Nashua Telegraph - Sununu, Shaheen Trade Barbs During Debate

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Nashua Telegraph - Sununu, Shaheen Trade Barbs During Debate

Sponsors billed it as a friendly forum but Sen. John E., Sununu and Democratic rival Jeanne Shaheen traded insults on the Wall Street bailout, Social Security, taxes and health care during their second encounter at St. Anselm College this afternoon.

Sununu accused Shaheen of being evasive about the congressional vote last week and then being wrong in opposing the plan that President Bush signed into law last Friday.

"That's not leadership," Sununu charged.

Shaheen fired back that Sununu spent two days last week campaigning when he should have worked to give taxpayers more protections in the final plan.

"John, I don't need a lecture about leadership," Shaheen said.

"If I had been in the Senate what I would have done last Tuesday and Wednesday, I enjoyed the debate we had but if I had been in the Senate I would have stayed in Washington and I would have worked on that bill and done everything to make sure it was done right."
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Sununu said he worked with Sen. Judd Gregg, R-NH, to make sure taxpayers got protections that government purchase of troubled assets is temporary and any profits will be used to pay down the federal debt and not go to higher spending.

Shaheen said Sununu and Bush would have risked the retirement security of younger workers by compelling them to set aside some of their Social Security tax in private investment accounts.

"The Social Security concern we are talking about, if we did what John Sununu and George Bush wanted to do with Social Security, that would cost something like 1 trillion to $2 trillion. That is not fiscal responsibility," Shaheen declared.

"I don't think that is the way to save Social Security."

Sununu said the Democratic National Senatorial Committee and chairman, New York Senator Chuck Shumer, have distorted his proposal.

"One of the worst things I have seen in politics is Jeanne Shaheen and Chuck Shumer, $10 million running against me, he is using that $10 million to scare senior citizens that somehow this would threaten the retirement of someone that is simply outrageous," Sununu said.

"I happen to think people in New Hampshire are smarter than that. Whether you are retired or not, this kind of demagogy has seen its day, but it's out there and it's going to continue to be out there."

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