IntrepidXJ
NAXJA Member #647
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
From: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=478277
Please consider donating to his campaign. Without Pombo, there won't be any ESA reform.....
http://www.richardpombo.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tough challenge confronts Pombo
Endangered Species Act is becoming major issue
By Rebecca F. Johnson, STAFF WRITER
Editors note: This is the second part of a two-day series on the candidates for the 11th Congressional District. The Democrats were featured Monday.
After several fairly easy attempts to clinch the incumbency, Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, is facing perhaps his most challenging quest to hang onto his congressional seat.
Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has found himself on the receiving end of attacks and allegations from numerous groups — namely environmental — that question his integrity and ties to special interests and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"The primary has been more high-profile than it has in the past," Pombo said. "I'm a committee chairman. I'm a big target."
The biggest curve ball, however, was when former Congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey Jr. moved from Yolo County to the 11th Congressional District with the sole purpose of defeating Pombo, who is seeking an eighth term.
One of McCloskey's main reasons for campaigning to return to Congress is Pombo's attempt to rewrite the Endangered Species Act, which McCloskey co-authored.
"To me, the Endangered Species Act is a valuable thing," McCloskey said. "To him, it's a bar to development."
Fellow Republican candidate Tom Benigno, who identifies himself as a "perennial candidate" andmade unsuccessful bids for Tracy City Council, governor and congressman, also criticizes Pombo for taking on the act.
"The Endangered Species Act was really a platform for developing property and drilling for the big oil people," he said.
Pombo argues that the rewrite is necessary and includes requirements to recover species.
Pombo critics vocal
Nevertheless, the Endangered Species Act is a key issue that some groups point to when discussing the congressman's record.
"He's not just a congressman. He's an anti-environmental activist," said Kieran Suckling, policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which has spent the past several years fighting Pombo's efforts to revise the act.
"Most of the congressmen we oppose have a much more reserved attitude. Pombo believes ... that the government exists to give him a platform for his agenda."
Exhibits Nos. 1 and 2, critics say, are two Resources Committee's Web sites, one on the Endangered Species Act and the other on Earth Day, which coincidentally McCloskey served as co-chairman of when it was first established in 1970. Both explore various "myths" of the environmental movement.
Pombo's office says they are "part of the policy debate." But critics contend the sites improperly cloak Pombo's personal views with the authoritative — and taxpayer-funded — seal of a government Web address.
"It's propaganda," said Eric Antebi, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, who said the talking points come straight from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "There's no attempt to actually look at the facts."
But has the congressman been effective? The one forum between Pombo, McCloskey and Benigno earlier this month focused largely on Pombo's record, with some justification.
Pombo has proven adept at moving his agenda through the House, such as the energy bill.
But many of those measures have apparently been too radical for the more moderate Senate, which has either never considered the bills or shot them down.
Meanwhile, the environmental movement is more focused and charged since the infamous James Watt was running President Reagan's Interior Department, thanks to Pombo's blustering.
That's a bittersweet blessing, Antebi noted, as much of that energy is devoted to defeating Pombo's "crazy ideas."
"There's no reason in this day and age why we should have to expend effort to stop a congressman from trying to sell off land in Yosemite (National Park) to mining interests," Antebi said. "Yet we did last fall."
But the congressman is wholeheartedly supported by other groups, such as the California Farm Bureau Federation. Kiran Black, manager of political affairs, said Pombo understands the challenges facing the state's farmers and ranchers and supports common sense and reasonable solutions.
Black said Pombo has also worked across the aisle with other representatives and helped bring attention to local and statewide issues, such as the vulnerability of the Delta levee system and the need to secure funds for repairs.
"He's been a very effective representative for his district," she said.
McCloskey also criticized
McCloskey is not immune to criticism, either.
Some constituents and Jewish leaders have raised concern about McCloskey's past chairmanship of the Council for the National Interest — which he said argues for a Palestinian state — and his appearance at an Institute for Historical Review conference in 2000. The institute, while it claims to pursue a "revisionist view," is widely considered to have a membership that denies the Holocaust occurred.
"I'll speak to anybody," McCloskey said. "I was assured by the director of the institute they don't say that the Holocaust didn't happen, but they've got a lot of people in that group that would like to say the Holocaust never happened."
McCloskey said he wrote to the organization afterward and declared that he thinks the Holocaust did occur.
However, in a text of his speech available on the institute's Web site, "Machinations of the
Anti-Defamation League," McCloskey states the phrase: "I don't know whether you're right or wrong about the Holocaust."
Candidates on issues
Criticism and mud-slinging aside, the three candidates hoping to represent the district — which includes portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties with nearly 44 percent registered Republicans and 37 percent registered Democrats — support different tactics on some of the key issues facing the nation.
Pombo — who reintroduced legislation that would open
2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for energy production the House approved Thursday — said the nation should concentrate on increasing fuel supply in the short-term while looking at alternative energy sources for the long-term.
"I think we need to be much more aggressive in developing domestic energy," he said. "You have to do some of everything. There is no one answer you can give."
McCloskey said auto manufacturers should be required to increase the amount of miles per gallon cars can get. He is unsure yet of which alternative energy sources should be pursued, but said global warming must be curbed.
"This energy policy, drill for more oil, use more oil, go to war to save more oil is just wrong," he said.
Benigno said he advocates pursuing alternative fuel sources, such as ethanol, to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
In terms of immigration reform, McCloskey said illegal immigrants should be allowed to register and become citizens in due course if they learn the English language.
"Of course we have to police the border," he said, adding that he would support sending National Guard troops only if he was sure they were not overextended. "But I wouldn't make felons of all the illegals."
Benigno takes a harder stance and thinks a guest worker program is not the answer and national security should come first.
"People forget that we were destroyed in 9/11," said Benigno, while sitting in his Tracy home. "We have to think about that. We need to stop and find out who our enemies are."
Pombo supports a guest-worker program, but said there cannot be merely amnesty for illegal immigrants. He also advocated for stronger security at the borders.
On the subject of Iraq, Benigno, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, said the country should be enlisting the help of the United Nations and bringing the troops home from Iraq.
"I think we should be out of there," he said.
Pombo said Iraq is a lot better off and the war has given millions of people a chance at freedom that would not have it otherwise. He said there should not be a timeframe imposed, but troops pulled out as soon as feasible.
"Obviously, it's not a completely stable situation yet," he said.
McCloskey said he thinks America had an obligation to topple the Iraqi regime and help the people get back on their feet, but not to decide who should lead the country.
"I think that within a year we should be out of Iraq," said McCloskey, who served in the U.S. Navy and Marines. "I don't think the United States has any business trying to tell a foreign country how to govern itself."
Candidates on district
In terms of the district, Pombo said transportation continues to remain a major issue, particularly the traffic from people traveling from San Joaquin to the Valley and beyond for jobs and trucks that use the freeways as a "goods movement" corridor.
"You have to look at commercial traffic and commuter traffic and how you solve those problems — and they're different," he said.
Pombo said expanding rail capabilities and the Altamont Commuter Express train could help, and he reiterated the need for a new freeway that would extend from the Central Valley to San Jose.
He also underscored the importance of shoring up the Delta levees, a sentiment McCloskey echoed.
McCloskey said the communities on the west side of the Altamont, such as Danville, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton are well-off in terms of home-to-job ratios. But he sees a need to improve the ratio in San Joaquin County.
"The real answer to that county is getting the jobs out into the Stockton area so people don't have to commute," he said.
Extending BART to Livermore and eventually over the Altamont Pass and increasing rapid rail transit are other transportation solutions, McCloskey said.
Benigno said the federal government should be helping solve the area's transportation woes and advocates for greater rail capacity. He also is calling for the Port of Stockton expansion.
"I think we need it as a shipping port," he said.
Please consider donating to his campaign. Without Pombo, there won't be any ESA reform.....
http://www.richardpombo.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tough challenge confronts Pombo
Endangered Species Act is becoming major issue
By Rebecca F. Johnson, STAFF WRITER
Editors note: This is the second part of a two-day series on the candidates for the 11th Congressional District. The Democrats were featured Monday.
After several fairly easy attempts to clinch the incumbency, Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, is facing perhaps his most challenging quest to hang onto his congressional seat.
Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has found himself on the receiving end of attacks and allegations from numerous groups — namely environmental — that question his integrity and ties to special interests and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"The primary has been more high-profile than it has in the past," Pombo said. "I'm a committee chairman. I'm a big target."
The biggest curve ball, however, was when former Congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey Jr. moved from Yolo County to the 11th Congressional District with the sole purpose of defeating Pombo, who is seeking an eighth term.
One of McCloskey's main reasons for campaigning to return to Congress is Pombo's attempt to rewrite the Endangered Species Act, which McCloskey co-authored.
"To me, the Endangered Species Act is a valuable thing," McCloskey said. "To him, it's a bar to development."
Fellow Republican candidate Tom Benigno, who identifies himself as a "perennial candidate" andmade unsuccessful bids for Tracy City Council, governor and congressman, also criticizes Pombo for taking on the act.
"The Endangered Species Act was really a platform for developing property and drilling for the big oil people," he said.
Pombo argues that the rewrite is necessary and includes requirements to recover species.
Pombo critics vocal
Nevertheless, the Endangered Species Act is a key issue that some groups point to when discussing the congressman's record.
"He's not just a congressman. He's an anti-environmental activist," said Kieran Suckling, policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which has spent the past several years fighting Pombo's efforts to revise the act.
"Most of the congressmen we oppose have a much more reserved attitude. Pombo believes ... that the government exists to give him a platform for his agenda."
Exhibits Nos. 1 and 2, critics say, are two Resources Committee's Web sites, one on the Endangered Species Act and the other on Earth Day, which coincidentally McCloskey served as co-chairman of when it was first established in 1970. Both explore various "myths" of the environmental movement.
Pombo's office says they are "part of the policy debate." But critics contend the sites improperly cloak Pombo's personal views with the authoritative — and taxpayer-funded — seal of a government Web address.
"It's propaganda," said Eric Antebi, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, who said the talking points come straight from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "There's no attempt to actually look at the facts."
But has the congressman been effective? The one forum between Pombo, McCloskey and Benigno earlier this month focused largely on Pombo's record, with some justification.
Pombo has proven adept at moving his agenda through the House, such as the energy bill.
But many of those measures have apparently been too radical for the more moderate Senate, which has either never considered the bills or shot them down.
Meanwhile, the environmental movement is more focused and charged since the infamous James Watt was running President Reagan's Interior Department, thanks to Pombo's blustering.
That's a bittersweet blessing, Antebi noted, as much of that energy is devoted to defeating Pombo's "crazy ideas."
"There's no reason in this day and age why we should have to expend effort to stop a congressman from trying to sell off land in Yosemite (National Park) to mining interests," Antebi said. "Yet we did last fall."
But the congressman is wholeheartedly supported by other groups, such as the California Farm Bureau Federation. Kiran Black, manager of political affairs, said Pombo understands the challenges facing the state's farmers and ranchers and supports common sense and reasonable solutions.
Black said Pombo has also worked across the aisle with other representatives and helped bring attention to local and statewide issues, such as the vulnerability of the Delta levee system and the need to secure funds for repairs.
"He's been a very effective representative for his district," she said.
McCloskey also criticized
McCloskey is not immune to criticism, either.
Some constituents and Jewish leaders have raised concern about McCloskey's past chairmanship of the Council for the National Interest — which he said argues for a Palestinian state — and his appearance at an Institute for Historical Review conference in 2000. The institute, while it claims to pursue a "revisionist view," is widely considered to have a membership that denies the Holocaust occurred.
"I'll speak to anybody," McCloskey said. "I was assured by the director of the institute they don't say that the Holocaust didn't happen, but they've got a lot of people in that group that would like to say the Holocaust never happened."
McCloskey said he wrote to the organization afterward and declared that he thinks the Holocaust did occur.
However, in a text of his speech available on the institute's Web site, "Machinations of the
Anti-Defamation League," McCloskey states the phrase: "I don't know whether you're right or wrong about the Holocaust."
Candidates on issues
Criticism and mud-slinging aside, the three candidates hoping to represent the district — which includes portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties with nearly 44 percent registered Republicans and 37 percent registered Democrats — support different tactics on some of the key issues facing the nation.
Pombo — who reintroduced legislation that would open
2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for energy production the House approved Thursday — said the nation should concentrate on increasing fuel supply in the short-term while looking at alternative energy sources for the long-term.
"I think we need to be much more aggressive in developing domestic energy," he said. "You have to do some of everything. There is no one answer you can give."
McCloskey said auto manufacturers should be required to increase the amount of miles per gallon cars can get. He is unsure yet of which alternative energy sources should be pursued, but said global warming must be curbed.
"This energy policy, drill for more oil, use more oil, go to war to save more oil is just wrong," he said.
Benigno said he advocates pursuing alternative fuel sources, such as ethanol, to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
In terms of immigration reform, McCloskey said illegal immigrants should be allowed to register and become citizens in due course if they learn the English language.
"Of course we have to police the border," he said, adding that he would support sending National Guard troops only if he was sure they were not overextended. "But I wouldn't make felons of all the illegals."
Benigno takes a harder stance and thinks a guest worker program is not the answer and national security should come first.
"People forget that we were destroyed in 9/11," said Benigno, while sitting in his Tracy home. "We have to think about that. We need to stop and find out who our enemies are."
Pombo supports a guest-worker program, but said there cannot be merely amnesty for illegal immigrants. He also advocated for stronger security at the borders.
On the subject of Iraq, Benigno, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, said the country should be enlisting the help of the United Nations and bringing the troops home from Iraq.
"I think we should be out of there," he said.
Pombo said Iraq is a lot better off and the war has given millions of people a chance at freedom that would not have it otherwise. He said there should not be a timeframe imposed, but troops pulled out as soon as feasible.
"Obviously, it's not a completely stable situation yet," he said.
McCloskey said he thinks America had an obligation to topple the Iraqi regime and help the people get back on their feet, but not to decide who should lead the country.
"I think that within a year we should be out of Iraq," said McCloskey, who served in the U.S. Navy and Marines. "I don't think the United States has any business trying to tell a foreign country how to govern itself."
Candidates on district
In terms of the district, Pombo said transportation continues to remain a major issue, particularly the traffic from people traveling from San Joaquin to the Valley and beyond for jobs and trucks that use the freeways as a "goods movement" corridor.
"You have to look at commercial traffic and commuter traffic and how you solve those problems — and they're different," he said.
Pombo said expanding rail capabilities and the Altamont Commuter Express train could help, and he reiterated the need for a new freeway that would extend from the Central Valley to San Jose.
He also underscored the importance of shoring up the Delta levees, a sentiment McCloskey echoed.
McCloskey said the communities on the west side of the Altamont, such as Danville, San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton are well-off in terms of home-to-job ratios. But he sees a need to improve the ratio in San Joaquin County.
"The real answer to that county is getting the jobs out into the Stockton area so people don't have to commute," he said.
Extending BART to Livermore and eventually over the Altamont Pass and increasing rapid rail transit are other transportation solutions, McCloskey said.
Benigno said the federal government should be helping solve the area's transportation woes and advocates for greater rail capacity. He also is calling for the Port of Stockton expansion.
"I think we need it as a shipping port," he said.
