Printer-friendly version Reader Comments

SIX DEMOCRATS are seeking their party`s nomination in the 1st Congressional District. Here are their views on four issues where they`ve expressed disagreement.

January 28, 2008

CUTTING OFF WAR FUNDS

— Michael Brennan and Chellie Pingree both said they would vote to end funding for the Iraq war if they were members of Congress -- a position that has so far failed to gain sufficient traction among congressional Democats. ``I think we have to remove the troops. We have to begin immediately,`` said Pingree, a former state Senate majority leader who ran against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2002. ``I don`t think it`s debatable anymore.``

— Mark Lawrence and Ethan Strimling both said they do not favor additional war funding without a deadline for leaving Iraq.

— Adam Cote favors a withdrawal deadline, coupled with diplomatic efforts to ensure Iraq`s stability, but he opposes cutting off funding for the war.

— Steve Meister, although critical of the Bush administration`s war strategy, said he doesn`t favor an immediate withdrawal of troops or cutting off war funds.

IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

So far in Washington, advocates of impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney have failed to gather enough support in the Democratic-led Congress, although the idea has been endorsed by Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine.

— Lawrence, Pingree and Strimling all said Congress should hold such hearings, citing a variety of reasons, including the Bush administration`s misuse of pre-war intelligence.

— Brennan, a former state Senate majority leader, said Congress needs to hold immediate hearings on the use of torture and warrantless wiretapping, among other issues. He added that if criminal charges emerge from those hearings, they should be pursued.

— Meister said there needs to be an independent investigation into possible law-breaking by Cheney before any impeachment hearings are held.

— Cote said the Bush administration has acted irresponsibly, but he said an impeachment hearing is not going to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq any sooner. ``It`s not going to address the most critical issues that need attention now,`` Cote said.

SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE

Under a single-payer system, everyone would be covered by publicly financed insurance.

— Brennan and Strimling both said they support a single-payer system. It`s an idea that includes a larger government role than the health-care plans proposed by the leading Democratic candidates for president.

— Pingree said she would support a single-payer system, among other plans, as a way to reach universal health care. — Lawrence said he does not oppose a single-payer system, but he added that he is not supporting one specific plan for achieving universal coverage. ``I think we need a universal, national health care system,`` said Lawrence, a former state Senate president and U.S. Senate candidate who is currently the district attorney in York County. ``I don`t think we can be too bold on this issue.``

— Cote and Meister do not support a single-payer system. Meister endorsed managed regional competition between private insurers as one way to control health care costs. Cote favors allowing 55-year-olds to buy into the Medicare system as one step toward achieving universal coverage.

GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNIONS

— Brennan and Strimling both said they support gay marriage. ``I think that if we really believe that we need to end discrimination, then people regardless of their sexual orientation should have the opportunity to be married,`` Brennan said.

— Pingree said she supports gay marriage, and she would also support civil unions.

— Cote said he favors civil unions and added that religious organizations should decide whether those same-sex unions constitute marriage.

— Meister said he supports the same rights and benefits for gay couples in committed relationships that he does for straight couples. ``To me it`s semantics, whether you call it marriage or you call it a civil union,`` said Meister, a doctor who lives in Winthrop.

— Lawrence refused to voice an opinion on either...