Debate for U.S. Rep. from the 4th District

Rep. Price has been defeated before (1994) and I seriously doubt that he takes any opponent or the voters for granted.  After all, he is a very unique blend of political scientist, practical politician, and lay Baptist preacher.

You do not seem to be willing to accept the possibility that how you feel about an issue or bundle of issues is not shared by the majority of the 4th District.  When I called to ask David to support the recovery bill, those callers who favored the bill well outnumbered those opposed.

We are fortunate to have a Representative who doesn't put his finger in the air to determine how he should act and how he should vote; he studies the issues and acts out of conscious.  If enough don't like his judgments, they can and should vote him out - that's how it's suppose to work!

In a district of over 700,000, we are clearly diverse.  David got 64% in the 2004 general and 65% in the 2006 general.  Of those who vote, he is clearly preferred and I would argue that the voters trust his to exercise his good judgment.  And note that there have been more than a few issues where he has changed his mind - that's also how the system should work!

Thanks for posting this on the calendar, Sammy. I heard about the debate on the radio, but hadn't seen anything in writing. I'm going to promote it to the front page so more people will see it.

As Fred notes, Price has lost before, it's not unthinkable. But that was a very different time - during the Gingrich-led Republican sweep of Congress in 1994.

I'm glad to see Lawson is giving Price a run for his money, I think a complacent politician is usually going to work less for constituents. But as I said elsewhere, there is no way in HELL I would vote for Lawson or any Republican, especially for this office and at this time.

Out of every office holding politician I've ever contacted, Price & his office have had the best response record that I’ve experienced, they’ve responded to many of my e-mails.  It hasn't been perfect, but its been better than any other.  Many politicians and their offices won’t return any e-mails, and sometimes even voicemails.

A year or two ago my fiancé, as a classicists at UNC who studies ancient Greek & Roman stuff, was planning on going on a partially school/scholarship sponsored summer-long trip to Rome back when passports were really really backed up.  He applied for one and about 6 months later, and only with frequent prodding, they had still barely begun to process it.  Time was running out, a great deal of money was already spent on some unrefundable things (I don’t recall off hand if it was the plane tickets, the place they were staying, the summer long meal plan, &/or other trip costs), and if the passport was not ready in time he was going to lose the scholarship money and just have to eat the costs of those which isn’t something our budget could afford at the time.  Some politicians said they can’t help, some like Elizabeth Dole never responded, and only one, David Price, said he would put pressure to bear, and if that didn’t work then he said my fiancé could use the congressional passport  office in Washington.  After waiting around half a year and it starting to look like this wonderful opportunity was going to turn into a real financial crisis nightmare for us, my fiancé got his passport about 36 hours before he had to leave for Rome for the summer where he was able to have both great life experiences, and professional experiences that will help him find a job once he graduates with his PhD.

I already liked Price for his stance as a cosponsor of ENDA as well as some other positive gay rights related stances.

Someone from Price for Congress told me that with the congressional session holding so long that is why we've seen a little bit less of an active campaign, but things are gearing up and he wont be taking us for granted.  I just got my David Price yard sign from the Orange County Dem HQ, and the campaign is mailing me a bumper sticker or two =)

Here is a picture I took of Price speaking at an Obama rally in Chapel Hill before Obama took the stage earlier this year.


Lawson made a quick stop in our community in another thread, posted a lot of info, but hasn't responded again.  I hope by posting a follow up question here I will get a response.

Lawson said "neither party's Establishment speaks for the people, or the American individual"
and so I wanted to ask where he stands on politicians like McCain & Dole?

I didn’t ask my question about whether Lawson, after declaring broad opposition to establishment candidates, supported McCain & Dole, but he seemed to implicitly support McCain when Price said that he supports Obama and the he believes his opponent supports McCain & when given a chance to respond Lawson moved on choosing not to address it.  Price raised an interesting point that government done right can be a force for good, but that his opponent believes federal involvement in education, research, social security, and many other areas is unconstitutional.  Time and again Price asked him if he thought they were constitutional or not, and Lawson wouldn’t respond to direct questions.  Lawson felt a little more negative throwing about claims of dishonesty, whereas Price would use the term my opponent is mistaken rather than calling Lawson dishonest when he got things wrong.  All in all I think this was one of those debates where both sides think their own guy won.

I spoke to Lawson afterwards, told him I admired his strong pro-civil liberties stance, and asked him where he stood on gay marriage which he said was a states’ rights issue.  I also specifically thanked Price in person for what he’s done for me and my fiancé, and for co-sponsoring ENDA and talked to some Price for Congress people about how I can volunteer with their campaign.

It was a lot of fun to go to, and it helped distract me from my sick kitty who is having to spend the night at the vet clinic.

It was an interesting debate. Price, as usual, displayed his understanding of the details on almost every issue. He did, however, bend the truth a bit about his support for the war in Iraq and funding of it.

 After all the hoopla here about Lawson's role as a "progressive" I went into the debate expecting to hear serious discussion. I was disappointed--didn't feel he had much to say of any substance. My impression is that he is a libertarian--doesn't believe in the federal government has a role in education, health care, or social security. 

Price secured my vote.

I remain against all anonymous postings, but it's pathetic and wrong to allow an anonymous posting that starts "Price is a bought and paid for shill of the military-industrial complex, and who voted to destroy the dollar and ruin the value of Americans' savings through what one of your commenters laughingly calls the "recovery bill."".  Can someone explain why wasn't that post rejected?  I can't see how that passes any test for moderating anonymous postings.  Perhaps the poster wanted to be anonymous to avoid charges of slander but I don't think OP shouldn't be aiding and abetting.  

David Beck

Lawson says he opposes sanctions & offensive war. He's against the Bio-Agro defense facility. He opposes the Patriot Act. These are all things that Price has supported. And they are not minor items. We're talking about a lot of death & civil liberty encroachment.

 Are Lawson's stands for real? And how could anyone be a member of the Republican Party and espouse such reasonable stands? Something seems a little off... and yet how can I justify voting for Price who has aided so much of the damage of the last several years?

Check out votesmart.com for the facts: http://votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=102902

Lawson authored and worked to pass a resolution at the Republican state convention that called for the elimination of no-carry zones across the state.  Elimination of those zones would allow concealed handguns in areas like schools and college campuses, government office buildings, and public gatherings like parades. 

Lawson favors repeal of Roe v. Wade and opposes a woman’s right to choose, even in the case of rape or incest.
Lawson does not believe sexual orientation should be included in hate crime or employment nondiscrimination definitions.

Lawson opposes strengthening the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, even after the past eight years of weakening by the Bush Administration.  He opposes federal action to encourage the development of alternative fuels.

In contrast to David Price's view of the role of government, Lawson's ideology is far out of the mainstream.

I'm told that Lawson has people at early voting sites trying to obscure details about his various unacceptable stands.  He's up there with Pat McCrory as the wrong choice for NC, especially when it comes to pro-choice and gay rights. 

Volunteers at the early voting sites have a real job to do besides handing out Orange Dems voting guides.  

I'm told that Lawson has people at early voting sites trying to obscure details about his various unacceptable stands.  He's up there with Pat McCrory as the wrong choice for NC, especially when it comes to pro-choice and gay rights. 

Volunteers at the early voting sites have a real job to do besides handing out Orange Dems voting guides.  

We instruct the voters on how to vote, that is, choose President first, then vote a straight Democratic ticket (which we encourage) or choose your Democratic candidates individually and then turn it over and vote for the Democrat judges.

If a Democrat comes in bound and determined to vote for BJ Lawson and/or other Republicans, there isn't much we can do about it at that point.

One voter did ask me about Lawson and said she had seen an ad about Democrats for Lawson in the News of Orange and I gave her a pitch about Price, which she appeared to accept.

By the way, besides anti-abortion activist Ray McKimmon, who are these other Democrats for Lawson? McKimmon's website doesn't mention any others, from what I saw.

"I'm told that Lawson has people at early voting sites trying to obscure details about his various unacceptable stands.  He's up there with Pat McCrory as the wrong choice for NC, especially when it comes to pro-choice and gay rights. "

I was volunteering at an early voting site (Carrboro Town Hall) for Price on Sat and one of the 2 Lawson people who only came at the end of the day like 30 to 40 minutes before the poll closed were handing out copies of the constitution w/ Lawson info neatly tucked inside.  They were trying to talk one guy into voting for him, and I responded by asking if they really wanted to vote for someone who opposes & believes that federal support for education, social security, research in the research triangle, & much more is unconstitutional.  And they responded in a similar way as Lawson did in the debate with an "I don't want to talk about that" type phrase.  I think the exact phrase Lawson used in the debate was more akin to "we are so far away from talking about that..."

It makes little sense to vote for Obama, and then vote for someone who would oppose most of his efforts such as Lawson.  Much of what Obama has promised to do as president are things that Lawson would call unconstitutional.