Let new ideas flow at tonight's forum
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By the Quad-City Times | Friday, September 21, 2007 |
Welcome Democratic presidential candidates to the Quad-Cities. More accurately, welcome back.
The appearance of candidates around here doesn’t exactly merit brass fanfare. But tonight’s joint appearance by five of them at the Adler Theatre presents an opportunity for voters to learn something new.
So we hope the candidates spend little time rehashing what we already know. We know how much each believes President Bush has loused things up. Hillary Clinton told us at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in January and at 2nd and Main streets in July. Bill Richardson covered it at the Eldridge community center and at the Steelworkers hall in Bettendorf. The same ground has been covered here by John and Elizabeth Edwards, as well as Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd.
That part we’ve got. Instead, we hope they look ahead.
Tonight, the AARP and Iowa Public Television are giving voters nationwide a chance to hear new ideas for improving health care and the financial security of all Americans. This is the opportunity for nuance, those important shades of difference that distinguish a dream from a plan. Tonight is the opportunity to explain not only a vision, but a method for getting it done.
It’s the stuff that makes for a dull rally and a clunker of a campaign commercial. It’s too much of a mouthful for a sound bite.
But tonight, these candidates will have the attention of a packed Adler Theatre. It’s the size of crowd that typically comes out for a rock concert or Broadway show. Instead, 2,300 people will devote 90 minutes to learn and discern differences among the contenders.
That alone is reason to celebrate. AARP scheduled this forum to elevate some issues that haven’t gotten top billing in this caucus campaign: health care and financial security. Remember Social Security? Four years ago, these pages were filled with letters and columns demanding immediate change to save this teetering entitlement. When the president’s plan to privatize a portion of it failed, the entire issue seemed to disappear.
We thank AARP and affiliated sponsors for bringing this opportunity to our community and the nation. And we commend politically aware and involved Quad-Citians for filling up the Adler and offering the nation an impressive showing of our civic involvement.
Obama, where art thou?
We’ll miss U.S.Sen. Barack Obama at tonight’s forum. He, too, has been a frequent Quad-City visitor, as our community’s U.S. senator and as a presidential candidate. Instead of participating, our senator will be attending a fundraiser in Atlanta. We respect the candidate’s need to raise money in an early primary state (Feb. 5). We just wish he’d saved Sept. 21 for the fundraiser and joined tonight’s deeper discussion on health care and financial security.
The senator provided a column elaborating on some of his positions, which we’ll share with readers Friday, so it can be assessed alongside the positions outlined at tonight’s debate.
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