{"id":2789,"date":"2008-01-28T15:53:00","date_gmt":"2008-01-28T21:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/01\/a-more-polished-kissling-focuses-on-issues-in-2008\/"},"modified":"2008-01-28T15:53:00","modified_gmt":"2008-01-28T21:53:00","slug":"a-more-polished-kissling-focuses-on-issues-in-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/01\/a-more-polished-kissling-focuses-on-issues-in-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"A more polished Kissling focuses on issues in 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the third in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions in March.<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce<\/a> labeled his only 2006 opponent, Democrat Al Kissling<\/a>, as \u201cbizarre,\u201d<\/a> and the label stuck.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In 2008, Kissling is a different and better candidate. He\u2019s more polished. He\u2019s learned how to make his proposals \u2013 regardless of whether they have widespread public support \u2013 sound reasonable. He is focused almost entirely on issues.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

At public forums around the district, Democrats report that they have seen a difference. During a recent interview, I asked Kissling what has helped him become the more polished candidate Democrats are seeing this time around. He said he has a strong team helping him, whereas in 2006 he went through several campaign managers; he is focused on the issues; and he had the head start of building on the organization he developed in 2006.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling said he wasn\u2019t serious about winning in 2006. He ran primarily because no other Democrat would challenge Pearce. He ended up getting 40 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThis time I\u2019m in it because I want to win it,\u201d Kissling said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The other Democrats in the race are Do\u00f1a Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley<\/a>, Roswell<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> businessman and retired teacher Frank McKinnon<\/a> and former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling, a retired Presbyterian minister, is focusing his campaign on three issues: universal health care, education and energy.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Universal health care<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

On health care, Kissling proposes a system \u201cthat cares for a person from infancy to death, where everyone pays into it according to income but everyone benefits according to need.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s an outrage that the cost of health care is going up and what we get as average citizens is going down,\u201d Kissling said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He said his plan would cost less \u2013 both for individuals and the government \u2013 that what is now being spent on health care. That\u2019s in part because his plan would focus on preventative care, which Kissling said would save billions of dollars by reducing the need for emergency-room care.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Under Kissling\u2019s plan, private insurance companies would offer catastrophic and end-of-life coverage, but everything else would fall under the government-run program. He said citizens and non-citizens living in America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> would have to pay into the program and participate.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Education<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

On education, Kissling said he is advocating \u201ca radical revision of the No Child Left Behind Act.\u201d He wants a national, annual minimum teacher salary of $40,000. He proposes a national fellowship program that would pay the student loans of new teachers in exchange for their work in the toughest districts.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling wants to create a stipend program that will allow teachers to continue their education in the summers, and he wants to dramatically increase funding for infrastructure and supplies.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling admitted that his plan will cost \u201ca lot,\u201d but said the nation\u2019s education budget would still pale in comparison to the military budget.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cEducation needs to be a national priority,\u201d Kissling said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling said testing is important, but it must be economical and based on common sense. He proposes testing in only grades four and eight, and would have testing take place in the fall, so teachers have time to help students in areas where they need more instruction. He advocates for the creation of national tests that all states must use.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling said the system should recognize that all aren\u2019t college-bound and educate people to \u201cuse their abilities to the best of their ability.\u201d For some, he said, that will be learning a vocation or trade.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Energy<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling said solving the nation\u2019s energy crisis is going to take sacrifice.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cEnergy is the crisis no one wants to deal with,\u201d he said. \u201cWe complain about it at the gas pump, but we don\u2019t want to do what\u2019s necessary to address the energy crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling proposes a comprehensive plan he said would take 20 years to fully implement.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling said he would push for increasing the amount of the nation\u2019s energy generated through wind, solar and geothermal power to at least 20 percent. He would push for the development of biofuels such as sugar. And he proposes developing more \u201cefficient, safe, non-polluting\u201d nuclear plants. Such plants, he said, would be built by the government and leased to energy companies under his plan, to ensure efficiency and safety.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

That would allow the phasing out of coal-burning plants and gas plants, Kissling said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Dealing with the energy crisis will also require consumers to sacrifice, he said, by switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, installing better insulation in homes, moving toward solar-power for homes and turning off the lights and down thermostats.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the causes of the energy crisis is our inability to control ourselves,\u201d Kissling said. \u201cWe must solve this now so our children and grandchildren will have a greener and healthier world.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2018I can accomplish something\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI am running because I am convinced that I can accomplish something on these three issues in the next Congress,\u201d Kissling said, adding that he believes he is \u201cfar better prepared\u201d than the other candidates in the race because his 40 years as a minister helped him develop skills in working with people to accomplish goals.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling admits he won\u2019t have a lot of money. His fundraising has, thus far, been dwarfed by that of McCamley and Teague.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to see a Congress that functions, you want to get me elected,\u201d Kissling said. \u201cI\u2019m not a politician, and I\u2019m not able to campaign with a lot of money, but I am someone who has been able to be effective in my years of ministry and service.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling has an immediate challenge in securing 20 percent of the vote at the March 15 preprimary nominating convention \u2013 the only path to the ballot unless the state Legislature changes the law in the current session. He said McCamley and Teague are \u201cmore effective than me\u201d at securing party-insider support, but he\u2019s still confident he will get on the ballot.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

As far as Kissling is concerned, the primary will be a race between him and McCamley. Teague\u2019s candidacy, he said, \u201cis a farce.\u201d He called the Hobbs<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> oilman \u201canother Pearce,\u201d who may be more liberal than the current congressman but is running \u201cto protect the oil interest.\u201d He said voters will understand that and reject Teague.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague gave $250 to Kissling in 2006, but he also gave $2,100 to Pearce.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has no knowledge of the issues. He\u2019ll be a follower, not a leader,\u201d Kissling said of Teague. \u201cHe\u2019s really a nice guy, but he really doesn\u2019t know anything about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

So Kissling said he sees this as a race between a candidate who has the support of millionaires \u2013 McCamley \u2013 and him, a grassroots candidate.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cVoters have to decide if they want a congressman who can raise a lot of money or one who understands the issues and can get things done,\u201d Kissling said. \u201cI\u2019ve proven myself in the forums we\u2019ve had, and my hope is that the average voter will not be bought off by the TV ads and the superficial appeals that will be made.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Prior interviews with Second Congressional District candidates:<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Harry Teague<\/a>, published Dec. 20, 2007<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Aubrey L. Dunn Jr.<\/a>, published Jan. 14, 2008<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the third in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions in March. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce labeled his only 2006 opponent, Democrat Al Kissling, as \u201cbizarre,\u201d and the label […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}