Rick Crawford for Congress

U.S. Representative for Arkansas' 1st Congressional District

Crawford Endorsed by Governor Mike Huckabee

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First District Congressional candidate, United States Army veteran, and agri-business owner Rick Crawford today announced the endorsement of Governor Mike Huckabee.

“I am pleased to endorse Rick Crawford for Congress, representing the First Congressional District of Arkansas. Rick is a strong conservative candidate and is waging a campaign based on smaller government, and getting the economy back on track.

Rick is the kind of conservative Republican we need to send to Washington to act as a check and balance to the Obama Administration and the liberals in Congress. He recognizes that we have a lot of work to do, but his background and training make him uniquely equipped to help lead the return to fiscal sanity.

Rick Crawford grew up in a military family, and had a chance to live all over the United States, and experience overseas living as well. Rick graduated from Arkansas State University and he and his wife Stacy live in Jonesboro.

Rick knows that the importance of agriculture to Arkansas’ economy cannot be overstated, since it is the state’s number one industry. It is vitally important that our leadership in Washington take a hands on approach in protecting our industry.

As a strong conservative, Rick supports a Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights, which will limit federal spending growth to the percentage in population growth plus the rate of inflation. He also favors ending tax funded abortions and would vote to stop federal payments to Planned Parenthood and prohibit any taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan from covering abortion.”

“I am honored to have such an incredible endorsement from Governor Huckabee for my campaign,” Crawford said.  “Governor Huckabee has been a trusted conservative voice not only in Arkansas but across the nation for many years and understands the importance of reclaiming our traditional American values and our voice in Washington.”

Crawford Endorsed by Iraq Veterans Group

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Crawford Endorsed by Iraq Veterans Group

Iraq Veterans for Congress Announces Full Support


JONESBORO – First District Congressional candidate, agri-business owner, and former United States Army Sergeant Rick Crawford has accepted the endorsement of the Iraq Veterans for Congress (IVC), a Political Action Committee supporting the congressional campaigns of military veterans all across the United States.

“We are excited to support the candidacy of Rick Crawford because his lifetime of service to country and community reflect the PAC’s goal of helping citizen soldiers become citizen legislators” said D. Patrick Mahoney, Iraq Vets For Congress PAC’s Director of Communications.  Continued Mahoney, “Rick’s extensive military, business and communications experience make him an exceptional voice for the people of Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District and the United States.”

“As a military veteran I am humbled and honored to receive this endorsement.  I will work diligently to represent the traditional American values of Arkansans which includes many proud members of our military, both active and retired.  I will tirelessly work on behalf of our men and women in uniform as well as those who have returned home while protecting our country and our freedoms,” said Crawford.

Iraq Veterans for Congress PAC is a federally registered political action committee supporting conservative Republican Iraq Veterans. Founded in 2008, IVC helped elect two Iraq Veterans Congressmen Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Duncan Hunter Jr. (R-CA). IVC chooses veterans who are determined to become a voice for U.S. military veterans, their families, and hardworking patriotic Americans who believe that our country, our Constitution and our way of life are worth fighting for.

Crawford Announces Second Coalition, Farmers for Crawford

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Crawford Announces “Farmers for Crawford”, Names Chairman, Experienced Farmer to Lead Campaign’s Second Coalition

JONESBORO – First District Congressional candidate and agri-business owner Rick Crawford today announced the chairman of the second coalition for the Crawford for Congress Campaign, “Farmers for Crawford”.

David Hundley of Bay, Arkansas, will chair the coalition, which will communicate, organize, and mobilize farmers to support Rick Crawford as the next Congressman in the First District.

“Rick has been a part of the agriculture industry in the First District for many years and understands how legislation in Washington impacts farmers.  Rick will be a trusted voice and advocate for farmers as our next Congressman,” said Hundley.

“I am honored to have someone like David leading Farmers for Crawford.  Farmers all across the First District understand how the current policies in Washington are negatively impacting their operations and are ready for someone with traditional American values to represent them in Washington,” said Crawford.

David Hundley is a native of the First District and spent his entire life being a part of agriculture and agricultural activities.  David graduated with a B.S. and an M.S. in Agriculture from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.  Upon graduating from A.S.U., David has worked in the farm equipment, seed, and chemical areas of agriculture.  David has experience in every aspect of farming in the First District and his ability to understand issues facing farmers is unparalleled.  David and his wife Lori have three sons, Chase, Benjamin, and Mackenzie.

Crawford for Congress Announces First Coalition, Veterans for Crawford

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Crawford Announces “Veterans for Crawford”, Names Chairman.

Jonesboro Veteran to Lead First Crawford Coalition

JONESBORO – First District Congressional candidate and United Sates Army veteran Rick Crawford today announced the chairman of the first coalition for the Crawford for Congress Campaign, “Veterans for Crawford”.

Ron Miller, a retired Major of the U.S. Army, will chair the coalition, which will communicate, organize, and mobilize veterans to support Rick Crawford as the next Congressman in the First District.

“I am proud to be able to work with Rick on his campaign to be the next Congressman from the First District.  Rick has served our nation admirably overseas in Southwest Asia during his service in the Army and understands the complex issues our soldiers face while in the service and once they come home.  Rick will be an advocate for both our soldiers and our veterans while in Washington,” said Miller.

“I am honored to have someone like Ron leading Veterans for Crawford.  Ron is a decorated military veteran who works every day for veterans and veteran’s affairs.  I am excited about partnering with Ron and other veterans as we work on taking traditional American values back to Washington,” said Crawford.

Major Miller retired from the U.S. Army after serving 20 years and 8 months in Army Aviation as a Master Aviator and Helicopter and Multi-Engine Instrument Instructor. During his career he was awarded 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 2 Meritorious Service Medals, 2 Bronze Star Medals, 21 Air Medals, 3 Army Commendation Medals and Vietnamese and Korean government awards. He presently serves on the National Advisory Committee for Veteran Business Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration. He is the President of Miller Consulting and has served on the staffs of U.S. Senators Dole, Coverdell and Mattingly. President Reagan appointed him as the Executive Director, Georgia Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program where, in the fields of employment and training and small business, he placed over 3000 Veterans in full time career positions and captured over $500 million in direct SBA and bank guaranteed loans.  During his military career, Major Miller was a technical advisor for the John Wayne movie, Green Berets and was an Executive Producer of a Vietnam POW documentary and took 6 Vietnam POW’s back to Hanoi in l993 to film in all the prisons, except Son Tay. He also was a consultant for 2 local affiliate TV documentaries about Vietnam POW’s in Atlanta. Last year he was named the National Veteran Adviser for the National League of Families POW-MIA’s of Southeast Asia.

Major Miller is a graduate of Arkansas State University with a BSE degree and is a member of the University’s ROTC Hall of Heroes. He received additional schooling at USC, Arizona State University and the Federal Aviation Academy.

An Inconvenient Truth

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Christmas Day of this year will go down as a day that defined this Administration’s position on national security and the war on terror.  Christmas Day will also be noted as the day that American’s realized that no matter who is in the White House, Al Qaeda and its surrogates are determined to kill Americans and to destroy all that we stand for.  All of this shows an inconvenient truth for Barack Obama — you can not be weak in the face of those who want to destroy America.

We have all witnessed the President’s apology tour earlier this year. The President demonstrated that he believed by simply being apologetic and not being George W. Bush he would win us friends and allies in the Islamic world.  It’s that naïve approach and complete disregard for what history has taught us that has put our national security in a position to where there is no security at all.

In an op-ed piece in USA Today, Janet Napolitano states, “The administration is determined to find and fix the vulnerabilities in our systems that allowed this breach to happen.”  I find this incredibly appalling.  The Department of Homeland Security was established “to secure the nation from the many threats we face.”  And with this comment, it would appear that since this incident has taken place, suddenly Homeland Security will begin to look for where the lapse occurred.  This is a reactive approach to securing our nation rather than a proactive approach.

Al Qaeda wants to see our nation fall.  They want to see our way of life — our governing model, our economy, and our religious freedoms — eliminated.  Our President seems to be naïve or conveniently, to him, oblivious to what history has taught us about this vicious enemy.  And even in the last few months, there have been other steps our President has taken that have further eroded our national security.  These are very worrisome to me and should be to every person in this country.

During his campaign, candidate Obama promised the closure of Guantanimo Bay.  Gitmo serves a very important role in how we detain those who play a critical role in their attempts to attack our nation and our nation’s interests.  While there have been numerous attempts this year to treat these enemy combatants the same way we do American citizens – the reading of their Miranda rights once captured – this leaves me stunned and amazed at how national security for many in this administration has become what appears as an afterthought.  Our enemies want to kill Americans and destroy our way of life.  The President’s decision to close Gitmo will not change that view no matter how much he tries to sell it as such or appease those who hate us.  The closing of Gitmo will not change the enemy’s resolve.

If these terrorists are allowed to be imprisoned in American jails and detention facilities, it would be naïve to think they would not convert other prisoners to the same extreme views.  Do we need another attack like the one in Little Rock where Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, a prison convert to extremist Islamic beliefs, murdered Private William Long to realize how they can do even more damage?

Just last week President Obama signed an executive order giving Interpol all the same immunities of foreign powers.  What does this mean?  Since Interpol is governed by the United Nations, they can now investigate our law enforcement agencies (FBI, CIA, Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies) and subject our actions and efforts to the International Criminal Court system and other international efforts that would limit our abilities to secure and defend our nation.  Interpol will now not be subject to FOIA requests and its actions will now be concealed.  They will be able to investigate all that we do and we will never know about it.  Who does the ICC investigate?  Those who prosecute, investigate, and otherwise protect us from the likes of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations.  American sovereignty just took a backseat to the United Nations and eventually the International Criminal Court.  And for what?  So the United States will look better in the world?  The only conclusion that can be drawn is that our President does not regard our sovereignty as an important issue to uphold and protect.

Non-citizens should be afforded no moral equivalent to rights of American citizens. This administration wants to equate the rights of American citizens to those of terrorists who want to destroy America and her people.  This administration is putting national security at significant risk, and putting the American people last and terrorists first. This administration is unwilling to do what is necessary to protect our country.  They are also subjecting our country to the international community in a way that has never been done before.  This administration is eroding our national security in the interests of reputation.  America, our national security, our interests, and our future come before anything else in this world.

As your next Congressman from the First District, I will do everything I can to ensure the security of every American citizen.  I will work diligently to ensure that we operate by the Constitution as well as all legal parameters that will protect us as much as possible from those who want to kill us and ruin our nation.  I will also work to ensure that this nation answers to no international court, agency, or government.  America answers to no one other than its people and the system of governance that we have in place.  That is my pledge to you as your next Congressman.

Statement on Pearl Harbor Day and Arraignment of Navy SEALs

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“Today we remember one of the most horrific attacks against America.  The attack at Pearl Harbor resulted in the death of thousands of servicemen and women as well as civilians.  As a result of this attack, the United States entered World War II.  Not only should we remember those who died on this day in 1941, but we should also remember the response of those who fought for their country during World War II and the response of the American people who showed a similar spirit of determination, dedication, and support.

Today we will also witness a travesty in the arraignment of three Navy SEALs who are accused of assaulting an enemy detainee.  Navy SEALs are some of the most elite special forces in our nation’s military and in the world.  The apologetic attitude that is pervasive in our federal government only paralyzes these elite forces from protecting our freedom and our country. The interests of other nations come second to those of the American people and the United States of America.”

When Is A Blue Dog Really A Blue Dog?

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When is a Blue Dog really a Blue Dog?  That question begs to be asked following the recent actions by Congressman Marion Berry.

First — a little background on the origins of the term Blue Dog.

Blue Dog Democrat logoThe Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1994 in the wake of the mid-term elections in which Republicans took back the majority in the House of Representatives.  The Blue Dog Coalition gave the more conservative members from the Democratic Party a unified voice in the wake of these elections.

The Blue Dog Coalition states that a “…top priority will be to focus Congress on balancing the budget and ridding taxpayers of the burden the debt places on them.”  But votes just this year by Marion Berry calls in to question this very important tenant of the Blue Dog Coalition and should cause individuals in the First District to ask, “When is a Blue Dog really a Blue Dog?”  Here is the evidence:

  • October 3rd, 2008: Marion Berry voted for TARP I  ($350 Billion Dollars)
  • January 21st, 2009:  Marion Berry Voted for TARP II ($350 Billion Dollars)
  • January 28th, 2009:  Marion Berry voted for the Obama Stimulus Package ($787 Billion Dollars)
  • February 24th, 2009:  Marion Berry issued a press release where he stated that “eight years of fiscal recklessness by the Bush Administration” created “unsustainable deficits” for our country.
  • November 7th, 2009:  Marion Berry voted for Healthcare Reform ($894 Billion Dollars)
  • Total Costs of these four votes:  $2,381,000,000,000 Dollars.  That is 2.3 trillion dollars!  That is $8,460 for every single person in the First District, or over $5 billion dollars in debt for the entire First District, not including interest!

The above votes are extremely revealing in comparison to the comment by Marion Berry just this week. After President Obama proposed an increase in troops being sent to Afghanistan, Marion Berry was quoted as saying, “I don’t remember him saying anything about how we’re going to pay for this.” Berry said after the president’s address at West Point, “I just think it’s got to be paid for.”

In October, lawmakers diverted $2.6 billion dollars from funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects.  You can read about those projects and how those funds were diverted here.

Marion Berry, along with his Blue Dog colleagues in both the House and Senate need to ask themselves, “When is a Blue Dog really a Blue Dog”?  The votes previously outlined paint a picture of anything but fiscal responsibility. Instead the votes increasingly and excessively burden taxpayers.  Indeed, the votes tell quite the opposite story – one of being a Lap Dog for Nancy Pelosi, not a Blue Dog representing the people of the First District.  Marion Berry’s conscious-come-lately of fiscal responsibility does not hold water with the people of the First District.

We need someone who will go to Washington who is a fiscal conservative before arrival.  We need someone who is willing to cast votes against spending bills when we do not have the money to support them.  We need to send someone to Washington who will cut taxes and lower our deficits in a way that is fiscally conservative and responsible without having a coalition determining when those times are.

I want to go to Washington and be your conservative voice and vote accordingly so that families in the First District do not have to worry about soaring deficits, out of control spending, and the liberal Obama-Pelosi-Berry agenda that will bankrupt our country.  It is time we send Marion Berry home to Gillete and send someone to Washington who will be a conservative vote, voice, and leader.

($2,381,000,000,000 divided by the total number of Americans in the 2000 census (281,421,906) equals $8,460.  $8,460 multiplied by the population of the First District at the time of the 2000 Census (668,360) equals $5,654,325,600.00)

Getting Our Economy Back

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What it will take to get our economy back

A major concern of my campaign is for people of the First District to have jobs that pay well.  Right now, people are concerned about losing jobs, finding jobs, knowing whether the paycheck will continue.  American business is under heavy assault.

It puzzles me why the Obama Administration, along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, attack businesses mercilessly.  They do this in both rhetoric and legislation, ignoring the fact that we need businesses to be in business so people across the country can work to support their families.

I believe Washington wants the greatest possible number of people to be dependent on government support.  I do not believe most Americans share that vision.  In fact, I think the large majority of Americans want to support themselves and their families.  I believe the majority want the Federal government out of their back pockets.

If elected, I will work with other legislators to enact some simple measures that will spur economic growth and promote jobs that pay well.  At the same time these jobs will not cost taxpayers a single dime.

  • King Dollar:  We must enact fiscal policy that keeps our dollar strong.  This means more than just keeping the American Dollar atop the list of reserve currencies.  It would mean that our currency, and economy, are strong and the value of the investment of foreign countries will pay off and help to keep our economy growing and thriving.
  • Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR):  For future generations to enjoy an America that has a sound underpinning financially, we have to put the brakes on federal spending. No family in America can afford to spend more money than it has.  The same goes for any successful business.  The Federal Government should also spend no more than it collects.  With a Taxpayer Bill of Rights, I would work to limit federal spending growth to the percentage in population growth plus the rate of inflation.  I would also work to provide taxpayers the option of filing a post-card sized return using a low, flat tax rate of 15%.
  • Empower American Businesses:  In a time of economic strife, a company looks to cut costs in order to maintain profitability and in most cases, to preserve employment.  But, in the current economic environment overhead has to be cut just to keep the doors open.  Something that would almost instantly cut costs for businesses is to cut their tax burden.  I would work with other legislators to slash corporate tax rates to 15% and eliminate the capital gains tax altogether.  Doing so would mean companies would have more money to hire again. More jobs would be created, more people would be employed.  Eliminating the capital gains tax would also help drive business investment by allowing people and companies both to realize income they earned and keep it out of the hands of the federal government.  Currently under President Obama’s budget announced earlier this year, he is calling for the capital gains tax to increase to 20%.

The fallacy in Washington is that somehow the economy, and the profits realized, belongs to Washington and its spending priorities.  In reality, our economy belongs to the people of this great nation. The people of our great country work hard and should be rewarded with the fruits of their labor. Government meddling in and overtaking the private sector stifles incentive and American ingenuity is lost.

The Washington elites seem to believe they know how to spend our money better than we do.  As a conservative small business owner, I believe that I know how to spend my money better, as well as manage it better, than the federal government.

It is time we take our economy back and put our trust in the hard working Americans who brought our great nation to this point with their skill, their abilities, and their hard work

What You Can Do

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Just over the last week, there has been enough major stories come out of the Obama White House to leave just about everyone scratching their heads and wondering what we can expect next. And while we keep reading about things like the President asking Congress to raise our debt ceiling to over $10trillion dollars, to having unconditional talks with dictators who want to harm us, to an administration who wants to nationalize our health care system, we want to know what we can do to put a stop to things like this.
The first thing is we start at home. We start by electing people that will go to Washington and represent the First District not Washington being represented in the First District. Congressman Berry has, for 14 years, served in a capacity that has over time become less and less beneficial for voters. Just this last week, Congressman Berry said publicly that he is supportive of a public option on health care and it is not a deal breaker for him. Congressman Berry has also voted, just this year, to nationalize some of our largest banks and automotive companies. And while these companies and programs are getting billions of our tax dollars, the average American citizen still does not have the job he or she lost this year or last. They still don’t have the promise of better days ahead. And there is no prospect of either of those coming true any time soon.
I want to be the person you send to Washington that will take conservative values, principles, and leadership back and exhibit those on a daily basis. I am a true conservative and I don’t need any caucus to label me otherwise. I believe in spending within our means as a nation and since I am the owner of my own company, I know I can not spend money I do not have.

I understand the many implications that our fiscal policy has on our ag policy. You can not have good ag policy if you don’t have good fiscal policy. Congressman Berry does not represent the single greatest aspect of the First District in our farmers and ag producers and as your next Representative, I will be your voice in one of the most critical aspects of our district.
Lastly, I am a veteran. I have served in the current flash point of Afghanistan and Pakistan and understand what it means to operate during a time of war. I understand the issues, the challenges, and the problems our veterans face in being one. Congressman Berry is not a veteran and can only understand so much what it means to have served, to come home, and to be faced with the many issues our veterans are faced with.
With your help, we will start here, in the First District, and take conservative principles, values, and leadership to Washington so our collective voice can be heard again. It is time that we start fresh and I want to be the one who helps establish this new beginning. This is not an issue of Democrat or Republican. This is an issue of conservative principles over liberal ideologies. I believe that the people of the First District are ready for conservative representation.