Aaron Steckelberg/DN
“I think an important
issue in this primary is
who the voters know and
trust to represent them in
Washington. I have been
a consistent attorney
general, and my oppo
nent has changed his
views on a couple of is
sues. People are going to
want someone they
know and trust.”
Don Stenberg
■
i
Decision
GOP candidates take similar
stands on key issues in ‘96primary
By Ted Taylor
Senior Reporter
The elimination of the current wel
fare program and the federal Depart
ment of Education are only two areas
- of concern for Nebraska’s GOP Sen
ate candidates Chuck Hagel and Don
Stenberg.
But on May 14, Nebraska Repub
licans will decide which of the two
men will face Democrat Ben Nelson
in the November election.
Hagel and Stenberg spoke to the
Daily Nebraskan this week on some
of the issues surrounding their Repub
lican primary race.
— On what it would mean for
Nebraska to have a Republican in
the U.S. Senate.
Hagel: “It would give Nebraska a
majority, and that’s important because
the majority party controls the legis
lative agenda. Right now Nebraska
does not participate.”
Hagel said a majority senator also
would most likely be given a sub-com
mittee chair position, which he said
“would be significant and helpful to
the state.”
Stenberg: “It would benefit Ne
braska a great deal. The Clinton
Democrats are taking the country in
the wrong direction with tax increases
and the veto of welfare reform. A Re
publican senator would mean lower
taxes, a balanced federal budget, regu
latory reform and a strong national
defense.”
— On following the party line vs.
what the citizens of Nebraska may
want.
Hagel: “The most important job a
senator has is to do what is right for
America and what is right for Ne
braska. Party loyalty is important to
both Democrats and Republicans. I
would vote with the Republicans a
great majority of the time.
Stenberg: “I don’t see it as a ques
tion of following the party line. It’s a
question of what the candidate be
lieves in and what his positions are. I
am a Republican because I agree with
smaller federal government, lower
taxes and less regulation. I think that’s
what a majority of Nebraskans want
as well.”
— On eliminating the Federal
Department of Education.
r
Hagel: “I would be very support
ive of abolishing the Department of
Education. It’s a senseless and need
less waste of taxpayers’ money. Why
do we need a multi-billion dollar fed
eral department to tell our people how
we should be educated? Let our par
ents have a role in that education.”
Stenberg: “I favor eliminating the
Department of Education. I feel local
school boards provide better education
than a federal bureaucracy in Wash
ington. We would have a better edu
cational system if we handle it locally
rather than by federal mandates.”
— On Gov. Ben Nelson going
back on his written pledge to com
plete his second term as governor.
Hagel: “It’s negative for the both
of them. (Stenberg, the current Ne
braska attorney general will not ful
fill his term if elected.) They both
asked for four more years; Nelson
signed a pledge. They are each going
to have to answer to that. All we re
ally have is our trust,- our word, our
honor. If you say one thing and do the
other, that reflects on who you are and
if you can be trusted in Washington.”
Stenberg: “Those situations are dif
ferent. I never made any pledge or
written promise to serve a specified
period of time in order to entice the
voters to vote for me. Nelson did. They
did vote for him, and now he wants to
back out of his side of the agreement.
It’s an issue because if he won’t keep
his promise on that, if he promises tc
balance the budget, is that another
promise he will break?”
— On the federal welfare pro
gram.
Hagel: “First of all I would bring it
back to the states, counties and cities
where it’s accountable. Welfare has
failed over the past 39 years. We’ve
had a 'one size fits all’ mentality, but
our welfare program in Nebraska is
completely different than in New York.
Second, the only way to break the cir
cular cycle of hopelessness is to al
low local communities to become in
volved to help these people get skills.
We can accomplish all this here at the
state and local level.”
Stenberg: “I believe we should
eliminate welfare as a federal entitle
ment. It should be in the form of block
grants to the states to let them handle
it. It would be a more cost-effective
welfare program — one that helps the
people who really need help. If we
want real welfare reform, we are go
ing to have to send a Republican to
the House and Senate.”
— On negative campaigning.
Hagel: “I said in the beginning that
we would conduct our campaign the
right way by presenting my records,
my values, my beliefs. I just don’t
believe in tearing your opponents
down. I don’t think the state or the
nation is well-served with that kind of
- nonsense. I should be judged on who
I am and what my accomplishments
are.”
Stenberg: “As I’ve always said, I
intend to run a campaign on the is
sues. That’s what we’ve been doing,
and that’s what we’ll continue to do.
But the voters do want to know the
difference between the candidates, and
that is part of the campaign process.”
Aaron Steckelberg/DN
“The lasting effects (of
the election) will be sig
nificant because we ate
talking about the jiitute
course of our country
and how we will start to
engage in a global
economy. This country
needs teal-world expe
rienced leadership,
leaders who have ac
complished things out
side the political circle.”
Chuck Hagel
■
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