It’s the final countdown

During the second of two U.S. Senate Town Halls hosted by Liberty University and Hampton University, Sen. Tim Kaine and candidate Corey Stewart clashed on foreign policy issues in the packed Hampton Convocation Center Oct. 3.

The hearings surrounding Brett Kavanaugh sparked the conversation. Moderators said the chaos shed an ugly picture of American democracy on the world stage. 

Just three days before Kavanaugh was confirmed, Kaine opened the town hall by voicing his concern over Kavanaugh and the message his lifetime appointment sends to victims of sexual assault. 

Stewart called the confirmation process a circus. 

When asked what he would do legislatively about sexual assault in the military, Stewart used Kaine’s son Lindwood Michael Kaine’s charge of misdemeanor crimes at a Trump rally in Minnesota in 2017 as opposition to Tim Kaine’s re-election. The assault was not sexual assault. 

“You know, some people say it’s a double standard. If you’re rich, you’re famous, you’re powerful, you get off. Now Sen. Kaine’s son, for example, was indicted for an assault in Minneapolis. What happened? Nothing. He got off, there’s a double standard that’s not right,” Stewart said. 

Stewart was also questioned for his ties to Confederate leadership in Charlottesville and his seemingly Islamophobic Twitter posts. He redirected the questions by listing off his accomplishments, multiple re-elections and relationships in a very diverse Virginia, crediting them to his cooperation with marginalized groups in the commonwealth. 

“That would have not happened if people believed I was all of those things Sen. Kaine is accusing me of,” Stewart said.  

Stewart said taking down Confederate monuments is not going to solve a single problem in the U.S. and that the monuments are a symbol of heritage. 

“Some want to look back,” Stewart said. “I want to look forward. Some want to take down monuments and think that’s going to solve the problem. It won’t.” 

But the main issue was the U.S.’s relationship with the rest of the world. Virginians seem concerned with what both candidates would do in regard to taxes and tariffs if chosen to sit in the Senate. 

Kaine acknowledged President Donald Trump is right to challenge the Chinese economically because China rips off U.S. intellectual property and undercuts American industries. But Kaine said the president is attacking China in the wrong way. 

“What (Trump) is doing is making the victims of his trade war our farmers and factory workers,” 

Kaine said. 

Kaine proposed that instead of going after China alone, the U.S. should link arms with Canada and Europe and collaboratively go          after China. 

Kaine said Virginian breweries and pork farmers are hurting because of Trump’s approach                 to China. 

The U.S. role with assisting veterans was also a topic of discussion at the Hampton University Town Hall. Kaine proposed new programs for non-active military members to seek post-traumatic stress disorder therapy and to create a social network to support them at home. Kaine mentioned he co-sponsored the VA Choice Bill, which was signed June 2018 and expanded health care opportunities for veterans. 

Kaine said veterans seeking healthcare outside the Department of Veteran Affairs is a good idea, but is concerned over its implementation.  

Stewart agreed and supports the Trump administration’s efforts to reform the VA system. 

“Our veterans deserve the best health care that our country has to offer,” Stewart said. 

The U.S. relationship with the Korean peninsula was called into question. Stewart claimed Trump was the first president to ever stand up to a North Korean dictator. 

“I don’t disagree with the president trying to do dialogue with North Korea,” Kaine said. 

But Kaine said Trump has not briefed Congress on the Singapore meeting with Kim Jong-un, which concerned him. Kaine said he spoke with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directly about the meeting, and Pompeo did not know or chose not to disclose what the North Koreans had in their nuclear arsenal. 

“There is one test and one test alone which will tell you if the North Koreans are serious about denuclearization,” Kaine said. “Will they disclose what they have and allow the global community to inventory what they have? Until they do that, there is no guarantee they are serious.” 

National security in reference to the refugee crisis was also a matter of discussion. Stewart criticized the visa and immigration system in the U.S., saying that people       can come in on visas but have to struggle for years before they are granted permanent citizen status. Stewart said he wants to streamline that process and reward those that come into the U.S. lawfully. 

When it comes to national security down south, Kaine said emphatically that the U.S. needs borders but Trump’s wall is not the only option for security. 

Kaine reminded the audience that, in times of international crisis, the U.S. has always been a safe place for people to flee. 

“In my view, if somebody is fleeing persecution and we can vet them well enough to know they are going to be safe here, the United States shouldn’t be heartless to people who are seeking refuge from countries that are under civil war or disaster,” Kaine said. 

The Senate race ends Nov. 6. The Liberty Champion will continue to cover the midterm election in upcoming issues by featuring Q&As with the various candidates for Congress.