Democratic hopefuls offer different strategies to boost economy
Originally published in the Sioux City Journal
Democratic hopefuls offer different strategies to boost economy
By Todd Dorman and Kathie Obradovich, Journal Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES -- Two Democratic presidential hopefuls outlined vastly different strategies for stimulating the slow-growing U.S. economy during Iowa campaign swings Wednesday.
At a Des Moines union hall, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio called for a commitment to a "full employment economy," saying he would launch a $50 billion federal loan program to put Americans to work rebuilding government infrastructure, as well as cancel foreign trade agreements with an eye toward revitalizing the nation's manufacturing industries.
"We have to see unemployment as a great threat to the stability of this country," Kucinich told about a dozen people who had waited out an hourlong delay after the congressman's plane from Chicago was delayed.
Earlier in nearby Indianola, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut told a gathering of two dozen Democrats that he would use tax credits to spark business expansion while also keeping some tax cuts favored by President Bush that benefit middle class workers.
Lieberman continued to portray his campaign as an "independent-minded," moderate alternative to his more liberal Democratic rivals. Earlier this week, Lieberman warned that the nomination of a left-of-center candidate, in particular former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, would lead the party "into the wilderness" and mean defeat in 2004.
"This is all about who do you trust," Lieberman told reporters after speaking at the home of a state lawmaker. "I'm a straight talker. I'm not a screamer, but I feel very passionately about whether people have jobs or not."
Kucinich criticized fellow Democrats, saying he's the only candidate willing to call for the immediate repeal of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization agreement (WTO), which he says has funneled American jobs out of the country. He said he would replace the trade agreements with bilateral pacts conditioned on rights for workers , human rights and environmental protections.
"The name on the bill that passed the WTO was the Gephardt bill," he said, referring to U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, a rival for the Democratic nomination. "This is one of the reasons why Dick Gephardt will not commit to canceling the WTO, because it's his bill."
Bill Burton, spokesman for Gephardt's Iowa campaign, said Gephardt "worked to get the WTO in place because he thought it could be a great force for labor standards," adding that he intends to use the agreement as president to put in place an international minimum wage.
Kucinich also jabbed at Dean, charging that Dean has said he would be willing to raise the retirement age for full Social Security benefits to 70. Kucinich said he would push to move the retirement age back to 65 and would oppose any efforts to "privatize" the program. "I intend to challenge Dr. Dean fully on the issue of Social Security and on the issue of the retirement age," he said.
Dean's campaign spokesperson Sarah Leonard said Dean was once open to the idea of raising the retirement age in the mid-1990s but has since abandoned that view. "He has not proposed raising the retirement age in this campaign," she said. "He does not believe it is necessary."
Although both Dean and Kucinich have called for the total repeal of Republican-backed tax cuts passed in recent years, Lieberman said he would only toss out cuts he argues benefit rich taxpayers.
He would keep other reductions, including a $400 increase in the per-child credit and the elimination of a tax penalty that hurts married couples.
"There are taxes that ought to be cut," Lieberman said.
Kucinich said repealing all of the tax cuts, saving $155 billion a year, would more than cover the $48 billion cost of providing a fully paid education for all young people attending public colleges and universities. "We've got to have priorities in this country, and education must be such a priority."
Lieberman also said he would offer a 10 percent tax break to American manufacturers who don't send jobs abroad. Also under his plan, investments in start-up businesses would not be subject to federal capital gains taxes.
Lieberman would also pour more federal dollars into university research programs and job-training efforts, arguing both would help struggling businesses innovate.
"Bill Clinton and Al Gore proved you can be a centrist and run a government that was humane, that was idealistic, that created 22 million jobs for people ...," said Lieberman, who ran as Gore's running mate in 2000.
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