Bob Dornan (R-CA)
Bob Dornan was a firebrand, and still is one. Sometimes he burned a little too harshly.
I thought it was bad political judgment for him to primary challenge strong fiscal and social conservative Dana Rohrabacher in 2004.
But we need the fire, the passion, and the boldness of B-One Bob Dornan back in Congress.
US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has it, without the cursing, too.
We need more of this boldness but this time in the House of Representatives.
Bob Dornan was the House Rep for the South Bay and the Beach Cities in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
His politics did not mix perfectly with every resident of the South Bay. Then and now, we need representatives who do not seek to appease our sensibilities. We need leaders who will say “No!” to tyranny and “Hell No!” to the lies.
Bob Dornan did exactly that on the floor of the House in 1995, in one of the rare occurrences when other members of the House stifled his dissent of President Bill Clinton. These were Dornan’s remarks
:My good friend John Lewis was there the day that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring speech. I hate to disagree with him on anything, but I was offended by Clinton’s speech last night on fifteen points, and I’ll do a five minute special order tonight that I just signed up for. I can only mention four. The Ark of the Covenant was the Old Covenant. The New Covenant was the Son of God Jesus Christ. And I was offended when he used that term in New York Democratic Convention and repeated it over and over and over again last night.
Not enough people, let alone politicians, know about the New Covenant. When people know that the Son of God enacted this new covenant, they have boldness to meet any challenge (Hebrews 4: 16)Number two: to put a medal of honor winner in the gallery, that joined the Marine Corps at sixteen, fudging his birth certificate, that pulled that second grenade under his stomach, miraculously surviving and saving his friends six days after his seventeenth birthday. Does Clinton think putting a medal of honor winner up there isn’t going to recall for most of us that Clinton avoided the draft three times and put teenagers in his place? Possible to go to Vietnam?
The media pounced on allegations that President George W. Bush was a draft-dodger. He wasn’t, and Dan Rather ending up losing his position as CBS news anchor over that false story. Why was B-One Bob the only one saying anything on the floor of the House? Number Three: The line on the Cold War. Even Andrea Mitchell of NBC took note that that’s Ronald Reagan’s prerogative, George Bush’s, and everyone of us who wore the uniform or served in civilian capacities to crush the evil empire. Clinton gave aid and comfort to the enemy.
Wow! Allegations against the President’s anti-war past, too? And by the way, Mr. Speaker, the Second Amendment is not for killing little ducks, and leaving Huey, Dewey, and Louie without an aunt and uncle. It is for hunting politicians like Grosney 1775 when they take your independence away. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time.
Ouch! Since when have we heard lawmakers like that defend our Second Amendment rights, or call out the draft-dodging records of our executives?
A loud applause broke out in the chamber after Rep. Dornan’s remarks. Another Congressman, who was not present for Dornan’s speech, wanted the words read back. Even though the Democratic lawmakers moved for the comments to be stricken from the record, they ended up repeating his rhetoric at length. Vic Fazio (D-CA)Democrats were incensed by
Dornan’s speech, including Vic Fazio of Northern California:I think the gentleman from California owes the entire institution, the Congress and the President, an apology.
Dornan didn’t back down, but cut right through with his singular rebuttal:Hell No!
We need representatives like that who will not play the political correctness game. Not only will I not apologize, I believe that the President did give aid and comfort in London, to the enemy in Hanoi. I’ll accept the discipline of the House. I will leave the floor, no apology, but the truth is the truth.
Voters in the South Bay need that kind of boldness once again representing us in the state house and the federal government: Unafraid to speak truth to power, unabashed to expose the failures of our president, unwavering in support for the Second Amendment and all our rights.