Opponents criticize Hurt for skipping 5th District debate

Although GOP challenger Robert Hurt chose not to attend, U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, and independent candidate Jeff Clark faced off Wednesday in Charlottesville in the first debate of the 5th District’s congressional campaign.

At the Senior Statesmen of Virginia’s candidate forum at the Senior Center, Perriello and Clark outlined their views on jobs, taxes, Social Security privatization, energy policy and more.

Hurt’s campaign manager said in a statement that the state senator from Chatham opted to skip the event because he is willing to debate Perriello only in a one-on-one setting, and not if Clark, a conservative businessman and member of Danville’s Tea Party, is allowed to take part.

“We appreciate the hard work that the Senior Statesmen organization does and we also appreciate its invitation,” said Hurt’s campaign manager, Sean Harrison. “With that said, the Senior Statesmen Forum organized the debate without regard for the viability of the individual candidates and without seeking our input on this critical issue.”

Independent candidates have always been offered an invitation to the Senior Statesmen debate, which has been held since 1996. Hurt is the first candidate to decline to appear.

Perriello admonished Hurt for not showing up and allowing Charlottesville-area voters to see side-by-side all three of the candidates who will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

“No one is entitled to this seat. No one gets it for free. You’ve got to fight for it. You’ve got to make your case to the voters,” Perriello said.

Perriello, a freshman Democrat who narrowly unseated six-term GOP incumbent Virgil H. Goode Jr. in 2008, challenged Hurt to agree to four one-on-one televised debates between himself and Hurt, given Hurt’s refusal to debate so long as Clark is present.

“The voters deserve that. The stakes are incredibly high this year, in terms of jobs, in terms of the deficit, in terms of the wars we’re fighting, and voters deserve more than hiding behind negative TV spots from your allies in the insurance industry and the oil industry,” Perriello said. “It would be better if all candidates were allowed, but if that’s not plausible then I think we need an opportunity on television for voters around the district to hear from us. I hope Sen. Hurt will not back down from that challenge.”

Harrison said Wednesday that Hurt will be willing to “debate Perriello one on one anywhere, anytime and any place.”

Clark, for his part, apologized to the Senior Center crowd Wednesday for “throwing a wrench into the works” and causing Hurt to refuse to participate in the forum. “I want to apologize that because of my participation, one of the candidates refused to take part,” he said. “[But] it’s important that everyone be able to hear from all the candidates.”

Before fielding questions from the audience of roughly 300 voters, both Perriello and Clark laid out the very different themes of their campaigns.

Perriello is running for a second term, he said, because much work remains to improve the economy of Central and Southside Virginia. As a big part of this, he said, he wants Congress to do more to boost the manufacturing, construction, forestry and agriculture industries.

“We have in the past, and we can in the future, build things, grow things and make things better than anyone else in the world,” he said.

As one example, he said, he has been pushing for “home star” and “rural star” legislation that “helps us renovate existing building stock, particularly in rural communities. It puts American construction crews to work, it puts American manufacturing to work — because you’re looking at the installation of double-paned glass and window film — and it’s reducing electric bills for America when the economic pinch is serious.”

Clark is running, he said, because he is concerned about the direction of the country under both Democrats and Republicans, both of whom he views as far too willing to increase government spending and debt.

“What we don’t see is a fundamental commitment to try and reduce the size of the federal government,” Clark said. “No matter who it is, whether Republicans or Democrats, we’ve seen a constant march toward a larger and larger federal government.”

Clark believes America is at a turning point, in which it will either continue to rely increasingly on the federal government or it will become more self-sufficient. If elected, he said, he would work to reduce taxes and government regulation to allow private enterprise and individuals to operate with less intrusion.

Both candidates were asked if they support privatizing Social Security, which is at risk of insolvency in the years ahead.

Perriello does not support privatization but believes steps must be taken to shore up Social Security’s long-term viability. Clark, on the other hand, wants to privatize the entitlement system partially to allow young people to choose to make low-risk private investments.

The candidates also outlined their views on what should be done to reduce the $13 trillion federal deficit.

Clark said the growing national debt is of great concern and requires dramatic cuts in government spending.

Perriello said he is also concerned about the deficit, having voted twice against President Barack Obama’s budget because it did not go far enough in reducing debt. He said he supports a proposal to convene a bipartisan commission that would make recommendations to balance the budget, ending with an up-or-down vote for Congress.

“I’ve been somewhat quoted and a video’s been sent around with me saying, ‘Congress will keep stealing from you unless you tie our hands.’ People seem upset by that. I hate to tell you, it’s the truth,” Perriello said. “Until we wake up and realize that both parties will continue to run up deficits until we give them no other choice.”

The candidates were also asked to give their views on the war in Afghanistan.

Clark, whose son is in the Marines and recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan, said the war is “something of a mess” and lacks focus or a clear objective. Moreover, he said, American troops are hamstrung by overly cautious rules of engagement.

“They’re being asked to risk their lives for political correctness,” Clark said.

Perriello, who spent time in Afghanistan as a national security consultant before running for Congress, said he has supported a proposal that demands a strategy for victory and a timetable for withdrawal. He believes America has strategic interests in a secure Afghanistan, but said U.S. efforts are stymied by the country’s “utterly rotten and corrupt” kleptocracy of thugs and warlords.

“If we make some bold political moves, there may still be some room for victory,” he said

Clark criticized the federal health care legislation, which Perriello supported. Clark views the law’s mandate that everyone obtain health insurance as onerous and un-American.

“I’m not in favor of anyone telling me what I should buy or what I ought to have,” he said.

Clark spoke in favor of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s lawsuit to overturn the legislation. Perriello said he too supports Cuccinelli’s right to challenge the law but said it was poorly reasoned and will likely fail.

Perriello said the health care reform law will make health premiums more affordable and will make the system fairer for small businesses and the middle class. For example, he said, the law brings the uninsured into the system, thereby eliminating the need for insured people to pay the $1,400 “hidden tax” that health care companies charge to cover the cost of the uninsured.

On the issue of taxes, Perriello outlined a long list of tax cuts and tax credits he supported to benefit the middle class and small businesses. Clark said he would like to eliminate all federal taxes and implement a “Fair Tax” in the form of a 23-cent sales tax.