Is Tom MacArthur the Conservative He Claims to Be?

New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District has a Republican Primary.  Republican Congressman Jon Runyan’s decision not to seek re-election creates excitement in one of the few competitive New Jersey Congressional Districts.  I sought to evaluate the claims of conservatism by  Mr. Lonegan and Mr. MacArthur ( the two major candidates). I left this process perplexed about one of the candidates.  

Both Lonegan and MacArthur call themselves conservatives.  The fact that a person calls himself a conservative does not make it so.  I sought to test the candidates claims by viewing their web sites.  Steve Lonegan’s site listed his position on 13 major issues.  You may look at his positions yourself by using the link provided in the previous sentence.  I see a conservative agenda.  More importantly,  I see a freedom agenda.  Mr. Lonegan’s positions show a candidate committed to the proposition that individual rights worshiped by our founders need reinforcement.  What does Tom MacArthur’s web site tell us?

Mr. MacArthurs website (and literature) does not highlight any issue.  Here is a link to it and you may determine this for yourself  ( MacArthur web site link).  The page tells us he is for smaller government that lets people keep more of what they earn.  The smaller government should also offer a hand up to those in need and opportunity for all to pursue the American Dream.   These are laudable goals but tell us nothing about his core beliefs.  How does a smaller government give a hands up?  At what point does a hand up become a burden on the person providing it?  At what point does it bring both the person providing the hand up and the person receiving it crashing down?  Mr. MacArthur’s potential Democratic opponent would be as comfortable making his statement as he is.

I looked to the “MEET TOM” segment of his web site to find what I sought.  I discovered he married his high school sweetheart, made a fortune in the insurance industry, gives money to charity and his church and is an overall swell guy.  I learned nothing of his core political beliefs or where he will draw the political lines he will not step over.  What I learned was more relevant to a campaign for Miss American than a seat in congress.

I searched the internet generally in a last attempt to determine what Mr. MacArthur believes.  I found an interview that opened my eyes.  He was asked how he would reduce the federal tax burden?  The interviewer referred to the fact that many people see a flatter tax system as the answer.  Mr. MacArthur said:

“The progressive income tax was in and of itself not what creates a tax burden”

He further lamented the high corporate tax rate and said the tax rates for individuals are too high.  He also criticized Mr. Lonegan for not supporting federal  Sandy Aid and military expansion.  He did not mention that many Republican Conservatives opposed this, not on the basis of the aid, but the pork laden measures of the bill and the lack of spending offsets to fund it. 

The purpose of this essay is not to support either candidate.  It’s goal is to evaluate the claim by both candidates of their conservative political values.  Mr. Lonegan gives us a road map to evaluate his claim.    Mr. MacArthur gives us self conflicting platitudes.  The fact MacArthur does not see the progressive income tax as a problem is a red flag.  It is this premise that supports New Jersey, a relatively rich state, paying about $1.60 in federal taxes for every $1.00 it gets back.  It is this economic and political philosophy that asks for more federal dollars while sending over $1.60 for every dollar it gets in return.  

Republicans need to look long and hard at what Mr. MacArthur believes rather than what he says before choosing him as their candidate.