PORTLAND, Maine — The four contenders for the Democratic nomination to run for Olympia Snowe’s U.S. Senate seat squared off in a rapid-fire forum Sunday evening that was designed to inform young voters about their choices at the ballot box.
Organized by the Maine League of Young Voters and held at the Lucid Stage in Portland, the forum covered a range of hot-button issues faced now and in the future by Congress and allowed the candidates to challenge each other in the form of questions they posed directly. Participating in the forum, which was attended by about 50 people, were attorney and Maine Senator Cynthia Dill; former legislator and Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, attorney and Maine House member Jon Hinck and Portland-area green building contractor Benjamin Pollard.
Nicola Wells, state director of the League of Young Voters, said all of the GOP candidates vying for the party’s nomination declined invitations to attend. She said independent candidates were not invited because the forum was designed for primary candidates.
With only about 90 seconds per response, the candidates were forced to offer their views on complex issues in quick sound bites. Most of the questions were posed to single candidates as opposed to the group, which means it was difficult to differentiate between their stances.
The forum began with introductions and each candidate identifying his or her top goal in their first five years in the Senate.
Pollard chose huge, worldwide goals such as abolishing hunger, ending the use of nuclear power, ridding the environment of harmful chemicals and bringing peace to the Middle East. Asked how he’d create jobs, Pollard said he’d advocate for another stimulus package aimed at transportation.
“I do believe we need to invest in our roads and bridges,” he said. “With the higher cost of petroleum, we need to invest in standard and high-speed rail.”
Dunlap had equally ambitious goals for his first five years as senator, including improving the economy, restructuring the amount of education debt taken on by students, creating tax fairness and a better health care system. Asked whether he would vote to eliminate the filibuster process, Dunlap said he has major concerns about it but would not abolish it.
“It is a valuable tool to give the minority some say in how legislation is crafted,” he said.
Dill, addressing many of the young people in the audience, said she would take steps to make higher education more affordable by reforming the role of government in student loans and increasing funding for the Federal Pell Grant Program. Asked where she would support civil unions between gay people, Dill said she would not, but with a twist.
“I’m opposed to a civil union because in large part it would stop the movement toward gay couples getting married,” she said.
Hinck said his major goal involves the federal budget in light of the Bush-era tax cuts that will expire later this year and Congress’ inability to compromise on a spending plan. In the energy sector, Hinck said he believes the solution lies in finding energy efficiencies and that he would like to move away from government subsidies for various energy sources and stop the political bickering over whether climate change exists.
“I’ve gotten very used to pushing progress in the energy area without pushing that issue in people’s faces,” he said. “If some people can’t tolerate that discussion, let’s move forward on the energy agenda without forcing that issue on people.”
Pollard was asked about comments he made previously in the media about this spring being the right time for the United States to attack Iran in an effort to stop nuclear proliferation there. Pollard said he has changed his thinking on that position, which he landed at in the first place because of a report he read about the imminent nuclear threat from Iran.
“I am now much more dovish,” he said.
On tactics for dealing with terrorists, Dunlap said he is against any kind of torture or detention in places like Guantanamo Bay.
“I can never support such activity on any kind of elongated basis,” said Dunlap, who supports a deliberative legal process for all, regardless of what they are accused of. “Such practices yield no favorable results for those who practice them.”
Dunlap, asked a question about requiring IDs for people to vote, said he does not and never did as Secretary of State.
“My opinion of voter ID laws I have to say is one of profound disappointment mixed with moments of abject horror,” he said. “The movement around the country to require photo IDs to obtain a ballot … are cynical attempts to control the ballot and discourage vast portions of the public from voting.”
Dill said if she had been a senator in 2008, she probably would have supported the government’s bail-out of the financial industry, but today she would be demanding answers as to how the financial collapse happened.
“Not a single person has been held accountable for the terrible greed that happened on Wall Street,” she said.
In a light moment during the forum, Hinck brought up former Gov. Angus King, who is gathering signatures to become an independent candidate for the Senate and who some early polling says is in the lead.
“Angus King, in my view, is like electoral comfort food,” said Hinck. “We know him as a little bit bland, a smart man and a thinker. Sending mac ’n cheese down to Washington is not good enough.”
Jon Hinck is the type of Senator that our state needs. He isn’t an ideologue, but he stays true to his progressive principles. He stands up for what he knows is right, but he’s not afraid to work across the aisle and compromise. Most importantly, he stands alone as the only Democratic candidate with a wide enough breadth of experience to truly excel at the job. From co-founding Greenpeace USA and representing fishermen affected by the Exxon Valdez spill to serving multiple terms in the state legislature after an upset victory, Jon has the political savvy and the proven ability to get work done that would serve Maine well in the Senate.
Given wife Juliette Brown’s well-earned stature as number one mouthpiece for big wind in Maine, can John steer clear of the industrial wind-sprawl lobby? Just asking.
It’s interesting that Hinck “would like to move away from government subsidies for various energy sources.” Must be interesting dinner conversation, given that his wife is the attorney for the subsidy sucking wind companies, First Wind and Transcanada, which would not be ravaging our mountain tops and ridge lines were it not for the subsidies. Clean out your own house, Jon.
Guess the repubs didn’t want to associate with the ilks of these folks!!
It was a forum, not a debate, the Republicans weren’t asked to be there. But I agree 100% why associate with the cannon fodder the Dem’s have put up against Anugus.
“Nicola Wells, state director of the League of Young Voters, said all of the GOP candidates vying for the party’s nomination declined invitations to attend.”
Sounds like they were invited but declined the invitations.
My bad.
Shouldn’t the caption read “moderator” not “moderate” Sigh.
Thank you to the Bangor Daily News for a very good article about the debate yesterday evening. I just wish to make one correction for the record: I did not state that as one of my goals that I hoped to rid the environment of harmful chemicals, but rather that I wished to reverse the increase of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
This, and the Republican party’s forum is part of the dumbing of Americans.
I am a Democrat. I’ve done my time. I care about about my party and its ideals of progress and people first. There are attributes of the Republican party I believe in as well, but are of a group of not-so-long-ago Republicans but-seems-to-be-lost-by-the-current-madhatters calling the shots on their side.It’s like a 30 second commercial on what or who offers the best product for (you name it). What the country needs are detailed discussions of the issues facing America including our economy, our welfare…, meaning everything from the country’s security , education of our children, employment opportunities, availability and affordability of health care, protection of our environment while balancing our need to feed and provide economic opportunities. The list goes on, but I would like to see detailed suggestions of how to balance our budget rather it calls for raising revenues (taxes) or eliminating programs, I’d rather have a candidate tell me his or her’s understanding of the impact establishing or abolishing a regulation that is/was designed to either protect a consumer or a citizenry. I would like candidates tell us why or how the influx of obscene money into the political system is good for everyday American citizens. Don’t get me started with 90 second practiced sound bites that are designed to entice but not to expose a set position (wiggle room). Republicans and Democrats love America. Sometimes in the heat of debate, in the excitement of of a rally you’ll hear one side say the other side aren’t “real American lovin Americans…,” you know they shouldn’t be elected. I want a Candidate that believes in ideas and an American ideal of pulling us together, not divide us, of growing all of America, not just they political contributors, a candidate who understands we need to be concerns for the health of all Americans, not just those who can afford health care, a candidate who understands welfare cost all levels of society, and all levels of society welfare can not be a way of life. I am willing to help our helpless, but I want all abuses of welfare, individually and corporate to be fully exposed, rather its a few hundred, a few million, or a couple of billion. I’ll help the down-and-out get back up, I’ll agree to a public tax break to get a new business, or invention that has a public purpose up and running. But both, need to be in the interest of the public, in society, in America’s interest. The candidate that can show they care about the people of America first, party somewhere down the list, but most and foremost, rather rich or poor, young or old, blond or bald, male or female, religious or atheists, Democrat, Republican or un-enrolled, that person will have my support and vote.
nice photo of dill. guess it’s true, she does have a stick stuck up her…….
Future leaders..