Common ground found at first House debate
Sioux Falls Argus Leader Peter Harriman MITCHELL - Regardless of whether Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is re-elected to the U.S. House or Republican Chris Lien of Rapid City unseats her, South Dakotans can expect a dedicated proponent of domestic energy development to occupy the state's congressional seat.
Good news for Hyperion Refining. Drill for natural gas and oil off the U.S. coasts and in Alaska, extract petroleum from oil shale deposits in Utah and Wyoming, build new nuclear power plants and build an oil refinery in Union County - Herseth Sandlin and Lien are all for it. Both say a South Dakota oil refinery will alleviate potentially critical fuel shortages in the state, such as the diesel fuel shortage that occurred last fall during harvest. Lien says Hyperion is a conscientious corporate citizen.
"The key is to do (an oil refinery) responsibly. I've talked to Hyperion, and I am confident they are going to do that," he said. Energy was a top issue in Wednesday's DakotaFest debate, the first time the two candidates have faced each other.
Both said the deeply divisive refinery project that has set Union County residents at odds with each other could propel economic development. "It could be a very positive thing for the economy and every consumer in South Dakota, and I support the effort," Herseth Sandlin said. The two differed in their take on a House proposal that attempts to limit speculation in oil markets and use oil company royalties to develop wind power and other renewable energy forms.
Lien berated such a comprehensive proposal. "You put it all in one piece of legislation and nothing gets done," he said.
Experience is key
Herseth Sandlin, who has supported the proposal, said Lien's stance shows a lack of experience.
"Anyone who thinks you can focus on one issue doesn't understand how the process works," she said. "Major pieces of legislation tend to be comprehensive proposals because of the needs across the country." The exchange was indicative of their debate: Herseth Sandlin hit hard on her status as an incumbent who understands how to work Congress for the benefit of the state. Lien presented himself as a fifth-generation embodiment of South Dakota values, eager to bring fresh ideas to a legislative process he says is broken.
"Good legislation looks out for the next generation, not just to the next election," Lien said. Asked to contrast the U.S. invasion of Iraq with Russia's recent invasion of Georgia, Herseth Sandlin pointed out the U.S. military alliance with Georgia. "The U.S. has a dog in this fight," she said.
Lien acknowledged Russia is thwarting an emerging democracy in Georgia but added the U.S. must remain in Iraq until stability is assured. Otherwise, "we'll be fighting this battle for generations." Spending agreement
Both Herseth Sandlin and Lien said Congress must attack a projected $495 billion federal budget deficit.
Herseth Sandlin said federal spending rose 60 percent in the Bush administration, but a Democratic Congress has re-established pay-as-you-go rules used in the Clinton administration. She also said federal agencies must cut administrative costs, oil company tax incentives should be repealed and Wall Street executives should not be able to shelter hedge fund-generated wealth by taking it overseas. Lien agreed spending must be controlled, but he did not deliver as detailed proposals as Herseth Sandlin. Attack it incrementally, he said of federal spending.
"Eat the elephant one bite at a time," he said. He also said tax cuts to big business passed during the Bush administration should be permanent. 'Another bailout'
The two differed moderately on the influence of foreign speculators in U.S. commodity markets. Herseth Sandlin said in September, the House will consider legislation limiting such speculation.
Lien replied: "The regulations are in place. We need more policing." Both agreed Congress needed to shore up government-sponsored housing lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but Lien does so reluctantly.
"It's another bailout with the taxpayers' money," he said. "In business, if you make a bad decision, you have to deal with the consequences." Herseth Sandlin said the promise of government support might be enough for the two entities that could hold as many as half of U.S. home mortgages to stabilize themselves amid plummeting housing markets. She said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might have been able to issue so many questionable housing loans "because of a lack of oversight by congressional committees for six or eight years."
Neither Lien nor Herseth Sandlin favored comprehensive government health insurance, but both said health insurance needs to be affordable and widely available, and neither supported mandatory federal livestock identification. Lien had many supporters at the debate, distinctive in their campaign T-shirts and loud cheering after each of his responses in the First National Bank of South Dakota tent. But both had their backers. "I really appreciated Lien's focus on business and that government is a poorly run business," said Jana Kemp of Mitchell. "Many important questions were asked, and especially Stephanie came through with very solid comments," said Leo Holzbauer of Wagner. |
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