Clear Differences In U.S. Senate Race From Budget Vote To Budget Priorities, Murray And Smith Take Opposing Views

The budget that Congress approved in its extra-innings session last week highlights many of the differences between Democrat Patty Murray and Republican Linda Smith in their race for the Senate.

It’s not just that Smith voted no in the House one day and Murray voted yes in the Senate the next.

It’s what the $500 billion spending plan contains, and what it represents, that points out the different philosophies and personalities of the two candidates.

Murray called it a great deal for Washington state, and relished the inclusion of a $1.2 billion program to help schools hire teachers with federal money. It wasn’t perfect, but the good far outweighed the bad, she said.

Smith suggested it was an immoral raid on Social Security, although she is accepting support from one of the budget deal’s chief architects, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi. It was “a great step beyond where I wanted to go,” she said.

Here are some of the issues that separate Murray, a one-term incumbent senator, and Smith, a two-term House member, in Tuesday’s election:

Education

Like almost all candidates, Murray and Smith say they support education. They differ on how to support it, and each points to the other’s votes on key bills to say her opponent is no friend of schools.

Murray sponsored a proposal this year that would send school districts federal money to hire teachers. It had the support of President Clinton, who had urged smaller classes, new classrooms and more teachers in his State of the Union address.

The Senate rejected the plan, and Smith never had a chance to vote on it in the House. But when the huge spending bill was put together this month, teacher funding was resurrected and included with thousands of other programs. Republicans who voted against the original plan said the new version gives schools more flexibility on spending the money. That’s correct, but Murray is also right that this is essentially her proposal.

Smith says Murray’s teacher program is “like a mother at Christmas that wants to spend and spend. There’s a hard January coming.”

Smith, of Vancouver, cites other proposals she has supported, including one that would have sent most of the federal money to school districts as block grants with fewer requirements. Such a plan would cut down on bureaucracy and increase the amount of money that gets to the schools, she said.

She has called for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education. Parents and teachers know what schools need more than a federal bureaucrat, she said.

Murray contends the agency plays a vital role in one of government’s most important jobs. The federal government should make sure all children have access to education, she said.

Smith voted for a plan to give vouchers to parents to move their children out of “violence-prone” schools. Murray voted against the proposal, which could have allowed federal money to be given to private, religious schools.

One recent Smith campaign ad that compares the two candidates on education notes that Smith voted to raise Pell grants and lower interest rates on student loans. It neglects to mention that Murray voted for the same bill, which also included one of her proposals to give teachers more training in technology.

Environment

Smith has a high rating from the League of Private Property Owners, which advocates property rights, and a relatively low rating from the League of Conservation Voters, a coalition of environmental groups. Murray’s ratings are just the reverse.

They offer different rhetoric on one of the region’s toughest environmental problems, the declining salmon runs of the Columbia and Snake River system. But both oppose breaching dams.

Smith said she would vote against the removal of any federal dam on the river system, and warns that the federal government could start the process without congressional approval.

“If they try to blow up a dam, I would be on top of the dam and go with it,” she said. Any proposal to remove a dam must weigh the cost to irrigation, barge transportation and power customers, not just the benefit of increased salmon, she said.

“We ought not to be scaring people. There is no support in Congress to take any of the dams down,” Murray said. The government should promote more habitat conservation agreements among local, state and tribal groups.

She also says a free-flowing portion of the Columbia River known as the Hanford Reach should be given federal protection as a wild and scenic river to protect salmon spawning in that area. Smith says control of the reach should be given to local and state government.

Veterans

Each candidate says she is a friend of American veterans and questions the other’s commitment to those who were in the military.

Neither served in the armed services. Murray was the Vietnam Veterans of America’s Legislator of the Year for work she did in 1997. Smith is a nominee for the same national award this year.

Murray conducted hearings on the wide array of illnesses known as Gulf War syndrome and supported rules making it easier for Gulf War veterans to apply for federal benefits.

Smith is circulating a letter questioning Murray’s credentials as a friend of Gulf veterans. The letter from Joyce Riley vonKleist, of the American Gulf War Veterans Association, contends Murray knew for four years of evidence that Gulf War syndrome was contagious and didn’t tell anyone. VonKleist is a former Air Force nurse who believes the disease is part of a government conspiracy and coverup.

Murray called for Gulf veteran hearings in Washington state in part as a response to a meeting vonKleist had in Sandpoint that attracted hundreds of veterans and their families.

Smith says her support of veterans forced her to vote against the bill to reform the Internal Revenue Service because it had an amendment that cut benefits for people who suffer from smoking-related illnesses contracted when they were in uniform.

Murray voted to delete the section about veterans’ benefits from the IRS reform bill, but when that failed, she voted for the reforms.

Smith’s campaign ads include praise from a staff member of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Murray’s staff recently released a letter from VVA President George Duggins saying the staff member was fired for endangering the group’s tax exempt status by endorsing a candidate.

Both are “fine candidates” for the Senate, Duggins wrote.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

WHERE THEY STAND… The issues: Here are the positions on selected issues of the two candidates for Washington’s U.S. Seante seat.

Patty Murray, Democrat BIGGEST ISSUE: Protect Social Security by using surplus to protect the Trust Fund for future generations. REGIONAL ADVOCATE: “My job is to make sure Washington state gets its fair share.” Secured money for roads, education facility and fire station at Fairchild Air Force Base. Wants more money for roads and Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. CLINTON: Won’t say whether he should resign now or prejudge impeachment because she might serve as juror in Senate trial. PRIVATE LIVES: “I think the public has a right to know what (politicians) are working on and what factors are affecting the way they do their job,” but every aspect of private lives doesn’t need to be examined. HEALTH CARE: Do whatever we can to make sure it’s available to everyone. SOCIAL SECURITY: Put surplus into Trust Fund to avoid future deficits. Make sure formulas to pay benefits don’t put women at disadvantage. MEDICARE: Fund is solvent through 2007. Meanwhile, analyze results from states like Washington where new programs are being tested before making any changes. ABORTION: “Women have the right to make their own health care choices - period.” FARM SUBSIDIES: Wheat farmers need higher payments. PARTY LINE: “The people of my state must always come first.” Bucked party leadership on lifting export ban on Alaskan oil. SALMON: Studying dambreaching acceptable because any decision must be based on best science available. Other steps such as improved conservation measures should be used to improve runs so Congress will never consider removing dams.

Linda Smith, Republican BIGGEST ISSUE: Scrapping tax code and replacing it with system that is simpler, flatter and fairer. REGIONAL ADVOCATE: When people pay into federal program, such as the highway trust fund, they should get that money back. Will work for transportation projects, including Hwy. 395 expansion and Sound Moves. CLINTON: Was among first in Congress to call for resignation; reserving judgment on impeachment until seeing Judiciary Committee report. PRIVATE LIVES: Everyone deserves “veil of privacy,” but it can be lifted by such actions as lying under oath. HEALTH CARE: Access to health care is top priority, but not with government bureaucracy. People should have more insurance options, with decisions made by patients and doctors. SOCIAL SECURITY: Change accounting system so Trust Fund isn’t part of budget deficit estimates, and money is dedicated only to those in program. New enrollees should have option of directing portion of payroll taxes into carefully managed fund that could bring greater returns. MEDICARE: Patients should be allowed to use doctor and plan of their choice. Crack down on fraud. Expand coverage options. ABORTION: Voted to ban partial-birth abortions, supports constitutional amendment to outlaw abortions not needed to save mother’s life. FARM SUBSIDIES: Lower subsidies for tobacco and sugar, more aid to open China for wheat and apples. Keep any program that allows Washington farmers to compete with subsidized European competitors. PARTY LINE: Generally viewed as maverick willing to vote against party leadership. She did so in voting against leadership on selection of Newt Gingrich as speaker, federal tax cuts and IRS reform that took money from veterans programs. SALMON: Don’t study dam-breaching unless willing to look at real economic impact of dams on jobs, irrigation, transportation and recreation, as well as fish. Dam changes should require approval by Congress.