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Simpson, French make case for U.S. Senate
By Michael Johnson
This document was published online on Monday, June 18, 2007
Two U.S. Senate hopefuls from Park County - state Rep. Colin Simpson and Larry French - had their chance Saturday to talk with Park County Republicans and the public in their quest to fill the vacant seat.
Simpson of Cody, French of Powell and state Sen. John Barrasso of Casper spoke earlier in the day at a similar get-together in Powell.
But at the afternoon gathering at the Irma Hotel, only Simpson, a lawyer, and French, a Farm Bureau Insurance agent, were in attendance.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal has until June 25 to appoint one of the 31 candidates vying for the late Sen. Craig Thomas' seat. The state GOP Central Committee will meet Tuesday, June 19, to narrow the list to three finalists.
At Saturday's gathering in Cody, Simpson and French mirrored one another on many issues. French opened with a four-minute introduction of himself and his stance on the issues, while Simpson used his full 10 minutes. He had to be stopped by Geri Hockhalter, who is one of the 71 state GOP committee members who will choose the three finalists.
French, who once served as a member of the state GOP committee, said he decided to get in the race after concluding he's just as qualified as anyone else.
“I have defined what I consider to be a conservative Republican,” French said. “To me, a conservative Republican is committed to small government, low taxes, fiscal responsibility and a strong military. The Constitution is the law - the supreme law - of the land and that should be our guideline.
“A friend of mine asked me, ‘Who in Washington, D.C. would you rather have spending your tax dollars than you?' French said. “I said I don't know of anyone who is that qualified. He said, ‘O.K., go ahead and go to Washington and spend my tax dollars the same way you would spend yours.'”
Before diving into the issues, a relaxed Simpson light-heartedly recounted his statewide five-day trip last week - am effort that allowed Simpson to meet as many Central Committee members as he could.
“We drove 1,731 miles and talked with as many Central Committee folks as we could,” he said. “Do you know what the most-asked question in Wyoming is? ‘Can you hear me now?'
“And do you know the statement I heard the most traveling around in those five days?” Simpson asked. “‘You're breaking up.' You're darned right I was breaking up. I drove 1,700 miles in five days. The first thing I'll do if I am elected senator is to improve the cell phone service.”
On a more serious note, Simpson spent most of his time talking about immigration, the war on terror and environmental issues.
“Immigration is the number one issue people want to talk about,” he said. “What do I think about the immigration bill? I think there are parts of it that are good and parts that are bad. The amnesty part is bad. There are huge problems in allowing 12 million to 20 million people to suddenly become legal when they've been illegal for years.
“The bill talks about how they would become legal, and it's scary because it's such a light standard for them to meet,” Simpson said. “They almost jump ahead of those who have been waiting for two years - or however many years it takes to become legal - and it's not fair. They need to look at it again, not just debate it. We need to rework it again because I didn't like the process that generated the bill in the first place. It seems to me to be behind closed doors and a not-very-public process.”
French echoed that sentiment and, in response to a question from an audience of about 20 people, said he favors building a border fence.
“I'm for it, but if you don't staff it and protect it, they're going to be blowing holes in it, climbing over it, and doing all sorts of things to get around it,” he said. “I understand there is a train full of illegal immigrants on its way to Washington to speak about this issue. Since when does someone who breaks into your house have the right to tell you how to run your house? When they show up on the steps of Congress, they should handcuff them, arrest them and deport them.”
Simpson said pulling out of Iraq would be a mistake.
“Everyone agrees that we should stay and fight, and I do too,” he said. “The question is, what is a win? We're fighting extremists and fundamentalists, and they're around the world. Would we rather fight them in Iraq and Afghanistan or fight them here in America?”
With his close ties to Cody and Yellowstone Park, Simpson said he's the best choice to go to Washington and serve as Wyoming's voice on environmental issues.
“Those public land issues and the federal issues are critical, and I believe I can be a strong voice to promote our interests in Park County and Wyoming,” he said. “Depending on where you are in Wyoming, those public land issues are important. I would love to serve on the subcommittee on national parks. I've been active here on the east gate issue and I've been active on the wolf issue. I understand and believe I have the correct positions and can advocate for our interests.
“I don't like the philosophy I see coming from the Department of the Interior, which is preservation over recreation,” he said. “That's not the balance that was established by the Organic Act and that's not right.”
When asked about the state's Defense of Marriage Act, Simpson had a simple response.
“Marriage is between one man and one woman,” he said.
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