Nelson, Harris debate calls credibility, values into question

November 02, 2006

Nelson, Harris debate calls credibility, values into question
By JAMES MILLER
Staff Writer

ORLANDO -- Florida's Democratic U.S. Senator and the Republican challenger who wants his seat tangled in Orlando on Wednesday night in a sometimes visceral televised debate that focused on the war in Iraq, taxes, Social Security and social values.

The movements of Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris were restricted to not much more than finger-wagging as they sat at a small table with moderator Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press."

But their verbal jabs were less restrained, as they responded to questions and probing follow-ups from Russert.

Trailing by more than 30 percentage points in some polls, Harris, a 49-year-old second-term congresswoman from Longboat Key, took advantage of nearly every opening to attack Nelson as a tax-happy senator whose voting record belies his claim to be steered by his faith.

"When you look at his tax record, even the taxpayer unions, all the watchdog groups call him a taxpayer enemy," Harris said. "He is consistently voting to raise our taxes."

Nelson, 64, of Orlando did not wilt, sometimes angrily defending his voting record and accusing Harris of distorting it -- as, he said, she likes to do.

He said he had voted for tax cuts 81 times but didn't vote for cuts he saw as irresponsible.

"Tim, I'm not going to let her get away with this," Nelson said in one particularly terse exchange about taxes. "She is making a number of statements that are not true, and credibility has been a problem for my opponent on this campaign, and here's another example of where statements are made as if they are fact and they aren't."

Russert started the almost 60-minute debate at the University of Central Florida's student union by asking the candidates about some of the most polarizing figures in their respective parties.

First, he asked Nelson about Democratic Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's comment Monday to students at a Pasadena, Calif., college about education and the Iraq war. Students who study hard and do their homework can do well; those that don't "get stuck in Iraq," Kerry said.

"Well, I understand he's apologized for them, and he should," Nelson said.

Russert then turned to Harris and asked her about comments by President Bush that Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had done good jobs and should stay.

"We have enormous problems on the horizon that would tax anyone clearly," Harris said. "I think they have done adequate jobs."

With Harris trailing badly in every major poll, and -- as of Oct. 18 -- having only one-sixth of the cash available compared to Nelson, she had been declared all but finished by many political observers. Even a home-run performance might not help.

Afterward, Harris said: "I just hope I reached out to the hearts and minds of people."

Asked about Harris' credibility, Nelson said it was up to voters do decide for themselves.

The debate focused on several major areas:

· On the Iraq war, both candidates said they would send additional troops, although Nelson answered a hypothetical question about whether he would send 100,000 additional troops if General John Abizaid, commander of U.S. military operations in the Middle East -- whose opinion Nelson said he trusted -- asked for them.

Nelson said he doesn't think a military solution is possible, and the country probably should be divided into three regions for the major ethnic and religious groups. Harris said the war is winnable but also said a partition could work.

· On tax policy, Harris said she thinks Floridians should have a choice on whether to go to a system called a fair tax that involves a 23-percent one-time tax on goods and services that would replace all federal income and payroll taxes.

Nelson disagreed, pointing to a study he said showed average taxpayers would actually end up paying more.

· On Social Security, Nelson said he opposes privatization. Harris said she does not support total privatization, but "all options are on the table," as long as they don't affect current seniors.

· On social values, Russert questioned Harris about comments she had made to a Baptist journal that not electing Christians meant legislating sin. She said all people, regardless of faith, should run for office, and she was only seeking to draw distinctions between herself and Nelson.

Harris attacked several of Nelson's votes, including votes against a ban on gay marriage and parental notification when a minor is taken across state lines for an abortion.

Nelson said he voted the way he did because the House of Representatives changed the bills. The gay marriage amendment, for example, would not have simply banned marriage but would have taken away the civil rights of gay couples, he said.

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