Bill Weld

**William Floyd Weld** (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. He began his career as legal counsel to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary before becoming the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and later, the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. Weld ran for the Republican nomination in the 2020 Presidential election. He won his first and only delegate of the primaries in the Iowa caucus in February, making him the first Republican since Pat Buchanan in 1992 to win a delegate while running against an incumbent president. Weld suspended his campaign on March 18, 2020.

## Beliefs

### **Immigration**

Governor Weld pledges to make it easier for people to enter the USA and contribute to the economy. He said his administration would expand the work visa program, put an end to mass deportations and, simplify the adjudication process for immigration. In an interview with Independent Journal Review Weld said: “I think we should have more work visas, not less. Enforce them but have them available. We should have a guest worker program similar to Canada’s where people come and work for four months of the agricultural season or the construction season. … And I think the whole notion that the 11 million people who have overstayed their visas — so-called undocumented immigrants — a lot of those people just overstayed their visas. And to say all of them automatically have to get citizenship, that’s just crazy.”

In his view, the poor treatment of Latinos could eventually kneecap the Republican party. “Mexicans are the hardest-working people I ever saw in my life,” Weld said. “They’re very religious, they’re family-oriented. I think they’re natural Republican voters if they’re treated with respect —which they’re not in this administration.” Weld also spoke about his concern around income inequality and his belief that the Trump administration is not doing enough to address it. “As a prudential matter of social cohesion, I think we do need to do something for the lower echelons, the lower rungs of the economic ladder,” Weld said.

### **Abortion**

At a campaign stop in Exeter, New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Governor told a crowd of voters he’s “the most pro-choice person you’re ever going to meet.” “The way I look at it, it’s kind of a power issue,” Weld said. “And who wants a lot of big, fat, white guys who live in Washington 700 miles away making the decision about what’s going to happen about a family pregnancy where the family has basis for some views and maybe wants to terminate the pregnancy.” Weld’s stance places him far to the left of the mainstream Republican Party and Trump, whose base is often dedicated to anti-abortion measures.

Weld publicly fought to remove anti-abortion language from the Republican Party platform in the 1990s, to the dismay of social conservatives.

### **Gun Laws**

Speaking about gun regulations at the Iowa State Fair, Weld said: "My stance is not to have a supercharged background check on everybody every time they buy a gun because I do not think that is where you reach the shooters. I think the red flag laws would be a giant step toward preventing the mass shootings that we are talking about."

He later added: "I am a lifelong hunter and gun owner. In 1993, as Governor of Massachusetts, I went along with modest restrictions on firearms. Governing involves tough choices. Today, I would make different choices. Restricting gun rights doesn't make us safer, and threatens our constitutional freedoms. I support the Supreme Court's decision in the District of Columbia vs. Heller -- a decision that embraced the notion that Second Amendment rights are individual rights, not to be abridged by the government."

In the past, Weld broke with Republicans to back assault weapons bans and has supported waiting periods for firearms purchases and a ban on handgun sales to individuals under the age of 21.

### **Justice System Reform**

Weld states he is aware of the problems haunting the American Justice System, because of his earlier prosecutorial career. According to his website, the former governor believes that "Laws must be enforced, and that is especially true when it comes to those in charge of enforcing them. Our justice system is in need of a serious overhaul."

He identifies prison overcrowding as a major issue and thinks that the justice and prison system should refocus from excessive punishment to reforming inmates and helping them repurpose for life after release.
Weld would also seek to decriminalize addiction, and instead, treat it as a health emergency. Above all of that, Trump's challenger would also pursue reforming the bail system, providing more funding for reentry programs, and passing an unspecified expansion of the First Step Act through Congress.

Later in the primary, he laid out his plan aimed at overhauling the criminal justice system. According to his website, it would:

* “Confront prison overcrowding.”
* “End mandatory minimum sentencing.”
* “Encourage bail reform.”
* “Deschedule cannabis as a class one narcotic.”
* “Reexamine civil asset forfeiture.”
* “Release non-violent offenders convicted of minor possession of marijuana from prison.”
* “Demilitarize police.”

### **Global Warming**

On the issue of Global Warming, Weld stated  that lawmakers should let the market decide when it comes to regulation on climate change. Though he didn’t mention anyone by name, he criticized climate change proposals put forth by 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, arguing that a carbon tax is a much more feasible and economic alternative to address the crisis. He told Hill.TV that his proposal would not tell people what to do, which was an advantage to the other proposals. “They make their own decisions,” he said. “That’s letting the market decide about carbon — that’s a much more powerful engine than just saying I’m going to spend $10 trillion to promote clean energy,” he added. “You don’t know if you’re going to get there.”

He pledged that as president, he would "immediately act to insure the U.S. rejoins the Paris Accord, and seek Senate approval to solidify our participation as a treaty obligation not subject to the whims of politicians."

"Within our first 100 days, a Weld Administration will submit to Congress proposed legislation establishing an economy-wide carbon price, to be set initially at $40 per ton of carbon emission, increasing 5% annually thereafter."

Besides, Weld claims he wants to maintain and expand the share of renewables in the US energy mix, continue to rely upon nuclear power, as well as less carbon-intensive fuels such as natural gas.

## *Sources*

1. ↑ https://edition.cnn.com/election/2020/candidate/weld
2. ↑ https://weld2020.org/weld-criticizes-trump-on-immigration-trade/
3. ↑ https://apnews.com/748f66ac0b3445fea073aaf599618e4d
4. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-does-william-weld-believe-where-the-candidate-stands-on-5-issues
5. ↑ https://ballotpedia.org/2020\_presidential\_candidates\_on\_gun\_regulation
6. ↑ https://www.ontheissues.org/2020/Bill\_Weld\_Gun\_Control.htm
7. ↑ https://weld2020.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/weld2020\_policypaper\_criminaljustice.pdf
8. ↑ https://ballotpedia.org/2020\_presidential\_candidates\_on\_criminal\_justice
9. ↑ https://www.unumfund.org/bailprison-reform
10. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/23/nyregion/board-would-trump-trump-with-a-historic-district.html
11. ↑ https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/462319-bill-weld-on-climate-change-let-the-market-decide
12. ↑ https://weld2020.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/weld2020\_policypaper\_climatechange.pdf