Month: November 2007

If you got in late and want to start from the beginning, go here. In that part I covered the opening statements and foreign affairs. Today I do the candidates’ thoughts on domestic issues.

By reintroduction, the three candidates who were at Thursday night’s forum are Steve Harper, Frank Kratovil, and Christopher Robinson. Of the three, only Kratovil currently holds elective office as the State’s Attorney in Queen Anne’s County. Robinson was also a candidate in 2006, finishing second in the primary to Dr. Jim Corwin, who chose not to make a run this time.

With a large number of questions asked, the field touched on a number of issues. Probably the most important one was immigration. Harper thought that there really wasn’t an immigration policy at the moment because the laws weren’t being enforced. Steve saw the issue as needing a “national discussion” of wants and desires. Kratovil also called for better enforcement of existing laws and sought to reward those entering legally, not unlawfully. But Frank placed a lot of blame on the business community too, as much of the problem was “about business undercutting wages.” Robinson also noted that employers had to “play by the rules” as he does being a small businessman himself.

Another hot-button issue to those in attendance was health care. Frank Kratovil noted that there was a philosophical difference between he and the Administration, particularly with Bush’s SCHIP veto. He felt that the government “(has the) responsibility that families have health care,” and we should pool our resources to insure everyone. Christopher Robinson also climbed aboard that train, claiming that if we do nothing, the number and cost of the uninsured will increase. Moreover, he noted that “companies…support government involvement,” and that a government approach could inspire preventative health care. Steve Harper felt that the Romney Massachusetts model was viable, “with more regulations”. According to Steve, “government is not the problem, but how we manage it.”

Was the republic in danger? One questioner had that on his mind and all three agreed that our system was still strong. Whether it was Christopher Robinson talking about the checks and balances instilled by the Founders or Frank Kratovil saying that the system was as good as the people in it, only Steve Harper wryly noted that the lone danger was getting Karl Rove back in the White House.

Of course, I think the republic is in danger if the size of government continues to grow. One questioner wanted to ask about reducing it, and he spoke to me afterward about me not being the only Republican in the house. But the question was asked and two of the candidates thought the best place to trim the budget was getting out of Iraq. Frank Kratovil wanted to use that cash for more health insurance though, while Christopher Robinson sought to place spending under “strict control” and billed himself as a “fiscal conservative.” Only Steve Harper distanced himself from the group slightly with his presumption that “government was not the problem” and proposing a BRAC-style committee to deal with wasteful programs. But Steve also thought we needed to raise taxes to balance the budget.

Indeed, taxes were an issue for a few questions. Some other conservative type snuck a question in, and it was a slightly reworded version of Question #8 of my “Ten Questions,” the one dealing with gasoline taxes vs. reallocating money away from bikeways and mass transit to infrastructure. (Someone has to make sure tough questions are asked.) Christopher Robinson drew the first answer, noting that gasoline taxes conserve energy and can help infrastructure, but he’d only increase the tax for that purpose. Otherwise, the spending should be reallocated for infrastructure – so he chose both options. Steve Harper saw this issue as becoming another “third rail” of American politics, but said he’d have “no problem” raising the gas tax and wouldn’t stop with just using the revenue for fixing bridges and such. For his part, Frank Kratovil said that gasoline and sales tax increases both hurt the middle class and that the price was becoming “overwhelming,” but also argued that people couldn’t expect the same government services without an increase in revenue coming their way. Okay, Frank, I’ll take fewer services.

We also heard a question dealing on the related subject of alternative energy, such as ethanol or wind power. Steve Harper did correctly say that the use of foodstuffs as fuel was leading to rioting in Mexico as the global corn prices increase, so we should get away from that particular source. Steve thought offshore windmills were a good idea, though.

On the other hand, Frank Kratovil talked about a need to “promote” alternative sources of energy to both citizens and business, but he slammed both the switch to ethanol (correctly pointing out that ethanol takes more energy to produce than it creates) and Americans in general because they “waste a lot” of energy. He called for conservation as another approach. Christopher Robinson also disdained ethanol, but thought that a major focus should be on increasing CAFE standards.

And it wouldn’t be a Democrat forum without the discussion of global warming. All three candidates thought it was “fact” and that the government had some role in fixing it; whether it needed the “same effort as going to the moon” (Kratovil), a “Manhattan Project” type of operation (Robinson), or getting into Kyoto and working to include China and India as well (Harper).

Is “No Child Left Behind” working? That was another domestic policy question handled by the trio. All three had similar answers, stating that the program was underfunded. Steve Harper really didn’t want teachers to “teach to a test” as it ignores those at the top and bottom, while Robinson and Kratovil (who did state that “education is the great equalizer”) both brought up the issue of class size as a factor. Personally, having gone through public school with a class size generally between 25 and 30, I think that the push for smaller class sizes is hogwash designed to get more teachers in the union. But I digress.

Interestingly enough, that question came up immediately after a question on crime, which some participants thought had its root in poor upbringing (including a lack of education.) Only Steve Harper brought up possibly the most obvious solution, more police on the street. (I was never sold on Clinton’s “100,000 cops” plan though.) He also asked “what about those behind bars?” in a push for more in the way of rehabilitation. Frank Kratovil and Christopher Robinson both wanted to shift more resources to combat issues they felt led to crime in the first place, with Kratovil adding that violent offenders do need to do their time while Robinson openly questioned whether some aspects of the Great Society led to this problem.

Maybe the money question of the whole proceedings came fairly near the end, when moderator Mike Farlow asked a question about what they can say to appeal to Republican voters.

Christopher Robinson asserted that people are “prepared to vote Democrat” because they were fed up with President Bush and that the GOP “drove the country into the ditch.” (No, yes on certain issues like immigration, and uh-uh.)

Steve Harper told those present that Democrats care about the environment and were the true fiscal conservatives. It was time for a “real Democrat,” he said, and not Wayne Gilchrest. (At 52% party loyalty, he’s not that far off regarding Gilchrest.)

Frank Kratovil thought that most of us, regardless of party, believe in the same things: family, good jobs, and combatting illegal immigration. It was a failure of Democrats to show that they do stand for these things and that the Democrats were what’s in America’s best interest. (So why is the approval rating of Congress lower than the President’s?)

At last it came down to the closing statements. According to Christopher Robinson, America’s greatness was based on individual dignity, and that we don’t have to look to government for everything. He again billed himself as a “fiscal conservative” who wanted to reduce our obligations to future generations and had the “guts to make tough decisions.”

Steve Harper called America an “amazing place,” but wistfully added, “sad things” had occurred the last six years. He felt Congress needs his global view as a former foreign service officer stationed overseas and that government needed a method to measure accomplishments. There were too many “yes” men in government and as one who had to decide whether applicants would get visas to come to our country, sometimes a “no” was in order. In short, he wanted to help bring America, “back to what it can be.”

The last word went to Frank Kratovil. The impression I got of his closing statement (at least what I wrote down) was an America of victims, with a responsibility to take care of its citizens. We needed strong leaders who are advocates, he said, and flat out promised, “I can win.” Part of this was because of those who endorsed him (including Governor O’Malley and the other statewide officeholders) and part of why he could win (and has won) in a Republican area was because he was “fair.”

As I alluded to yesterday, Jim Ireton of the Democrat Central Committee sat next to me much of the time. One thing he asked me was why there was such a rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth sort of passion about Andy Harris from the Republicans. I’m not sure I answered the question as I would have liked (since the debate was ongoing at the time) but here’s why I do, anyway.

In Wayne Gilchrest we have a Congressman who is nominally Republican but votes against what is perceived as their interests almost half the time. Obviously not everyone in the GOP has the exact same views on everything but chances are Wayne has gone against their core beliefs on a frequent basis over the last couple years – for me, it’s been his votes on the Long War and energy independence that have caused me the most grief.

However, let’s say one of these three Democrat challengers wins. In that case, a district that leans toward the conservative side of many issues now has a Congressman who does two things: one, he votes to maintain Nancy Pelosi for House leadership; and two, the 50/50 Republican/Democrat voting split we have with Gilchrest now tilts at least 70% to the Democrat side. Instead of the 80-90% agreement on core issues we may get with someone like Andy Harris or John Leo Walter, we get 30% or less. Democrats may think they can beat Andy Harris because they perceive him as extremely right-wing but when you factor in how the electorate in the area has played out over the last 20 years or so, it has become quite a solidly Republican bloc and there’s many out there who think it’s time for a Congressman who reflects more the values we do.

Democrats may see someone like Harris as too far to the right, but methinks the district will see any of these three as too far to the left on most issues once the primaries are complete and the issues become debated by all the voters. And I’m sure I’ll be there to fill them in!

Yesterday I read in the Daily Times that a forum was being held at SU for the Democrats who hope to unseat Wayne Gilchrest in the 2008 general election. I debated whether I should cover it – for about 1/2 second. Obviously I feel that people should make an informed decision at the polls and it’s most likely one of these three men will be facing the Republican who survives the February 12 primary.

So the three contenders present were Steve Harper, Frank Kratovil, and Christopher Robinson. They were joined by a close-to-capacity crowd in the small room, my best guess is about 40 people (by the looks of them, predominantly students) came out.

I liked the format, which worked well with three contenders. Each got a five minute opening statement, a series of questions with one minute answers, and three minutes for closing remarks. Moderator Mike Farlow kept the proceedings moving briskly which meant that there were a total of 17 (!) questions that were answered. Not only that, the questions were a pretty good mix of foreign and domestic issues. Of course, with so many questions I had several pages of notes on my small (about 4″ x 6″) pad, so I think I’m going to end up splitting this post into two parts, one today and one tomorrow. Today I’ll cover the opening statements and questions dealing with the Long War and international affairs. Then tomorrow I’ll do the other domestic issues and closing statements, along with a wrap-up.

To begin, each candidate had their five minutes to introduce themselves to those gathered.

Steve Harper took that time to expound on his “what am I thinking by getting into this race” moment by saying that this was “not the America I grew up with” and that we were heading down a “scary” path. As a foreign service officer for 15 years, he stressed his view of America from without, having served in countries around the globe. He also noted that the actions of the current Democrat-controlled Congress were “disconcerting” and was particularly displeased that they weren’t fulfilling their oversight duties – for one thing, he said, they “shall”, not “may”, impeach for high crimes and misdemeanors. He told us that he’d bring his energy, passion, and world view with him to Congress.

Calling this a “significant” election, Frank Kratovil talked about the balance he has to keep between his work and home life, along with running for Congress. But he felt that our country needed people to sacrifice to run for public office as he comes from a family devoted to public service. However, in being a State’s Attorney he felt he couldn’t make an impact on issues as he could in Congress. Kratovil did get into the Iraqi portion of the Long War during his opener, saying it was an “absolute, colossal mistake” and that we need to “get out of Iraq as soon as we can.” He used this interview (from 1994) as an argument that even Dick Cheney wasn’t on board all along with invading Iraq.

Right up front Christopher Robinson said that it was “time to bring the troops home” since they were now in an Iraqi “civil war.” Robinson also hammered on the 47 million that are supposedly uninsured, planning to achieve more energy independence in 10 years, and not leaving a “mountain of debt” for our children. Christopher also spoke about his prior experience in Washington on the staff of former Rep. Roy Dyson, where he helped draft legislation to clean up Chesapeake Bay and work on Ocean City beach erosion. In his terms, the country has a “need to change direction” and that “one person can make a difference.”

As one would expect from a gathering of Democrats, all three candidates were united that we need to get out of Iraq and that in the meantime we need to resort to diplomacy in order to stabilize the situation. Frank Kratovil added his concerns about the civilians left in our wake, while Christopher Robinson stated that “we need to stop thinking we can build nations.” Steve Harper chimed in that Sen. Joe Biden was correct on his assertion that a sort of “ethnic clensing” was going on as neighborhoods slowly became more segregated by religious beliefs.

Nor was the practice of “waterboarding” spared in the questioning as Harper began the round by complaining that the Democrats in Congress could not stop the Mukasey AG nomination despite his position on the practice. Kratovil thought the discussion was “outrageous” because the practice was “clearly torture.” Robinson decried that prior to now our country had always had “clean hands” and that President Bush has “tarnished” our reputation abroad.

Even when veterans return, the complaints from the contenders did not cease. Given a recent CBS News story about the suicide rate of veterans, the contenders turned it into a discussion on veterans’ health issues. Christopher Robinson came out and said that it was the “most important” veterans’ issue and that we owe these benefits to the troops. Meanwhile, Steve Harper talked about veterans being “kicked out” and not getting their due benefits and Frank Kratovil thought the question “ironic” since much of the blame for the headlines of late concerning veterans affairs (such as the Walter Reed fiasco) were due to a lack of oversight by Congress.

So, the question came later, why did no one have a “take charge” stance and say no to the War on Terror? Kratovil stated that terrorism is a “reality” and has been for some time, and that we were now less secure than prior to our invasion of Iraq. He equated terrorism such as 9/11 to criminal activity in general. (Of course, I sat there and thought that it’s pretty tough to try 19 hijackers since they’re all dead.) But Robinson thought resolve was the “most important” weapon in the Long War – however, he did admit that his views had changed substantially since the fighting began and the initial “benefit of the doubt” he gave President Bush turned into disappointment that he “let us down.” And Steve Harper simply noted that Iraq was never a threat to us, nor is Iran now. They’re all bluster, he noted, since we’re the biggest man on the block.

Speaking of Iran, one questioner asked if we could live with a nuclear Iran. They all thought we could or would at least have to. Frank Kratovil cautioned that we should keep a close eye on proliferation and that our foray into Iraq has served as a diversion for the Iranians. But Christopher Robinson couched the issue in a different direction, reintroducing a theme he’d began earlier in talking about domestic issues of no nuclear plants, since that sort of technology could be applied to weapons as well. Steve Harper thought that we could live with a nuclear power in Iran “and so could Israel” since they also had nukes and likely theirs were aimed at Tehran. The Iranian leaders were “not insane” although many like to think they are. However, if we could avoid a nuclear Iran, we should.

Israel was actually the subject of the prior question, and all three closely resembled each other with the view that we should maintain our friendship with Israel, but that the Israelis would not always be right in their decisions or act in our best interest. Harper probably had the most memorable statement when he noted that good friends tell their friends when they have bad ideas.

The final international affairs question dealt with the situation in Pakistan. Christopher Robinson thought that we had a “limited ability” to deal with their problems, but sanctions were one possible solution for keeping them in line while Steve Harper favored a more measured approach utilitizing multi-party diplomacy.

But the answer that most hammered on the current Administration came from Frank Kratovil. Saying that President Bush has had a number of diplomatic failures, he claimed that Iran had been reforming itself until Bush made his “axis of evil” speech. One theme Frank often came back to when talking about international affairs was the concept of “carrots and sticks.” I guess what I wonder is what are the carrots we have? I can figure out what our biggest stick is.

At this point I’m going to wrap up for this evening having gone through the international side of the debate. There were a number of great topics that were covered on the domestic side, including a question that should be familiar to my readers since I’d already asked it.

I have one incident to relate as a closing. At the end of the event, moderator Mike Farlow thanked the participants and audience and noted that there were two elected officials in the room. One was Jim Ireton, who is among my opposite number as he sits on the Democrats’ Central Committee, and the other was me. Obviously a few heads turned when my office was announced but Farlow continued, noting that “he writes probably one of the best political blogs in the area, monoblogue.” I did note that someone had to be the loyal opposition. But I appreciate the kind remarks and thought that this was a worthwhile event to cover because there’s been a lot of attention placed on the GOP side with its mudslinging and the Democrats have sort of flown under the radar. By the way, Ireton sat next to me and we had an interesting little chat going as they went along. Nothing untoward, mind you, but he did have some interesting observations I may share tomorrow.