LIVE BLOG: Delaware House candidates on the issues

John Carney (D) and Glen Urquhart (R) will answer questions crafted by voters during a series of WHYY forums over the past few weeks.

11:38 AM – And that’s a wrap.  Both interviews will be on air on WHYY TV this Friday at 5 and 10 PM.

11:37 AM – Lighter question: Tell us something about yourself that most would not know?  Urquhart learned how to ski by rescuing his son who was headed down an expert black diamond hill.  He says sometimes you have to learn by doing difficult things.

11:34 AM – Question on immigration and the DREAM Act?  What’s wrong with illegal immigration, is the word immigration.  We can’t encourage illegal immigration.  It needs to be stopped at the border.  “We need to secure our borders, and secondly, we need to help illegal immigrants deport themselves, by making it illegal for them to export their earnings.”  We need to stop Western Union from sending that money out of the country.

11:31 AM – For voters who are tired of bickering, what actions are you willing to take to work with legislators on the other side?  Urquhart says he will stand up to anybody based on principle, but he would do it in a flexible way.  I would work with people of good will.  He says he’s worked with Bill Clinton and he’s worked with other Democrats.  He says there are a number of Democrats who are running against health care, but he didn’t name a lawmaker on the Democratic side that he could work with.

11:26 AM – Urquhart watching Carney attack against him that includes Urquhart encouraging voters to “ask your liberal friends why they’re Nazis.”  Urquhart says taking quotes out of context is why Carney is an extremist.  “What really matters is substance and not sound bites.”  He says Carney is dodging debates because he’s losing the issues on substance.  Urquhart says Nazi’s used the phrase “separation of church and state” to imprison their political enemies.  Urquhart now watching one of his campaign’s attack ads against Carney accusing Carney of being a “career politician.”  Urquhart says Carney was silent while Governor Minner ran up deficit.  Urquhart says Carney had the ability to stand up and say the NKS land deal was wrong, but he didn’t.

11:23 AM – Citizen question: What would you do if you did not have health insurance?  He says he would buy catastrophic insurance.  He says the real solution to health care reform is to reduce the cost of providing care.  He says health care reform bill is all about government controlling patients’ relationship with their doctors.  He says the bill is so complex and is centrally concerned by the government.  “It’s such a flawed structure, you can’t understand it.”  “I think we need to start over again, quickly.”

11:20 AM – Constitution question: is the federal government following the document, especially concerning states’ rights?  Urquhart says every bill in Congress should be required to cite Constitutional authority.  He says biggest abuse recently is the “Pelosi bill,” which is what he calls the health care reform bill.

11:18 AM – Foreclosure question – What safeguards would you support to prevent similar foreclosure crisis from happening again?  Urquhart says there should be a voluntary moratorium on foreclosures by the companies holding those loans.  “Too many people were pushing for growing real estate bubble that was already inflated.”  He says  people made mistakes by taking out loans they couldn’t afford and government pressured banks to approve loans and force a mortgage explosion.

11:13 AM – Glen Urquhart (R) in the hot seat now.  First question on the economy and why so many jobs were lost over the past few years, and what would you do to bring those jobs back?  Urquhart opens with his boiler-plate campaign line: “Debt destroys jobs.”  He says he’s had experience creating jobs as a businessman.  He accuses Nancy Pelosi of doubling the national debt which causes businesses not to hire.  He says nation needs to cut taxes, just like Canada did, to create jobs.  He says cutting taxes also cuts debt.  He says he’s a “proven job creator.”  Urquhart says Kennedy and Reagan cut taxes and saw economic improvement.  He says there’s no need to compromise on which tax cuts should be extended.  He says they all should be extended.  He says, “The less we cut taxes the fewer jobs we create.”

10:42 AM – Who in politics would you emulate if elected?  Carney cites his experience with Delaware Senator Carper (D) and says he’s one of the best Senators in the nation.  Where does your career rank in your priorities of life.  Carney says his priorities are “faith, family, and career” in that order.  Now Carney’s done.  Glen Urquhart, you’re up.

10:41 AM – New sources of energy? Carney says he opposes the President’s plan to expand oil drilling off of Delaware’s coast.  Carney says tax credits for enhanced energy manufacturing facilities should be extended.

10:38 AM – Does Carney support the DREAM Act? What would he do about immigration?  Carney says it has to start with enforcing laws at the borders.  “I support a more effective guest worker program.  So, it would identify labor shortage areas in our country.”  He says the DREAM Act is a way to provide a path to those workers.

10:36 AM – Question about reaching across the aisle and cooperating instead of bickering.  Carney says both sides are to blame for national debt, while Urquhart blames Democrats.  Carney says it will take both sides working together to solve.  Carney says he differs with others in his party about extending the Bush tax cuts.  He says the issue should not be used as a political weapon during the campaign season.  Who in Congress on the other side can you work with?  Carney cites Congresswoman Mary Fallon, who was also a former Lt. Governor.

10:31 AM – Attack ads in House race.  Carney now watching his campaign’s ad showing Urquhart talking about Nazis.  Carney says what’s important to voters is to make a decision based on who they can trust.  He says Urquhart is wrong on the facts, and he uses rhetoric that is extreme.  “We let his words speak for themselves.”  Carney now watching Urquhart attack ad against him calling Carney a “career politician.”  Carney says ad implies that he did nothing while most vulnerable were abused in state psychiatric hospital.  Carney calls that “outrageous.”  He says the ad has no basis in fact.  On Urquhart’s charge that he’s a “career politician, Carney says he’s a “dedicated public servant.”

10:28 AM – What would you do if you did not have health insurance?  Carney says like many of the 100,000 Delawareans without health care insurance, he would go to West Side Health in Wilmington which provides care for those without insurance.  Follow up: What do you see as problematic in health care reform bill?  Carney says the burden on small businesses needs to be examined.  It creates costs and burdens on small businesses that don’t need to be.  He says the prescribed benefits package may make the insurance too expensive especially for the working poor.

10:26 AM – Has the federal government been following the Constitution, especially concerning the 10th Amendment and state’s rights?  Carney says the government has been following the Constitution.  He says he believes health care reform is constitutional, while his opponent thinks it should be repealed.  “I would work to implement that, looking primarily at the affordability portion.”

10:25 AM – What’s the solution to the foreclosure crisis?  Carney says reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other consumer protections need to be examined.

10:20 AM – First question from voter in Pike Creek about why so many jobs were lost, and what is the government’s role in bringing those jobs back.  Carney says manufacturing exit has been taking place for years.  He says he would focus on policies that would revive American and Delaware manufacturing.  “We need to change our trade policies and our tax policies.”  He says we need to make sure that free trade policies are “fair trade” policies.  He says new jobs in renewable energy offer real promise.  Follow up from Kerry Grens on extending tax cuts.  He says we have a big national debt problem.  He would extend Bush tax cuts for the next few years while D’s and R’s sit down to figure out a solution to the debt problem.

10:12 AM – John Carney (D) is in studio ready to take questions from WHYY’s Bill Cook and Kerry Grens.  Carney and his opponent Glen Urquhart (R) will be answer questions based on a series of voters forums WHYY held over the past few weeks.  They will appear separately and not in a debate format.  Urquhart has been critical of Carney’s decision to not take part in more debates.  The two candidates have faced off a handful of times, but as the election nears, Carney has decided not to take part in any more.