Greenville Daily Reflector: Hagan rallies Democrats during Greenville visit

Greenville Daily Reflector
Ginger Livingston
August 3, 2008

WINTERVILLE — Touted as a meeting to discuss her views on education and access to technology in rural North Carolina, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan instead rallied Pitt County Democrats during a Saturday morning campaign stop.

Hagan, a 5-term state senator from Guilford County, spoke to a group of 40 at Pitt Community College. Following her comments, members of the Pitt County Democratic Party met to finalize local campaign strategies.

“The seat I am running for is (the late senator) Jesse Helms’, Senator No, seat,” Hagan said. “But Liddy Dole is Senator Nowhere.”

Hagan’s swing through eight eastern counties Friday and Saturday, which she called a “Best Interests, Not the Special Interests” tour focused on what she called a failure by her opponent – incumbent Republican senator Elizabeth Dole – to help North Carolina while supporting special interest groups.

Hagan emphasized how Dole’s husband, long-time U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Bob Dole of Kansas, can’t vote for her because he didn’t change his residency.

“My husband can vote for me,” Hagan said.

Hagan said North Carolina needs a senator who supports efforts to develop alternative energy sources and who pursues health care and education reform.

Elizabeth Sawyer of Greenville asked Hagan how she would improve teacher retention and recruitment. Hagan said teacher salaries must continue to rise and their work environment needed to be improved so they earn respect as professionals.

She agreed with Pitt County Commissioner Beth Ward that focusing on accountability through testing wasn’t working. She criticized No Child Left Behind, President Bush’s educational plan, for requiring special needs students to pass the same tests as academically gifted students. She also argued against testing that set low proficiency standards.

Several people asked how she would address rising fuel prices and encourage energy conservation.

Hagan said she supports revoking $17 billion in tax breaks to oil companies. That money should be invested in alternative energy research that could allow North Carolina to lead the nation in producing solar energy panels and generation equipment for wind-driven turbines, she said.

Another speaker asked Hagan’s opinion on the Senate’s refusal to take up legislation renewing tax credits for alternative fuel research.

“I can’t believe Dole has voted twice not to review that legislation,” she said.

Hagan touted her connections to the military — her husband is a veteran, his father was a Marine Corps general and two nephews are currently in service — and said she would vote to withdraw troops from Iraq and re-purpose them in Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden, mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks.

She said one way to address the nation’s concerns about affordable, available health care is to offer debt forgiveness and tax breaks to people willing to work as nurses in rural areas, she said.

She also touted the accomplishments of North Carolina’s General Assembly during her tenure such as raising the minimum wage and expanding community college programs.

Greenville resident and State Board of Education member Kathy Taft praised Hagan’s commitment to the Democratic Party.

“Kay Hagan was in a comfortable place. She would have been re-elected, she was up there with the big boys chairing committees but for us, the Democratic Party, she agreed to run,” Taft said.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said the Dole-Hagan race is competitive and on Friday started airing television advertisements focusing on Dole’s low ranking in a recent legislative effectiveness survey.

Greenville resident Dewey Funkhouser asked Hagan what would prevent her from bending to presidential will, like many Democrats did when they supported the war in Iraq.

“I am going up there to vote the way Kay Hagan thinks is right,” she said. Hagan urged the room to work for change.

“Give Miss Liddy Dole a pair of ruby slippers so she can click her heels three times and go home to Kansas with Bob.”

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