Posted on 10/15/2004 5:54:46 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Story last updated at 1:04 a.m. Friday, October 15, 2004 District 19 foes seek edge Social Security issue dominates debate in Abilene
BY CORY CHANDLER AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
ABILENE — Congressional District 19 candidates held a debate in the home of Dyess Air Force Base on Thursday night, but Social Security stole the show.
The candidates, who met at McMurry University for the second of two debates this week, gave a nod to the base but returned to Social Security repeatedly throughout the night.
Democratic contender Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, called it the No. 1 problem facing the United States. He said he was glad to hear President Bush mention during a Wednesday night presidential debate that he was interested in looking at a solution in a bipartisan manner.
"I've been waiting for that now for six years," he said.
Republican contender and current District 19 U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer of Lubbock said a better system needs to be found, but opposed cutting benefits, raising the retirement age, or taxing Social Security.
"That's money that's already had tax paid on it; we should not continue to do that," he said.
Libertarian candidate Richard Peterson of Lubbock suggested raising the retirement age and giving 10 years of warning that it is being done. He suggested setting up a private savings system.
Neugebauer said Stenholm voted to start taxing Social Security benefits. Stenholm later came back and said he was following the lead of former Ronald President Reagan, who recommended it in 1983.
"If you want to criticize me for that, that's fine," Stenholm said.
He said Neugebauer's stance on Social Security would cost taxpayers as much as $2 trillion.
As has been common throughout the race, the debate played out a bit like a politicized game of spin the bottle.
Neugebauer, in his opening remarks, sought to link Stenholm to Democratic presidential contender Sen. John Kerry.
Stenholm tied Neugebauer's voting record to Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. At one point, Stenholm said he had the votes necessary to pass a $2.9 billion disaster relief amendment without reopening the Farm Bill.
"We had the votes until Tom DeLay said to you, 'we're not going to pass this without offsets,' then all of the sudden, it all changed," Stenholm said.
Stenholm has said the Farm Bill was reopened and $3 billion was taken out of the baseline.
Neugebauer maintains the bill was not reopened. Neugebauer, at one point in the evening, said the importance lies in how he voted, not who he voted with. He said he votes with his conscience.
"The first test at the top of the pyramid is 'is it right with God, is it right with America, and is it right with the people of the 19th district?,' " he said.
The candidates did discuss Dyess. Stenholm, who currently represents Abilene in District 17, said he will continue working with the community, which he called the base's greatest strength. He said he has been active in providing housing at the base, and noted appropriations that have extended facilities and programs.
"We will continue to do what is necessary to make sure that the men and women who serve our country always have the adequate tools to fight the battles," he said.
Neugebauer said he visited Abilene when he was running for District 19 before he even knew it was going to be a part of the district.
He said he intends to work across party lines to protect the base. He noted that he had brought House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter to Abilene.
"He is a very important decision-maker in the future of military spending, and I wanted him to see firsthand what's going on in Dyess Air Force Base," Neugebauer said.
Neugebauer and Stenholm have been lumped together in the election under Texas' new congressional district lines.
cory.chandler@lubbockonline.com 766-8722
An on-line poll on Wednesday showed Stenholm outpolling Neugebauer 2-1 among debate watchers evaluating the candidates' performance in the first debate in Lubbock.
Larry Combest has said he'd remain neutral, but I heard on a local radio show that he came to the first debate as a guest of Stenholm and sat in the section designated for Stenholm supporters.
As I've pointed out before, Stenholm only got 52% in 2002 running against a nobody with no money in a district in which he had represented 89% of its residents for at least a decade. This time, Stenholm is facing a well-financed incumbent Republican Congressman in a district in which he had previously represented only 31% of the population, and the district is even more Republican than his old district (which was one of the most Republican districts in the nation to have a RAT Congressman). Regardless of Combest's neutrality or Stenholm's debate performance, I would be surprised if Stenholm got over 45% in November.
Is Combest now a lobbyist for agricultural interests? If so, that could explain his inclination for Stenholm? And it could be that for Combest friendship triumphs partisanship.
I don't know, but it's my humble opinion that Neugebauer's ads have become ENTIRELY more negative than they need to be. Stenholm may be a fence-sitting "conservative" democrat, but he's also worthy of more respect than Neugebauer's showing him. I think Neugebauer could win handily without all the negative ads. Gentlemen don't behave that way in W. Texas.
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