Nethercutt, Murray debate on Iraq, taxes

George Nethercutt and Patty Murray continued their months-long arguments over taxes, Iraq, Social Security reform and each other’s campaign ads Wednesday in the second and last televised debate of Washington’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Over the course of one hour, they agreed on only two things: Both think Boeing should be awarded a contract to build the Air Force’s next line of air refueling tankers, even though the giant aircraft manufacturer is guilty of some ethical lapses over the deal.

Neither will get a flu shot, even though some members of Congress are being offered vaccinations.

The candidates disagreed, however, on what’s responsible for the shortage of flu vaccine.

Cutting the pharmaceutical industry loose from heavy government regulations and the burdens of civil liability lawsuits would prompt it to produce more vaccine, said Nethercutt, a five-term member of the House.

The pharmaceutical industry has cut back on vaccines because it doesn’t make much money on them, countered Murray, a two-term senator. The nation needs to spend more money on public health, but it can’t because of tax cuts for the wealthy, she added.

Many of the candidates’ answers in the debate cosponsored by KING-TV and the Seattle Times wound their way around to taxes. Nethercutt accused Murray of opposing tax cuts, and pointed out she voted against President Bush’s cuts that included relief for the middle class, for children and for married couples.

Murray replied that she supports “targeted tax cuts” and voted for other plans that had some of those changes without giving breaks to the top income brackets. “Taxes and the budget are a statement of our priorities,” she said.

The tax cuts are responsible for the growing deficit, which is threatening Social Security, Murray said. “Congressman Nethercutt has voted to privatize Social Security. He raided Social Security for tax cuts.”

Nethercutt argued that while he wants to look at alternatives to the massive national program that provides payments to senior citizens, he doesn’t support privatization. He charged that Murray’s current television commercials that say he does are “outrageous and false” and made his elderly mother so angry she wants to make a counter-commercial for him.

About a half-hour after the debate ended, the Murray campaign sent out information on a 2001 vote in which Nethercutt supported the recommendations of a presidential commission on reforming the system, including a recommendation to set up private Social Security accounts.

On Iraq, Murray said her concerns about the lack of a clear mission and exit strategy led her to vote against the resolution to give President Bush the authority to go to war. Those concerns are being borne out by recent reports that generals had been refused requests for more troops, she said.

Nethercutt didn’t blink at the suggestion that he was in “lock-step” with Bush on the war. “I’ll stay in lock-step with the commitment to win the war on terror,” he said. “It is the most insidious challenge of our time.”

At least three times during the debate, Nethercutt mentioned that he’d traveled to Iraq to observe the military there – adding once that Murray ought to make that trip, too.

The candidates fielded several questions on negative campaign ads and the tone of their campaign. As they did last week, each defended his or her own ads, and accused the other of stepping over the line. Nethercutt said his ad that shows a clip of Murray talking about Osama bin Laden doesn’t question her patriotism, just her judgment.

“I defy her to tell us any time when he’s built a day care center,” he said of a comment she made to high school students.

Murray said it was appropriate to point out in her ads that Nethercutt has missed votes while campaigning. “Your vote is your voice and your constituents’ voice in Congress,” she said.

When she claimed that Nethercutt had told Bellevue residents he was registered to vote there, Nethercutt shot back she was “dead wrong.”

“I vote in Spokane, Washington,” said Nethercutt, who is in fact on the Spokane County voter rolls.