GOP Looks to Win Back NY-13
Michael Grimm is a GOP candidate in New York's 13th congressional district. In an interview with FrumForum, Grimm -- a former Marine Corps combat veteran and Special Agent in the FBI -- emphasized his national security credentials and called on Obama to move the terror trials from NYC.
Michael Grimm, a Republican candidate for Congress in the 13th Congressional District of New York , is a former Marine Corps combat veteran and Special Agent in the FBI. In an interview with FrumForum, Grimm argued that holding the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in lower Manhattan would be, “nothing less than adding salt to the wounds of every citizen of this great nation, especially the residents here in Staten Island and Brooklyn.”
Grimm should know better than most. As a former Special Agent in the FBI, he was literally on scene at the World Trade Center shortly after the attacks. “As an FBI agent, it’s very personal… because, I responded to 9/11. I was on top of the pile of rubble and wreckage for months at a time. And I saw the devastation with my own eyes.”
Grimm is currently locked in a primary fight with his opponent, Michael Allegretti. The seat, currently held by Democrat Mike McMahon, includes Staten Island as well as parts of Brooklyn.
Also a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the first Persian Gulf War, Grimm has had the unique experience of serving in both the military as well as federal law enforcement. Experts today argue over whether the fight against terrorism should be classified fundamentally as a military action or a police action. Having worked in both worlds, Grimm absolutely sees the struggle against al-Qaeda as a military one, which is why he strongly disagrees with the Obama administration’s attempt to treat it as a law enforcement issue:
The current regime in Washington is content with bringing down… the nature of what happened. It was an act of war. It was not a typical crime that the NYPD or any local police department would arrest someone for. And I sincerely believe that when you hold trials in a criminal court, you’re sending a message to the world, which includes our enemies and our allies, that we are bringing this down a level to a criminal level and I think that’s a big mistake.
Grimm points to the Christmas Day bomber as a perfect example of what’s wrong with the system:
Again, an attempted act of war, and we turn around and afford this terrorist the Miranda rights that are afforded to citizens here in the United States. He’s not snatching a purse. He’s not stealing from a store. He’s trying to kill Americans in the name of Jihad or Islamic extremism.
As has been reported, alleged Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was Mirandized only 50 minutes after he was first questioned by the FBI. To Grimm, this was an egregious mistake:
It’s a terrorist act, an act of war…We need to have a firm military answer to that. Had they handed him over to the military, he would have been interrogated properly and effectively from the onset, and I think that Mirandizing him is only putting us in a position of weakness.
While he doesn’t support civilian trials for suspected terrorists, Grimm does believe that alleged terrorists should be held to account for their crimes in front of a military tribunal. He argues that
We cannot just indefinitely leave them there. That would be inappropriate…They should be given and afforded military tribunals and tried for the war crimes that they’ve committed. And that should be without delay.
Grimm’s concerns also extend to the welfare of those brave Americans, whether military or civilian, who are tasked with bringing terrorists to justice. He effusively praised the courage and honor of those who serve our country, but is worried that they may not have the full support of their government.
What is getting in their way and hindering them is the politics… As someone who has worked with the CIA and with all the military intelligence agencies, when you start putting our troops on court martial, our Navy SEALs on court martial, and you start investigating secret operatives and threatening them with doing their job, you are tying the hands of every agent, every operative, every military soldier, because it makes them think and take a second to think about what they’re doing.
Furthermore, it could crush the morale of those whose job it is to keep us safe, thereby putting everyone’s safety at risk.
Think about the average FBI agent that has 18 years in the Bureau, has two or three children, and he’s relying on his pension to survive, and he could be possibly looked at to be investigated and possibly put on trial? It makes them think about every action they take and that’s a mistake.
While he is actively engaged in the debate about national security, he is also interested in turning around the fortunes of a Republican party that has had a difficult time of late.
We have to take responsibility. Republicans did lose their way… We have to admit that. In the Marine Corps, it’s called standing on the carpet. If you’ve done something wrong, you stand on the carpet and your commanding officer tells you what your punishment’s going to be and you take it like a Marine. We lost our way but I do believe that we’re finding our way back. And I’m very optimistic about that.
And just how can Republicans find their way back? According to Grimm, by embracing their true core values.
And the number one thing on that agenda has to be our fiscal responsibility. That’s what I think brings all Republicans together, is the idea of having that fiscal responsibility. I’m a true fiscal conservative. I was brought up that way.” Grimm went on to say that his family had a very simple philosophy that if they could not afford something, they didn’t buy it. “And you know what? That worked well for my house, and I think it works well for this country, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.
As for healthcare and the economy, Grimm’s positions fit right in with most conservatives. He certainly doesn’t support the current Democratic health bills winding their way through Congress. He does, however, support tort reform, as well as interstate competition between insurance providers. He believes market-based solutions can help bend the cost-curve down and he abhors socialized medicine. On the issue of the economy, Grimm supports dispensing with the capital gains tax for two years, extending the Bush tax cuts, and reducing the corporate tax rate to between 18 and 20 percent.
While Grimm is no doubt a dedicated conservative, he also demonstrates a pragmatic, common-sense approach to certain problems that, to be honest, is sorely missing in the Republican Party. One can see this in regards to immigration reform. Grimm supports placing undocumented migrants on an eventual path to full citizenship, provided they play by the rules, learn English, and stay on the right side of the law. Felons would be deported immediately. He is against “amnesty’, but also doesn’t believe that rounding up millions of people (many who pay taxes!) for deportation is a sensible solution . Such a position puts him at odds with much of his party, but it may demonstrate that Grimm is politically willing to do what is right, instead of what is popular. Sadly, this independence and willingness to buck the system is in short supply within the Republican Party.
As America becomes younger and more diverse, it’s vital that the party not alienate those who could be a key part of its constituency down the road. Latinos, for instance, make up a larger share of the country (and the electorate) every single year, which is why a policy of outreach, and not hostility, makes sense for Republicans in the long run. Perhaps the path back to prominence for the Republican party is to nominate candidates who exhibit not only conservative values, but also simple common sense. It is ultimately up to the people of the 13th Congressional District of New York to decide, but they may already have found such a candidate in Michael Grimm.