{"id":2896,"date":"2008-02-20T04:41:00","date_gmt":"2008-02-20T10:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/02\/wilson-comes-out-firing-at-first-gop-senate-debate\/"},"modified":"2008-02-20T04:41:00","modified_gmt":"2008-02-20T10:41:00","slug":"wilson-comes-out-firing-at-first-gop-senate-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/02\/wilson-comes-out-firing-at-first-gop-senate-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson comes out firing at first GOP Senate debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Heather Wilson<\/a> came out firing in her first debate with fellow GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce<\/a> on Tuesday, but Southern New Mexico\u2019s congressman held his own against the tenacious congresswoman from Albuquerque<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>. <\/p>\n

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

\n

At the debate, which was held in the heart of Pearce\u2019s House district in Alamogordo<\/st1:City>, Wilson<\/st1:City> went on the offensive during her opening statement, highlighting Pearce\u2019s votes for the base realignment plan<\/a> that included closing Cannon Air Force base and against funding to increase the number of Border Patrol agents in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> by 500.<\/p>\n

\n

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

\u201cYou can\u2019t talk about securing the border if you\u2019re not willing to spend the money to hire the guys to do the job,\u201d Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> said of Pearce\u2019s Border Patrol vote.<\/p>\n

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

Pearce spent much of the night on the defensive, but his explanations for votes Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> criticized were usually as effective as her attacks. He said he voted for the base realignment plan that included closing Cannon in part because people in Alamogordo<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> asked him to back the plan, which kept Holloman Air Force Base open. At the time, there was already talk of a new mission for Cannon, and the people of Alamogordo<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> pledged to help push for that, Pearce said.<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>He said he voted against the increase in Border Patrol funding because the agency spends $180,000 to train each agent, and almost $160,000 of that is unaccounted for in Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. He said Wilson<\/st1:city> has joined the other members of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>\u2019s delegation in engaging in wasteful spending, while he has never wavered from his commitment to reducing government waste.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI have done it time and time again in the New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> delegation, standing alone,\u201d Pearce said before the crowd of more than 100 people.<\/p>\n

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

The candidates also sparred over the State Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program<\/a>. Wilson, a proponent of the program, supported a bill last year that would have placed greater checks on ensuring undocumented immigrants couldn\u2019t access the program and phased out adult access. However, she said, \u201cextremes in both parties\u201d \u2013 Pearce was among those who adamantly opposed the bill \u2013 \u201cdemagogued this to death\u201d and ended up killing it.<\/p>\n

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

As a result, Congress temporarily extended the existing funding plan that didn\u2019t include the fixes Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> supported.<\/p>\n

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

Pearce complained that the proposal Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> supported would have expanded the SCHIP program by tens of billions of dollars and paid for it with a tax increase. He said he is proud to have voted against what he called \u201cHillary Care Lite \u2013 the beginning of socialized health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> pointed out that the tax increase would have been on the purchase of cigarettes, and said she hoped such a tax increase would encourage people to stop smoking. She then questioned whether Pearce, if he would oppose a \u201csafety-net\u201d insurance program like SCHIP, would also oppose Medicaid and Medicare.<\/p>\n

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

In response to a later question about cutting government waste, Pearce said he would make cuts to the Medicaid system, which he said is fraught with waste, fraud and abuse.<\/p>\n

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

Pearce fights back<\/span><\/p>\n

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

In response to the attacks, Pearce accused Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> of oversimplifying his votes so she could accuse him of not supporting the defense of the nation.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s the soft underbelly of American politics that does not have a place in this nation,\u201d Pearce said.<\/p>\n

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

He said, while he voted against the Border Patrol-funding bill Wilson used in her attack, he supported another proposal to increase the number of Border Patrol agents by taking money away from the Transportation Security Administration \u2013 an unsuccessful proposal Wilson opposed.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI don\u2019t stand up and accuse Heather of being soft on the border,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a different approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> countered that she could, like Pearce, \u201cfind a reason to vote against every bill,\u201d but said the necessity of securing the border outweighed some of the waste problems with the Border Patrol.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at the greater good, Steve,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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

Wilson<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> launched another attack later in the debate related to funding for the Department of Energy. Before voting last year against a proposal to cut funding for the state\u2019s national laboratories, Pearce voted for an amendment that would have cut $1.8 billion from the Department of Energy budget beyond the proposed lab cuts.<\/p>\n

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

The lab cuts were supported by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall<\/a>, the third candidate in the Senate race, and Wilson<\/st1:city> implied that Pearce\u2019s action was even more extreme than that of the Democratic congressman from Northern New Mexico<\/st1:place>.<\/p>\n

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

Pearce defended the vote, saying he could cut 1 percent from the DOE budget \u201cand never touch the labs.\u201d Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> pointed out that $1.8 billion is 8 percent of the DOE budget, and said such a cut would cost thousands of Americans their jobs. She said she favors careful examination of programs to find areas where cuts are practical, but opposes blanket cuts that are irresponsible.<\/p>\n

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

Closing statements<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Wilson<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> launched one last assault during her closing statement, again highlighting Pearce\u2019s votes against funding an increase in Border Patrol agents and to \u201cmothball Cannon Air Force Base\u201d and cut the Department of Energy budget.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou can\u2019t talk the talk if you\u2019re not willing to walk the walk,\u201d Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> said.<\/p>\n

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

Pearce devoted most of his closing statement to responding to the attacks.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHeather talks about that BRAC vote \u2013 the one that was going to mothball Cannon \u2013 as if I was opposed to Cannon. That\u2019s just not true. Our office was one of the ones that jumped in and said we\u2019ll find a mission for Cannon,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cWhen we talk about these votes in simplistic fashion that I\u2019m against Cannon, it\u2019s a disservice to the politics, it\u2019s a disservice to us as public leaders to try to simply a vote and cast it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

And he launched an attack at Wilson, who had called herself a \u201ccommonsense conservative\u201d throughout the evening, highlighting the differences in their votes on abortion and related issues.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou know, I\u2019ve listened to the words \u2018commonsense conservative\u2019 and I do not understand the commonsense version of voting for cloning,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cI do not understand the commonsense version of voting for stem cell research on embryos when we can do the same thing with adult stem cells, and I do not understand how a person can say that they\u2019re pro-life and have a 42 percent rating. I really can\u2019t. I\u2019ve got a 100-percent rating on the pro-life issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

I was unable to find the 42-percent rating Pearce spoke about. Click here<\/a> to see Wilson<\/st1:city><\/st1:place>\u2019s ratings on abortion issues from a number of special-interest groups. Click here<\/a> for Pearce\u2019s ratings.<\/p>\n

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

\n

In the end, the debate was a draw. Most I spoke with after it ended were impressed with the performances of both candidates.<\/p>\n

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

Here\u2019s video of Pearce\u2019s opening and closing statements:<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

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

And Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s opening and closing statements:<\/p>\n

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Heather Wilson came out firing in her first debate with fellow GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce on Tuesday, but Southern New Mexico\u2019s congressman held his own against the tenacious congresswoman from Albuquerque. At the debate, which was held in the heart of Pearce\u2019s House district in Alamogordo, Wilson went on the offensive during her […]<\/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-2896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896","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=2896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}