Lee Fisher in The Washington Post

On Free Trade: More stringent policy: discourage companies moving overseas

Fisher sought to tie his opponent to the Bush administration, reminding viewers of Portman's service as budget director and US trade representative. Under Portman's watch, Fisher said, the federal deficit ballooned and Ohio lost 100,000 jobs to China. " It's time that Congressman Portman took responsibility for his role in helping cause this recession," Fisher said. Portman dismissed the jab as a partisan attack and urged Fisher to answer for the 400,000 Ohio jobs that have disappeared over the past 4 years during Fisher's tenure as state development director.

Fisher called for more stringent trade and tax policies to discourage companies from moving overseas. Portman's economic solutions included more favorable tax and regulatory policies to encourage business development, more effective workforce training programs, and undefined spending cuts to lower the deficit. He said his health-care plan would include provisions to restrict malpractice lawsuits, a GOP priority left out of the new law.

Source: Washington Post coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate Oct 5, 2010

On Social Security: No benefit cuts; don't raise retirement age

Fisher and Portman sparred over jobs, Social Security and trade in their first of three Senate debates, drawing a stark contrast for voters as the state struggles to recover from the recession. Fisher sought to tie his opponent to the Bush administration reminding viewers of Portman's service as budget director and US trade representative.

Fisher rejected cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age, although he does want a bipartisan commission to address the entitlement program's long-term fiscal problems.

Although the Bush administration had sought to create private Social Security accounts, Portman said it was "not true" that he supported privatizing the program. Fisher often quotes from a 2007 interview in which Portman called the Bush proposal "very sound."

Portman admonished Fisher to "stop scaring seniors" about Social Security. But he added, "We do need to look at reforming the system" to ensure that the entitlement program survives for future generations

Source: Washington Post coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate Oct 5, 2010

The above quotations are from Media coverage of nationwide political races in The Washington Post. Click here for other excerpts from Media coverage of nationwide political races in The Washington Post. Click here for other excerpts by Lee Fisher. Click here for a profile of Lee Fisher.
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Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019