Bright, Love discuss issues at Eufaula forum

By Patrick Johnston

Published: September 25, 2008

Bobby Bright and Jay Love told voters Thursday why they should represent Alabama’s District Two in Washington.

They appeared together at a congressional forum held at Eufaula’s Bevill Center. Approximately 120 people attended the forum, where the two candidates spoke for approximately 90 minutes. The tone was cordial, though the candidates rarely addressed each other. They spent most of the time speaking to the audience. There were only a couple of occasions where they took light jabs at each other regarding issues.

Bright, a Democrat, and Love, a Republican, agreed on a variety of issues.

But they also explained their differences.

Love, a small business owner who is currently a member of the Alabama House, mentioned the need for energy independence in his opening statement.

“We need to begin drilling, and we need to begin drilling now,” he said, while adding the nation should work to find alternative energy sources.

Love discussed the need to continue the Bush tax cuts, saying they should be extended or made permanent. He also said District Two has often by bypassed regarding economic development opportunities because of infrastructure woes.

Bright, who has served as Montgomery mayor for nearly a decade, said in his opening statement he is running as a conservative Democrat, and that party labels “mean nothing to me.”
“If you want to elect a party to go up to Washington, you don’t want to elect me,” he said.

He touted Montgomery’s ability to have a balanced budget every year he has been mayor, and economic development that has come with Hyundai.

Bright said Eufaula and Barbour County could experience economic growth.

“But we have to do that across party lines, racial lines and socio-economic lines,” he said.

The two candidates generally agreed on a variety of issues. Both expressed grave concerns about President Bush’s $700 billion bailout package.

“I’m not in favor of it in its present form,” Bright said, adding that non-partisan work is needed to develop a viable alternative.

Love, who said he was against the Bush proposal in its “current form,” added that many of the current problems stem from greed.

“The companies got greedy. The CEOs got greedy. What they did was criminal, and some of them need to go to jail,” he said.

Both Love and Bright said they have been promised positions on the Armed Services Committee should they be elected. Both said they support drilling for oil.

However, they also expressed slight differences on some issues.

Bright said he only supported vouchers if the public school system would not be negatively affected.

“If it doesn’t hurt the public education system, then I approve,” he said.

Love said vouchers would help make schools more competitive.

“Competition encourages everybody to have a better product,” he said. “I want to make it easier for parents, not harder.”

Love said a “huge government-run” health care system would be an “unbelievable failure” in America.

“At some point we need to bring all sides to the table and address health care reform,” he said.

He said small businesses and employees should be given tax deductions to encourage health care coverage.

“By expanding deductions, you allow the free market to begin to work,” he said.

Bright said it was not fair that many Americans are one accident or serious illness away from bankruptcy. He said universal health care shouldn’t be buzzwords for “liberal” or “Hillary Clinton”, but instead a pledge that all Americans will have the opportunity to have adequate health coverage. He also frowned on excessive government control, stating instead the need for insurance pools .

“We don’t want that,” he said of government-controlled health care.