Defeat Mr. Photo-Op: Let’s Send Schmett to Congress

We have been quiet on this race for far too long. It is definitely one that is winnable for Republicans this year as many Democrats are frustrated with the regions current representation. This race is for the 3^rd District for US House of Representatives. The contenders in this race are Leonard “Photo-Op” Boswell and Kim Schmett. Schmett is a not exactly a newcomer to the political scene although this is the first time that he has run for an office. He has been involved in politics for many years including a stint as the chief of staff for former Congressman Greg Ganske. So Schmett knows the political arena and how to play the game so to speak. Unfortunately we haven’t seen much from Schmett yet, but we still have time for him to light the fire.

Recently the Des Moines Register sat down with these two opponents in a Q & A session where they asked the candidates the same questions. I will not bore you with the answers to each question; instead I will highlight just a few responses from the session. One question that I thought was irrelevant when one considers recent events. That question regarded whether the candidates would vote for an appropriations bill that contained a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. I thought that this was moot point since Bush and the Iraqi government had already covered this one. I thought that the US was going to begin withdrawing from Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government. Surely the editorial staff of the Des Moines Register was aware of that.

A response that really got my attention was in regards to the economy. The question was whether the candidates thought that the government should extend loan guarantees to homeowners who are having problems paying their debt. Naturally Boswell decided on the liberal side of the aisle on this issue. In other words, Boswell is fine with handing out more taxpayer money to help those that overreached. Schmett knocked this one out of the park with his response. And I quote, “The government does not have the obligation to protect either borrowers or lenders who have made unwise investment decisions.” I really like Schmett’s answer. This is obviously the most constitutional answer that I have heard recently.

Then came the obvious question. Abortion. The answers should be obvious; Boswell stated that there should be no more restrictions placed on abortion. On the other side of the spectrum Schmett stated that he was opposed to abortion with a few exceptions. Those exceptions would be in the case of incest, rape, and if the life of the mother was in danger. For many this is a sort of litmus test for candidates. I daresay that if Schmett had agreed with Boswell then he would have lost the support of many across the district.

On the issue of health insurance these two differed as well. Boswell voiced his support for a national universal health care system. He says that there are several different approaches to healthcare, but he did not say which one he supported. Schmett’s response was that he supports comprehensive healthcare reform, but that he was opposed to “socialization” of the healthcare industry. In this respect I believe that Schmett is on the right track. Boswell seems to be following the party line.

Another issue on many voters mind is the issue of stem cell research. The question in this case was if the candidates would support easing the restrictions on funding stem cell research. Once again the Democrat was willing to say yes he vote to ease restrictions on stem cell research. And Schmett, who has proven to be an almost polar opposite of Boswell, stated that he would not vote to ease restrictions on stem cell research.

It is obvious that these two candidates come from two different sides of an ideological divide. Naturally I think that Schmett has the potential to unseat his Democratic opponent. If you want to read more of the questions, please visit the link above for more information on these two candidates.