These articles will be published to some capacity in Citybeat.  I haven't discussed with my editor exactly how they will be chopped up, but enjoy nonetheless.

DEBATE REPORT
Last Thursday, the two congressional candidates for District 2 debated at Chatfield College.  Democrat, Paul Hackett and Republican, Jean Schmidt attracted around 300 people to the tiny Catholic college in rural Brown County, which is the geographic center of District 2.  The college gave each campaign 100 tickets to hand out to supporters, so loyal supporters filled two-thirds of the gymnasium, contributing to a tone of palpable excitement.  

The two candidates presented drastically different belief systems and styles.  In a vociferous bellow, Hackett attacked the Bush Administration and promised competent policy.  Schmidt championed the Administration's policies in a soothing but colorful voice, like that of an elementary teacher reading to a group of fifth-graders.  If Schmidt attempted to strike a lulling, reassuring chord, Hackett was mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

The moderator and local news anchor, Jack Atherton opened with a statement about the day's London terrorist attacks.  Schmidt revisited the attacks in her opening statement, warning that "the enemies of freedom are still there."  She promised to "stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with the President on the War on Terror and "finish the job in Iraq."  She also used the bombings to attack Hackett for a joke that he made about the "biggest threat to America" being "the man in the White House."  Schmidt passionately charged, "If the events of today don't show how outrageous a comment like this is, nothing will."  She then outlined the three keystone issues of her campaign: national security, taxes and tax relief, and a comprehensive energy policy.  

Hackett highlighted his world travels, ownership of a small business, and military service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, presenting himself as a tough-talking civil liberties Democrat.  "I don't need Washington to tell me how to live my personal life or how to pray to my God."  Throughout the evening, he peppered his speech with "aints" "darns" and "hells"- a dialect foreign to his birthplace and residence, Indian Hill but more at home in the cornfields of Brown County.  Be they affectations or the real deal, Hackett announced himself as a Democrat with blood in his veins.     

The first question concerned the Iraq War policy.  Schmidt touted the War effort. "We have toppled a terrorist regime, a terrorist madman...the people are cheering in the streets over this."  She furthered, "Iraq has...decided to become a Democratic regime, a regime that will stop weapons of mass destruction, stop nuclear build-up, and go with us to stop the terrorists in our tracks."  Within fifteen seconds, she managed to convey that Hussein was a terrorist, the US forces were treated as liberators not occupiers, and Hussein had weapons of mass destruction- all without telling an outright lie.  

Hackett disputed the Bush Administration with every ounce of his military might.  "Look, I'm a Marine Corps combat vet.  I'm not soft on defense.  I'm not soft on terrorism.  Hell, I've looked in terrorism in the eye, and I've vanquished it.  But I'm hard on an Administration that has not had the courage to put forth an Iraq terrorism policy that reflects reality."  

Hackett criticized the Administration's hypocrisy in professing to spread democracy abroad but hurting democracy at home through the Patriot Act.  Schmidt pledged her support for the Bush Doctrine, frequently enabling a plant metaphor: "We are planting the seeds of democracy...we need to water them and let them grow."  In an indictment of Iran, she called the Iranian elections a "sham."  

On the economy, Schmidt hit two main themes, tax reduction and ethanol subsidies.  She hammered home the tax issue by proposing that the government eliminate the death tax and make Bush's tax cuts permanent.  Hackett countered that he, as a high-income earner, would rather take the brunt of the tax burden than a low-income worker.  He also assailed the costliness of the Iraq War, which is approaching 200 billion dollars, and has resulted in budget cuts for domestic programs.  But Hackett had no substantive response except vague opposition to the ethanol subsidies that Schmidt offered as the ultimate economic and environmental solution.

She stated that "ethanol plants...will allow real job opportunities" and that they provide the solution to our energy crisis.  However, a non-partisan 2001 study conducted by Cornell University professor, David Pimental concluded that ethanol produces no net energy gain and thus no net profit, requiring 29% more fuel to produce it than it yields.  The majority of the subsidies that sustain the industry go to large ethanol-producing corporations.  

Schmidt also argued that the corresponding growth of mega-farms will improve jobs.  The Daily Dayton News reported in 2002 that on average, mega-farms pay only $7.50 an hour, rely on Mexican immigrant labor, pollute air and water, and bludgeon the competition of smaller farms.  

Schmidt laid her other environmental positions bare.  When discussing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a chipper timbre entered Schmidt's voice.  "I like the fact that we're drilling in ANWR.  We need to."  Hackett, who owns a hybrid car, opposes drilling in ANWR, stating "we can't drill our way out of this problem."    

Schmidt, who is the President of Cincinnati Right-To-Life, attempted to strike a moderate chord on abortion.  She said that she does not support a national ban on abortion and even praised Sandra Day O'Connor, who consistently upheld reproductive rights throughout her tenure on the Supreme Court.  This was a drastically different Schmidt than at the Moral Values Forum during the primary.  There, Schmidt highlighted that she was 100% pro-life with no exceptions and justified her vote on tax legislation with the argument that it diverted funds from Planned Parenthood.  

Hackett, seizing upon Schmidt's hesitancy to assert the vehemence of her anti-abortion stance, reached the peak of his momentum.  He propounded the need to fund preventive education and stated that, until there are no unwanted pregnancies, abortion should remain legal, safe, and rare.  Hackett managed to make the pro-choice position seem manly and obvious, dominating a debate that Republicans almost always rhetorically win.  

The last question of the evening concerned the relative wealth of both candidates, and it became clear that Hackett had gotten under Schmidt's skin.  Hackett said that, like himself, Schmidt has come from "a great family, and reaped the benefits of a great family."  The poised Schmidt visibly shifted her eyes in irritation.  

Once the debate ended, Hackett dramatically took off his sport coat to reveal sweat stains across his blue Oxford skirt.  Schmidt, in a red dress, quipped that she wanted to remove some of her clothing too, but "I'd probably get arrested."   The crowd laughed in deflated tension.