House candidates debate the issues

U.S. House candidates Republican Ryan Zinke, Democrat John Lewis and Libertarian Mike Fellows spoke on a broad range of issues during their Oct. 19 debate in Kalispell, with Zinke and Lewis accusing each other of waffling on the issues.

“Throughout the campaign, we’ve seen two candidates with firm positions — Mr. Fellows and myself,” Lewis said. “The third candidate, Mr. Zinke, has been the multiple-choice candidate.”

“There are a lot of differences between you and I,” Zinke told Lewis. “So why don’t we point out the differences rather than make things up about what I’ve said and what I haven’t said.”

Fellows, meanwhile, said Lewis and Zinke represent the ideals of political parties.

“You won’t see me changing my views to suit the various audiences,” he said.

Lewis said he doesn’t support sending American troops to Africa to deal with the Ebola outbreak. The millions of Americans without access to health care is the underlying issue, he said.

“We’ve got to fix our public health care system,” he said.

Zinke also did not support sending troops to Africa. He wanted flight restrictions and African states affected by Ebola quarantined.

“Government’s No. 1 job is to protect the people,” he said.

Fellows agreed that troops shouldn’t be sent to Africa. He accused the federal Centers for Disease Control of being “lax” and called for better containment procedures.

Zinke said he supports increased oil, gas and coal production in the U.S. Montana has a role to play in securing energy independence for the U.S., he said. Zinke opposed energy subsidies and wanted oil moved through pipelines rather than by rail.

Lewis said it’s important to look at long-term needs and invest in future energy sources. He suggested biomass development and expressed concerns about the long-term effects of fracking and burning fossil fuels.

“Climate change is an issue, and we need people that want to be part of the solution,” he said.

Fellows said he would abolish the Department of Energy and end subsidies to alternative energy companies. He wanted industrial hemp explored more.

“There are too many crony capitalists in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Zinke said more local management of forests will help the timber industry. Forest rangers “don’t have the power they once did, and that’s because it’s been sucked up by Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Lewis said too much timber is caught up in litigation, and reforming the Equal Access to Justice Act could help. He also said he supports Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

Fellows said the downturn in the housing industry is to blame for Montana’s shrinking timber industry, and he doubted whether the “bureaucrats have even been east of the Mississippi” to see the things in person.

Lewis and Zinke also argued over their National Rifle Association ratings. Lewis claimed he has an A rating and Zinke has a 42 percent score.

“I’m being attacked as if I want to take away guns, and that is not true,” Lewis said.

Zinke said Lewis’ rating was solely based on a questionnaire and that he has the endorsement of a former NRA president

“We can all agree that in Montana, guns are a legacy,” Zinke said. “I’ll defend every law on the books and will continue to do that.”

Fellows said Zinke has more in common with former “New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg than the people of Montana” when it comes to gun rights.

Zinke said the U.S. border should be shut to protect national security, and the U.S. needs to show leadership abroad.

“ISIS is a threat to all of us,” he said. “If you don’t think ISIS is a threat, you’re wrong.”

Lewis said Congress needs to debate the border issue more, and Americans are wary about getting in another war.

“We need to stop policing the world,” he said.

Fellows agreed that national security is important, but Americans don’t want get in another war.

Lewis drew applause when he advocated reversing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed corporations and unions to make unlimited independent expenditures in elections. Lewis claimed much of Zinke’s campaign money came from out-of-state donors.

Zinke said he won’t apologize for his 25,000 donors and disagreed that a Constitutional amendment should be used to overturn Citizens United.

Fellows had a simple response on the campaign funding issue: “If you don’t think money should be in politics — vote Mike Fellows.”