New Britain Herald - Broad-Spectrum Politics Mark 1st District Debate

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By Steve Collins

With four candidates pitching often radically different ideas on a host of issues, Monday's 1st District congressional debate seemed at least half circus -- not so different than Congress itself.

Though Republican Ann Brickley and Democratic incumbent John Larson are far ahead in the polls, the two minor party challengers, Ken Krayeske of the Green Party and Chris Hutchinson of the Socialist Action Party, stole the show.

Even GOP stalwarts said the radical ideas floated by Krayeske and Hutchinson overshadowed the more conventional political stances of the two mainstream candidates.

"I felt kind of like an odd duck," Brickley said, with the other three all taking stands to her left.

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Chris Richie | Staff | Green Party candidate Ken Krayeske, center, speaks during the debate for the 1st Congressional District Monday night at West Hartford Town Hall. From left are Republican Ann Brickley, Chris Hutchinson of the Socialist Action Party, Krayeske, and incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District.

Larson, an East Hartford Democrat who's held the job for a dozen years, said Brickley offered only "Republican talking points" while Hutchinson and Krayeske offered solutions to the nation's problems, even if they're not the right answers.

Former Bristol Republican Party leader Art Mocabee said Larson's answers amounted to "stale cigar smoke."

In the 90-minute debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and West Hartford Community Television at the West Hartford Town Hall, Krayeske said the quartet of candidates had "an excellent exchange of ideas."

They certainly offered a variety of them.

Brickley, a Wethersfield consultant, castigated 2009's $700 billion stimulus plan as "a complete and utter failure" and vowed to repeal the 2010 health care measure -- both of which Larson defended.

Larson said the stimulus measure helped pull the nation's economy "back from the precipice" and put America on the path to recovery.

"We had to stop the bleeding," Larson said.

The congressman -- whose district includes Bristol, Southington, Berlin and Newington -- said it took "an incredible effort" to get the health care overhaul passed. "I'm proud of what we accomplished," he said.

Hutchinson, a teacher, said the insurance industry wrote it, prompting an immediate denial from Larson, who said he was "terribly offended" by the charge.

Krayeske, who will become a lawyer the day before the Nov. 2 election, said Larson did "a commendable job" on health care but insisted that a public option remains critical because health care is a basic human right that government should ensure.

Brickley said it does nothing to address the skyrocketing cost of health care.

Krayeske said Larson has done too little to address the growing "wealth gap" that has created an immensely rich minority while most Americans are struggling to keep up.

Hutchinson said workers should control the companies that employ them and called for a 100 percent tax on individual earnings above $250,000 annually. Krayeske said a 50 percent tax rate would be enough. Larson said he favored tax cuts for those earning less than $250,000 a year.

Brickley said government shouldn't be raising taxes on anyone during such tough economic times.

Larson, Krayeske and Hutchinson all said they favor pulling American troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, though Larson said he's pleased with President Obama's schedule for doing so.

Hutchinson said American troops should be brought home from every land, from Pakistan to Haiti, and the military budget gutted to provide funding for domestic needs. Krayeske said the country could slash military spending by 70 percent. Larson said some cuts are possible.

Brickley said America needs to be the most powerful military power, though she mentioned that some wasteful military spending could be reduced.

On environmental issues, Larson said he wants to slash the use of foreign oil by switching energy consumption to domestic natural gas. He also called for a greater push for greener technologies and a commitment to a healthier environment.

Brickley said she is "as green as they come" and won't even put pesticides on her lawn or garden, but she's not convinced that people are causing global warming and strongly opposes "cap and trade" plans to reduce carbon emissions.

In the one zinger of the night, Krayeske fired back, "She likes to keep her fingers in the dirt but her head in the sand."

Even Brickley said she laughed.

Hutchinson said "an emergency response" is required on the climate crisis. He said workers need to face down "big oil and big business."

Near the end, Larson said one big issue that hadn't been mentioned is the Republican push to privatize Social Security.

Brickley said she doesn't think that's a good idea. But, she said, politicians do need to take steps to preserve Social Security for future generations.

The next debate among the four is slated for Monday at 6 p.m. at the Hartford Public Library.

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