Murray, Rossi on the issues
Published 10:46 pm Saturday, October 23, 2010
You know their names and their political parties.
And, by now, you’ve probably seen their television ads more times than you can count.
But do you know the positions of Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi on many issues raised in this campaign?
Quite likely you do.
“There’s a tendency of political scientists and pundits to underestimate the knowledge of voters,” said Al Felzenberg, a presidential historian and political science lecturer at the Annenberg School of Communication in Pennsylvania.
“Can they tell you how their representative voted on every issue, maybe not,” he said. “But this is the kind of election year that with all the information coming out, they have a good sense of whether a congressman or senator is on their side or not.”
In Washington state, Murray and Rossi are such well known quantities to voters that they are probably better informed of their views than other candidates appearing on the ballot, said Todd Schaefer, professor of political science at Central Washington University.
“Because of this, then, the number of undecided or “swing” voters is probably pretty small, which in turn helps explain why the campaigning has been so negative on both sides,” he said. “You need to motivate people to get off the fence or defect from your opponent’s side.”
For those who are still trying to parse through the candidates’ positions, here’s where Murray and Rossi stand on a handful of issues. Information here is blended from press releases, Web sites, statements and interviews.
Federal spending
Murray: Voted for the 2009 federal stimulus package and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) bill referred to as the bailout bill. She supports use of earmarks — which she calls targeted investments — by lawmakers to direct federal revenues into specific programs and projects. She says she supports reduced federal spending and put through a transportation bill with billions of dollars less in spending than President Barack Obama requested.
Rossi: Would vote to cancel unspent stimulus funds and direct them toward deficit reduction. He supports a balanced budget amendment with a requirement for a supermajority vote to raise taxes. He says he will oppose use of earmarks until the federal budget is balanced. He wants to reduce hiring of federal workers and cut their “overly generous pay and benefits.”
Wall Street reform
Murray: Voted for the law which imposes tougher regulations on the financial and banking industries to avert bank failures and use of high risk money-making schemes. It also creates a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She supports increased funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission for improved oversight and reform of the credit-ratings agencies to eliminate shopping for favorable ratings. She voted for creation of a $30 billion fund for loans by community banks to small businesses.
Rossi: Would vote to repeal the reform law. He says it came up short by not covering institutions such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He says it will reduce credit to some small businesses. He says he opposed creating the fund for community banks because it was another bailout. He’s proposed there be no changes in rules or regulations on the banking and financial industry from what was in place before Obama’s election.
Health care reform
Murray: Voted for the new federal law, saying she not only read it, she helped write it. She’s said it’s not perfect and will need massaging to ensure it achieves the goals of lowering costs, expanding access and giving power to patients to make choices about their care. She supports amending rules to reduce filing of paperwork by businesses. She originally supported a public option but it was not included in the final version.
Rossi: Would vote to repeal the law. He would vote for a new law that touts health safety plans, enables consumers to buy health insurance plans offered in other states, lets groups of small business owners buy policies together, imposes tort reforms including limits on medical malpractice lawsuits, and gives individuals the same tax deductions as corporations.
Taxes
Murray: Voted against the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts proposed by President George W. Bush and passed by the Republican-controlled Congress, saying they were fiscally irresponsible. She now supports extending tax cuts (they are set to expire Dec. 31) to families earning up to $250,000 a year. Those earning more can afford the loss of the tax break and it will generate up to $1 trillion in the next decade, she says.
Rossi: Would vote to make all the tax cuts permanent including the one for the highest wage earners. Not extending it for the wealthy will hit owners of small businesses hardest, he says, and that would hurt economic recovery. He’s signed the Contract from America that calls for “a simple and fair single-rate tax system” but said his signature is not a commitment to vote for a flat tax system.
Afghanistan
Murray: Voted to send the military into Afghanistan but voted against going to war in Iraq. She’s backed the surge of troops and supports Obama’s plan to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in August 2011.
Rossi: Opposes Obama’s timeline for withdrawal because he says it telegraphs too much information to terrorists who can then lay low and resume attacks when soldiers depart. He supports the surge of troops into Afghanistan ordered by the president.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Murray: Supports repeal of the 17-year-old law barring openly gay people from the military.
Rossi: Opposes repeal. He’s also said he would listen to the advice of military commanders and consider findings of a report on the policy ordered by the Pentagon and due out later this year.
Immigration
Murray: Supports proposed legislation known as the DREAM Act to allow people brought to the United States as children to have a path to citizenship if they complete either two years of college or military service. She opposed building a 700-mile fence on the southern border, calling it an unwise investment of tax dollars. She’s backed hiring additional border agents and employing high-tech surveillance to combat the flow of illegal crossers of the northern and southern borders. She supports a temporary worker program.
Rossi: Opposes amnesty though says he’s “not heard a good plan” on how to deal with the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the country. He wants a “tall fence and high gate” on the southern border. He would expand use of verification technologies for employers and stiffer penalties for those who hire illegal immigrants. He supports temporary worker programs and would allow more high skilled workers and students to legally enter or remain in America.
Energy
Murray: Supports consideration of cap-and-trade and climate change legislation as part of a comprehensive reform of the nation’s energy policy. She’s voted to provide funding for research and incentives for development of alternative fuels and energy sources. She authored a law toughening safety rules for oil pipelines.
Rossi: Opposes cap-and-trade policies. He supports developing more renewable energy sources and expanding domestic energy production. He wants to enhance safety procedures for any energy exploration, whether on land or off shore and ensure polluters pay for environmental degradation.
Air tanker contract
Murray: Supports the Boeing Co. efforts to win the contract. She calls it one of the most important issue for Snohomish County this election. She’s written legislation requiring the Pentagon, in making its decision, to take into account public subsidies Airbus and Boeing receive for their business.
Rossi: Supports Boeing’s efforts to win the contract. Initially he said the Pentagon should only consider subsidies to Airbus. More recently, he’s said subsidies to both airplane makers should be part of the review.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
On the Web
Patty Murray
Dino Rossi
