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| Rookie Grandma Ready to Talk; Congressman Young a No Show Congressional challenger and “rookie Grandma” Ms. Samm Simpson faces an empty chair during WEDU's District 10 Candidates' Debate to be broadcast Wednesday at 9 p.m. Her opponent C.W. “Bill” Young declined to participate in the taping over the weekend claiming he and his wife were in Washington to visit wounded vets in the hospitals and for congressional business. Congress has been recessed for two weeks for the elections. Simpson called Young's absence a "unfortunate and unfair to the over 400,000 District 10 voters." Simpson added, "Mr. Young’s thirty-six year tenure doesn’t mean an automatic free pass. It’s the job of a representative to make him or herself accessible to the democratic process and justify their voting record, not the money they bring to the county.” In questions from the moderator, Rob Lorei, Simpson, who labels herself "an independent thinking Democrat," reiterated her positions supporting federal funding for stem cell research, universal healthcare, increased protection of the environment and a change of course in Iraq. Young has previously opposed Simpson on each. As to the war, Young's office provided one pre-answered question in which he affirmed his support for the Bush policy that "America will stand down when the Iraqis stand up.” Simpson recalled, “ That’s the same worn out phrase our President has been using for nearly four years. We must admit our mistakes and change course in Iraq. It’s time to get serious about a timeline for withdrawal of our precious men and women, as well as the corporations with their so called “reconstruction contracts” that have bilked the American taxpayer, according to Congressman Waxman, of $745 billion. For details on how Ms. Simpson views issues, visit http://www.sammsimpsonforcongress.com |
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