Administration’s Lifting of Cuban-American Travel Restrictions.
IRAN
Sep 26, 2007, Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the following Statement on his vote against sanctions on Iran: “Additional unilateral sanctions may undermine the Administration’s ability to act in concert with our allies with regard to Iran,” said Flake. “I have confidence that the Administration fully appreciates the threat that Iran’s government poses, and they are right to be concerned about moving too far ahead of our allies in response to that threat.” (Flake was one of four republicans to vote against; the Act passed 397-16.)
Jun 24, 2010, Congressman Flake’s VOTED AGAINST Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act
(Flake was one of only two republicans to vote against; the Act passed 408-8.)
Nov 16, 2011: Congressman Flake introduces H.R. 3439 To require the President to Impose Sanctions on Iran
Nov 22, 2011: Congressman Flake introduces H.R. 3508 Imposition of Economic Sanctions on Iran. This bill seeks to amend: see above Jun 24, 2010:
Dec 1, 2011: Congressman Flake’s Statement on Senate Passage of Kirk-Menendez Amendment Targeting Central Bank of Iran
(S. 1867).
Immigration
3Flake sponsored "comprehensive immigration reform" with (D) Luis Gutierrez of Illinois(the guy that handcuffed himself to the White House gate and got arrested) in 2007.
Supposedly he began backpedaling a little bit on immigration starting in 2009 as he moved from Representative Flake to Senator Jeff Flake.
Nevertheless, Numbers USA, a favorite ratings service for conservatives on immigration issues, gives him terrible ratings...
Numbers USA President Roy Beck:
Here is the record that should concern Arizonans who feel their federal government has allowed their state to be flooded by foreign workers (including illegal ones):
• Rep. Flake has the 8th WORST career overall immigration-reduction grade among House Republicans, according to the NumbersUSA grading system.
• He earns an F-minus grade for his support of increasing Chain Migration. He has never done anything to reduce it.
• Rep. Flake earns another F-minus grade for 11 actions he has taken in support of allowing unnecessary foreign workers into occupations with Americans who have trouble finding jobs or who are experiencing wage depression.
• View Complete Report Card, with comments
And he earns an F-minus grade in the amnesty category.
• Flake's Amnesty
• Bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation
Praising CFR immigration task force:
• Immigration Task Force Recommendation
• Like McCain, he has now "seen the light" and is executing a nice flip flop on immigration.
• 2003, John McCain, Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe authored an immigration bill, Check it out here. Immigration lobbyists like Frank Sharry are thrilled, saying 'this is huge." View Video
• Mother Jones: Wed Feb. 16, 2011 4:00 AM PST (said this): “Facing similar slams on immigration, Republicans like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have flip-flopped and swerved to the right on the issue. But in an interview with Mother Jones Tuesday, Flake held fast to his previous views on immigration and suggested that he'll campaign as a social moderate—regardless of any blowback from the right.” Now in 2012, Jeff Flake is against comprehensive immigration reform, View Article
The Staple Act is the reintroduction of the Strive Act, interview with Lou Dobbs. (About the Bill, by Lou Dobbs and John Boehner)
• DAILY KOS Sun Apr 22, 2007 at 02:16 PM PDT (said this): The Gutierrez-Flake STRIVE Act would open U.S. tech jobs to unlimited applicants from any country: “It's no exaggeration that this one Congressional Act could destroy the careers of hundreds of thousands of highly skilled Americans, and disuade the next generation of Americans from entering tech professions.” read more
Agriculture
4This is a proposal by Flake from 2007. Not sure, but this sounds an awful lot like Agenda 21 to me. First you put something out there that sounds good to fiscal hawks like Flake, but then, notice how there is a provision to provide big time funding for, "conservation" by taxing farmers for a "risk management fund" that would benefit big farms and wouldn't help small farms. This is a common stealth technique with Agenda 21 proponents, to draw conservative support through fiscal angles, while continuing with their agenda to lock up open spaces and place rural land under centralized government control.Along with Democrat Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin, in 2007 he introduced the Food and Agriculture Risk Management for the 21st Century Act (FARM-21). FARM-21 would transition farmers from today’s costly and outdated subsidy programs to a safety net that is fiscally responsible and trade compliant. FARM-21 would create risk management accounts to help farmers survive natural disasters and rapid changes in the market and in the process save billions of taxpayer dollars.
• Jeff Flake's Agriculture Stances
• Ron Kinds Farm 21
• Farm 21
Energy
5In general Flake has done well on oil, voting for drilling and exploration of offshore assets, and has voted to lift the Gulf moratorium, and voted against closing ANWR to exploration. But he also co-sponsored a House Resolution to lease vast quantities of public land and commit them to developing solar energy farms. This is actually what's behind the big uproar in Quartzsite, it's a land grab over there to take advantage of the federal solar program.American Energy Act
Carbon Tax
• First he is for it ... read more
• Then he's against it ... read more
• Then he misses the vote ... (reference Jeff S. vs Jeff F. memo about daughter event excuse)
FYI, Cap and Trade is an even worse version of the Carbon Tax bill. Under this system the Federal Government decides arbitrarily how much CO2 can be emitted annually (that's the "Cap") - and that's a decreasing amount every year. Then they dole out carbon credits or carbon allowances - basically telling each business (and eventually families and individuals) how much carbon they are allowed to emit, i.e., how much energy they are allowed to use. Then, if they need more, they can buy carbon allowances from other industries that have supposedly not used all of theirs (that's the "Trade"). Its like being on a car lease, where if you exceed your annual mileage allotment you have to pay so many cents per mile. Imagine the government telling you in September you have exceeded the miles you are allowed to drive in your Suburban for the year (and you are a climate criminal for driving such an inefficient vehicle!), and you will have to pay for every mile you drive from now until the end of the year. Come Jan. 1 you get a new mileage allotment, but it will be smaller than the year before! If you think fraud and corruption in government is bad now, just wait until the lobbyists start plying the government for carbon allowances for their clients! The opportunities for fraud, corruption, and abuse are too numerous to count if this idea takes hold. Cap and Trade would be a nightmare that makes government control of healthcare look like a day at the beach!
Presidential Issues
6Jeff Flake has endorsed Mitt Romney as his presidential candidate of choice. View EndorsementObama's Eligability View Video