Dems debate; can anyone beat Bill Young?
July 11, 2008 at 4:49 pm by Amelia HarnishRep. CW Bill Young’s 38-year tenure in the Congressional District 10 seat centered in St. Petersburg will be a tough one to follow. That is if he ever retires or, even more unlikely, gets kicked out of office.
Despite that, on Thursday night three Democratic candidates vying for the chance to run against Young tried to persuade a room full of Pinellas Democrats that they could be the one to replace a career politician with a “citizen legislator.”
Grandmother and self-proclaimed “true patriot” Samm Simpson, Dunedin Mayor Bob Hackworth and millionaire Max Linn answered questions from the Greater Pinellas Democratic Club, which hosted the debate. Although the three are in line with one another on the length of Young’s term and most of the issues, they do have their differences. How to address the nation’s health care dilemma is one, for instance: Linn and Simpson support the single-payer plan, while Hackworth cited a lack of cooperation and said that he would “work across the aisle to fix a system riddled with inefficiency.”
The candidates also butted heads about the economy: Hackworth called for ending the war in Iraq and investing in the infrastructure, while Simpson somehow wandered from fundamental monetary reform to sending people to jail. Linn, who spoke last and proclaimed that neither of his opponents knew what they were talking about, called for reforming NAFTA — “fair trade, not free trade,” he said — and implementing real estate incentives to get the market going again.
Hackworth, the only one of the three who has been elected to office before, said that it’s going to take bipartisan appeal to beat Young. “It’s not about winning the room tonight. It’s about proving you can beat Bill Young,” Hackworth said. “That’s the point, and it isn’t going to be easy.”
Linn, who fought for more than a decade to establish term limits and ran for governor on the Reform Party ticket in 2006, said he is the only one who can realistically beat the incumbent. “I will squash Bill Young like a tomato,” he said.
Simpson refers to her campaign as a calling, not a career choice. She stayed late not to shake hands but to hug everyone who approached her, and her compassion seems to work, considering the number of people who came up to speak with her afterward. “I want my country back,” she said.
(Photos by Amelia Harnish)
debate-002.jpg
July 12th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Thanks so much for your coverage of the debate.
But, I must take issue with your slamming of Samm on two seperate fronts.
1) You call Samm a “self-proclaimed “true patriot” suggesting that there’s no justification for the title, and that her ego is running a bit wild. Had you included the context of her self identification — that she’s willing to give her life to protect and defend the constitution of the united states, which is something neither of her opponents have been willing to publicly state — or asked any of her many supporters in the room, they would have concurred that her motivations for running are pure, and her committment level classifies her as a true patriot.
2) Re: the economic plan. You write: “Simpson somehow wandered from fundamental monetary reform to sending people to jail”.
As one of the audience members, it was pretty clear to me. Fundamental monetary reform — getting Congress to once again mint/print and regulate our currency instead of the Federal Reserve which is a privately owned corporation that we pay ungodly interest to, just for the right to have currency.
The “jail” reference was for those corporation heads and congresspeople who have colluded in writing preditory lending legislation that deregulates banks to the point where they can charge you and I 30% interest if we miss a single payment, while they’re borrowing money at 2%, along with the bankruptcy legislation that’s helping kill the middle class. If these loans were more justly established, and unpayable debt more justly dealt with, more Americans would have more cash/the ability to purchase a home, or to get back on their feet after a catastrophic medical bill hits, etc.
Simpson seemed to think the status quo in Washington is criminal, and that the people should use the legal system to get things back in line to where the people as a whole are well served economically.
In short, let’s reduce our Federal Debt by getting rid of the privately owned Fed, and let’s make sure that Americans aren’t victims of hyper greedy banks. Pretty clear to me…
And by the way, Samm mentioned NAFTA first — in her earlier answer on immigration, and the economic foundation of the problem. Having already presented that to the audience, I’m thinking she figured the audience already grasped that an integral part of her economic stimulus package would be retooling NAFTA to help protect American jobs.
Guess her mind was just running too fast for those who were listening, sometimes.
This, in contrast with Mr. Hackworth who’s oft times stumbling answers always seemed to come back to “Barak Obama”. It was an ongoing joke throughout the crowd. People were muttering under their breaths “Barak Obama” by the last couple of questions he was asked.
He may be the only one of the 3 who got elected to something — a mayor’s position that required all of 4K votes to win — but I’m convinced after seeing him in 2 debates now that his success is due more to the machine that he’s had attached to him than the chops he brings to the table.
Samm actually brings original ideas to the table, and shows the kind of life or death conviction that this country needs to get back on the right track. She was right in 06 when she predicted the quagmire in Iraq/sabre wrattling re: Iran, the sub prime mortage debacle, the impending crash of our economy (for the average middle class person), and Washington’s inability to develop a 21st century energy plan. Where were Linn and Hackworth then?
But thank you so much for noticing the kind of warmth she shows those around her, and that her supporters show in return. She’s the most likable person on that stage that night, as well as the most versed on the wide array of issues vital in this race, and her passion is real. This isn’t a career move for her. It’s a calling that more and more Americans are hearing themselves.
August 17th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I too thank you for your coverage of the debate.
I’d like to answer the question, “where were Lynn & Hackworth then?” While I don’t know about Mr. Lynn, and I guess that says it all, I can tell you where Bob Hackworth was.
He was working to better his community, not just talking about it. Worried about the economy? Bob fought and reduced taxes for the first time in 10 years, and before any state mandates. He also voted for a double homestead exemption for seniors, pushed for a new Economic Development and Housing department to focus on Dunedin’s economy, and fought for affordable, attainable, & workforce housing when other council members resisted.
He was ahead of his time with affordable housing but pushed it through. He was against all odds with reducing taxes, but won the fight. He was the only one willing to fight and save valuable waterfront lands and accomplished it without a dime of Dunedin’s budget.
Bob has never been the status quo kind of guy. He stands on original ideas whether they are popular or not. He not only stands on those ideals, he implements them. That’s what makes Bob Hackworth different than his opponents. He’s accomplished everything he’s set out to do, not just talked about it.
Whether you get 4k votes or 400k votes, you cannot argue that America not only needs “original” ideas but someone who has the experience and tenacity to implement them.
His record speaks for itself. So look again at the title of the article, “Dem’s debate, Can anyone beat Bill Young?” The answer is simple. Experience & Bob Hackworth!