Congress, 5Th District Greg Holmes, Tom Keefe, George Nethercutt

Beyond the rhetoric about truth and residency, and Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District race features interesting debates about federal dams, farm policy and prescription drugs.

But the rhetoric is hard to ignore.

First truth. Rep. George Nethercutt is running for his fourth term, after pledging in 1994 to only serve three. He now considers making the pledge a mistake because it disadvantages the voters of Eastern Washington when other members of Congress aren’t required to limit their terms.

Democratic challenger Tom Keefe doesn’t support term limits, but he contends that Nethercutt is breaking a promise that helped him get elected six years ago. A national term limits group is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars telling voters Nethercutt is dishonest.

Now residency. Keefe was born in Seattle, lived there and in Washington, D.C., much of his adult life as a lawyer, congressional staffer and lobbyist. From 1994 until this spring he lived in Kamiah, Idaho, then moved to Spokane where he and his wife decided they wanted their children to attend school.

Nethercutt was born and raised in Spokane, lived briefly in Washington, D.C., as a congressional staffer, then returned to Spokane to practice law. During his first term in Congress, he moved his family to Washington, D.C., and bought a house in suburban Virginia while keeping his home in Spokane.

Nethercutt and his Republican supporters call Keefe a carpetbagger for living in Eastern Washington for such a short time. Keefe and his supporters call Nethercutt a hypocrite for having criticized his predecessor for owning a home in Washington, D.C.

The two share the ballot with Libertarian Greg Holmes, a Spangle town councilman who owns a maintenance and janitorial service. Holmes is a strong advocate for a sharply reduced government, an end to the income tax and an end to the federal war on drugs.

When not arguing truth and residence, Nethercutt and Keefe differ most on what the federal government should do about the rising cost of prescription drugs. Keefe believes Medicare should be expanded to include coverage for drugs, and seniors below a certain income level should only pay a nominal amount for the expanded coverage.

Nethercutt believes seniors should have more choices to obtain drug coverage through private insurance companies, and the federal government should pick up a portion of their premiums on a sliding scale, based on income.

Nethercutt supports “market solutions,” such as a new law allowing American drugs to be reimported from Canada, where government controls keep prices down. Keefe says a Medicare benefit will put seniors on par with HMO subscribers, and bring prices down.

For voters worried about about federal dams on the Snake River, the two differ on the best way to keep the dams intact.

Nethercutt said the idea is so harmful to farms, barge traffic and power production that the federal government shouldn’t even study it. Keefe said it’s a bad idea that Congress needs to fight, but refusing to study dam removal could result in a federal judge ordering it to take place.

On farm policy, Keefe said the current law is a failure during times when yields are high, but prices are low. He wants a subsidy program that protects farmers against such conditions.

Nethercutt said the law, which he championed in 1995, frees farmers from many federal rules. He wants the federal government to do a better job of marketing farm products, to sell more of the large crops.

4th District

Three-term incumbent Richard “Doc” Hastings faces a challenge from Douglas County wheat farmer Jim Davis in Central Washington’s sprawling 4th Congressional District.

Hastings, 59, a former legislator and Pasco businessman, was elected in the Republican tidal wave of 1994. He’s been calling for more exports for farmers and more flexibility for schools receiving federal funds.

He’s also warning of potential loss of federal dams on the Snake River if Democrats gain control of the White House or Congress.

Davis, 54, is campaigning as a conservative Democrat and describing his 13 years of service as a Douglas County Public Utilities District commissioner as proof he can negotiate the tough issues involved with salmon and dams.

He also wants to expand export markets for farmers, but criticizes the current Republican-sponsored agriculture programs for not having adequate safety nets for farmers.

This sidebar appeared with the story: DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

Here is a geographic guide to the 5th and 4th congressional districts.

5th District: Eastern Washington, including Spokane, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Whitman, Garfield, Asotin, Columbia and Walla Walla counties and almost all of Adams County.

4th District: Central Washington, including Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties, most of Klickitat county and a small portion of western Adams County.