longeyes said:
Jim Gilchrist isn't a one-issue candidate; he's a candidate who has focused on the critical. Besides illegal immigration I've heard him speak at length on the nation's indebtedness problem, outsourcing, currency depreciation, et al. It's fair to say that Gilchrist has dared broach some of the unmentionables in American political discourse.
It was when he talked about those things that he showed that he is a protectionist reactionary, actually.
What no politicians will broach is the fact that, to economists, outsourcing is a GOOD thing, the US is becoming wealthier, and the economy is booming, with a healthy GDP growth more than double that of European nations with protectionist and "pro-labor" (actually high-unemployment) policies. Politicians can all go on with their fearmongering about how horrible it is to "outsource."
Currency depreciation? Uh, if you don't want outsourcing, then you don't want a dollar with an inflated value on world currency markets. A high dollar does benefit consumers, but of course so does outsourcing. And a lower dollar usually means that interest rates are low, so investors look to other currencies. Low interest rates = historically high home ownership, very good for the average joe. The two issues are inherently contradictory. On the other hand, our historically low inflation doesn't support the notion of genuine depreciation.
WRT indebtedness, I'd hardly say that's a taboo.
Gilchrist came off as a populist reactionary with no understanding of economics, not a pro-growth conservative who wants effective border security. Pro-growth conservative defines Orange County voters far better than populist reactionary.