Party Reps Square Off On Presidential Politics

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FALMOUTH- It is easy these days for Charles D. Johnson of Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, to get discouraged by the state of the world—“In my view, it is coming apart,” he said—but minutes after last night’s debate about the presidential election had ended, he felt anything but defeatist.
“I am 80 years old and that was the most inspired I’ve been in a long time,” he said. He and his wife, Joyce A. Johnson, had an up-close and personal view of last night’s proceedings as the official timekeepers during a debate that included not just the Democratic and Republican viewpoints, but those of three other third parties, the Greens, Libertarians, and the People for a New Society.
Those political ideologies were represented, respectively by, Levi C. Adams of Teaticket, Troy BG Clarkson of North Falmouth, Peter L. Waasdorp Jr. of Falmouth, George Phillies of Worcester, and Walter Petrovich of East Falmouth.
Despite the disparate opinions among the five, the tone of last night’s discussion was mostly positive as they answered questions on topics ranging from the Iraq War to potential voter registry fraud to global warming. Nearly 75 audience members filled the Hermann Foundation Meeting Room at the library to hear a discussion of these issues.

George Phillies, representing the Libertarian party, answers a question at last night’s debate in the Hermann Foundation Meeting Room at the Falmouth Public Library. Also partaking in the political discussion were Levi Adams (from left) of the Democratic Party, Peter Waasdorp of the Green Party, Walter Petrovich of the People for a New Society, and Troy Clarkson of the Republican Party. Among the topics that over 75 audience members heard debated were the Iraq War, voter registration fraud, global warming, John McCain’s military history, campaign finance reform and how to reduce the size of government. The debate was sponsored by The Falmouth Enterprise and the League of Women Voters of Falmouth. PETER COOK/ENTERPRISE

Each participant was given two minutes at the start and three minutes at the end of the debate to summarize their party’s platform in the upcoming election.
Mr. Adams spoke about the need for change after “eight years of remarkably misguided Republican leadership in Washington.” Hope, he said, is what America needs and the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden represents that ideal. Together, he said, they “will take us off that pathway that binds us where there is no hope, when we need there to be hope in abundance.” 
Mr. Clarkson, who took part in a similar debate in June about the Iraq War, touted the ideals of his party: fiscal conservatism and a strong defense. “Standing up to terrorism in this world,” he said, while protecting individual liberties, were other highlights. “The government’s first duty is to protect people, not run lives,” he stressed.
While some may think the Green Party is simply in favor of protecting the environment, Mr. Waasdorp enumerated several other fundamental aspects of the left-leaning group. Among them, he noted, are an opposition to racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination of the disabled; a commitment to non-violence; support for workplace equality; and a belief in personal and global responsibility.
On the opposite side of the political spectrum, Mr. Phillies spoke about the Libertarian platform of promoting individual liberties and social tolerance. Each citizen, he said, has the right to do as they wish, as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others.
In addition, he noted that a staunch opposition to the Iraq War and fiscal prudence were other key elements to the party.
“Something different, something new,” is what Mr. Petrovich said his party had to offer. While some may equate the People for a New Society as socialism, he said, “it is not the socialism you’ve heard about before.”
He stressed that our democratic society as we know it is a myth because it does not exist as it is supposed to.
Military strategy received much attention throughout the night, with Ross E. Bluestein of West Falmouth, who debated Mr. Clarkson in June, kicking off the questions. With an economy in disarray, he wondered whether this country can afford to continue its occupation of both Iraq and Afghanistan at a cost of over $10 billion a month.
Mr. Clarkson called it a loaded question.
“I don’t believe the troops in Iraq are occupying troops,” he said. “We don’t have a choice to leave. The job must be finished.” If soldiers were to be pulled out, he said, it would create chaos in the Middle East, which would be perilous to the nation.
He was the only one who held this view. Mr. Phillies said the war was based on a pillar of lies, noting there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that Sadaam Hussein had no affiliation with Osama Bin Laden or Al Qaeda. 
Mr. Waasdorp noted that his party was against the war from the start. Citing statistics in which 4,100 American servicemen have been killed, 30,000 wounded, and between 650,000 and 1 million Iraqis killed, he said, the war is unjust.
“We cannot win there,” Mr. Adams added. “Let’s get out of Iraq and use that money for something else.”
One resident pressed the participants about reports that ACORN has committed voter registration fraud and wondered whether Barack Obama, who allegedly has ties to the group, has a responsibility to take a stance against the organization.
Mr. Adams suggested that the responsibility for investigation, and action, rests with the Department of Justice and the US Attorney General’s office.
Cases such as this, Mr. Phillies said, is why voter registration should be checked. He expressed concern, not only over this case, but also over reports that the secretary of state in Ohio may not allow 200,000 voters in that state to vote because of issues with registration.

The Party of Apathy was represented by an empty chair, depicted by a picture showing an ostrich hiding its head in the sand.

The real issue at play, Mr. Clarkson argued, is the fact that only two out of 10 people in this country vote in an election. “That is why we are here tonight,” he said. “The basic question to ask is why are eight out of 10 citizens choosing not to vote?” Placed to his left was a vacant chair for apathy, denoted by a picture of an ostrich with its head in the sand and a wilted flower in a vase.
Ernest Marchisin of Hyannis asked panel members how they would control the world’s growing population in light of dwindling resources.
The problem, Mr. Waasdorp said, is one of consumption. He said one solution is improving education worldwide. If that happens, he said, birth rates will go down. In addition, he said, there is a need for better birth control for men and women.
Painting a grim picture, Mr. Petrovich said, “We have no control... Nothing you can say here can change a thing.”
Throughout the night, it was a theme he repeated, expressing a cynicism of the power-elite, arguing that all politicians are at the behest of corporations.
Mr. Clarkson shot back at Mr. Petrovich, saying that “he keeps talking about new ideas. I haven’t heard one yet.” It was perhaps the one time in which a barb was traded throughout the night. He also railed against Mr. Phillies, who provided China as an example of a country where birth rates are stable. He noted that there the mandate is one child per family, which is contrary to Libertarian ideology.
Mr. Clarkson said the solution to the population problem rests upon finding alternative energy sources, such as nuclear, to support the growth in worldwide population.
Health insurance was another topic the candidates discussed.
Noting that there are roughly 45 million Americans without health insurance, Mr. Waasdorp said, universal healthcare is a priority. He argued that it would save $300 billion in medical costs, providing coverage for everyone, while eliminating all co-pays.
According to published reports from The New York Times, he said, America ranks 29th in infant mortality, tied with Poland and Slovakia, and is also behind many other countries in life expectancy and equal access to care.
Mr. Phillies questioned Mr. Waasdorp’s figures, noting that the 45 million is more like 5 million Americans, when you account for healthy citizens who have access, either through work or Medicare, but choose not to. He said promoting national healthcare for those 5 million people who may need it was unwise.
Mr. Adams said that Barack Obama has signaled support for a single-payer system, but it will have to be phased in.
“I don’t think the healthcare system is broken,” Mr. Clarkson said to groans and gasps from the audience, before adding, “I think the insurance companies are broken.”
If one wants to see an example of a system that works, Mr. Clarkson pointed to former governor Mitt Romney’s healthcare plan that he ushered into the state that gave health-care access to residents. 
In response to global warming, which was brought up by Victoria H. Lowell of Sippewissett Road, Falmouth, all the candidates agreed that it is a problem. How to deal with it best, however, was another issue.
Adaption, Mr. Clarkson said, is vital, insisting again that nuclear energy, combined with wind, solar, and tidal power, should be promoted as multiple options.
Sticking to this theme, Mr. Petrovich said, Americans have no control because of corporations. He said that the real solution is to overthrow the two political parties.
Questions were also submitted by the League of Women Voters and The Falmouth Enterprise, who sponsored the debate, as well as students from Falmouth High School.
The most contentious moment came near the end when Marc P. Finneran of Trotting Park Road, East Falmouth, asked Mr. Adams to explain why his candidate, Barack Obama, does not even support a half-brother living in Kenya. And he asked how Americans can support someone “who treats his brother like a baby treats a diaper.”
All panelists came to Mr. Obama’s defense, arguing that family issues should be kept separate from political ones. Mr. Adams said that Senator Obama is an honorable man and outstanding candidate. He also chastised the press for highlighting arguments like Mr. Finneran’s, saying, “The slander occurring of half-truths is not worthy of a great nation like America.”
These types of attacks, Mr. Clarkson added, take away from the real issues. He said that politics should distance itself from this type of venomous atmosphere that pervades the arena.
While much was discussed in the two hours, Mr. Phillies said, vital issues such as the government’s $300 billion bailout of failing banks, which he spelled as
 “r-i-p-o-f-f,” and called the “biggest corporate welfare plan in the history of the universe,” was not even touched upon.

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