Posted on 10/13/2004 6:12:12 AM PDT by Theodore R.
District 19 foes come out swinging BY CORY CHANDLER AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
The claws came out over redistricting during Tuesday's District 19 congressional debate.
While the first face-to-face meeting between three District 19 candidates provided an arena for sparring over several issues, Tuesday's debate got heated after Democrat Charlie Stenholm was asked for his thoughts on the state's new congressional district map.
Republican Randy Neugebauer, Stenholm, and Libertarian Chip Peterson met in Texas Tech's Allen Theatre for the first of two debates. The candidates fielded nine questions spanning Social Security, defense, agriculture and other issues.
Stenholm scored the night's first outburst of applause when he was asked what he thought about Tuesday's forum taking place as a result of redistricting.
Stenholm, who currently represents District 17, and Neugebauer were lumped together under the state's new district lines.
"How do I feel about redistricting?" he asked, pointing to strained bipartisan relations in Washington D.C. and Austin that he said resulted from the contentious issue.
"People said don't do it, but the political powers that be did it anyway. And tonight I'm happy to be here because I want to be the congressman for the 19th District of Texas."
Neugebauer returned to a familiar campaign theme that the race is not about the past, but the future of the district.
"I'm the congressman that can lead this district in the direction it needs to go," he said.
Peterson noted that the agriculture community will take a hit no matter who wins in November because it will lose a representative in Con gress. Both Stenholm and Neugebauer are members of the House Agriculture Com mittee.
Peterson suggested that voters use his platform to influence policy, saying pollsters for Neugebauer and Stenholm would be calling them after the debates.
"What I would suggest is that you tell the pollsters that you are going to vote Libertarian if they don't support certain items," he said.
Among these items was Peterson's opposition to the estate tax and Patriot Act and support of a flat tax.
Peterson has said he intends to use the debates as a forum to press his issues. He spent part of his opening remarks introducing the Libertarian Party to voters.
Yet the debate primarily featured heavy give-and-take between Stenholm and Neugebauer, who hammered each other on their voting records.
They returned to their battle over the Farm Bill, an issue they have sparred over in the past.
Neugebauer noted that he introduced an amendment last week to a hurricane relief bill calling for $2.8 billion for farmers, including those in West Texas.
Stenholm said the bill stripped $3 billion out of the baseline of the Farm Bill, which he said will be needed to weather pressures of budget cutting.
"I know it's a lack of experience on your part of not understanding baseline as part of the budget and all, but that's a part of the problem that we've got," Stenholm said during the period set aside for rebuttals.
The two men also compared their tax records. Neugebauer cited approval ratings from organizations representing senior citizens, chambers of commerce, and others.
"I'm sorry that Congress man Stenholm talks about how long he's been in Congress but that over those years he doesn't have anything he's proud of to talk about in his own record," Neugebauer said. "He wants to talk about mine."
Stenholm said that under his watch taxes had gone down 5 percent as related to gross domestic product, and said Neugebauer had started the negative campaigning.
The second debate will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at Radford Auditorium on the McMurry University campus in Abilene.
Tuesday's event was put on by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with Lubbock Independent School District's LISD-TV and co-hosted by Texas Tech, Tech's Student Government Associa tion and the League of Women Voters.
Despite instructions before the debate began that audience members should not participate, the crowd burst into applause on several occasions as the candidates exchanged barbs.
cory.chandler@lubbockonline.com 766-8722
Ted,
What's the status of the Texas House races? If the election were held today, would the GOP pick up the promised six seats, or would we only pick up four or so?
Thanks,
RW
Is Sessions' lucky streak going to end? ;)
I live in this district (Stenholm/Neuberger) and it's gonna be close I think. Stenholm is really trying to appeal to the "agricultural needs" out here. Of course, it is a bunch of lies and will change as soon as he gets back to Washington. This one will be close.
Did you go to/see this debate in the article?
No, I live about 100 miles North of Lubbock (real rural America). I have listened to the chat around town and it is 50/50 here. This county will go about 80% for Dubya but many will split the ticket for Stenholm. A lot of very conservative people where I work want Stenholm because he has been in Congress longer. Go figure???
I think four is unlikely, but others think six is likely. I would suspect three new GOP seats from TX, half of what Tom DeLay hoped. I am unsure if Frost or Stenholm can be beat, and popular secularist Chet Edwards may win in the Bush-ranch district too.
Sessions will beat Frost, Neugebauer will beat Stenholm in a squeaker, and Lampson will lose in Beaumont. Edwards will, unfortunately, win in Waco, as will Doggett down in Austin. I don't even recall the sixth race.
somebody called a local radio show this morning and claimed that former Congressman Larry Combest showed up & sat in the Stenholm supporters section
It's odd that Zig Zag Zell Miller gets nothing but praise on FR yet Stenholm gets bashed, since Stenholm has consistantly been MORE of a "prinicipled conservative Democrat" than Miller has ever been. Miller just talks a good game. When Slick Willie was out lobbying cruise missles to cover up his bimbo affair, Miller pulled a Joe Lieberman and said Clinton was a naughty boy but shouldn't be impeached. Stenholm was one of only five RATs to break his party and put the rapist on trial. You will notice that Stenholm's lifetime "conservative" rating is far higher than Zig Zag's too.
That said, in a congressional race between two conservative incumbents, Neauberger overall record probably far outshines Stenholm. But the reason's its a close race is that Stenholm has consisted voted with the GOP long before he was redistricted. He deserves recongition for that far more than Miller does when the guy votes liberal but then endorses Bush and CLAIMS to be a conservative.
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