Hodes, Horn find little common ground in debate

Hodes, Horn find little common ground in debate

By GARRY RAYNO
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
5 hours, 37 minutes ago

MANCHESTER – U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes and his Republican challenger for the 2nd District seat, Jennifer Horn, clashed over the economy, the financial bailout package, drilling for oil and Social Security in last night debate.

But they also found common ground on one issue: that Iran should never process nuclear weapons.

Horn, who worked in radio and as a newspaper columnist in Nashua before running for Congress, tried to characterize Hodes as a typical Washington insider, and partly to blame for the economic crisis the country is facing.

Hodes defended his work for the state and said there is plenty of blame to go around, particularly when many of the problems began long before he arrived in Washington two years ago.

Social Security and whether individuals should be able to invest some of their money in securities brought out two different solutions.

Hodes refused to say exactly what he would support "" such as an older retirement age -- to shore up the Social Security trust fund, but said a comprehensive approach is needed. He said privatization was not an option.

"The first step is to restore fiscal responsibility to make sure the federal government does not take any more money out of the trust fund," he said.

Horn said people need more choices in how to invest their retirement dollars, but said nothing she would not mandate that everyone do that.

Hodes said while she does not say she supports privatization, her position was like "saying I'm not gambling with your money, I'm just betting with some of it."

Horn repeatedly attached Hodes for taking contributions from financial institutions while he sits on the House Financial Oversight Committee.

"During the recent economic mess Mr. Hodes and his committee and his party looked the other way," she charged. "That's the kind of inaction that hurts people every day."

The problem has been growing for a long time, he noted, particularly as the Bush administration deregulated the financial industry.

Hodes said another stimulus package is needed, as well as reforming bankruptcy laws to allow more people to remain in their homes.

But she replied "The best stimulus we've got to offer the American people is to leave more money in their pockets."

The two also disagreed strongly about domestic drilling for oil.

Horn accused Hodes and his colleagues of passing meaningless legislation allowing drilling only where they knew there would be no oil or where it was extremely difficult to access.

She said if there were oil reserves in New Hampshire she would support drilling here. "If we knew where it was and we could do it safely, it would be on the table for me," she said.

Hodes responded "I, for one, would not like to see drilling off the coast of New Hampshire."

He said the country could not drill its way out of its energy problems, and needs to look at renewable sources and alternative fuels as the answer.

The debate was hosted by Franklin Pierce University's Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication in Manchester. It was sponsored by New Hampshire Public Radio, New Hampshire Public Television, New England Cable News, and PolitickerNH. NHPR's Laura Knoy served as moderator.

Horn is a former columnist for the Sunday edition of The Telegraph and was host of "On The Air With Jennifer Horn."

She won a five-way race for her party's nomination.

Currently serving his first term in the U.S. House, Hodes graduated from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree from Boston College.

He began his legal career in the state Attorney General's office in the criminal justice division.

Hodes was elected president of the freshman class of 2006. He defeated long-time Republican Congressman Charlie Bass in the 2006 election.