'Pro-Liberty Conservative' Runs In Hingham Area

By Ed Oliver
October 29, 2002

Republican Nathaniel Palmer is challenging the incumbent Democrat, Rep. Garrett J. Bradley, in the 3rd Plymouth District, which includes Hingham, Hull, Cohasset and North Scituate.

Palmer, 32, thinks his chances of winning are solid. He said his opponent will have spent $400,000 over the course of three election cycles, but has only been successful once. He thinks there is a significant swing vote that will make the difference.

Asked to define himself politically, Palmer told MassNews, "I am a pro-liberty conservative."

Abortion

Palmer is solidly in the pro-life camp. "If we don't start from the basis that all life is sacred, then there is no foundation to start from," he said.

The candidate would vote to ban partial-birth abortion, to require a 24-hour reflection period and informed consent before a woman obtains an abortion, and against taxpayer funded abortions, physician assisted suicide and cloning.

In stark contrast to Palmer's pro-life stance, the pro-abortion group NARAL endorses his opponent, Garrett Bradley.

Gun Control

On gun rights, Palmer said, "I am a lifetime member of the NRA and an unqualified gun rights advocate." Asked if he is against police chiefs holding arbitrary power to issue gun licenses, Palmer said he doesn't believe in gun licenses in the first place. He does not think violent criminals, however, should own guns.

When it was pointed out to Palmer that the Massachusetts gun rights organization "GOAL" rates him as "no response," Palmer was irritated because he said he filled out GOAL's questionnaires. His opponent is rated as "mixed" on gun rights.

Marriage

Palmer said he signed the Protection of Marriage petition and he thinks the Constitutional Amendment is a good one. If it went through, he said, the definition of marriage would be settled, freeing up legislators to deal with proxy issues, etc, without worrying about redefining marriage.

Nathaniel Palmer listening to a constituent.

It was "borderline treason," said Palmer, that legislators let their own beliefs get in the way of their Constitutional duty when they adjourned the Convention without voting on the Marriage Amendment. "Of course, my opponent was one of those who voted to shut it down," he pointed out. Palmer thinks the governor should call the Convention back to finish their business. Taxes Palmer signed the Citizens for Limited Taxation pledge. The organization rates Palmer as a "Prop 2 ½ endorsed candidate."

On the ballot question to eliminate the income tax, Palmer said he is all for it, but on the other hand, he doesn't want to give the legislature one more excuse to ignore the will of the people.

Education

On education, Palmer said he comes from a family of teachers. He said he would encourage choice in education through vouchers and by making home schooling easier. He said that there are a number of programs in other states to optimize and facilitate home schooling that we could emulate. Home schooling is a model of success across the board, he said, despite the different socio-economic backgrounds of families who pursue it.

Palmer thinks the state should fully fund the public schools, but would like to see more local autonomy on how the money is spent. He said schools should have the freedom to experiment and be allowed to fail, so we can clearly identify what is and isn't working. He is not a huge fan of the MCAS. He believes in minimum graduation standards, but thinks the test should be looked at more as a diagnostic tool rather than heavily emphasized as a graduation requirement.

Bi-lingual Ed doesn't work, according to Palmer. He supports the English immersion approach. Palmer is no fan of sex education in the schools either, and believes that it is too problematic. "It's the sort of thing where if you can't do it right, eliminate it," he said.

Asked about the gay agenda in the schools, which is carried out through the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth and gay clubs, Palmer said "Let me offer an analogy. What if I wanted to have a swinger's chapter so no kid would have to be embarrassed to advocate the swinger lifestyle?" Palmer said that hopefully it would be found to be very distasteful, and the same should apply to what we have now in the schools.

Fathers and Children

Palmer is fundamentally in favor of father's rights, and regarding DSS, he said he hears nothing but horror stories from both liberals and conservatives. He said unelected officials having more and more power over people's civil rights is a Marxist notion, but he is not sure yet what can be done. He would have an open door to hear both sides and wouldn't be afraid to tackle it.

Anti Snob Law

Palmer is a long time opponent of the 40B "anti snob law," which allows real estate developers to bypass local obstacles to their projects as long as they satisfy the state by setting aside a percentage of subsidized housing units in their projects. To him, heavy-handed rules that sweep aside local concerns are a bad thing, regardless of their intentions. Besides, it is not working, he said.

"Government is a blunt instrument, and the way you deal with a blunt instrument is through local control," said Palmer.

Returned to His Roots

Palmer grew up in California. He moved to Massachusetts both to return to his ancestral roots and to attend Bentley College, where he earned a degree in Computer Information Systems. He completed post-graduate study at Babson College's Olin School of Management, and is a principal of Delphi Group, a consulting firm headquartered in Boston.

Palmer was elected twice to serve consecutive terms in the Milton Housing Authority, where he held the position of Treasurer. He has also been a student mentor, peer counselor, and actively worked with high school and college students. He has been married for seven years.

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