Here are some live reports on the debate going on right now in Mitchell about farm policy:
10:30 AM: debate begins with 3 minute opening statements; Daschle won coin toss and elected to speak first; Daschle says there have been 1,875 US Senators and he's 1,776 and has LBJ's desk; like LBJ's use of power, Daschle says "he intends to use it"; he said he used his power to pass a farm bill, to pass COOL, to pass ethanol legislation, to pass highway legislation, to create water projects; West Virginia "had its time and Kansas had its time" (referring to Senators Byrd and Dole).
10:36: Thune opens; says when in the Congress he got highway bill, ethanol provisions, farm bill, bio-energy programs, value-added grant programs, COOL, Lewis and Clark Pipeline bill, balanced the budget, cut taxes, and worked to cut death taxes. "Today the Senate isn't working." "Good judges are being denied a vote in the US Senate." "End the blockade and the obstruction in the US Senate."
10:39: "What is the most critical issue facing ag?" Thune: jobs, education. Noted that Senator Grassley calls the Senate a "burial ground" for reform. Need ethanol bill. Rural life needs to be defended: marriage, life issues, 2nd amendment. Daschle: been to 42 counties in SD. "Squeeze" because income stagnant while prices increase to increase. "Working families" need good jobs and lower health care costs. Drug companies "ripping off" Americans.
10:44: "Any hope for mandatory country of origin labeling?" Daschle: was in the room when put into the farm bill. "In the dark of night when no Democrats were involved" it was delayed for 2 years. Daschle blames Thune for not putting into the House bill. Thune: "When I left the Congress two years ago COOL was the law of the land." He worked on COOL the whole time he was in Congress. "We got it done" in conference. "We got the votes to pass it." "It takes an act of Congress to delay" the implementation. "We can always can the votes" to block bills, but "when it came time to stop the delay" of COOL Daschle could only find 28 votes to stop the delay of implementation.
10:47: "If elected, how would you address packer ownership of livestock?" Thune: keep Canadian border closed, end concentration in agriculture today, introduced concentration bill in Congress dealing with agribusiness mergers, need better enforcement, need competition in agriculture. Daschle: "This administration has been on the other side of packer concentration." "They opposed to ban on packer ownership." Bush administration against the "break up of the big conglomerates." Daschle says Australian free trade agreement will "destroy" the American livestock market. Against the current WTO agreement. "We need a Department of Agriculture that fights for farmers and ranchers."
10:52: "How get renewable fuels standard passed?" Daschle: says Republicans want to exempt MTBE so that undermined ethnaol bill. Daschle said if that's out then he'd get the bill passed. Administration "has been on the sidelines." Thune: "We had the ball on the one yard line" and it had passed the House and President wanted to sign the bill and it failed by 2 votes in the Senate. "Tom walked off the field and was signing autographs." The night before the crucial vote Daschle "was out signing books." Only 13 of 49 Democrat votes delivered by Daschle for ethanol. Senator Grassley called that "the last best hope" of the bill passing. Missed "golden opportunity." Crowd goes wild.
10:56: "What do you think of the Rabbobank buyout of Farm Credit Services?" Thune: has some concerns about the buy-out and whether capital will still be available to farmers after buy-out. Supports hearings on the matter. Daschle: goes back to the ethanol bill and says Republicans control everything so it's their fault that there's no ethanol bill. Doesn't understand how "a banker in Holland understands" South Dakota farming. Links issue to general issue of concentration in agriculture.
11:00: "Has the Packers and Stockyards Act been enforced properly?" Daschle: says no, which is why new small farm agency needed. "Outrageous" that Cargill won't buy from R-CALF (livestock group) members. PSA needs "teeth." Thune: doesn't think the PSA is doing its job, which is why he introduced concentration legislation in Congress. Don't need more "red tape," but need more markets. Says ethanol can't be passed in "Daschle-led Senate." "Unprecedented" obstruction in Senate.
11:03: "How do you keep young people in rural areas?" Thune: creating markets critical. Must end the death tax. "Death shouldn't be a taxable event." 27 Daschle votes against death tax repeal. Repeal needed to "pass on the family farm" to the next generation. Daschle: "We do need less partisanship in Washington" which is causing "polarization." Says he's against death tax too. Says his bill against tax breaks for "millionaires" and "billonaires." Need to diversify economy. Need wind power.
11:08: "What is a traditional family farm?" [asked in context of Daschle's new bill to create a small farmer agency in USDA] Daschle: need a small farmer administration. Won't create more big government. Will look out for small farmers who should come first. More "constructive" USDA. Thune: a bigger USDA won't solve problems. Daschle himself supposed to look out for farmers; don't need more government and taxes and red tape. Let people make decisions. Ethanol legislation and tax policy is critical.
11:12: "How do you protect ag spending in the next farm bill given current deficits?" Thune: when he was in Congress, the budget was balanced. Supports balanced budget amendment like SD has. Tom didn't vote for BBA in Senate and it failed. Need fiscal discipline in Congress. Daschle: "Talk is so easy" but he's made tough decisions and raised taxes and balanced the budget. Clinton created 22 million jobs. Bush has lost jobs. Bush tax cut helps wealthy. Need more action and less talk.
11:17: Question about protecting farm bill spending repeated again. Daschle: last farm bill good. Makes a difference who's in the room. Have a better bill because he's in leadership. Freedom to Farm bill wasn't working. He can put SD agenda on national agenda. "Who's going to be in the room?" when next farm bill written. Thune: "It's about priorities" and you have to fight for SD. Against raising taxes like Daschle advocates. Child tax credits and marriage penalty then at risk. More taxes doesn't help economy.
11:21: "What about health care costs?" Daschle: 85,000 people in state without insurance. Need insurance pools. Too much paperwork. Drugs costs are too high--should be able to import drugs from Canada. Government negotiation on health care a good idea. VA health care needed. National Guard and Reserves need health care. Thune: funding for VA and military personel needed. House repeatedly passed tort reform bills. Premium tax deductions needed. Daschle voted against pooling in previous years. People in Senate today who want a national health care program instead of fixing problems. Medical malpractice reform stalled in Senate.
11:25: Final Question: "Drought aid, which Daschle voted against--who deserves credit for passage?" Thune: only 2002 drought aid came from Bush and Thune working together--worked with administration to get $1 billion in immediate drought assistance. 2002 aid never made it out of the Senate. Wasn't until Daschle lost his position as leader that drought aid passed. Could have happened much sooner. People wanted a "political issue" in 2002 instead of getting something done. "Politics got in the way." "It should have happened sooner." Daschle: "I can understand why John feels awfully defensive about drought assistance." 1998 got $6 billion in drought aid. Again passed in 2002. Thune wouldn't challenge Bush in 2002. We know how badly we need drought aid this year. Bush will oppose this aid.
11:30: Closing Statements: Thune: drought aid only passed after Daschle lost leadership position. "Tom's had 26 years in office...and says we won't survive without him." "Any Senator worth his salt" gets federal dollars. Daschle "answers to liberal Democrat caucus." The WSJ calls Senate "Daschle Dead Zone." Grassley calls the Senate a "burial ground." Need to take action and not blockade reform. "Gridlock doesn't serve the people of South Dakota." Daschle: this is "democracy in action" and "this is great." Story about the original constitutional convention; Ben Franklin said this is a "rising sun." Then says ethanol a good idea. Wants a state that is a leader in value added ag. Wants "politics of common ground." Ask Bill Janklow how I can work with Republicans.
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