Congressional candidates keep it clean

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA - Sidestepping mudslinging, the Parkers - state Sen. Parker Griffith and insurance agent Wayne Parker - met in a Shoals forum less than a month before voters meet at the polls to decide which man will represent Alabama's 5hth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The duo had little direct interaction during the forum where they pitched their policy ideas and opinions and fielded questions from community members that were not reviewed by the candidates or campaign staff members.

Both candidates showed disgust over the recent $700 billion congressional bailout package of the financial industry, and agreed that health care needs to cross state lines. Both men said they would be nonpartisan if they entered office.

Democrat Bud Cramer will retire after 18 years representing the northern Alabama district. He twice defeated Republican Wayne Parker, a former lobbyist, and tapped Democrat Parker Griffith, a retired oncologist, to fill the hotly contested position that's been held by a Democrat since the Civil War.

Griffith said if Congress didn't get past the its mudslinging, countries such as China would gain from America's indecisiveness.

Neither candidate mentioned their campaigns ads that many believe have become too negative.

Of the recently passed $700 billion bailout, Griffith said, "We were so disappointed by the bailout that awarded bad behavior."

"The cure is actually worse than the disease," Parker said of the bailout.

As an alternative, Parker suggested a bipartisan listening campaign across the country that would deliver a recommendation to Congress.

"We have to deal with this problem. That means we begin to do something now," Parker said.

Griffith focused on domestic issues that people face, including inflation in fuel, food and health care.

He said the district needed to develop the Tennessee Valley Authority reservation in Muscle Shoals and to work to get a third medical school for Alabama.

Parker focused on his personal story of leaving his job in 1994 to spend a year campaigning for the district seat, a race he lost. He lost again two years later and re-entered the private sector.

"I did some lobbying, I did some consulting," Parker said, a point that Griffith has criticized in political ads.

Parker has criticized Griffith, a retired oncologist, based on 20-year-old records that purportedly show flaws in Griffith's medical judgment, charges the Democrat has staunchly denied.

On rising costs of health care, Griffith suggested Medicare accept competitive bids on medication and services across state lines. He also said nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists and nutritionists could act as a stopgap to the decrease in general practitioners, especially in rural regions.

Parker agreed with the stopgap measure but suggested the self-employed should have the same insurance options as those employed by companies. Parker espoused consumer-oriented medical coverage.

The two disagreed on the amount of government regulation, especially in light of the recent financial crisis.

"We have seen that that has come to a horrible, horrible conclusion," Griffith said of recent deregulation.

"Of course we have to have regulation."

"What we saw was a misguided government policy that went wrong," Parker said.

When asked how the government could curb inflation, Parker said he hoped the government wouldn't print more money as a method to flood the market to offset rising costs. Griffith said the country needed to be energy independent by drilling on the coast in the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to develop nuclear power.

The forum, which took place on the UNA campus, was co-sponsored by the University of North Alabama Women's Center and the American Association of University Women of the Shoals.

UNA President Bill Cale introduced both candidates and quoted a Chinese proverb, "May you live in interesting times. These times may be too interesting."

Trevor Stokes can be reached at 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@TimesDaily.com.