Louise Slaughter Interview

Editor's Note:   Rich Tyson participated in the recent interview of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter by the Democrat and Chronicle's Editorial Board.

To write a full review of the interview and my feelings would take up too much room.  So I am going to attack this issue by issue.   Here we go.

Healthcare and the stimulus:

She surmised that they would have done better if they didn’t have to compromise so much.   She was also discouraged that only half of Congress was actually working on it.   Nancy Pelosi was “masterful” on health care and when the history of this legislation is written, the President will end up on the wrong side for allowing Baucus to hold it up for six weeks.   (In my opinion she hated the calls she was getting from people upset about what her party was doing.)

Dropping Poll Numbers for Democrats in Power:

Quote:  “It is the one of the greatest phenomena of our time.”   She described that the main reason people are turning against them is that they are not able to get their message out.  According to her “AM Radio” and “The Fox News” is running a campaign against them.   When I challenged her on the fact that anyone other than the AM Radio and Fox News are in the bag for the Democratic Party she denied it and said that no one is getting out their message of the great things they are doing.

"Fairness" Doctrine:

She wants it instituted and she wants it now.   “People need to hear both sides of things,” according to her.   My opinion:   if they wanted to find left wing talk they can tune into MSNBC.   There is no need to tell someone what they can and can’t play on their radio or TV station.

Social Security:

To his credit Jim Lawrence pushed her on this topic.   He asked that if the Republicans can be accused of being the party of NO with all that is going on, wasn’t that the stance of the Democrats on Social Security reform under Bush.   “Republicans hate it because of who created it,” she advised.   When I asked her why I, as a 27 year old, can’t take a portion of what I am putting in and invest it in a way of my choosing she said essentially, How would we pay to the folks who are collecting it now?   According to her, “Within the first four years of collecting S.S. you get back all that you put in”.   Now I still don’t know if she was touting that as a good or bad thing but I had to then ask, “Well how can a system like that be sustainable?”  She said “we need to get people back to work and keep them working so that there are more people paying into S.S.”   So I asked if that isn't by definition a Ponzi scheme and if so how could we allow for something like that to continue.   I am still waiting on an answer.

The Tea Party:

Last, but not least, she was asked of her thoughts on the Tea Party.   She said that she read something that points to a few individuals funding the entire thing and was upset that this is the case.   I asked if she was equally upset about the George Soros’s funding the left wing machine.   Her answer was that the people with money on the left don’t have as much money as the ones on the right.   So I guess if you are a billionaire you had better be a smaller one than your opponents or else?   The thing that stood out to me most, and in a way scared me, is that she said, “One thing I do know about the Tea Parties is that they are all white. I have seen the pictures.”   Now, I had to advise her that I have been to many of the Tea Party events as a guest and spectator and have seen a very diverse crowd.   She said she was happy to hear that.   Now, even if she did think that all of the Tea Party was white people, for a sitting Congresswoman to openly say that really does scare me.   As if she doesn’t have the time to look into something more before making a comment like that?

Lastly I asked her if she would be challenging her opponent, Jill Rowland, to a debate on the issues.   “I haven’t heard from Jill on this” she said.   I asked again if she would be spearheading the effort to get in touch with Jill.   She responded that she has a lot to do in Washington and would look into it in the next few weeks.   She didn’t forget to let us know that she is not afraid to debate though.

My opinion from this endorsement interview:   it is time for Louise Slaughter to do as many good New Yorkers do at her age:   buy a condo in Florida and enjoy her golden years.   Thanks for your service but we don’t want to see you miss that much deserved time off.