Here at DK, all eyes have been focused on the Democratic primary, but I took a peek at the Republican primary and something interesting is happening.
Donald Trump got over 99% of the Republican vote in Iowa, but at the moment, he’s below the 90% mark. And a big reason for that is Bill Weld, apparently the only viable Republican opposition to Donald Trump. Weld managed to get 9% of the votes in the primary today.
Bill Weld also got a delegate from Iowa, becoming the first Republican since Pat Buchanan (1992) to win a delegate while running against an incumbent President.
Last September, he said:
Talk about pressuring a foreign country to interfere with and control a US election, it couldn't be clearer. And that’s not just undermining democratic institutions, that is treason. It’s treason pure and simple.
The penalty for treason under the US code is death. That’s the only penalty. The penalty under the Constitution is removal from office and that might look like a pretty good alternative to the President if he could work out a plea deal.
He talks the talk. The former governor of Massachusetts has some interesting (read: non-GOP) stances on the issues:
- Gun control. “All guns are dangerous, and to address the school shootings and terrible mass murders, one obvious thing is to do everything possible to keep firearms — of any sort — out of the hands of people who are unstable and have any history of mental illness.”
- The climate. “What we have to do is keep Earth temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees between now and 2050, and the way you do that is by putting a price on carbon, an upstream price at the well head at the mine shaft and then people can make their own decisions about how much carbon they want to emit into the atmosphere.” No climate change denier here.
- Education. Weld proposes that two years of community college and the last two years of tuition at state colleges or universities should be free. He said his administration would review the federal loan process to make sure students aren’t loaned amounts they won’t be able to pay off. He says Congress should get rid of the provision that does not allow student debt to be renegotiated. He said he would prioritize reducing the interest rate on federal student loans and would extend scholarships for vocational training.
- Health care. Weld proposes amending and building upon certain features of the Affordable Care Act. He also wants to bring back low-cost health insurance plans. He plans to provide hospital vouchers for veterans who want to pick different facilities. Weld said he would encourage companies to provide family and medical leave by providing tax incentives and credits.
- Immigration. Weld pledges to make it easier for people to enter our country and contribute to the economy.Weld said his administration would expand the work visa program, put an end to mass deportations and simplify the adjudication process for immigration.
Okay … Well, he’s a Republican, so he’s obviously anti-gay rights, right? “Pro-Life”, right? Wants to keep marijuana illegal, right? Wrong!
Weld is pro-choice and helped to introduce legislation to make it easier for women to access abortion procedures. As Governor, he supported gay and lesbian rights. In 1992, he signed an executive order to recognize domestic partnership rights for same-sex couples.
[This is from Wikipedia] He also wants to legalize marijuana.
He was Bill Clinton’s choice for ambassador to Mexico, but Jesse Helms felt he was too “moderate” (read: “humane”), so Weld withdrew his application.
He was Gary Johnson’s running mate in the 2016 Presidential election.
What is this guy doing in the Republican party?
Well, hopefully he’s going to make life a bit difficult for Donald Trump.