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Candidates for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District answered a few of our questions. Read what they have to say. Discuss their answers and pose questions of your own.
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When Schmookler advocates `obamacare`, he is `dead in the water`.
#1 Except of course all those parts that the public says they like and that many Republicans now say they’ll preserve, right, Doto?
Andy wins this debate hands down. Goodlatte fails to demonstrate any original thinking but instead offers the same tired old bromides repeated often by the Republicans. Andy’s comments are like a breath of fresh air and show insight and originality.
When Goodlatte was behind SOPA, automatic loss of vote! Don’t let Goodlatte screw up the internet folks!
Wow! Schmookler not only deconstructs every one of Goodlatte’s bad ideas, he gives us honest alternatives. But let me just speak to one of the issues discussed: the budget. First and foremost, the national debt doubled under Reagan and nearly doubled again under G. W. Bush. Why was Goodlatte unconcerned about “out of control spending” until Obama was elected? Second, Schmookler is exactly right that during a recession is the wrong time to pay down the debt. The Romney-Ryan budget, which Goodlatte apparently endorses, is simply another name for the “austerity” plans that are killing the economies of the EU and producing unemployment there as high as 25%. Third, Goodlatte has unwisely signed the Grover Norquist pledge, which makes it virtually impossible to balance the budget through cuts alone without totally eviscerating discretionary spending (which is the real motivation behind the GOP focus on the debt in the first place). Most Americans realize that the debt can only be eliminated fairly by some combination of higher taxes and budgetary cuts. The fairest thing is simply to let the Bush era tax cuts expire (which were supposed to be temporary) on those making more than, say, $500,000 per year, as proposed by Tim Kaine. That alone, I believe, gets us nearly halfway to a balanced budget. But as Schmookler says, Goodlatte would play reverse Robin Hood: gut programs for the needy to give more to the greedy.
Two words seem to define Mr. Goodlatte, Fear and Stale.
Fear – Mr. Goodlatte has run away from debates with Mr.Schmookler. As a voter in the 6th district, I want to know where the candidates stand on issues. I applaud The Roanoke Times for at least getting Mr. Goodlatte to answer some questions.
Fear – Mr. Goodlatte signed the Grover Norquist Pledge. What does that mean? 1. Mr. Goodlatte is afraid if he votes for any tax increase, no matter what, Mr. Norquist will fund campaigns against him. Money is Mr. Norquist’s weapon. 2. Mr. Goodlatte works for Mr. Norquist, not for the betterment of the 6th District population and American in general.
Stale – Every idea presented by Mr. Goodlatte in this point/counterpoint is STALE! Tried and did not work. The definition of stupidity is to repeat the same actions expecting different results. Well, look where the “conservative” republican party ideas have gotten us in the past decade, poor, unemployed and in debt. While I use the term “conservative” the current republican law makers are not conservative. They believe in welfare – corporate welfare that has no end.
So I am hoping Mr. Goodlatte will agree to a couple of debates (before the election) and he will have some new reasonable ideas to present. And maybe, just maybe he will withdraw his Norquist Pledge.
No name recognition + no $= no chance
Bob Goodlatte has been in office since 1993, we need to elect someone with fresh ideas and a new perspective. Congress has an abysmal 13% approval rating, yet most people keep sending the same reps back time after time. Let’s stop re-electing Bob Goodlatte mindlessly, he part of the problem not the solution.