1st District - Moul

This is going to be more tough than I thought. I didn't think it would be possible to have a candidate website with less information than Esch's but I was wrong. Moul has exactly 5 issues she is running on. Healthcare, Education, National Debt, and Agriculture/Rural Development. Link above is to her website.

Nothing on Iraq, Foreign policy, taxes, immigration, gun control, social security, abortion, judges, or energy. Nada. Zip. Simply amazing. The website pressroom is all about Fortenberry's links to lobbyists and other Republicans, nothing about Moul's position on anything.

On healthcare wants to "expand access", but HOW is never explained, and crticizes the Medicare prescription plan, but doesn't say if she want to scrap it or reform it somehow. On Education, she want to reform No Child Left Behind, which is sensible, but not how, other than give more $$ to school districts, and wants to make higher ed more affordable - OK, again, how?

National Debt - she is once again incredibly short on specifics here, but does mention balanced budgets, tax reform, eliminating "wasteful government spending" and "inadequate investments on programs such as the the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit", which sounds like she doesn't think we are spending enough on that program, which she says "rewards big drug companies at taxpayer's expense." I'm missing the consistency here. Again, nice rhetoric, but what do you plan to do?

Rural Development & Ag - should be the centerpeice of her campaign, but again lacking much substance. Criticizes Fortenberry for voting with Tom DeLay and lobbyists against farmers and businesses, but no specific examples. Says Congress cut rural development money while "tax cuts for the rich" were implemented, but I thought taxes were cut on EVERYONE. Also apparently supports subsidies for small farmers, which is great, but what about putting ceilings on them, since they disproportionately go to corporate farm interests? No ideas here again.

Umm, I guess she has a TV ad saying to secure the border and crack down on employers, and criticized the Bush administration on desiring to grant amnesty, but that would mis-characterize his postion to some degree and certainly wouldn't characterize the House bill that Fortenberry voted for. I also seem to remember something written about Moul being pro-choice, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll examine Fortenbery's positions tomorrow, and hopefully get to the 3rd District as well, with a look at the governor's race and some of the other local races later in the week.