Senate candidates debate on Spartan TV

Spartan TV made news Tuesday evening when it hosted the first televised Democratic senatorial debate. Among the debaters were State Senator Kay Hagan, businessman Mr. Jim Neal, podiatrist Dr. Howard Staley, and attorney Marcus Williams, all fighting for Senator Elizabeth Dole's seat.

The debate touched on a number of top issues in North Carolina, including the economy, gas prices, the war in Iraq, and healthcare. However, the discussion did not stop there, as there was also talk of gays in the military and experiences on the campaign trail.

The candidates were mostly in agreement on issues with the economy, believing it important to ensure jobs pay a living salary and to build a framework that makes education affordable.

In regards to high gas prices, all the candidates seemed to agree that the country's current situation is unacceptable. When asked if they supported President Bush's plan to tap into Alaskan reserves, Hagan was unsure.

"How much oil is there and how long will it last?" Hagan asked. "I'm going to read up on the material and look over the costs and benefits."

However, all the other candidates said they would not support the plan.

"I do not support drilling [in Alaska]. Our situation has more to do with monetary policy," explained Staley. "Borrowing has raised the price of fuel and oil … we have oil available. We're just paying a lot for it."

Williams did not feel the plan's resources would be enough.

"It would be 10 years until oil would flow, and the price [of gas] would only lower one cent," said Williams. "We need to go where the oil is and try to leverage a result that would reduce this permanently."

Neal disagreed with Williams, believing it important for America not to depend on foreign oil.

"We need a long term plan to wean us off foreign oil. We have a bigger agenda … the war in Iraq," claimed Neal. "Oil markets react to signals and the signals we're sending are not about aggressive action."

In addition, candidates disagreed on funding the war in Iraq and on exactly how to get the troops home.

"I will never cut off funding in order to end this war," said Hagan. "We have got to take care of the troops … We have got to tell the Iraqi government and people they need to take care of their own country."

Neal, who had said he would support a cut of war funding during a Wilmington forum, said he was determined to get the troops home as soon as possible.

"We need to get the troops out of Iraq," said Neal. "We need to do so by negotiating … The current administration has waged this war without any resistance with Congress, and we are seeing casualties. This war has got to stop."

Williams agreed with Mr. Neal.

"We have brilliant troops who are overextended … whose families are suffering," said Williams. "De-authorize this war and bring these troops home."

Staley, on the other hand, feels Congress should not get involved.

"We need to wait for the new administration," Staley responded.

Another hot topic of the debate was healthcare. Though all the candidates feel the current healthcare system needs revising, they were not in complete agreement about universal healthcare. Staley was against the idea of universal healthcare, believing the country cannot afford it.

"I feel we need to look mostly at subsidized healthcare systems," began Staley. "We need to have a discussion about what we would cover and how much we would cover with minimal paperwork. Nobody would make a profit on this system … if anyone gets rich, this will be the wrong program."

Hagan supports the idea of universal healthcare, even though she doesn't feel it can happen in the near future. Instead, she feels the system needs to include three ways to lower the cost of healthcare including prevention, chronic disease management, and electronic medical records.

Mr. Neal disagreed with Senator Hagan.

"Forty-seven million Americans are without healthcare," explained Neal. "We provide universal healthcare by driving down the cost of administration of healthcare. If you're going to get special interest out of Washington, you have to lead."

Attorney Williams fell somewhere in the middle.

"I intend to rally my colleagues in the Senate to support preventative healthcare and eliminate pre-existing problems," said Williams. "Every child and every citizen should be covered."

In addition to these often talked about issues, the candidates spoke a little about gays in the military and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. None of the candidates fully supported the idea of the policy, believing there should be no discrimination of any kind. However, Neal was quick to say he was completely opposed to the policy.

"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' divides the country and discriminates," said Neal. "I don't think [homosexuality] is an alternative lifestyle or a choice."

After comparing differences of sexuality to those of race, Neal got some backlash from Williams who claimed Neal was making an "erroneous analogy."

Aside from the heated issues, the candidates did have a chance to answer a less controversial question when asked if they were planning to vote for Obama or Clinton. Both Williams and Neal endorsed Obama, while Staley said he was undecided. Senator Hagan said she believes both candidates are exceptional and that it's up to the people to decide.

Afterward, some of the candidates spoke about the debate.

"I think it went ok," said Staley. "I'm not here to feed my ego."

"I believe people got a good flavor," commented Williams. "Being a former student body president of UNC Chapel Hill, I always get excited coming onto a UNC campus."

"I think the debate was a win for the North Carolina voters," said Neal. "They had the opportunity to see the difference between me and Senator Hagan."

Neal also commented on UNCG, saying, "I want to tell the Spartans that you have every right to be proud of your facilities ... I salute you."