Fifth District candidate forum turns into debate in Charlottesville

By Brian McNeill
Media General News Service
Published: August 13, 2008

The two candidates vying for the 5th District House seat faced off Wednesday in a vinegary quasi-debate, the first of the campaign season.

Six-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, and challenger Tom Perriello, a Democrat and national security consultant from Ivy, outlined their views for an hour and a half in front of 350 people at the Senior Center on Pepsi Place in Charlottesville.

Goode, 61, repeatedly told the crowd that he wants Congress to remove a federal ban on drilling for oil and natural gas in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and on the outer continental shelf.

“It is a way to have an immediate, positive impact on the price of oil,” Goode said.

A few supporters started to applaud Goode’s “pro-drill” agenda, but they were promptly drowned out by widespread booing.

Throughout the forum, Goode reiterated his call for domestic oil drilling, even when asked seemingly unrelated questions.

When asked about his views on global warming, Goode said that he supports energy independence, brought about by tax credits for alternative energy research and by more oil drilling in

America.

When asked his thoughts about the conflict between Russia and Georgia, Goode suggested that America could learn a lesson from Russia, which set out to become energy self-sufficient when the Soviet Union fell. If the United States followed suit and drilled for oil within its own territory, he said, it would put America in a stronger negotiating position with Russia.

Perriello, 33, said he too supports offshore drilling, though he is hesitant about drilling in Alaska. He also supports expansion of nuclear power and alternative energy research. However, he added that there is no “quick fix” that will bring down the price of gas or make America energy independent. It will take a comprehensive approach, he said, including higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.

The energy crisis, Perriello said, is the nation’s biggest threat, but it can also be the country’s most lucrative opportunity. In the coming years, he said, there will be an economic shift, similar to the dot-com boom, in which companies will produce new energy technology. Such a shift, he said, could create new jobs in Virginia.

If drilling for oil is at the center of Goode’s re-election bid, at the center of Perriello’s campaign are the issues of jobs and economic relief.

Perriello recently wrapped up an “economic revival” tour of the 5th District’s 22 counties and municipalities. On the tour, Perriello presented his economic platform, which includes expanded work-force training, tax breaks for small businesses and investment in infrastructure such as rail and broadband.

In his opening remarks, Perriello — who co-founded two faith-based nonprofits and has sought to end such conflicts as the genocide in Darfur — told the crowd of mostly senior citizens that he was inspired to pursue community service by his grandfather. “He taught me that everyone is responsible for themselves, but it’s what you do for your community and country that defines you,” he said.

The Senior Statesmen of Virginia sponsored the candidate forum. Perriello said he was also inspired by one of the group’s longtime members, the late former Delegate Mitchell Van Yahres, D-Charlottesville. Perriello was a page in the General Assembly when he was in eighth grade. Van Yahres “was the first person who showed me that you can enter politics and hold onto your integrity and continue to be a straight talker.”

Wednesday’s candidate forum was not intended to be a debate.

The two candidates offered an opening and closing statement and fielded questions from the audience. However, Goode and Perriello essentially debated each issue regardless of the format.

Perriello said the nation is ready to step up to its challenges, but it needs leaders. Much like the “Greatest Generation” was challenged to fight in World War II, Perriello said, his generation is tasked with making the nation energy independent, halting the spread of terrorism, balancing the federal budget and keeping the country competitive in the global economy. “These are problems that we can solve,” he said. “But we’ve been let down year after year after year by the people in Washington.”

Goode pooh-poohed Perriello’s call to service.

“Vague generalities will not win the day in Washington, D.C.,” Goode said. “You’ve got to work with concrete proposals with specifics.”

Goode warned that a Barack Obama-led government — of which Perriello aims to be a part — would bring about massive tax increases. He said that proponents of Obama’s policies are “mush heads.”