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Democrats Debate in DavenportBy Mark Geary, Reporter
DAVENPORT -- Democratic candidates discussed health care and America's financial security at a debate in Davenport Thursday night.
Iowa Public Television and the AARP co-sponsored the event. Five of the leading democratic candidates participated in the debate. Senator Barack Obama declined the invitation to appear at the forum. The democratic candidates acknowledged many of them have similar ideas, but they also said cooperation with republicans will be key during the next presidency. Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd said, "No one party is going to right all of this. It's going to take cooperation and leadership that knows how to bring people together in this country. That's what's been missing in all of this here." The candidates all pushed for major changes to America's health care system. They argued insurance companies have become too powerful. Presidential Candidate John Edwards said, "We have to give the power in this government back to the American people and take it away from that crowd in Washington, the insiders, who are running our country today." Saving social security also sparked conversation among the candidates. "Let's quit taking money from the social security trust fund to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and the war in Iraq. That's the way to start having a solid social security future," Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton said. The forum devoted little time to the war in the Iraq, but Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson made his opinion loud and clear. "I would take all of our troops out. I would put some in Kuwait. I would put some in Afghanistan where they are needed. But, I would take all our troops out. We really need to end this war now," Richardson said. The candidates said they knew their plans to change the country could cost billions of dollars. They blamed President Bush for America's rising debt problems. "This president should be called Houdini. He went from a 5.8 billion dollar projected surplus to a 3.7 trillion dollar projected deficit. Only Houdini could do that...or Bush," Presidential Candidate Joe Biden said. The race for president has only begun, but these candidates seem confident one of them will lead America in 2009. Republicans will square off in a similar debate next month. That debate will be held in Sioux City. The Iowa Caucuses are also coming up in January. More Good Stuff |
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