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Posted on 04/24/2008 5:20:21 AM PDT by MitchellC
Change is a common word in politics today. Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower, a Republican candidate for Congress in the 11th District, said he would stand firm behind his principles and not compromise for the sake of change.
"Our founding fathers were not go along, get along type of guys," Mumpower said at the Henderson County Republican Men's Club on Wednesday. "They effected change. How did they do it? They challenged wrongs. They refused to participate in the system. That is a bunch of nonsense that you have to go up there or go to Asheville City Council and jump and participate in that to get anything done. That is not true. The opposite is true."
Former Henderson County Republican Party Chairman Spence Campbell, also a Republican candidate, took a different stance. If the winner of the Republican nomination defeated Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, in November, he would be a freshman congressman. Campbell said a new member would have to work within the system but must have firm convictions.
"A freshman anything has no power," Campbell said. "(You have) no given thing just because you walked through the door that will make you able to carry out your programs. I think it takes effective, conservative leadership. Leadership that comes from a lifetime of experience around the world ... (and) principles that will allow you to work as part of a team within the Republican leadership to promote conservative values on behalf of the district, to convince the rest of the leadership in Congress that you are there to do good for your people, and their best course of action is to help you do that."
The third candidate in the Republican race, Highlands attorney John Armor, said Congress is a large body and a member must work to build a majority. He said there are particular actions congressmen can do procedurally but Armor said he would want to work with others.
"One out of 435 is very long odds," Armor said, adding, "Whoever is in Congress has to be good at talking with other members of Congress, finding like-minded members on that issue, and therefore getting passed or stopped what is good for the district. It is not an easy process."
The candidates took different positions on the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act. President Bush supports a Senate version of the bill that gives immunity to telecommunications companies that helped with intelligence gathering. The House passed a version without immunity. Critics expressed concerns about FISA's possible infringement on civil liberties.
Campbell said people should not be worried about their civil liberties being infringed upon with FISA.
"The FISA bill isn't about dealing with Americans," Campbell said. "It's about intercepting e-mails that come from non-Americans that come through the American telecommunications system. It has nothing to do with civil liberties. It is necessary to defend this nation using all resources, so long as our civil liberties are not violated in the process. We are a nation at war facing a threat to the future of this country that is so significant that it compares to World War II."
Mumpower took the opposite stance. He said the FISA bill with immunity violated the Constitution and infringed on the American people's civil liberties.
"I will do a whole lot of things before I will do the simple, pragmatic step of taking away the liberties of American citizens," Mumpower said. "I think the protection of that liberty is job one in America today. I think we are seeing far too many of those liberties trampled on."
Armor, a self-described expert in Constitutional law, said there is nothing unconstitutional about FISA.
"That is the position of the ACLU," Armor said. "That is the position of (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi. That is not my position. It is not the position of the Constitution."
He added, "I believe in getting the best possible information on the enemy. FISA should be extended."
The issue of the recent Bear Stearns bailout came up at the debate. The investment company lost billions in the mortgage-backed securities sector and was close to bankruptcy. The Federal Reserve negotiated a deal where it backed the purchase of Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase.
Mumpower said he believes actions like the bailout of Bear Stearns is corporate welfare and something he opposed.
"I'm not a big fan of welfare," Mumpower said. "I think it undermines our free market economy. I think it robs people of their dignity. I think again it rigs the system for special interests. I believe the Bear Stearns bailout was a mistake."
Campbell opposed bailouts in general but said the Bear Stearns bailout was warranted.
"I don't believe day in and day out the federal government has any business bailing out anybody, including private individuals that over-commit themselves," Campbell said. "But I do believe that it is a legitimate function of government to keep the system from collapsing for reasons that in some cases they created themselves."
Armor said the bailout was the right choice. He said the stockholders were not bailed out, they lost billions, but the federal reserve needed to keep the system together.
"If Bear Stearns had just collapsed all by itself, being that large, it would be like 35 years ago when the Continental Bank, the 20th largest in the country in Chicago was about to go belly-up, and they saved it because it would have collapsed the whole banking economy ... I think it was a good thing in this instance."
The primary is May 6. Residents can cast early votes through one-stop voting until May 3. The candidates have several more debates scheduled before the primary.
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