The issue of lobbyist/special interest money came up on several occassions within the context of several questions, but mainly in the sixth question which addressed earmarking of bills and lobbying money. Bob said that the system is broken and that things being earmarked in larger bills [I think this is also called "paperclipping"] deserve the same light of day as the full bill itself. He said that "sunshine is the best disinfectant" and I actually agree with him on that [stop the presses, what time is it?] Unfortunately, he has no problem with taking special interest money and doesn't seem to think that taking money from the same donors as Man on Dog is a problem. Alan is opposed to overnight earmarks and brought up last year's PA pay raise scandal which happened, duh, overnight. He called out Bob for signing all of those checks [he's the PA Treasurer] which were all unconstitutional. Alan stated that he is against lobbyist money, but accepts money from some PACs, but does not have a specific calculus as to which he'd accept money from and which he would turn down money from. Chuck is the only PAC free and special interest money free candidate in the race and agreed with Alan that Bob the illegal pay raises were bad for all Pennsylvanians. He called out Alan for selling out his position on the issue of parental notification/consent to special interests. In an August interview with PoliticsPhilly.com, Alan stated that he was for limited parental notification and consent.
The ninth question addressed the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and whether or not we should withdraw immidately in accordance with the plan Rep. John Murtha (PA-12) put forth and the tenth question asked who were the most serious nuclear threats in the world. Bob said he was against immediate withdrawal and blamed BushCo for lying to get into the war and Man on Dog for being all frothy at the mouth over the war. Bob would have voted for the war with the information at the time and now feels that we need to finish the job since we're there. He called for an independent senator with no ties to big oil to lead; none of the candidates take money from big oil. Bob stated that the US government must leave all options on the table with Iran and North Korea, the two most dangerous nuclear threats. He said that there should be negotiations first, but that the military and The Bomb should still be used as leverage in the end, as BushCo currently feels. Alan favors the Murtha plan and adds that it does not call for an immidate withdrawal as in tomorrow the troops come home, but over a matter of months [I think he said six to nine months]. He said that by the end of 2006, the US troops should be limited to border patrol and redeployment in hot spots. He echoed the Bush categorization of North Korea and Iran as charter members of the Axis of Evil and that coalitions are needed to talk to them as the US cannot do it alone.
Chuck started off by asking his fellow candidates to call for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to a round of applause from the crowd. It was at this point [about seventy-five minutes into the debate] that a Casey supporter [he had on a sticker] behind me said to the person sitting next to him "[Chuck] is making all the right points" to which I grinned. Chuck also agrees with the Murtha plan; he's been calling for a withdrawal since June of 2005. Chuck also favors redeployment in hot spots. Chuck also listed North Korea and Iran as the most dangerous nuclear threats, but stressed that threats of nuclear force is not the way to go. He called for the US to embrace a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and lead by example. He called North Korea the source of the world's loose nukes and stressed that a dialogue must be opened up with Iran as they are currently years away from developing nuclear bomb making capabilities [a Right wing lie!].
The twelfth and final question asked the candidates why they would make a better senator than Man on Dog. Bob listed the 181K jobs lost in PA since 2001 and the 17K who lost health insurance since 2001 [but Bob's expanded healthcare plan addresses child healthcare coverage and not universal coverage as Chuck and Alan espouse and recently the CEO of GlaxsoSmithKline endorsed and called financially feasable]. Alan started off by saying that living in the state of PA would be a start. He cited ties to lobbyist money and big oil by Man on Dog. Chuck reiterated his true independence from special interest money as the PAC free and lobbyist free candidate - the only candidate not beholden to anybody but his constituents. He called Man on Dog an absentee landlord and a preacher of bigotry through hate.
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