This November, the electorate has a clear choice.  In Rhode Island’s Senate race, retired state Supreme Court justice Bob Flanders (R) is running against incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse (D).  It comes down to a supporter of the rule of law, Flanders, versus a U.S. senator who dismisses it.  American Thinker interviewed the former judge about his opponent and important issues of the day.

Since Whitehouse has been rated by the Lugar Center as the 9^th most partisan Senator in Washington, it is no wonder he puts party ahead of his own electorate.  Flanders, on the other hand, has an impressive resume. He came from humble beginnings, working his way through college in various minimum-wage jobs.  He also was the captain of Brown University’s baseball team and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers. After he graduated from law school, the head of the farm system told him to look for another type of job: ‘I think you will be a hell of a lawyer someday’. He founded his own law practice, served for eight years as a state Supreme Court justice, and chaired the Board of Regents for elementary and secondary school education in Rhode Island.

On his website, Senator Whitehouse brags about “breaking rules of precedent.”  He did more than that during Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing by going against the rule of law.  Even before the hearing started, the senator announced he would not vote for him, without any regard to a fair hearing.  During committee questioning about the Ford allegations, he did not ask any thoughtful questions to determine the judge’s innocence or guilt, but concentrated on Judge Kavanaugh’s high-school yearbook.  How ridiculous is that? It became obvious that he also broke with “rules of precedent” by assuming guilt before innocence and not caring about vetting ridiculous accusations.

A Rhode Island man admitted to making false accusations by claiming Judge Kavanaugh and a friend assaulted someone on a boat.  Even after these accusations were recanted, Whitehouse still asked the judge about it.  Flanders considers this “a disgrace and embarrassing. Particularly watching Senator Whitehouse doing his yearbook inquiry about slang and nickname references in the minds of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen-year-olds, which was thirty-six years ago.  He was the one responsible for servicing a false accusation of rape in Rhode Island.  He fed it to an investigative reporter.  This shows to me how the senator had poor judgment, making allegations that weren’t vetted.”

As a judge himself, he found it “difficult to watch because here was a man who led an exemplary life as a father, husband, coach, law professor, and judge.  All the accusations had no corroboration. The only reason he opposed him was because he did not like his judicial philosophy. I was glad the long traditions of presumption of innocence was decisive.”

He is a believer in the rule of law.  “I do not support sanctuary cities because they are basically sheltering people here in violation of the law.  I do not think the government should be a sanctuary to rule breakers.  I also think chain migration and the lottery should be limited.”

Border security goes hand in hand with reforming immigration policies.  “I believe there are lots of ways to get across the border.  A wall should be one piece to enhance the security.  We also need electronic fences, drones, and other devices/technologies. Border security is national security. We cannot allow those not vetted and unvested people to come into this country willy nilly.  There are people out there that want to harm us.”

Abiding by the laws is important, and that includes taking a firm hand against China.  “China is doing things illegally without any respect to trademarks and patents.  They have a regime that wants to obtain American technology by whatever means possible.  We need to be very tough with the Chinese.”

Consistent in his beliefs, he “understands that in reference to the accusations against Saudi Arabia, President Trump wants to move cautiously and not jump to conclusions, letting the investigation take its course.  However, any Saudi found responsible for murdering this journalist should face severe consequences.  If the accusations are true, we must send a strong message that we will not stand idly by and accept this behavior.”

Flanders noted, “Senator Whitehouse wants socialized medicine and ignores the cost of $32.6 trillion, taxes will increase, and reimbursements to providers will be cut back.  I call his view ‘a socialistic fantasy.’  What we need to do is bring down the cost of pharmaceutical prices, allow competition by buying across state lines, possibly having physicians that could issue their own health care plans, more transparency about pricing for medical procedures, and making sure those with pre-existing conditions get coverage through high risk state pools.”

Having been involved with ensuring an improvement in education, he believes “not everyone is college bound. We need more vocational training and certificates for acquiring job skills.  There should be different paths for students to be successful and not everyone needs a college degree to get there. Parents and students should be secure when in school. I find it puzzling why there is such resistance.  You cannot go into a courthouse, airport, or office building without facing some kind of security. We need to take measures to harden our schools to prevent someone from wrecking havoc.”

Flanders hopes to be elected because he is not entrenched in politics.  “We need to get back to citizen legislators; thus, I believe in term limits. I am hoping people vote for those candidates who put country/state above party and believe in the rule of law. I will apply the same problem-solving practical skills of my past jobs to the position of U.S. Senator.” Since Rhode Island is proud of its heritage as being independent, hopefully they will consider Flanders and not be turned off by his having an “R” by his name.

The author writes for American Thinker.  She has done book reviews, author interviews, and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles.