Q&A With TN-4 Candidate Kent Greenough

This is the first in what will hopefully be a five-part series designed to introduce readers to the candidates vying for the Republican nomination in Tennessee's 4th Congressional District and the opportunity to defeat four-term Democrat Rep. Lincoln Davis in November.

Davis scores an unfortunate 67% on the Pelosi Index and voted to give the nice lady the authority to invoke the Slaughter "Deem & Pass" Rule, if necessary, to ram ObamaCare down our throats.

The Cook rating for TN-4 is R+13.

Translation: Davis is ripe for the picking.

The GOP field includes Jack Bailey, Scott DesJarlais, Kent Greenough, Ron Harwell, and Don Strong.

The primary date is August 5th.

This is an email Q&A. Please note I have not yet endorsed any candidate in this race, and the answers provided by the candidates do not necessarily reflect my personal viewpoint.

Kent Greenough

DC: Why are you running for Congress?

GREENOUGH: Over 30 years ago I took an oath "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States" as a Second Lieutenant of Marines. Three years ago, I saw it was time to renew that oath. This past year I realized that it was time to stand and be counted once again. Our nation is in the gravest danger it has ever faced in 233 years. A reckless Congress and radical POTUS are driving us, as a nation and a people, to total destruction and the loss of our Constitution. This is no ordinary election cycle, it is no time for red state, blue state nonsense. Our very freedom depends on the will of the people to re-establish a system of checks and balances in our government or see it lost forever. It is that serious.

DC: How would you describe Tennessee's 4th Congressional district?

GREENOUGH: We are the heartland of America everyone else wants to be. Tennessee's 4th Congressional District swung the election for George Bush in 2000 and 2004. We are conservative, irrespective of party affiliation, hard working, pro-life, pro-family, gun toting; the real-deal Americana. We are a rural people, making less money than the average American, but strong in our faith. We care for and love our neighbors. Our youth serve in the military in higher numbers than most other parts of the country.

At a parade, we honor the colors of our country, take time for prayer at public meetings and look to each other in times of crisis, not the government. We have felt the loss of manufacturing jobs more than most, we have long suffered higher unemployment and watched our youth leave our counties to better pay jobs and opportunities elsewhere. We have been the doormat to the politically ambitious since before Al Gore and deserve far better than Lincoln Davis.

We have the greatest quality of life to offer anyone who will come here, skilled workers, friendly communities, low taxes, a low cost of doing business and an unparalleled opportunity to fulfill the American dream and raise a family. What we suffer from most is a lack of vision and leadership from our elected representatives in Washington.

DC: Why does Lincoln Davis not deserve a 5th term?

GREENOUGH: Simple, no one "deserves" a 5th term! If you could not make a difference in 4 terms, you will not make a difference in your 5th, 6th or 7th! By your 4th term you have become part of the problem, by your 5th term, you are the problem! Congress was meant to be an office of service NOT a career. Thank you for your service, now go home! And take Nancy and Barney with you!

DC: Name one thing you would propose or support as a U.S. Representative to help the economy.

GREENOUGH: Actually, there are several things even a freshman Congressman can do and probably not what you are thinking. First, reduce taxes starting with the capital gains tax. You want an 8.7% growth rate like China or a 6.2% like India, then match their capital gains tax, ZERO! That's right, we operate on a 35% tax rate on short term gains and a 15% on long term gains. Try ZERO, and level the playing field and keep companies and jobs here. Next, drop the corporate tax rate to 12.5%, since most small businesses are incorporated because of liability issues, instead of the current 35%. Cut SSD and payroll taxes in half and see how many jobs that creates. Finally, allow small businesses to write off 100% of new equipment purchases and expansion expenses. Now you have a business climate that can hire people, give them the newest, best equipment and make us totally competitive with workers and industries anywhere. The economy booms, businesses hire, taxes swell the treasury coffers, problem solved! No bailouts, no government programs, no new bureaucracies, just pure roaring free enterprise. Government is the PROBLEM! The lesser the government, the greater the prosperity.

DC: What should the United States do about Iran?

GREENOUGH: Stop dilly-dallying around for one thing. Iran has been the center of 90% of all the unrest in the Middle East since Jimmy Carter sold out the Shah. Iran supports, supplies and equips Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups. Close their ports and borders, equip and supply the counter government forces, cut off all oil shipments to Europe for 30 days, and Volias!, Ahmadinejad is toast and the Ayatollah is history. The Iranian people are desperate for our action and support.

DC: Where can voters go to get more information on your campaign?

GREENOUGH: First, get a copy of our Constitution. That is my primary source and platform. If you need one, contact me at KentGreenough.com and I will send you one for free. As I have always said, "When all else fails, read the manual!"

Next week: Don Strong.

Cross-posted at RedState. UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers and thank you to Glenn Reynolds for the link.

Comments

[Allison]

I saw this guy speak the other night at a debate. He doesnt have the answers that this country needs, plus he ran last time and lost to Don Strong!! If he cant beat Don Strong, then he can't beat Lincoln Davis.

[Charles Mitchell]

Have heard this candidate speak several times, with each time nothing noted that would aid in his election. It is also noted that his campaign Communication/Treasurer fawns over his every word, much like a freshman with a crush on her first professor. The most important thing that this campaign has done to ruin any chance of winning is playing the 'race' card.... using carpetbagger, and other absurd references regarding people that weren't born in the south, this seems ironic considering he only moved here 6 yrs ago, and was a NEA lobbyist

[Publia Julia - A Concerned Citizen]

I am responding to Mr. Mitchell's outlandish and false charges against Kent Greenough. I've heard all the candidates speak, and Kent is the only one who has clearly thought out the issues facing the country - not soundbites or quick answers - but thoughtful and knowledgeable answers. Unlike some candidates who can't even answer questions when asked, or as at the Columbia 9.12 debate first answered one way and then another when the first answer didn't "play" with the crowd, Kent has always had a truthful and clear answer. He doesn't change what he says to match the audience. As to his losing in 2008, it was his first try at elected office. Neither Ronald Reagan or Abraham Lincoln won their first time out either. It was a learning experience - his current campaign is very different. He has a broad base of supporters and will win this primary, not with the amount of money he raises, but with the support of the people and the truth. He has said that you can't change what you do in Washington until you change how you get there. If you take money from outside and special interests, that's who you owe in Washington. Kent's campaign contributions have come almost exclusively from the people of the 4th District, and that's who he will owe his seat to, not special interests, PACs, politicians, doctors, bankers or lawyers. In addition, unlike the other candidates, Kent has supported local businesses with his campaign expenses: printers, designers, campaign shirts, etc. All from the 4th District. Take a look at the other candidates: literally hundreds of thousands of dollars spent not only outside the district but outside the state. And they talk about bringing jobs to the 4th. Those several hundred thousand dollars would go a long way in many of our small businesses. To use the term carpetbagger is not playing the race card. Mr. Mitchell should look at one of the other candidates who routinely uses the race card in every speech. Just for Mr. Mitchell's edification, an accepted definition of a carpetbagger is "A candidate who runs in a district where he or she has not previously held residence." Although the Greenough campaign has never made this charge - it is another campaign that has publicly said this - it is nonetheless true. One candidate rented a house here just before announcing his candidacy, and has admitted that he did so because he couldn't win in his own district against Marsha Blackburn. In the years that Kent has been in the district, he has actually contributed to his community. The other candidates cannot make this claim. The charge that Mr. Greenough is or has been a NEA lobbyist is patently false. Mr. Greenough has never been a lobbyist. When asked directly about this at a meeting in Crossville, he categorically denied it and challenged anyone in the audience to produce proof (in case Mr. Mitchell doesn't know it, lobbyists have to register with the federal government - Mr. Greenough's name will not show on any list past or present as a lobbyist). Kent Greenough is the only candidate who has the intelligence, the wisdom, the knowledge, the integrity and the courage to defeat Lincoln Davis in November. I'm confident the people of the 4th District know this.