Schmookler and Goodlatte face off

The 6th District congressional debate was held at Liberty University’s School of Law Supreme Court room between Congressman Bob Goodlatte and Andy Schmookler Oct. 16.

The debate consisted of several representatives from local media outlets such as WSET and The News & Advance asking questions that each candidate had one minute to respond.

The debate was moderated by the dean of the Helms School of Government, Shawn Akers.
In the opening statements, Schmookler stated that “no major political party has been as dishonest as the Republican Party.”

Goodlatte opened his last debate before the election by stating his goals for the district, including growing the economy, retaining spending and balancing the budget.
During the debate, Schmookler consistently stated that “we are all in this together.” When asked about education, he said that it is not an “every man for himself” situation in regard to tuition rates for universities.

“The question we really need to ask ourselves is what kind of society we need to be,” Shmookler said. “Education should be a right, and we need to ask for some kind of service in return because we are in this together.”

When asked the same question, Goodlatte said that “the federal government should not become involved in imposing price controls on private liberal arts institutions like Liberty University, nor should it impose some kind of price controls on the states because they run the universities in our country.”

Both candidates briefly addressed job opportunities for students after graduation. Schmookler said he did not have a lot to say about this topic, but he did say that he is an individual who is committed to telling the truth.

“Even if I don’t know too much about how to answer that question, I do know what I’m talking about when I say we have a problem,” Shmookler said.

Goodlatte’s response to this question was that it is important to work in a bipartisan community in order to create job growth.

When asked about farmers and keeping the Chesapeake Bay clean, Schmookler returned to his theme of “we are all in this together.”

Goodlatte also mentioned his strong record of supporting small businesses.

“I’m not only a friend of small farmers, but I’m a friend of small business in general,” Goodlatte said. “The National Federation of Independent Businesses, the leading organization in the company that represents small businesses, has endorsed me for re-election in this campaign.”

When Schmookler was asked about the privatization of Amtrak, he drew audience applause after his statement that he was suspicious of Mitt Romney’s privatization tactics.

Women’s rights in regard to equal pay were also debated toward the end of the evening. Both candidates received an audience response when they used this question to voice their views on women’s rights to their bodies. Goodlatte used this time to mention his pro-life values, bringing in a loud applause from the audience.

Noreen Turyn of ABC 13 WSET asked each candidate to admit the positives and negatives of healthcare reform.

“Obamacare isn’t all I’d like it to be, but it is a step in the right direction,” Schmookler responded.

Goodlatte believes that community health centers were a positive addition to Obamacare, and it was also a Republican idea. He said these health centers help people and create jobs, and they are extremely cost effective.

Citizens of the 6th District will have an opportunity to vote for their congressional candidate of choice Nov. 6.