Lunch-hour Senate debate provides few rumblings before the storm

Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford (D-Louisville): Politicker Photo

LOUISVILLE -- A noontime debate held today between five of the candidates vying for the Democratic Senate nomination found the two front-runners in the race only glancing the questions of party loyalty and corporate responsibility that would be accentuated in the events of the evening.

Prospect physician Michael Cassaro, Louisville businessmen Greg Fischer and Bruce Lunsford, Manchester attorney Kenneth Stepp, and James Rice, an employee of Amazon.com from Campbellsville, all congregated on Vincenzo's restaurant in downtown Louisville today for the second and final debate featuring both Lunsford and Fischer -- the two candidates leading in recent polls for the chance to face Republican incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell in November.

The campaigns of those two have engaged in contentious competition of late, with each accusing the other of "hypocrisy." Each candidate also launched ads targeting the other's business history and party loyalty.

Hey, remember Monday?

It was during Monday's televised KET debate that Fischer and Lunsford finally participated in face-to-face verbal sparring.

The most combative exchange of that event featured Fischer accusing Lusnford of "giving tens of thousands of dollars to Republicans, including the Republican Senate Campaign committee and even the guy he wants to run against now, Mitch McConnell."

Lunsford then replied by saying the charge was "another example of distortion. I haven't given tens of thousands to Republicans."

The Fischer campaign dispatched a release yesterday documenting over $60,000 in donations made by Lunsford to Republicans.

That incident came up during today's debate, which was of an entirely different format than Monday's. At today's event -- sponsored by the non-partisan issue group, the Louisville Forum - each candidate was allowed to ask one question to another candidate.

"Not surprisingly, my question is to Bruce," said Fischer.

"You stood in front of a statewide TV audience and clearly said something that is untrue," said Fischer, after outlining the details of the Monday exchange. "I'd like to ask you why you feel like your public record in health care and the Ernie Fletcher administration is not open game in this campaign?"

Fischer has hammered on Lunsford's history in recent weeks, including his endorsement of Republican gubernatorial candidate Ernie Fletcher in 2003 and allegations of impropriety at Lusnford's Vencor chain of nursing homes.

Today, Lunsford initially said there was a "hearing factor" which led to his denial, and pointed to a moment where he questioned Fischer and Fischer did not reply.

"I asked you a question -- How much have you given to Democrats before you entered the Senate race?" said Lunsford. "There was a pause -- a pregnant pause -- and I could have stood there all night."

Lunsford went on to say his denial was a mistake on his part, arguing he thought Fischer accused him of giving tens of thousands to just Mitch McConnell.

"I did think you said McConnell, and I misspoke ‘the Republicans,' and for that I apologize," said Lunsford today.

During a portion of the program in which questions from the audience were presented, the tone of the campaign was again referenced. One question asked what the difference was between negative campaigning and discussing a candidate's record.

Two of the other candidates in the field provided some alternate perspectives on the issue.

"If I was going around to motels where the other candidate was staying and taking license numbers and things like that, that would be negative campaigning," said Kenneth Stepp. "But when I mention Mitch McConnell's voting record on the war and all these things, that's just the facts ... I don't consider that to be negative campaigning."

"Both take the attention of voters away from what's important in this campaign," said Michael Cassaro. "What is important is that we have a unified Democratic Party and a candidate that represents that unified Democratic Party."

When answering, Fischer referenced the pledge circulated by the Kentucky Democratic Party in which signees agreed to not engage in attacks on their fellow Democratic candidates.

"When the Democratic Party asked me to sign this so-called ‘Honorable Campaigning Pledge,' I asked them if I could speak the truth on several issues," said Fischer. "They told me the truth sounded negative, so I decided not to sign that ... because I think people have the right to know about all the candidates here."

Fischer was the only of the seven candidates to not sign the pledge.

"I think distortions of the truth are always negative campaigning," Lunsford followed. "In a race like this, each candidate has his own barometer of negative campaigning. Everyone has their own yardstick on that."

Lunsford questions Stepp

When it was time for Lunsford to pose a question to one of his opponents, he chose to address Stepp. Stepp is a three-time candidate for Congress, most recently running in Kentucky's 5^th congressional district in 2006, when he was heavily outgunned by incumbent Hal Rogers. This district will likely remain solidly in Rogers' hands, as he faces only an independent candidate this year.

"I know that every time you've run, you've had to know the odds were against you," said Lunsford to Stepp. "I consider that almost heroic that people in our society would take on what you've done. Id like for you to help me, inspire me, by telling me what gets you to do that?"

Stepp said his most recent congressional candidacy came when he heard Rogers was running otherwise unopposed in his district.

"That's terrible to have people running for re-election without opposition, so I think it gives the citizens a choice," said Stepp. "Sometimes I get disappointed by the choice they make. But, to have a Democracy, you've got to have opposition. That's what I believe in, and I'm glad to participate in this."

On health and energy

The rest of the debate revolved around several issue discussions. Each candidate was given the opportunity to expound on alternative energy options, farm policy, and health care issues.

"Health care is an example of a private industry, that if they could take care of it, they would have taken care of the situation," said Fischer. "As a business owner, I know of no other vendor that can walk in year after year and say 'your prices are going up 15 percent, 20 percent'...Clearly, transformative change is required here."

Lunsford argued for a "coverage-for-all system," and said some existing programs could be improved by utilizing a "public-private partnership."

"The fact that Medicare and Medicaid do not use their buying power to drive the price of health care down is an example of what special interest groups have done to this country," said Lunsford. "Government has not exercised its tools with the private sector to change our system."

On alternative energy policy, Michael Cassaro again pushed his idea of providing further research money towards the development of fusion technology.

Fischer also said further innovation in the energy sector would help the country.

"We can take the tax breaks that we gave to oil companies...and incite small businesses to come up with alternative energy solutions," said Fischer. "This is a great opportunity for us to grow new jobs."

Focused on November

Still, the one consistent theme of the day's event was distaste towards the incumbent Senator.

"This primary should also be about the great enabler, Mitch McConnell, who has been George Bush's primary cheerleader for the war in Iraq and for putting corporate cronies into federal agencies," said Cassaro.

Lunsford, who holds a twenty point lead over Fischer according to the latest poll, said he was ready to face McConnell.

"The candidate that is going to beat Mitch McConnell better be able to get Democrats, better be able to get independents, and those Republicans who want something better," said Lunsford. "I look forward to next five months of having about 15 million dollars spent against me to destroy my reputation, because every now and then there are some fights that are worth fighting."

The Afterglow

Despite the relative calmness of the debate -- perhaps attributable to the lunchtime scheduling -- the aggression of the campaigns did not remain in a peaceful, afternoon slumber for very long.

Lunsford's campaign revealed a new ad targeting Fischer this afternoon, which the Fischer campaign quickly derided as "baseless."

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