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WEB EXCLUSIVE: 2008 ELECTION
Republican Potter challenges incumbent Democrat Sutton
By MARILYN H. KARFELD
Senior Staff Reporter
In the 13th Congressional District race, Republican Dave Potter sharply disagrees with first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton on how to improve the economy and end America’s reliance on foreign oil.
Sutton, 43, of Copley Township is a former Ohio House representative and labor lawyer. Potter, 46, of Strongsville was a sales representative in the medical device industry, but says he gave up his job to concentrate on the campaign. The district encompasses Lorain, Elyria, Strongsville, Brunswick, Cuyahoga Falls and Akron.
The CJN interviewed Potter over the phone last week, but Sutton declined the opportunity and instead e-mailed a response to the CJN’s questions.
CJN: How do you propose to create more jobs and deal with the financial crisis?
Potter:
As the country and Ohio has shifted from a manufacturing base to a high-technology economy, the business community and elected government officials have been asleep at the wheel. Instead of encouraging growth here, they’ve allowed other areas like Austin, Charlotte, and Tampa to add tens of thousands of jobs.
Taxes have grown so much in Ohio that we are now ranked around 7th in the nation in state and local taxes levied. We have to do something to let companies keep more profits to increase productivity and grow jobs. On the federal level, we need a fair taxing policy for businesses.
Where is the plan to develop and build a gasoline refinery in the 13th district to bring jobs here quickly? The federal government should help reduce environmental regulations, and the state has to have the backbone to cut back taxes to induce companies to move here.
As for the economic turmoil now, we have failed oversight; it’s not that we lack regulation.
Sutton: I want to continue to fight for polices aimed squarely at restoring the promise of the middle class. It is not enough to aim only at Wall Street to loosen up credit. We must build relief and economic opportunity for our communities.
I will continue to fight for a job-creation package that will include investment in rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure to create jobs and spur economic growth. I will work for job retraining programs, push for fairer trade deals that value American workers, and work to bring new “green collar” jobs and investment to our region.
We need to implement reasonable and much needed regulation to reign in the “anything goes” behavior and unbridled greed that for too long ran rampant on Wall Street. I will fight for accountability, oversight, and put a stop to golden parachutes and excessive CEO pay. I will push to recoup the taxpayers’ money, which is being used by the Treasury in an effort to help stabilize the economy.
CJN: What can American do about its reliance on foreign oil?
Sutton: I strongly support investment in innovation and research in areas such as alternative energy, biosciences and technology to help spur jobs for today and tomorrow.
Potter: This notion that this country will be able in 10 years to be independent of foreign oil – I don’t see how that can happen with the way our economy is. Alternative energy is a must. I also am a proponent of continued drilling domestically, including offshore and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as long as it’s done responsibly.
Congress has taken its eye of the ball. Congress doesn’t get the energy bill signed, goes on a five-week vacation in August, and comes back to financial crisis. What’s it doing about energy?
CJN: Do you support a timetable for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq?
Potter: I would not push for a timetable. If Gen. (David) Petraeus or Gen. (Raymond) Odierno believe timetables are necessary, that they would be a benefit, I support what they say. Too many people are trying to manage the war who have no business doing so.
Sutton: No response.
CJN: How should the U.S. deal with the threat from Iran as it works to develop a nuclear weapon?
Sutton: I am a co-sponsor of House Resolution 363 regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the national security interests of the U.S. by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony. We must continue to stand together in fighting terrorism and threats from stateless actors and rogue nations.
As we deal with the threats of a nuclear Iran, I believe that we must leave all options on the table to defend Israel. We need to continue to pressure Iran directly by increasing economic and political pressure, leaving military intervention as the last option.
Potter: Iran possessing a nuclear bomb is not a good thing for anybody. I don’t agree with meeting with (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, but lower level meetings should continue to take place. We need to continue funding our intelligence agencies, which are significantly under funded.
Gaining more intelligence is the most important thing we can be doing. I believe the Iranian people, who have been exposed to Western civilization and don’t have issues with the U.S., ultimately could be our best advocates for change there.
CJN: Should America lead the way on finding a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and, if so, how?
Potter: To say American should lead is a little condescending. Israel has great leaders. I don’t know if Israel needs us to lead them. They need us to be supporting them. Israel has every right to exist and as an American ally we should do everything we can to support its existence. I don’t think our leaders have done a great job in the past (of mediating the conflict).
If Syria or Iran or a radial Islamic extremist group should attack Israel, we are Israel’s friend and we should support them. Israel has the right to defend itself. If Israel feels a preemptive strike against Iran and Syria is in its best interests, and intelligence bears that out … then we don’t have the right to tell Israel how they should run their defense. They don’t have the luxury of two oceans separating them from their enemies.
Sutton: We need to continue to work together in forming a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine based on the road map for peace. Israel has flourished through the development of a diverse and technologically advanced economy and has come to exemplify the best of what a democracy can be.
I believe Israel has an inherent right to defend itself against any and all aggression. I helped further our support for Israel by voting in favor of a bill that will provide $2.4 billion in military aid and $40 million in refugee assistance.
In addition, I support the program that has helped form business partnerships between Israeli businesses and Ohio. This will mean more jobs in Ohio and a lasting friendship and commitment between Israel and our state.
CJN: How do we improve access to healthcare for those who are uninsured and underinsured while controlling the skyrocketing costs of Medicare and Medicaid?
Sutton: I will work to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare, starting with every child.
Potter: As a country we’ve allowed a whole discussion of whether every American is entitled to every possible drug treatment, therapy and surgery available today. We can’t afford it and that’s going to bankrupt our country.
Government needs to overhaul Medicare and root out fraud. Healthcare is not an absolute right guaranteed by the Constitution. I believe it’s important to help my fellow man. I give at church; I go out and raise money. But on the public side, I don’t think my job is to say use tax money to provide healthcare to everyone, (including those) who won’t submit to random drug and nicotine testing. If we supply healthcare, there are standards they need to meet.
An overuse of healthcare is contributing in a significant way to increased costs for everybody.
CJN: How would you shore up the Social Security fund, which is predicted to run out of money in about three decades?
Potter: I support looking at all the options. You can’t take privatization off the table. The stock market hit an all-time high a year ago. If eight years earlier we have privatized Social Security when President Bush first suggested it, folks could have retired last year and shifted their stocks to cash. Look where they’d be now. Social Security returns 2% annually. Even with the stock market losses, money has grown and we’d be better off.
It goes back to personal responsibility. Sutton believes big government is better and can think for individuals. Social Security was supposed to be a supplement for people’s retirement. Now people are living longer with better medical technology. How do we pay for all of these things?
Sutton: No response.
mkarfeld@cjn.org
Sutton, 43, of Copley Township is a former Ohio House representative and labor lawyer. Potter, 46, of Strongsville was a sales representative in the medical device industry, but says he gave up his job to concentrate on the campaign. The district encompasses Lorain, Elyria, Strongsville, Brunswick, Cuyahoga Falls and Akron.
The CJN interviewed Potter over the phone last week, but Sutton declined the opportunity and instead e-mailed a response to the CJN’s questions.
CJN: How do you propose to create more jobs and deal with the financial crisis?
Potter:
As the country and Ohio has shifted from a manufacturing base to a high-technology economy, the business community and elected government officials have been asleep at the wheel. Instead of encouraging growth here, they’ve allowed other areas like Austin, Charlotte, and Tampa to add tens of thousands of jobs.
Taxes have grown so much in Ohio that we are now ranked around 7th in the nation in state and local taxes levied. We have to do something to let companies keep more profits to increase productivity and grow jobs. On the federal level, we need a fair taxing policy for businesses.
Where is the plan to develop and build a gasoline refinery in the 13th district to bring jobs here quickly? The federal government should help reduce environmental regulations, and the state has to have the backbone to cut back taxes to induce companies to move here.
As for the economic turmoil now, we have failed oversight; it’s not that we lack regulation.
Sutton: I want to continue to fight for polices aimed squarely at restoring the promise of the middle class. It is not enough to aim only at Wall Street to loosen up credit. We must build relief and economic opportunity for our communities.
I will continue to fight for a job-creation package that will include investment in rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure to create jobs and spur economic growth. I will work for job retraining programs, push for fairer trade deals that value American workers, and work to bring new “green collar” jobs and investment to our region.
We need to implement reasonable and much needed regulation to reign in the “anything goes” behavior and unbridled greed that for too long ran rampant on Wall Street. I will fight for accountability, oversight, and put a stop to golden parachutes and excessive CEO pay. I will push to recoup the taxpayers’ money, which is being used by the Treasury in an effort to help stabilize the economy.
CJN: What can American do about its reliance on foreign oil?
Sutton: I strongly support investment in innovation and research in areas such as alternative energy, biosciences and technology to help spur jobs for today and tomorrow.
Potter: This notion that this country will be able in 10 years to be independent of foreign oil – I don’t see how that can happen with the way our economy is. Alternative energy is a must. I also am a proponent of continued drilling domestically, including offshore and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as long as it’s done responsibly.
Congress has taken its eye of the ball. Congress doesn’t get the energy bill signed, goes on a five-week vacation in August, and comes back to financial crisis. What’s it doing about energy?
CJN: Do you support a timetable for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq?
Potter: I would not push for a timetable. If Gen. (David) Petraeus or Gen. (Raymond) Odierno believe timetables are necessary, that they would be a benefit, I support what they say. Too many people are trying to manage the war who have no business doing so.
Sutton: No response.
CJN: How should the U.S. deal with the threat from Iran as it works to develop a nuclear weapon?
Sutton: I am a co-sponsor of House Resolution 363 regarding the threat posed to international peace, stability in the Middle East, and the national security interests of the U.S. by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony. We must continue to stand together in fighting terrorism and threats from stateless actors and rogue nations.
As we deal with the threats of a nuclear Iran, I believe that we must leave all options on the table to defend Israel. We need to continue to pressure Iran directly by increasing economic and political pressure, leaving military intervention as the last option.
Potter: Iran possessing a nuclear bomb is not a good thing for anybody. I don’t agree with meeting with (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, but lower level meetings should continue to take place. We need to continue funding our intelligence agencies, which are significantly under funded.
Gaining more intelligence is the most important thing we can be doing. I believe the Iranian people, who have been exposed to Western civilization and don’t have issues with the U.S., ultimately could be our best advocates for change there.
CJN: Should America lead the way on finding a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and, if so, how?
Potter: To say American should lead is a little condescending. Israel has great leaders. I don’t know if Israel needs us to lead them. They need us to be supporting them. Israel has every right to exist and as an American ally we should do everything we can to support its existence. I don’t think our leaders have done a great job in the past (of mediating the conflict).
If Syria or Iran or a radial Islamic extremist group should attack Israel, we are Israel’s friend and we should support them. Israel has the right to defend itself. If Israel feels a preemptive strike against Iran and Syria is in its best interests, and intelligence bears that out … then we don’t have the right to tell Israel how they should run their defense. They don’t have the luxury of two oceans separating them from their enemies.
Sutton: We need to continue to work together in forming a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine based on the road map for peace. Israel has flourished through the development of a diverse and technologically advanced economy and has come to exemplify the best of what a democracy can be.
I believe Israel has an inherent right to defend itself against any and all aggression. I helped further our support for Israel by voting in favor of a bill that will provide $2.4 billion in military aid and $40 million in refugee assistance.
In addition, I support the program that has helped form business partnerships between Israeli businesses and Ohio. This will mean more jobs in Ohio and a lasting friendship and commitment between Israel and our state.
CJN: How do we improve access to healthcare for those who are uninsured and underinsured while controlling the skyrocketing costs of Medicare and Medicaid?
Sutton: I will work to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare, starting with every child.
Potter: As a country we’ve allowed a whole discussion of whether every American is entitled to every possible drug treatment, therapy and surgery available today. We can’t afford it and that’s going to bankrupt our country.
Government needs to overhaul Medicare and root out fraud. Healthcare is not an absolute right guaranteed by the Constitution. I believe it’s important to help my fellow man. I give at church; I go out and raise money. But on the public side, I don’t think my job is to say use tax money to provide healthcare to everyone, (including those) who won’t submit to random drug and nicotine testing. If we supply healthcare, there are standards they need to meet.
An overuse of healthcare is contributing in a significant way to increased costs for everybody.
CJN: How would you shore up the Social Security fund, which is predicted to run out of money in about three decades?
Potter: I support looking at all the options. You can’t take privatization off the table. The stock market hit an all-time high a year ago. If eight years earlier we have privatized Social Security when President Bush first suggested it, folks could have retired last year and shifted their stocks to cash. Look where they’d be now. Social Security returns 2% annually. Even with the stock market losses, money has grown and we’d be better off.
It goes back to personal responsibility. Sutton believes big government is better and can think for individuals. Social Security was supposed to be a supplement for people’s retirement. Now people are living longer with better medical technology. How do we pay for all of these things?
Sutton: No response.
mkarfeld@cjn.org
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| WEB EXCLUSIVE: At CJN election forum, Lingle, Cardin debate issues, candidates |
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