Sam Brownback:

Life story:

Samuel Dale Brownback was born on September 12, 1956 in Parker, Kansas. After spending time at Kansas State University, he graduated from the University of Kansas in 1982 with a J.D. Since then, he has spent time as an attorney, broadcaster and Kansas’ Secretary of Agriculture. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, but ran for the seat of Bob Dole (who retired to run against Bill Clinton) in the 1996 special election. Ever since then, he has been in the United States senate.[1]

Sam Brownback married his wife, Mary, in August of 1982 and they have five children (including two adopted). He is a Roman Catholic.[2]

Abortion:

Senator Brownback has been a crusader against abortion for some time, and his position is this:

Life is worthy of respect and protection from the moment of conception. I fear that our society has forgotten the value of human life. I believe every life has meaning and purpose, and that the termination of life is taken too lightly in our country today. Abortion ends a human life. It destroys an individual who could have lived, worked, and contributed to our society. And has wiped out nearly an entire generation. I believe we should strive to fully embrace a culture of life through our national politics. I will continue to fight to protect life at every stage. I hope that one day America will remember the value we once placed on human life.[3]

National Security/Foreign Policy:

Sam Brownback’ opinion on the War on Terror is such:

The attacks of September 11, 2001 forced our nation to deal with the threat of international terrorism. For the last several years, we have designed new policies and new government structures aimed at preserving our security at home and abroad.

To win the Global War on Terrorism, we must be vigilant in defending our homeland, including securing our borders, safeguarding critical infrastructures and industries, pursuing terrorists and maintaining the capacity to respond to potential attacks.

While we secure the homeland, we also must deal with terrorists abroad before they attack us at home. We must deny state sponsors of terror access to weapons of mass destruction and frustrate their ability to finance terror operations throughout the world. We must deny our terrorist enemies safe haven and move aggressively to break up international terror networks. We must rally the international community to address terrorist threats in their own countries and regions. And we must stand with our allies around the world who support the principles of freedom and democracy and who fight back against the terrorists.

We are engaged in a long struggle against a determined enemy. We will not defeat the threat of terrorism overnight, so it is important that we pursue policies that will enable us to fight today’s terrorists as well as prevent tomorrow’s attacks.[4]

Iraq:

Brownback, unlike most of the other Republican presidential candidates, focuses on a political (as opposed to a military) solution in Iraq:

Instead of surging troops, we must press the Iraqi government to reach a political solution. We cannot achieve a political solution while a military solution is imposed. The best way to reach a democratic Iraq is to empower the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own nation building.[5]

He further elaborates here:

After my recent trip to Iraq, I am even more convinced that the situation there is precarious, but hopeful. I see hope in the Iraqi people. I believe this hope will be the foundation of a new Iraqi society. Much remains to be done, and I think we need a plan to turn this country over to its citizens. I will continue to work with the leaders in our country, as well as leaders in Iraq, to find a solution that protects the future of Iraq, and the pride and dignity of its citizens.[6]

Education:

Sam Brownback’s stand on education is this:

When we ignore poorly performing schools, we also ignore every student in those schools, thereby allowing an achievement gap to persist. It is imperative that we close the achievement gap and provide our nation’s students with a productive learning environment that challenges and encourages intellectual stimulation. I believe that providing for choice in education is beneficial to student achievement. For years now, we have seen studies that prove school choice programs, such as the new Opportunity Scholarships recently implemented in the District of Columbia, have a drastic and positive impact on students—especially minority students. By supporting such initiatives, we will be ensuring that more students have access to a high quality education, which means that they will have a better chance of success in not only reaching college, but flourishing in life.[7]

Economy/Taxes:

Sam Brownback, unlike several of the other Republican candidates, has signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, which is as follows:

I, ____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the State of _________ and to all the people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.[8]

His official position is as follows:

I have long championed both lower taxes and reform of the existing tax system, and recently signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose all tax increases. Much of our recent economic prosperity is directly attributable to the lower taxes enacted by recent Congresses. I believe America’s tax code is overly complex and burdensome. Americans spend roughly $157 billion each year in tax preparation, to ensure they do not run afoul of the Internal Revenue Service. The system is desperately in need of reform. I support a flat tax concept that simplifies tax preparation, applies a low tax rate to all Americans, and respects the special financial burden carried by American families raising children.[9]

Gun Control:

Sam Brownback has been called a “pro-gun trailblazer on Capitol Hill” by the NRA.[10] His position is elaborated here:

At the heart of the Bill of Rights is the Second Amendment. This Amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms, which is essential, as the Amendment itself affirms, to “the security of a free state.” Restrictive gun control laws aimed at weakening this constitutional right are not the answer. Instead, it is important for the government to enforce criminal gun laws already on the books, for communities to stand against gun violence, and for parents to teach children about gun safety.[11]

Gay Marriage:

Brownback has been known for being something of a crusader for the traditional family, and he best summed up his position on marriage during the September 5^th Republican debate:

I understand this is a divided audience on this, and I understand we as a country are struggling with this question, but these issues aren’t done in a vacuum. I had a question earlier about family values, and I think this is important for us to rebuild the family structure. In countries that have redefined marriage, where they’ve said, okay, it’s not just a man and a woman, it can be two men, two women, the marriage rates in those countries have plummeted to where you have counties now in Northern Europe where 80 percent of the first-born children are born out of wedlock. We don’t need more children born out of wedlock; we need more children born into wedlock between a mom and a dad bonded together for life.

When you do these vast social experiments -- and that’s what this is, when you redefine marriage. It’s a vast social experiment. They’re not done in isolation. They impact the rest of the culture around you. When you take the sacredness out of marriage, you will drive the marriage rates down. And currently in this country, currently we’re at 36 percent of our children born out of wedlock. You can raise a good child in that setting, but we know the best place is between a mom and a dad bonded together for life.[12]

Immigration:

Sam Brownback has taken strong stands on illegal immigration, saying that having secure borders is an integral part of having a secure country:

Immigration
Border security is Senator Brownback's top priority and has consistently voted to immediately secure the border. "One of the primary jobs of the United States government is to ensure the safety of the American people. In order to do so, we must secure our borders." - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback

Border Security is National Security "Securing our borders must be our top priority as a nation. Our Southern border is porous and must be secured. Secure borders make Americans safer." - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback

• Senator Brownback has voted to:
• Double the number of border patrol agents over the next five years;
• Increase detention space in order to end "catch-and-release";
• Build 700 miles of border fencing and 350 miles of vehicle barriers along the Southern border;
• Fund 370 miles of triple-layered fencing and 461 miles of vehicle barriers along the nation's southwest border;
• Deploy cutting-edge technology including cameras, sensors, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to patrol the border for illegal border crossers ; and
• Implement a tough, smart border security strategy in order to gain operational control of the border.

Worksite Enforcement is Essential "We will fail to stop illegal immigration until we prove that living and working here illegally is not an option."- U.S. Senator Sam Brownback

• We must enable all law enforcement to identify and quickly remove criminal illegal aliens.
• A secure, fraud-resistant ID must be the foundation of a robust worksite enforcement system that requires every new employee to be screened for valid work authorization.
• Interior and worksite enforcement are essential for homeland security and national security.

Senator Brownback has voted to:

§         Double the number of interior enforcement investigators over the next five years;

§         Increase cooperation with state and local authorities to enforce our immigration laws;

§         Implement an Electronic Employment Verification System that holds employers accountable for knowingly hiring unauthorized workers;

§         Prohibit employers convicted of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants from being eligible to receive government contracts; and

§         Allow the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to share information helpful to law enforcement investigations against illegal immigrants.[13]

Other Notes:

Sam Brownback has also placed emphasis on making and maintaining a purer culture:

We must clean up America’s culture, beginning in every home. A new callousness can be seen on our television sets and movie theaters, in video games and on magazine racks. While parents remain the first line of defense in the fight to protect our children from inappropriate media content, some of the responsibility for this effort also rests with the producers and distributors of modern media. With this in mind, I introduced the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2006 and was pleased to see the President sign it into law. The Act increased fines on broadcast networks that air obscene and indecent material during the hours children are most likely to be watching. Shielding our children from the violence, obscenity, and indecency in today’s media continues to be one of my top priorities. I have also introduced a bill that would promote greater accuracy and transparency in the rating of video games. Accurately educating parents about the content of the media they bring into their homes is a key part of this process.

In addition to these threats, I remain concerned about the proliferation of pornography in our culture. The commoditization of the human person through pornography is a scourge upon our civilization and one of the most insidious threats to the stability of our families. I held a hearing in 2006 where we examined the detrimental effect pornography has on children and families. I will continue the fight to protect families from a variety of cultural threats.[14]