Scott Kleeb is debating his opponent Mike Johanns tonight in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. You can listen in on the radio if you'd like at KNEB or KRVN.
I'm going to be liveblogging the debate in the body of the diary below.
Scott turned in a great performance at the State Fair Debate in Lincoln two weeks ago, to start things off, you can find some video clips below...
Clips from the Farm Bureau debate at the Nebraska State Fair:
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Scottsbluff, Nebraska: the Midwest Theatre
Scottsbluff/Gering Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum Live Blog
4:55 PM
The crowd has assembled inside the Midwest Theatre and Kleeb supporters greeted Scott as he drove to the venue. Scottsbluff is in the west of Nebraska's panhandle. Scott Kleeb has recently completed a tour of rural Nebraska which you can read about on our website www.ScottKleeb.com. Rural issues will likely play a featured role in this debate.
5:00 PM
We're on!
5:05
First question to Scott is regarding corn-based ethanol.
Scott links corn-based ethanol to national security and the $700 Billion the United States sends overseas every year to pay for foreign oil. Scott then notes that Secretary Johanns urged President Bush to veto the Farm Bill which included $1 Billion for research into next generation ethanol production.
5:06
Mike Johanns repeats his false claim that Scott Kleeb does not support corn-based ethanol. Johanns defends Bush's veto of the Farm Bill and the ethanol research funds saying it included a tax increase. Johanns tries to distance himself from the Republican Party platform which does not mention ethanol.
5:10
Scott Kleeb rebuts Johanns and returns to the theme that as Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns did not put Nebraska farmers first.
5:12
The second question is about wind power and renewable energy.
Mike Johanns leads by stating he won the George Norris award.
Scott Kleeb talks about how Nebraska has the 6th greatest potential for wind power but produces far fewer electricity than its neighbor Iowa. Renewable energy, per Kleeb, is a national security issue and is an example of failed leadership.
5:16
The third question is on immigration.
Mike Johanns speaks of his immigrant ancestors and their ethnicities. Johanns brings up two points of his five point plan: "No Amnesty" and "Border Security."
Scott Kleeb: this is another example that leadership in Washington has been broken. Kleeb, again, links the issue at hand to national security. Kleeb: "As Governor, Mike Johanns quit on Operation Vanguard...rewarding businesses that knowingly broke the law." Johanns supporterd Bush's amnesty program as Ag Secretary but says something different now that he's running for US Senate. To have comprehensive immigration form we have to have a "straight arrow" in respect to the law.
5:21
The fourth question is about education and, specifically, affordability of a college education
Kleeb: opportunity comes down to education. We have to invest in education. No child left behind has done harm to our schools. Whether trade school, a two-year or a four-year college we need to make college more affordable. A Pell Grant used to provide about half the cost of a college education, now it is only one third. We need to change that.
Johanns chooses not to answer the question on education and states that he had no control over Operation Vanguard since it was a federal program. Johanns talks about training programs that help union members compete in the global economy.
5:26
The fifth question is about affordability of health care and insurance
Mike Johanns does not support a government single payer system like the Green Party candidate does. Johanns has a 19 point health care plan. He is in favor of protecting access to small rural hospitals. USDA helped fund rural hospital plans.
Scott Kleeb: in Johanns 19 point plan he mentions that most Nebraskans feel they have good coverage but 200,000 Nebraskans don't have any insurance and 80% fear losing their insurance. We need to invest in rural medicine through innovative programs. If you work hard in this country you should have access to affordable insurance.
Johanns: To quote Ronald Reagan, "Scott, there you go again." My 19 point plan says that most Nebraskans feel they can get good health care in Nebraska.
Scott Kleeb: Nebraskans should read Mike's plan. The failed leadership in Washington has seen drastic reductions in Mental Health care and Hospice care right here in Nebraska.
5:34
The sixth question is about Heartland Express and Essential Air Service
Johanns: I will post earmarks on my website. I support both.
Kleeb: I support both programs. Earmark spending has led to runaway debt that has left our nation with $9 Trillion in debt and over $30,000 in debt for every child in America. Runaway spending at the Johanns USDA led to $20 million in junkets for travel around the world while Mike Johanns cut $100,000 on FSA offices that serve rural Nebraskans.
5:39
The seventh question is on tax policy
Kleeb: we shouldn't be talking about tax increases right now. We should be talking about smart spending and investing. Further, 2/3rds all US Corporations pay no tax. They use loopholes to get out of paying taxes and middle class families have to foot the bill. We need to reform the tax code. The DeWitt Vise Grip plant is closing and those jobs are being shipped overseas and our tax code supports that. That's wrong. We need to take Nebraska's values to Washington not let Washington's values control Nebraska. We have it the wrong way around.
Johanns: there's only one candidate who's had the responsibility of balancing the budget. I was your governor during 9/11. Scott released a 53 page policy plan, why would you need 53 pages to express your mind? Scott doesn't say he's bought into universal health care, but he has. His policy plan is about raising taxes.
5:44
The eighth question is about Iraq and the Middle East
Johanns: I was in Iraq two years ago. The USDA has had employees there from the very beginning. I wasn't in the Green Zone for ten minutes before an explosive detonated.
The employees I met with said we were making progress. They were right. We will have a democracy in a part of the world where democracy is difficult to find. We will have a friend and an ally in a part of the world where friends and allies are hard to find.
Kleeb: The reason we've made progress in Iraq is because we replaced bad leadership with good leadership on the ground. Unfortunately we have not supported the troops especially when they returned home. We have also turned away from the threat of terrorism on the Pakistan and Afghanistan border. It's drugs and terrorism combining there and we need to address that challenge.
By the way, the reason my policy plan is 53 pages is that there's a lot to fix in Washington!
Closing Statements:
Kleeb: Thanks the audience. The Vise Grip factory closing needs to be addressed. Bad trade deals and bad economic policy has real consequences for Nebraska. That's failed leadership. Those workers gave their life to that company and in return they got 60 days notice. 60 days to lose their jobs, their income and their health insurance.
We need leaders who will stop thinking about the next election and focus on the next generation.
Johanns: Scott mentions quitting. The one thing I've never quit on in my life is public service. There's only one candidate on the stage who has the endorsement of Nebraska Right to Life and the Farm Bureau. I've always believed in these years in public service that you solve problems. When I went to Washington corn was at $2, now their near $5...we did everything we could to boost exports and to make a difference.
6:00 PM
That's it. End of debate.
{Paul Delehanty is the Online Communications Director for Nebraskans for Kleeb.}