In Washington, re-elect Cantwell to U.S. Senate
2006-10-23
Source: The Oregonian
email this
print this
del.icio.us
digg this
rss feedThe Internet, recently explained Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens -- chairman of the committee that oversees it -- is not a dump truck; it's a series of tubes.
It's a powerful argument for having someone in the Senate who understands what the Internet is, and one more argument why Washington voters should re-elect freshman Sen. Maria Cantwell. Bringing to the Senate a background in the Northwest high-tech industry, Cantwell has ideas on how technology can affect issues from health costs to immigration, and has established a highly useful focus on the energy future. Her first term argues strongly for giving her a second one.
Cantwell is opposed by Republican Mike McGavick, who formerly ran Safeco insurance and worked for moderate Washington GOP senators Dan Evans and Slade Gorton. McGavick has ability and an interesting take on several issues, but he hasn't made a case for replacing Cantwell, and his ideas on issues such as Social Security are hard to parse.
Also in the race are Libertarian Bruce Guthrie, Green candidate Aaron Dixon and independent Robin Adair.
From her position on the Energy Committee, Cantwell has worked to cut oil company subsidies and expand options in renewable energy and biodiesel, both areas of particular interest to the Northwest, as well as taking a prominent role in opposing drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. She alienated numerous Washington Democrats by voting to support the war in Iraq but has been working to mend her fences, and has done some serious thinking about what has to happen now, from expanding involvement of other countries to emphasizing an effort to improve life on the ground for Iraqis.
McGavick has been having some trouble explaining how individual Social Security accounts, which he supports, are different from privatization, which he opposes. But he has an interesting position on immigration, noting the vital need for openness to highly skilled immigrants, and has a good point in calling for less-poisonous partisan politics -- although unfortunately this Senate campaign hasn't reflected it.
Washington state should re-elect Cantwell to a second term in the Senate. She not only knows that the Internet isn't a set of tubes, but she also has an idea what it connects to -- and where that connection could carry a high-tech state.
Click here to see the full article.
