Times Observer - "Democrats Present Candidates; Ark. Congressman Headlines County Party Brunch"

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Times Observer - "Democrats Present Candidates; Ark. Congressman Headlines County Party Brunch"

I sincerely believe the fate of this Republic hangs in the balance on this election."

The guest speaker at the Warren County Democratic Committee's Candidates Brunch on Saturday, Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas, is convinced that voting for Democrats is the right way to go.

"I can't begin to tell you how important this is," he said. "Things are broken down. Our machine has got to be fixed."

"That's why every one of you is so important," Berry said to the assembled candidates.

Five of the seven Democratic candidates for Warren County's two Congressional districts - four in the third district and three in the fourth - were in Warren on Saturday.

Third district candidates Kathy Dahlkemper, Kyle Foust and Mike Waltner and fifth district candidates Mark McCracken and Richard Vilello Jr. each spoke, giving their positions on the issues and pitching their campaigns to Warren County.

To sweeten the pot a little, a straw poll was taken with a portion of the funds raised by the event to be given to the winners.

Dahlkemper won the third district poll outright. McCracken and Vilello tied in the fifth.

All of the candidates talked about the war in Iraq, health care, and the economy as major issues facing Congress and the entire nation.

"The biggest issue this country faces is the budget deficit and the $9.4 trillion debt," McCracken, a second term Clearfield County commissioner, said.

He stressed that important issues like health care and social security can't be appropriately addressed "until we put leaders in Washington who make a firm commitment to balance the budget and get down the debt."

"We are head and shoulders above the nine Republicans" running for Congressman John Peterson's fifth district seat, McCracken said. "The Republicans are talking about the same solutions as they were in the 1980s."

"We are turning the tables," he said. "People in our region want change."

Vilello agreed that change is in order - that jobs and the economy should be the focus of the government.

"We're going in the wrong direction," the three-term mayor of Lock Haven said. "Congress is spending too much time trying to keep their jobs to do their jobs."

"The war in Iraq is sucking the life out of our economy," he said. "It's time to start withdrawing our troops. We need a diplomatic surge, not a military surge."

"We need good jobs," Vilello said. People shouldn't be leaving the region and going "halfway around the world to find a job."

"It's time to ‘shock and awe' our economy," he said. "It's time to start worrying about the problems we have."

Dahlkemper led off the third district candidates.

"I am a concerned citizen and somebody who wants to make a difference for the people in the third district," she said.

Her vision is for the future, she said. "When you make decisions, you need to be looking beyond the next election."

"Education is the backbone of our society," Dahlkemper said. Funding that, and not a $12 billion per month war, is a key to the future of the country.

She would approve an "organized disengagement" handled "safely and with honor."

"When we bring our troops home we can begin" making progress in other critical areas - health care, the economy, the deficit, and education.

Foust asked those in attendance to "join this cause," and stressed that he is the only candidate among the third district Democrats who has experience in public office.

"I've used public policy to create private sector growth," the Erie County councilman said. "We have held the line on taxes in Erie County and made government more efficient and more accountable."

He believes northwestern Pennsylvania can revitalize its economy "at the forefront of research and development for green technology," Foust said.

Government subsidized health care is not only important for individuals, he said, it would boost the economy. "Think of the entrepreneurial spirit we could unleash if... people did not have to worry about" health insurance, he said.

Waltner said he is the only candidate who favors a universal, single-payer "start-to-finish" health care system.

Extending Medicare to 300 million Americans would improve the economy by eliminating the burden on employers to provide health care, he said.

Further, "we need to do this for moral reasons," Waltner said. Universal health care "is a moral imperative."

"People are struggling out here," he said. "It's obvious. We can't afford any more" of the current direction and leadership.

"I will never vote for extending this war unless it's tied to a timetable," Waltner said. Ending the war would free up billions that "should be devoted to schools and to retraining workers."

Only two Democratic candidates for Congress, Bill Cahir (fifth district) and Tom Meyer (third), did not attend the brunch.

Don Hilliard, who is running for state senator, said he would solve the health care issue at the state level. He said a payroll tax on both workers and employers would fund the system and would save money for both by "doing away with insurance premiums."

"If employers save money, we're going to bring business into Pennsylvania," Hilliard said.

No matter who wins the primary nods, Warren County Democratic Party Chairman Bernie Hessley said, "In November, we've got to be unified. We have to support the Democrats with everything we have."

Berry, a staunch supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton in terms of whom he supports for the presidential nod, applauded all of the candidates for their willingness to serve and desire to lead.

Jeff Eggleston, chairman of the Warren County Obama for President campaign, plugged his candidate, but also gave his approval to all of the candidates at the forum. "What a great group of Democrats," he said. "What a wonderful thing to have this many good candidates. Keep getting involved. Keep running for office."

This year's elections "are likely to change to the course of human history, will almost certainly change the course of history in this country," Berry said. "It's critical that we get it right this time."

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