In the year 2011… ME-01 candidates look ahead

With 37 debates down and several more to go, candidates for the First Congressional District have answered all kinds of questions about what they will do when they get to Congress.

At a Portland area Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday morning, question-writers asked something else. In front of a crowd of about 200 people involved with greater Portland businesses, Republican and Democratic candidate were asked to first say what they will have accomplished after two years in office, and then to use that information to make a sales pitch to voters.

Click on the links for audio.

Democratic candidate Steve Meister was unable to make the debate.

Their answers:

Democrat Michael Brennan – CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO - It’s easy to talk about major issues, but it’s more difficult to come up with bold solutions and ideas to address those problems, Brennan said.

In his campaign, he has talked about a new direction for Maine and a new direction for the country, and focus on ideas for fundamental change, eyeing education, health care, energy policy and foreign policy reforms.

In two years, he said, he’d like to come back and say Congress has taken steps toward these fundamental changes. He said he also wants to be seen as a Congressman who understands how all the major issues link together, instead of having a one-track agenda.

“One of the most disappointing things I’ve found while running for Congress is the amount of cynicism among voters and among the public. They don’t believe that government on all levels can do anything meaningful. To me that’s one of the greatest threats to democracy.”

Brennan said he wants to show that he can work in a bipartisan manner.

“Congress is now polarized more than any time in the last 50 years. That has created a gridlock that has prevented us from addressing some of the greatest challenges of this country.”

Lastly, he said, he wants to be seen as someone who voted on principles and values, and listened to his constituents.

Democrat Adam Cote - CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: Whoever is elected will be one of 535 members of Congress in a seniority-based system, so what we bring to Congress is critical in being able to accomplish something, Cote said.

He highlighted his experience working in energy policy and his service in the military.

“My experiences outside the world of politics will help me be a leader for Maine in Congress. We have several issues today that our country is faced with that are huge, the first one is the war in Iraq… we need people who have been there and done that and understand how we can get out,” Cote said.

Then there’s the economy, which boils down to high oil prices and no comprehensive energy policy. Then jobs are leaving the state. People are struggling, Cote said.

Cote said he can be a leader in setting up a realistic policy for getting out of Iraq, as the second Iraq War veteran in Congress. Then, with his experience he said he can be a leader in moving toward energy independence with a comprehensive policy.

Brunswick Naval Air Station would be the perfect place for a green energy park, to focus on renewable energy and technology, and will bring jobs to the state, Cote said.

Cote said he discussed running for office with his family for six months. “It kept coming back to one thing,” Cote said. “We have developed a pattern in this country where we elect people who spend the majority of their lives running for office… at the end of the day, they don’t have the real world experience it takes to get something done.”

Democrat Mark Lawrence - CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: Lawrence said he wants to work on changing the tone of Congress, and drew upon his experience in the Maine Legislature.

“We need people who value our Constitution and our democratic system above their political party and their personal success,” Lawrence said.

When he started in the Legislature, state government was dysfunctional. With a Republican governor and Democratic Legislature, they found themselves gridlocked on an array of issues. State government shut down for 17 days.

“I came in and said, ‘We have to stop this. We have to change directions and tone and tenor of the integrity and ethics here in Augusta.’ I ended up being the only freshman in the House who was not put on a committee that he wanted to be on’.”

Later he became Senate president. To set the tone, he took the whole body out to dinner, where they talked about anything but politics. “It broke down barriers and we accomplished many great things (that term),” Lawrence said.

While leading the Senate, he started a program that sought to increase funding for research and development yearly. He will continue this by “getting the resources back from Washington to invest in research and development in the state of Maine and help us modernize our economy in the state,” Lawrence said. “There’s nothing more crucial than our higher education system, then having the type of jobs we’re going to need for the next decades to come. “

Democrat Chellie Pingree - CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: Congressional ratings are at an all-time low. Pingree said she will use the experience she gained while leading Common Cause, a group that advocates for legislative ethics and campaign finance reform, to increase public confidence.

The key is transparency, Pingree said. While at Common Cause, the group encouraged members of Congress to publish their schedules every day. Not many were willing. She said she will create an online world where constituents always know who she’s talking to and what issues she is working on.

She will also hold forums all over the district to talk about issues.

Pingree drew on her experience in the Legislature where she was a progressive voice, and communicated with her constituents on major issues.

“We may not start on exactly the same page, but I think that’s what leadership is, being able to take on a big idea, and bringing people together to say ‘let’s see if we can do something about this’,” Pingree said.

While at Common Cause she worked with conservatives on a number of issues, and will also work in a bipartisan fashion in Congress.

In two years, she said she wants to be part of major reforms of the health care system. She said she has some big ideas that will help cut costs on health care for small businesses.

Republican Dean Scontras – CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: The country is $34 trillion in debt, and Washington needs to change its spending habits, Scontras said. In two years he said he wants to have addressed a number of economic issues.

“Economic markets do not like uncertainty, and we live in a time of great uncertainty,” Scontras said, citing a number of issues, including the borders, national debt, national security and oil and gas prices.

Scontras said he will support exploration and excavation of oil in North America to increase the supply in the country. While he agrees with the need for energy independence, it should be up to the free market, he said.

“The federal government is not equipped to beat the free market,” he said.

Scontras said he wants to help Maine attract investment dollars. He also wants to reduce the size of government.

Lastly, he wants to move to a new, simpler tax environment. He supports a consumption based fair tax, which will bring back jobs, he said.

Democrat Ethan Strimling – CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: After two years with him in office, the troops will be home and the recession will be stopped, Strimling said. He can’t do it alone, so he’s hopeful for like-minded people in Congress and the White House.

When he gets back from his first term, he wants to be able to tell his constituents: “’Thank God we got this economy turned around. The gap has stopped widening, and we’ve begun to rebuild the middle class. You can afford to heat your homes again. We’ve got college costs under control. And our troops are coming home”

Maine families have struggled with high oil prices, said Strimling, a current state Senator. This winter he got calls from many hurting families.

“You get those phone calls and you beat your head against the wall…,” Strimling said. “As a Senator I got these calls this winter that just instilled this activism in me.”

Also in Congress, Strimling said he will put emphasis on constituent services. He will run the best state offices, and will continue to sit in people’s living rooms to talk about issues – and keep the Washington influence away.

“I really don’t want Washington telling me how to vote,” Strimling said.

Republican Charlie Summers – CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: Charlie Summers said two years from now, when people look at his legislative record, they will see someone who did not forget the people who sent him to Washington. He plans to address the Iraq War and energy policy.

Summers, who just got back from Iraq, said lawmakers can’t afford to get tied up in the “should we have gone to Iraq” discussion. The country is there, and now Congress needs to take steps to bring the troops home.

His plan: Keep troop levels where they are for 12 to 18 months to train Iraqi security forces so they can take over. From there, pull the ground troops out, leaving bases in one or two locations for air strikes, but only if necessary. Then the U.S. needs to double its diplomatic efforts to bring other countries into the discussion.

“Every Western nation needs to understand that they have a vested interest in the security and stability of the Middle East,” Summers said. “We are fighting for the survival of Western culture, make no mistake about it. Radical Islamists want to do away with Western culture.”

Summers said the United States needs to deploy a peace surge, sending the Peace Corps in to help build the communities.

On energy, Summers said the U.S. needs to drill its own resources, but also focus on energy independence for the sake of economic security and national security.

He supports tax incentives for energy efficient measures, and opening up the private market to explore energy options.