2018 DE Senate race: on Corporations

Rob Arlett: Remove job-killing regulations to boost the economy

Charles Schumer: The Schumer box: full disclosure on credit card agreements

Liberal Democrats wanted more than just disclosure. One amendment would have limited the allowable interest rate on all U.S. credit cards to 15 percent. A 1978 Supreme Court ruling had rendered state-level interest rate caps useless, allowing lenders to charge 40% or more in some states.

With a healthy 257-177 advantage, House Democrats had the numbers to force the federal cap through. But Schumer and his colleagues on the House Banking Committee wanted no part of significantly depressing credit card profits, having struck down this amendment almost unanimously in committee.

Tom Carper: 22-year history of pro-business support of banking lobby

Against an alliance of Banking Committee Democrats and pro-business Republicans, the amendment failed. It took two decades for a federal interest rate cap to be debated again, as part of credit card reform legislation called the CARD Act. This time, Sen. Bernie Sanders would fail to overcome the power of the banking lobby. Among the 60 senators voting no was the senior member from Delaware: Tom Carper. It was still, 22 years later, premature.

For nearly 40 years, banks have found a reliable ally in Carper. Carper has taken the side of the industry in virtually every policy debate over that period.

Gene Truono: Decrease regulatory burden on small businesses

Chuck Boyce: Small businesses are the job creators in America

As things he would like to help fix in Washington, he pointed to failures in the Veterans' Administration that his family dealt with, as well as what he sees as failures in the education system that he has experienced as a parent.

"We need to make sure that our kids are being prepared for the jobs that are actually going to be available tomorrow," he said. He also said he wants to see more emphasis on alternatives to college. "We need to stop demonizing secondary-education options," he said.

"Small businesses are the job creators in America," Boyce said, adding that he wants to repeal regulations that he feels are burdensome to entrepreneurs and small businesses.