By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
Three Democrats running in the 13th Congressional District generally agreed on most issues at a forum on the afternoon of Jan. 26.
Meanwhile, a fourth candidate skipped the event. Former congresswoman Marjorie Margolies, who is considered by many to be the frontrunner in the race, was a no-show.
Participating were Dr. Val Arkoosh, state Sen. Daylin Leach and state Rep. Brendan Boyle. In his closing statement, Boyle thanked “two of my three opponents” for taking part.
The event was held at the Upper Dublin Township Building, which is located in the 7th Congressional District. It was sponsored by the Montgomery County chapter of Democracy for America and the Area 6 Democratic Committee of Horsham and Upper Dublin townships. Will Bunch, of the Philadelphia Daily News, was the moderator. About 200 people attended.
The room full of liberals delighted in candidate attacks on the Tea Party, Fox News, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Tom Corbett.
Arkoosh, making her first bid for office, stressed her background as a health care reform advocate, saying she has the expertise to help produce high-quality, affordable care.
“We are sending way too many career politicians to Washington,” she said in her opening statement.
In his opening statement, Boyle pointed to his humble roots and noted he has the support of more than 20 labor unions. Later, he said his top priority in Congress would be to raise the standard of living for all Americans.
Leach, a lawyer, told the crowd that he grew up in a series of foster homes and attended eight elementary schools. He introduced a bill to legalize gay marriage when the issue did not enjoy wide support. He likes to take on tough issues, even if they are unpopular.
“That’s what I’ve done over the last 12 years,” said Leach, elected to the state House of Representatives in 2002 and to the Senate in 2008.
In the question-and-answer session, the candidates favored increases in the minimum wage and in spending on transportation needs and opposed any cuts to Social Security.
“It’s government investment that’s part of the answer, not part of the problem,” said Boyle, adding that Tea Party Republicans focus too much on the budget deficit and not enough on investing in improvements to bridges, roads and high-speed rail.
Leach suggested the government should consider interest-free student loans. He’d like to approve a minimum wage increase with a provision that would keep the rate rising.
“We need to raise the minimum wage and tie it to inflation,” he said.
Leach described himself as an “adamant environmentalist” who opposes construction of the long-proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast. Supporters say it would create jobs and lower gas prices. President Obama has refused to approve the project.
Opponents worry about the environmental impact.
“I am opposed to the Keystone Pipeline,” said Arkoosh, noting that the pipeline would go through her native Nebraska.
On foreign policy, none of the candidates answered Bunch’s question about whether they considered Edward Snowden — a former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed top-secret documents to the media — a hero or a traitor.
Boyle called it a “disgrace” and “anti-Semitic” that the American Studies Association in December voted to boycott Israel’s higher-education institutions to protest the country’s treatment of Palestinians.
Arkoosh said sanctions against Iran have hurt the nation, and she likes the way Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are handling matters in that regard.
Leach discussed a bill sponsored by New Jersey U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that would toughen sanctions against Iran. The bill is backed by 59 senators, but Majority Leader Harry Reid is refusing to allow a vote on it and Obama has vowed to veto it.
Some supporters of the bill note that Iran has not agreed to dismantle its nuclear program. Obama and opponents want to continue ongoing negotiations toward a permanent deal that would require Iran to curb its nuclear program.
“I would not have supported the Menendez bill,” Leach said.
The candidates disagreed in a couple of areas.
Leach has introduced a bill to legalize marijuana, arguing that it is too costly to crack down on people caught with small amounts of the drug. Minorities, he said, are more likely to be arrested and convicted of marijuana possession. He added that legalization will lead to increased tax revenue.
Leach said if lawmakers started from scratch, there would be a fierce debate over the dangers of alcohol vs. marijuana.
“We would never have the current system,” he said.
Boyle and Arkoosh would take a wait-and-see approach as two states — Colorado and Washington — recently legalized marijuana.
Arkoosh and Leach are strong opponents of vouchers for non-private schools.
“Money cannot come from the public school budget,” Arkoosh said.
“Fix the public schools. That’s the answer, not vouchers,” Leach said.
Boyle said parents of students in low-performing schools “absolutely” should have options. He said it is “hypocritical” for Main Line residents who send their children to private schools to oppose vouchers. Arkoosh, of Springfield Township, and Leach, of Upper Merion, send their kids to private school.
“I don’t know what the hostility is to the Main Line,” Leach said.
Arkoosh said the rollout of Obamacare was “pretty fraught with disaster.”
However, Leach called the controversy over the rollout “a tempest in a teapot” and a “Fox News narrative.”
In closing statements, Arkoosh joked that Leach and Boyle are doing such “incredible work” in Harrisburg that voters should keep them there and send her to Washington.
“I will have their back,” she said.
