So, the following is rather a disclaimer, and that is, I did make an honest effort to blog what she was saying as best I could, but she wasn't making any sense, so it was really hard to write the gist of her point, because it was never clear exactly what her point was…  It sounded like she was stringing together a bunch of talking points that she had memorized.  I heard that she sounded a lot like Latham in his debate with Maske.  So it may seem I got more of what Congressman Loebsack said than what she said and it was simply because he was easier to follow.

Kyle Thompson w/political science club at MMU..welcome…enjoy the debate

Candidates are behind the podia..

Election day just 3 weeks away…

First, Dem encumbent Dave Loebsack and GOP opponent Miller-Meeks

90 seconds to answer and add'l 30 seconds for rebuttal

Chris Earl from TV9 News and James Lynch from the CR Gazette

Dave won the toss..

Question:  Describe what you think the state of the economy would be today if the fed gov't had not taken the action it did for the recovery..

Loebsack:  I don't like hypotheticals but I have no doubt in my mind that if the actions that were taken in 2009 had not been taken, things would be far worse than they are now…I think the actions clearly saved upwards of 3 million jobs – that's what the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) said..  I have absolutely no doubt that we would have had an economic collapse…it would have been difficult to impossible for students to get student loans, for auto dealers, farmers…we avoided a worse financial crisis..

Miller-Meeks:  No one knows…difficult question…there could have been actions taken..resolution trust….stimulus pkg. was in order to create 3 million jobs…  we still have a housing crisis, car dealerships closed, my son still does not have a job, many are struggling, sitting at kitchen tables …but instead of gov't doing that, gov't dramatically increased spending without increasing jobs.

Loebsaack:  Clearly, we would have been far worse off…if you think we haven't created jobs, talk to the operating engineers who are working right now to replace the span at the Burlington Bridge, talk to the police officers and firefighters whose jobs were saved because of the stimulus… and talk to the students.

MM:  How many of you have driven near a good road when the road you are on is filled with potholes?  …Construction that should have been done hasn't been done…

Question:  Health care reform:  MM, how much is your opposition to health care why you are running and what solutions would you offer?

MM:  Bill 2400 pages, gives us all dissatisfaction with what happened… We need to increase accessibility, make it affordable…bill increased access but it's not affordable…companies asking for waivers, haven't seen the net results…good things in the bill…  could've been done incrementally…young people staying on their parents' policies is a good thing…we could have ….gobbledygook…

Loebsack:  I voted for that bill because it was the right thing to do.  I held 16 town hall meetings, over 400,000 Iowans in the 2nd District who now have more stable health insurance because of that bill…companies that can provide health insurance for their employees.  I voted for that bill because there are thousnads of young adults in the 2nd district of Iowa who can stay on their parents' health care until age 26; I voted for the bill because seniors can receive checks when they fall into the donut hole …Medicare was strengthened by this bill…not weakened…strengthened…the life of it was lengthened because of these reasons.  

MM:  Last night I was informed by an elderly lady that she had lost Medicare Advantage…we also know that Medicare Advantage was lost in Iowa but Florida got to keep it…

Loebsack:  Medicare was strengthened.  We are cutting waste from Medicare, everyone agrees.  Re: Medicare Advantage, those insurance companies have been receiving a 14% additional premium of taxpayer dollars.  We're going to cut out the taxpayer funded premiums.

Question:  What option do you favor regarding the postal service?

Loebsack:  We need to make sure we continue the postal service delivery…in a lot of small towns the post office is the hub for the town and we need to do everything we can to save those services vital to the people of Iowa…in a rural state like Iowa we depend on those rural carriers as well.  There are a number of towns in our district that that is the only real business.

MM:  Many of us look forward to getting a piece of mail, especially if it's not a bill..we know there are problems in the postal service…how many days we deliver is a consideration…there is waste and fraud in post office…consolidating services…

Loebsack:  We  have to be very careful when we talk about this issue especially when we talk about rural Iowa because rural Iowans depend on this service so much.

MM:  We know there are avenues to increase efficiency; consolidating services, routes, days; what services do we need, are there other avenues for increasing service but more efficiently.

Question:  Loebsack ads say you're proposing a 23% tax increase on goods.

MM:  I have never said we should increase taxes by 23%…I find it to be slightly ludicrous…if members of congress can't figure out their taxes, we have a problem…so why not make it simpler, easier, and wouldn't that increase compliance?  Alternative minimum tax…  (she mentioned alternative minimum tax several times in this response…)

Loebsack:  I stand by that ad.  My opponent has publicly stated her support for the so-called fair tax which is a tax on virtually everything you consume including medicine, food, cars…even Bush who supported this had a panel which concluded it was not fair.  There is nothing fair about this tax.  It does do what I say it does in the ad.

MM:  I've never said we should increase taxes by 23%…it is a single tax….eliminates the IRS…talking about tax reform is a worthy discussion.

Loebsack:  Yes, the 23% tax would be an additional tax on what folks are already paying for, and again, even the Bush study said the middle class would be hurt disproportionately.  I stand by that ad and I stand by what I said.

Question:  Re:  Bush tax cuts, what are your views?

Loebsack:  Need tax cuts for middle class and small businesses…do everything we can to keep capital gains at the Bush levels…think we should close tax loopholes for those corporations that take advantage of them and ship jobs oversees…need to keep those jobs in Iowa…tax credits for ethanol need to be maintained…biodiesel tax credit I voted for in December of 2009 – it has not been approved because of differences between house and senate..  It's to make sure we have good paying jobs in Iowa that can't be exported.

MM:  In the Burlington Hawkeye you said it would be irresponsible to recess Congress w/o extending the Bush tax cuts.  (She's ranting about taxes…really into the tax topic…kind of lecturey-sounding)…flat tax would remove all loopholes…important to talk about how to keep more money in your pocket…

Loebsack:  As someone who was there when the discussion was going on I was extremely disappointed that the Senate adjourned before voting on it…also want to talk about wind…

MM:  Your party controls the house and senate…

Question:  Exports – would you support relaxing the trade embargo with Cuba?

MM:  Difficult place to go, Cuba not ally of U.S.  Trade policies help ag base in our economy..we tend to think of jobs as fixed number of jobs, but trade actually creates more jobs..EU has just signed a trade agreement with South Korea, and we have to look at policy going forward…

Loebsack:  Embargo on Cuba is a cold war relic…proud of the fact that I have the corn growers' endorsement who would like to see that embargo lifted as well…we can increase our exports significantly if we remove that…we have to make sure that whatever agreements we enter into with other countries, we do not jeopardize American jobs.  I have disagreement with some of the pending agreements because if they are approved, we'll see jobs exported to other countries which is not acceptable.  So-called free trade agreements can work but we have to make sure that they work for the United States.

MM:  Certainly, citizens of the U.S. are of utmost importance. We need fair trade and free trade that includes looking at currency evaluations.  

Loebsack:  One final point:  Currency concerns with China….  I've been very tough on China because they've been manipulating the currency for quite some time….  I've sponsored and voted for legislation that would be tough on China….

Question:  Iowa flooding over the years…flood recovery is a slow painful process for families and businesses…what would you like to change to speed up the recovery process?

Loebsack: Many things, cut through the bureaucratic red tape…I sponsored a conference, learning lessons from Iowa…I've been a leader in flood recovery and rebuilding…2nd district of Iowa suffered more than half the damage of the entire state.. I felt I had to make sure that all 5 congressman worked together to get the resources allocated…and to make sure that the money gets to the families and businesses, so they can rebuild.  I'm proud of the work I've done on that.  I brokered a meeting between HUD and the city to deal with the issue of duplication.  We can always do a better job.  I pledge to continue to do everything I can on that front.

MM:  We expect our rep. to participate in the repair process…but the job doesn't end when the money is appropriated…we expect that congressperson to integrate the state and local officials… coordinate the efforts to make sure the money gets to the homeowner….businesses continue to leave and struggle, shutter their doors…too many strings attached…they may have to pay taxes on the money received…

Loebsack:  Yes, it is my job to continue to make sure that the allocated money gets to the people…  I've been working with Mayor Corbett to make sure that the duplication of benefits issues was resolved…  I'm very proud of my work on the floods and I'm not taking a back seat to anyone on my efforts on flood recovery.

MM  (something about a patchwork quilt, globally addressing the issue… that it needs to be coordinated…let's not make them flood victims again.

Question:  How have you become more familiar with the 2nd District since last campaign?

MM:  It's a different climate…people are nervous and scared…able to get into the CR and IC area more because I'm from the southern tier of counties…have to be able to access all of the counties that you plan to serve…let them know who you are and what you stand for…I think I've been able to do that a great deal more than prev. campaign.  Fund raising is also an issue so I have access to funds that I didn't have last time…getting to know Iowans and having Iowans get to know you…

Loebsack:  I can't do my job in DC if I'm not in the 2nd District every weekend…that's why I have come back to the 2nd District every single weekend for the last 4 years…making certain that I am available in the 2nd District…making sure that I know their concerns…I'm out in the District every single weekend…I think it's my job to do that…so I can go back to Washington DC and represent them the best I can and I'm proud to do that.  I do know the district very well,.  Folks who know me know that I am here and am accessible possibly more than anybody in the state of Iowa.

MM:  There's more to it than being accessible.  We need to make sure we're bringing solutions…

Loebsack:  I'm proud of my record and I'm proud of what I've done for the 2nd District…Armed Services Committee…working on making sure CR rebuilds, making sure towns affected by flooding and recession get the resources they need.

Question:  Do you believe in global warming and what steps would you take to reduce emissions?

Loebsack:  Yes I do, because of the scientific evidence.  We need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for national security and beyond that…it's about Iowa…about renewal energy…we have the right policies in place to expand those industries whether it's bio fuel or wind energy…will create good paying jobs that can't be exported…and will have the effect of helping with our environment…it's a win-win situation…we have to make sure Iowa continues to be a leader in bio-fuels and wind energy production.  

MM:  need to move away from fossil fuels…in Linn County, have Duane Arnold, getting to the end of its life span…we produce wind energy ….(quotes something she read in Science Magazine…check out video Paul Deaton made here at YouTube for what she said in response to the global warming question). 

Loebsack:  My SECTORS  bill [Strengthening Employment Clusters To Organize Regional Success]…
passed unanimously in the House of Representatives…. the wind industry in Iowa is a perfect candidate for that…so we can move forward on wind energy.

MM:  Bill hasn't passed the senate so we can't use it yet… the money set aside for green jobs has gone overseas…we need to bring jobs back home…(adopting a school marm tone, chastising)…

Question:  What should be the goals of legislation that will replace NCLB?

MM:  The goal of education should be education…imperative that our students know how to read…that we use every available avenue to teach students and prepare children for the future…we continue to put resources into education…we have wonderful teachers who have unfunded mandates ….and strings attached and …not allowed to be creative and flexible in the classroom.  

Loebsack:  My wife Terry taught second grade for 28 years in Mt. Vernon…I've heard a lot about NCLB and its failings.  Bottom line is that we have to get our children the very best education possible…that alloows America to succeed against competitors…as a native Iowan and someone who grew up in Iowa and benefited from the Iowa education it is the backbone…need to make sure our teachers and administrators have more flexibility

MM:  Best teachers ought to be paid more…(sounds like she's complaining again)…going on and on…

Loebsack:  talking specifics about policy, competitive grants

Question:  …Both of you grew up without a lot of money but have achieved success…District 2 is college-focused…how do you keep college affordable?

Loebsack:  As a member of the education committee, we had a bill called the college portability act which increased pell grants, made certain that we had lower interest rates for loans for students…we've done more since…passed a bill in this last session that increased pell grants and reduced costs by taking the middle man, the banks out of the equation.  It saved the taxpayer money and put money in the pockets of the students who wouldn't have been able to go to college otherwise.  

MM:  Not all students need or want to go to a 4 year institution.  Here in CR, Kirkwood helps prepare students for careers or 4 year curriculum.. It's not just having grants or subsidies…college has to be more affordable.  It's not enough just to have loans available, it's how do we make it more affordable, how do we make it more efficient, how do we bring down costs?  (Quotes something she read in DMRegister)  …Aristotle said education should be free…(is she suggesting this?)

Loebsack:  Since I've been in Congress, I've been a champion of comm colleges…KW and all the cc's in the 2nd district are wonderful.  Stakeholders are cc's because they will be serving those students…

MM: If college is unaffordable, it doesn't matter how many student loans or grants we have…
Not everyone needs to go to a 4 year school…partnering with industry…

Question:  Will you promise not to use earmarks?  Would you vote to ban earmarks?

MM: I wouldn't vote for legislation to stop earmarks, but they should be voted on…any earmark ought to be transparent, debated on the floor…if you want money for your community, you oughta be able to justify it… you have a responsibility to taxpayers when you're getting earmarks…(sounded like she was filibustering..)

Loebsack:  although earmarks only constitute about 1% of federal budget, I agree with Chuck Grassley that we need to get our share for Iowa.  Every earmark I receive is posted on our website, loebsack.gov.  Public safety, economic development, education.  if it weren't for earmarks, there wouldn't be any number of projects that I've gotten around the District…

Closing statements: 2 minutes each

MM:  running for office is a grueling endeavor…looking at our future…some of us would like us to believe that the dark clouds of 2009 have gone away, but if you look around, economy is stalled, housing a problem, businesses are still struggling…why is that?  When Congressmen Loebsack took office…(tries to blame Loebsack for recesssion….)  blab…

Loebsack:  I'm the same Dave Loebsack who ran in 2006 out of deep concern for the people of the 2nd District… providing them the hope and opportunity they so richly deserve..3 issues:  jobs and economy – my sectors bill has passed the House – this will in fact put people back to work…I've done everything I can to promote small businesses, have voted over and over for tax credits and breaks for small businesses.  I brought Bush here and the HUD director here to make sure we get what we needed…I've made sure that our National Guard have the proper equipment and training they need to accomplish their mission so that when I visit them in Afghanstan I can make sure they get it….  Terry and I know what it's like to send off a loved one….  I ask for your vote on November 2nd so I can continue the work I've been doing.

 Bruce Aune encouraging everyone to vote.