Fosters.com - Saying She's the One

News Article

By: John Koziol

Without once mentioning him by name, former governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen told the Laconia Rotary Club that she could do a better job responding to the economic needs of middle class families and small businesses than John E. Sununu.

The Shaheen/Sununu contest is a rematch of the 2002 senatorial race in which Democrat Shaheen narrowly lost to the Waterville Valley Republican.

On Thursday, Shaheen had lunch with Rotarians at the Belknap Mill and then addressed members, telling them she was running again because "I'm concerned about the direction of this country."

This is "a critical time" in U.S. history, she said, and it is time to bring in new leadership because "Washington just doesn't get it."

The "meltdown" of Wall Street is placing additional stress on the middle class and small businesses, she added, sounding a theme that Sununu — whom she referred to only as "my opponent" — was too closely linked to the policies of the administration of President George W. Bush and special interests which Democrats have cited as prime reasons for the current economic situation.

While "very optimistic" that Americans are "up to the challenge" of getting through the ongoing financial turmoil, Shaheen said it is vital to bring different people into office, alluding to herself and Illinois Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate.

In a revamped economic system, businesses will continue to create jobs but "government does have a role to play that allows businesses to operate in a way that's effective," Shaheen said.

She blamed "bad decisions" for the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. She said the bill passed by Congress did not adequately protect taxpayers, failed to address the problems of mortgage holders, permitted "golden parachute" retirement deals to financial industry executives and did not provide "transparency" and sufficient oversight.

Instead of passing the bailout bill, the House and Senate should have stayed in session until they came up with a better piece of legislation, said Shaheen.

Switching gears, Shaheen said she recognized that the high costs of energy and health care are also very much on the minds of Granite State voters.

"I've been accused of not supporting drilling [for oil]," Shaheen said, adding however, that she supports increased domestic production of oil and natural gas but only insofar that they are part of a larger energy plan that includes alternative and renewable fuel sources, which she said represent the nation's future.

The debate about expanded offshore drilling, she said, misses the larger point that America has only three percent of the world's known oil reserves but uses 25 percent of the world's supply, meaning that drilling alone will not solve the problem of demand and cost.

Expanded nuclear production could be part of America's energy picture, but Shaheen said she wants to be sure that the question of how to deal with radioactive waste is answered before new plants come online. She also wants to end subsidies for nuclear power.

On health care, Shaheen proposed a 50 percent tax credit to businesses that offer insurance to their employees and supports re-authorizing the import of less-expensive prescription drugs from Canada. Shaheen also said Medicare should be able to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers for the best prices.

In the larger scheme of things, Shaheen said the American model of health care must change from one that treats illnesses to one that tries to prevent them. "We need to reverse the incentives in our health care system."

Shaheen summed up by saying, "We can't continue to support the failed policies of the past eight years," before discounting "trickle-down" economics with a plea to "provide opportunity again to middle-class families."

Her closing remarks caused one Rotarian to bemoan all politicians' invocation of class and to point out that there were many parties responsible for the situation America now finds itself in.

Shaheen agreed that "we shouldn't have class warfare" but then took the opportunity to point a finger at President Bush and Sununu who "supported all of this."

Source