Editorial: Williams excellent choice to replace Sen. Hutchison
El Campo Leader-News
August 8, 2009
On July 29, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she would resign from the Senate sometime in October or November in order to run against Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican gubernatorial primary. If she follows through, two things will happen: Perry will have the opportunity to appoint an interim replacement and there will be a special election held no later than May of next year to fill the seat until it comes up for re-election in 2012.
This is an important opportunity for Perry, the state and national Republican Party, and the conservative movement at large that should not be missed. In order to take full advantage, Perry should appoint Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams to fill and defend Hutchison's seat.
Although several candidates in addition to Williams have already announced their intention to run in the May special election, none would be better or more qualified to fill this seat than Williams. This is not a slight to his fellow Republican candidates but a testament to Williams's keen intellect, character and powerful ability to communicate his principled, freedom-centered public policy positions.
Williams boasts a distinguished resume. As a former federal prosecutor, he was awarded the "Special Achievement Award" by Reagan administration Attorney General Edwin Meese for winning the conviction of six Ku Klux Klan members on federal weapons charges. He has also served as Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights in the first Bush administration, a post previously held by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, served in the Treasury Dept. as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement, and has also served as special assistant to Attorney General Richard Thornburgh.
Most recently, Williams has been elected statewide to the Railroad Commission three times since 2000 - a position Hutchison also held prior to winning her Senate seat in a special election. In his role as a Railroad Commissioner and in his public speeches and writings, Williams has articulated a model vision of the role of government as one whose "primary responsibility is to advance the cause of freedom and promote, protect and secure the inalienable rights endowed to us by God."
Using this as his foundation, Williams has crafted exceedingly intelligent, well-reasoned positions on the most important issues of the day that reveal a depth Texans should crave in all of their public servants.
Williams clearly understands the importance of immigration to America, but at the same time he understands that - while we may need sensible immigration reform to maximize immigration's benefits to America while minimizing its potential detriments - the rule of law must not be compromised. And he understands that first step in ensuring an orderly, beneficial immigration system for all starts with secure borders.
To all present and potential immigrants, he has this word of advice, "Coming to America should be about more than just coming for a job. Coming to America is about coming to be an American."
On energy policy, Williams takes an "all of the above" approach to expanding domestic energy production in order to ensure America's energy security, including private-sector led initiatives to expand domestic oil and gas exploration, nuclear power, coal power and alternative renewable energy sources.
Williams, clearly a constitutionalist, is also a staunch advocate for the plain meaning of the First Amendment, especially the right of people to freely exercise their faith, and the Second Amendment - both of which statists have historically infringed upon.
He is also unapologetically prolife, citing the Declaration of Independence, which states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." The first right that it declares unalienable is the right to life, and Williams believes it important that "as people of compassion we… defend the rights of the most vulnerable, the unborn."
Texas is often a leader in the conservative movement, and now it is time for it to lead the movement forward once more. That's why, if she resigns, Perry should appoint Michael Williams to fill Hutchison's Senate seat.
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