{"id":2889,"date":"2008-02-18T12:02:00","date_gmt":"2008-02-18T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/02\/tinsley-touts-his-experience-and-fundraising-ability\/"},"modified":"2008-02-18T12:02:00","modified_gmt":"2008-02-18T18:02:00","slug":"tinsley-touts-his-experience-and-fundraising-ability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/02\/tinsley-touts-his-experience-and-fundraising-ability\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinsley touts his experience and fundraising ability"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the fifth in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions on March 15.<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>When Ed Tinsley<\/a> ran for Congress in 2002, he didn\u2019t have the experience to understand the inner workings of Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

One of the focuses of Tinsley\u2019s 2008 campaign is the fact that he now has that experience.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

After Tinsley, the owner of the K-Bob\u2019s<\/a> chain of restaurants, lost the 2002 Republican primary to Steve Pearce<\/a>, he became heavily involved in the National Restaurant Association<\/a>, serving as chairman of its board in 2006. In that capacity he has met often with elected officials and staffers in Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> to promote the association\u2019s views on issues including health-care reform.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

That experience has helped him understand how things work in Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. It\u2019s also given him a strong base from which to raise money. Tinsley, as of Dec. 31, had raised more money from outside sources than any other Republican or Democrat in the race.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have \u2018the right message and the right image,\u2019 and the charisma, but if you can\u2019t raise the money, you won\u2019t be successful,\u201d Tinsley said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The other Republicans in the race are rancher and retired banker Aubrey L. Dunn Jr.<\/a>, former Sierra County GOP chair C. Earl Greer<\/a>, former state Rep. Terry Marquardt<\/a>, Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman<\/a> and Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> daycare-center owner Greg Sowards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley is focusing his campaign on four issues: health care, taxes, immigration and border security and national defense.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Health care<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said his primary goal in health care is to protect the \u201csanctity, integrity and quality of our private health-care system.\u201d That includes, he said, protecting the doctor-patient relationship.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He is opposed to a socialized health-care program, but wants to help increase coverage by allowing small-businesses to form large associations to bargain for cheaper health plans for their employees. That\u2019s currently prohibited.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley helped lobby in recent years, on behalf of the restaurant association, for a change that would allow small businesses to do that, but he wasn\u2019t successful.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIn all candor, I feel like the insurance companies fought us on that,\u201d Tinsley said. \u201cThey divide and conquer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley also favors tax breaks and deductions for health-care premiums, and said he is a proponent of tort reform. In less-populated areas, where there are fewer specialists in a given field, he said the cost of health care is driven way up by frivolous lawsuits.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Taxes<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said tax-policy is a family-values issue, because lower taxes \u201chelp families and individuals keep more money in their pockets.\u201d He favors making the Bush tax cuts permanent.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said that would \u201ccreate a more optimistic outlook\u201d for the nation\u2019s economy. Many people are nervous right now because they\u2019re worried that the tax cuts, which help them and their families, might not be made permanent.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Immigration and border security<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said dealing with immigration and border security starts with securing the border. The Border Patrol needs funding to hire additional agents and also needs to improve organization to ensure efficiency, he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He favors a fence as \u201can important component\u201d of a plan to secure the border, but said it\u2019s \u201cnot the answer to all the issues.\u201d He also favors a greater focus on using technology to monitor border activity.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said a guest-worker program is necessary for America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>\u2019s economy, but the system needs more accountability. Those who want to participate should be required to speak English and undergo background checks. He said the federal government needs to improve its monitoring of such people while they\u2019re in America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> and needs to ensure they leave when there legal residency expires.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said he opposes amnesty, but trying to deport the millions who are here illegally poses an \u201cinteresting challenge.\u201d Because of that, he said the best answer is to \u201centice them to come out of the shadows and become part of the legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cHow we do that, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Tinsley said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

National Security<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Noting the importance of White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base and Fort Bliss to local economies in the Second Congressional District, Tinsley said it\u2019s critical to \u201chave a congressman who unequivocally supports\u201d the mission of the military and the bases.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

But the next congressman for the district must also focus on ensuring that America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> takes care of its soldiers. He said the physical, mental and financial challenges of soldiers and their families must be met.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s wrong that we have not placed a bigger priority on making sure those issues are addressed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said there is a lot the private sector can do to help, and shared that, after the Iraq war began, his restaurants offered to feed soldiers and their families for free for a time.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s walking the walk,\u201d Tinsley said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2018Preserving the American dream\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said he has \u201cthe track record of being a tried and true Republican.\u201d He was raised by moderate Democrats, but, when he was dating his now-wife in 1976 and proposed to her in Midland<\/st1:city>, Texas<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>, the first question she asked was, \u201cYou are a Republican, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He became one after that and has remained one for more than three decades.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley and his wife moved to New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> in 1978 to be closer to their ranch, and they bought a Schlotzsky\u2019s franchise. He cooked and his wife ran the cash register.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Today, in addition to owning the K-BOB\u2019s chain, they also operate a cattle ranch in Capitan and are active in the oil and gas and real estate industries. They own a second home in Santa Fe<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, but most of their business interests are located at the ranch.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley and his wife have been married 31 years and have two adult children.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley has been repeatedly accused, because of the Santa Fe<\/st1:city> home, of not living in the Second Congressional District, but he is quick to point out that he and his wife vote and file their taxes in Lincoln<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>. He said he spends most of his time at the ranch, but business interests and his work with the restaurant association have taken him away from home a lot. He also said he feels fortunate to be able to afford a second home.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Noting his experience as a small business owner and in agriculture and oil and gas, Tinsley said he understands on a personal level the economic situations of people throughout the Second Congressional District.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only candidate that has the diverse business experience in each of these areas,\u201d Tinsley said. \u201cI understand the challenges and the opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tinsley said that has led him to consider \u201cwhat we could or should make better before we hand things on to the next generation.\u201d He said he\u2019s especially concerned about \u201cpreserving the American dream\u201d through dealing with regulation, taxation and legislation that makes it more difficult for families and business owners to be successful.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably the most passionate part of the reason I\u2019m running,\u201d Tinsley said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Prior interviews with Second Congressional District candidates:<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 C. Earl Greer<\/a>, published Feb. 14, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Al Kissling<\/a>, published Jan. 28, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Aubrey L. Dunn Jr.<\/a>, published Jan. 14, 2008<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Harry Teague<\/a>, published Dec. 20, 2007<\/p>\n

\n

A prior version of this posting stated that Tinsley lobbied on behalf of the restaurant association. Though it was a technically correct statement \u2013 he pushed the association\u2019s viewpoints to members of Congress \u2013 he was not a paid, formal lobbyist, so the wording of the sentence has been changed for clarification.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the fifth in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions on March 15. When Ed Tinsley ran for Congress in 2002, he didn\u2019t have the experience to understand the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}