2014 New Jersey Senate debates


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Jeff Bell: Apply 14th Amendment to the unborn.     Murray Sabrin: Human life begins at conception.     Cory Booker: Fix Hobby Lobby: it's not about religious freedom.     Jeff Bell: Hobby Lobby ruling protects religious freedom.     Cory Booker: Vigorously defend women's access to affordable birth control.     Cory Booker: No restrictions before viability; exceptions after viability.

Budget & Economy     Jeff Bell: Restore the gold standard.     Murray Sabrin: Free enterprise is the key to national prosperity.     Jeff Bell: Fed's zero interest rate policy extends Great Recession.     Murray Sabrin: Federal Reserve is one big scam.     Cory Booker: We will not be able to cut our way out of the jobs crisis.     Jeff Bell: Return to gold-dollar convertibility now.

Civil Rights     Jeff Bell: Government shouldn't redefine marriage.     Murray Sabrin: Government shouldn't redefine marriage.     Cory Booker: MLK's dream still demands work to do, after 50 years.

Corporations     Cory Booker: Lower corporate tax rate & close loopholes.     Jeff Bell: Low interest rates favor big businesses over small.     Cory Booker: Government procurement should promote women-owned business.

Crime     Cory Booker: Real solution to crime is addressing poverty and education.     Cory Booker: Incarceration isn't working; focus on preventing recidivism.     Cory Booker: Increase the number of police in all neighborhoods.     Cory Booker: Cut first responders due to economic downturn.     Cory Booker: Bipartisan solution to reduce recidivism.

Drugs     Cory Booker: The drug war is an abject failure.

Education     Jeff Bell: End federal involvement in education.     Murray Sabrin: Oppose nationwide Common Core standards.     Cory Booker: Ensure that college tuition is not a long-term burden.     Cory Booker: Pre-school for 3-year-olds; more teacher empowerment.     Cory Booker: Fundamental right to high quality public education.     Cory Booker: Newark Workshops got $1.3M in Pell Grants.

Energy & Oil     Jeff Bell: No subsidies for wind and solar.     Murray Sabrin: No subsidies for wind and solar.     Cory Booker: Sustainability programs: slow growth of carbon footprint.     Cory Booker: Eliminate unfair subsidies for oil and ga.

Environment     Cory Booker: Green space; green housing; green jobs.

Foreign Policy     Cory Booker: Where Israel's security is at stake, so is America's.     Cory Booker: Development funds via international organizations for Africa.     Cory Booker: Robust diplomacy and international development.     Cory Booker: No head in the sand; but no global police.

Free Trade     Cory Booker: African trade makes stable countries & good for our security.     Cory Booker: China cheats via currency manipulation & IP theft.     Jeff Bell: Act on bilateral agreements with Colombia and South Korea.

Government Reform     Jeff Bell: Photo ID for voting.     Murray Sabrin: Photo ID for voting.     Cory Booker: Founding principle: make laws open to public debate.     Cory Booker: Threat to voting rights in America remains very real.     Cory Booker: Campaign PAC money shouldn't speak louder than people.

Gun Control     Jeff Bell: Opposes more gun restrictions.     Murray Sabrin: Opposes more gun restrictions.     Cory Booker: Common sense gun reform on day one.     Cory Booker: More background checks & gun trace data.     Jeff Bell: Debated who's most supportive of gun rights.

Health Care     Jeff Bell: Repeal ObamaCare; it's not a government responsibility.     Murray Sabrin: Repeal ObamaCare; it's not a government responsibility.     Cory Booker: ObamaCare is a vital step in the right direction.

Homeland Security     Jeff Bell: Maintain a superior nuclear arsenal.     Murray Sabrin: Maintain a superior nuclear arsenal.     Cory Booker: Maintain the strongest military force in the world.     Cory Booker: Irresponsible to spend on irrelevant weapon systems.     Cory Booker: Public oversight needed for NSA domestic spying.     Jeff Bell: Defense hawk and foreign-policy interventionist.

Immigration     Jeff Bell: Protect the borders; prevent illegal entry.     Murray Sabrin: Protect the borders; prevent illegal entry.

Jobs     Cory Booker: $1,000 tax credit for job-training apprenticeships.     Cory Booker: Great Recession decreased hourly wages overall.     Cory Booker: Gender wage gap problematic; minority wage gap worse.     Cory Booker: 1/3 of all NJ development is in Newark, where only 3% live.

Principles & Values     Jeff Bell: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework.     Murray Sabrin: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework.     Jeff Bell: 1982: ran for Senate; speechwriter for Ronald Reagan.     Jeff Bell: Wife wept upon hearing he would run for Senate.     Jeff Bell: Defeated incumbent Senator in GOP primary in 1978.     Cory Booker: First African-American senator from New Jersey.

Social Security     Cory Booker: Opposes raising retirement age; expand entitlements.

Tax Reform     Jeff Bell: Convinced Pres. Reagan to adopt radical tax-rate reductions.

Technology     Cory Booker: Fix crumbling rail & road with National Infrastructure Bank.     Cory Booker: Invest in Next-Gen air traffic; broadband, and smart grid.     Cory Booker: Protect critical infrastructure from cyberattack.     Cory Booker: Technology empowers individuals but creates diverse threats.

War & Peace     Cory Booker: All options on the table with Iran, including military.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Cory Booker New Jersey Mayor of Newark Jeff Bell Republican Senate challenger New Jersey Murray Sabrin Republican Senate Challenger New Jersey