Two GOP Hopefuls Visit Human Trafficking Conference

Although two Republican Presidential hopefuls spoke at a conference on human trafficking and child abuse Friday, they carried very different messages.

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was an expected guest and listed on the conference program. Remarks regarding his sponsorship of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and hearings of women and children involved in such abuse were on topic with the event. Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, in contrast, was not listed on the program (although there was a ‘subject to change’ notice on the agenda) and provided attendees a speech loosely-knitted to the conference topic.

“I’m pro-life and whole-life,” Brownback began as the audience applauded. This, he said, expressed his commitment to both the unborn as well as children and women involved in abusive situations and/or trafficking.

Brownback went on to discuss his version of how to get things done in Washington.

“You have people who say ‘I’m with you on the children and women part, but I’m not so sure about the unborn portion’ and that’s alright,” he said. “The idea is to take the shared beliefs and put them together to make legislation which everyone can agree upon.”

To prove his point, Brownback invoked the memory of liberal protagonist Sen. Paul Wellstone and their cooperation in 2000 to introduce bills and pass legislation combating the trafficking of women and children for sex trade. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, sponsored by both Wellstone and Brownback, was unanimously passed in the Senate on July 27, 2000. Just this past year it was reauthorized.

Here is a brief audio clip of Brownback discussing he and Wellstone’s work on the issue of human trafficking:

Tancredo’s speech focused on what he dubbed “psychological pollution” and quickly moved toward a current headline topic: Don Imus.

“Imus,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing he’s gone… although I couldn’t care less about his specific case.”

Tancredo said the Imus-type conversation and method of targeting advertisers should be used against “people like Howard Stern” so we can be “gone with that piece of garbage.” This thought process meandered to his announcement of our country being “at war with radical Islam.”

“It has to do with the impression of our country that the rest of the world has,” he said. “We send out a skewed picture and they feel they are being invaded.

“Wouldn’t it be great to show that the people of this country are people of faith?” he asked and received hearty applause as a response and a few “amens” from the audience.

If there was one common thread between the two speeches it was prayer.

“People ask what they can do [about the perceptions of our nation],” Tancredo said. “I tell them: ‘You can pray.’”

Brownback listed three things audience members could do about human trafficking. Number three was “go.”

“Once you go and see it [the end results of trafficking and abuse], you’ll never be the same,” he said.

His second thing was “get involved” and his first was “pray.” To finish up his time at the microphone, Brownback led the group in prayer.