Election 98: Missouri Senate Race

But. Hello everybody I'm Jim Carter and thanks for joining us and those who are watching on television and those who are listening on the radio. We want to get things going as quickly as we can so let me introduce everyone. Senator Christopher Kit Bond a Republican then a native of Mexico Missouri twice he served as governor of the state he is completing his second term as our senator and running for a third term. The Democratic candidate is Jeremiah Jay Nixon a native of Desoto Missouri and Jefferson County a former state senator and since 1993 Missouri's attorney general. Also with us tonight is the libertarian candidate to Merom alay she is a recruiting administrator for a software company and lives in St. Louis. The questions tonight will be coming from two journalists Patrick Gowan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and from Washington D.C. Libby Quaid with the Associated Press. Our format does not have a lot of rules we ask a question of one of the candidates there's a minute to answer that question uninterrupted and then it's opened up for discussion among the candidates and the panelists the candidates are free to ask each other questions if they would like to during that discussion.

It has no set time limit I'll let you know when it's time to move on to another candidate into another question. Each candidate at the end of the program will have one minute to wrap things up. So let's get things going the first question will be for Senator Bond it will be asked by Libby Quaid of the Associated Press. Senator Bond. How much better off wouldn't families be six years from now if they're right to you than your opponent. It's great I'm very proud of the record I have of fighting for Missouri's children. I've been called a hero by the March of Dimes I've saved the day according to Children's Mercy Hospital. I've led the fight and won the battles for funding for programs to keep things going for Missouri's children. Now one of the problems we have in this campaign is that it's become so negative. And Mr. Nixon this campaign is taking a negative tone that too many people don't like. Missourians deserve better. You and your allies are running six negative commercials attacking me some of them personally. I've got a better idea. I

believe we can run a positive campaign. And I'll make you an offer right now. If you and your allies will stop the negative campaigning and run positive ads we'll agree to do so as well and we will run Pas de their ads to show honest and sincere about it. My campaign will give a check for $10000 to Missouri's children's hospitals. If you and your allies stay on your campaign. We have a deal. We want to shake on it. I'll shake not on that deal Senator. Where are you going to are you going to agree to run a positive campaign. That's big talk after you run two million dollars of negative campaign ads against me attacking me personally to start your campaign to come in after you've covered the airwaves with two million dollars of money and a million dollars independent expenditures by big tobacco. For him to come in a month out. No no we've just started on TV with our campaign and saying we can't tell the people the

truth about your record and how bad it is to stand up to big tobacco how bad it is for financial security how bad it is for working families in this state. Senator we're going to tell the truth. We're going to talk about your record. It would also be easier if you would support a campaign finance reform that it wasn't all this PAC money coming out of Washington D.C. like that $10000 there were last year you were the number one recipient of Washington's special interest PAC money last year. Now OK I tell you what I think it's not true. Things will continually come up we have an hour to get into some of these issues I wonder if we could get back to Libby's initial question which will throw open and may put some kind of a spin on what's positive and what's negative in Libya want to you could ask it again and we'll throw it out to everybody. OK. How much better off would Missouri families be six years from now if they're elected any one of you than your opponent. Deborah Malone a Libertarian candidate is legit asked that Miss Quain If a libertarian were elected to the Senate. The

load on Missouri's families would be drastically reduced in terms of tax money they would have one third of their money that they worked so hard to earn back in their pocketbooks to do with it as they please to provide education for their children to provide needed services for their communities. I think a libertarian would allow America's families and particularly Missouri's to best serve their communities and families. Let's see if we can get an answer to this question before we move on to some of the other senator will throw it at you again. I have a good record of leading the fight for Missouri's children that's why I've been known as a champion for children. Now there are some very important things that we need to do for education following up on the Parents as Teachers program that I took statewide in Missouri. We're working to expand that state tonight nationwide and strengthen it here on my program for direct check for education.

We bypassed the Washington bureaucracy and give the money directly to schools so that teachers and parents can make decisions about education. We also want to protect our children from crime. And that's why we need to have information on violent juveniles to protect other students and I'm proud to be supporting a major grant to help Missouri's courts get the money they need to track violent juvenile source schools remain safe. Mr Nixon you have a response to the question certainly Missouri families of Missouri children will be much better off with Jay Nixon as your United States senator. They won't have to wonder whose side you're fighting on. They won't have to worry that their senator is smokin in the boys room with tobacco lobbyist preventing misery from getting the 5 billion dollars that we're due from the tobacco companies for children's health care. They won't have to worry about having somebody they'll straighten So security out first not give special interest tax break to their buddies folks won't have to worry about whether they get maternity leave. And on the size of the company they work with the way the senator believes everyone in every family would be entitled to raise their children will

be able to raise their families knowing that those actions are real and supported by all of us as a society. There are many more ways in which Missouri families will be better off and I hope this debate gives us the opportunity to continue to talk about those. Let's move on to the next question will be from Patrick Allen of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the Libertarian candidate. There's no way there's no way you said that families would be better off in Missouri if you were elected in the United States Senate is a body of compromise and consensus. You would have no other libertarians as allies in either house. How in fact would you mange to get anything done for the people of Missouri is the only Libertarian there. Well I would just have to work to put forward my views and convince the other senators that my views would help further America's families. Would you expect cooperation from Democrats or Republicans either side. I would expect them to be reasonable and to see the benefits from such a plan as I would offer.

There's no response but I think there's way too much partisanship in Washington D.C. the mentality of lining up with each one of your teams if you're a Democrat Republican or whatever party you belong to. And that being the controlling part of the debate is just wrong. I mean it's no better example than a senator here who voted against a number of times that one of those key votes he voted against was a crime bill and he voted against it when he said he did he voted against it because it was a Democrat's crime bill here in Missouri. Our recent efforts against fighting methamphetamines have been totally bipartisan. Fighting crime is not a partisan issue. Washington somebody will go make the right fights regardless of parties and bring folks together to make this country better. Senator I'm proud of the record that I've established working on a bipartisan basis now. Mr. Nixon has falsely accused me of voting to cut Medicare. Only in Washington speak is an increase in funding for a program cut. Mr. Nixon apparently opposed the bipartisan agreement that we developed working Republican and Democrat getting the

president to sign a measure that put the budget in balance and provided. Keeping Medicare are alive. Medicare was going to go bust in another two or three years but we worked on a compromise that provided more services for elderly giving them screening for certain types of cancer providing them an opportunity to choose other kinds of Medicare services are other kinds of Medicare plans that might permit them to have prescription drugs covered for example. And that was signed into law and we have kept Medicare alive for another 10 years. I'm proud of that. But Mr. Nixon attacks it calling it cut and the reason we have to run television is to answer some of the misstatements using the newspaper analysis the ad checks the comments that say that his comments about my record are fictitious off the rar Mark misrepresent my record. Mr. McGowan's Mr. gowned paper even

said that it was a Keystone Kops of opposition research. We need to work together but we have to deal with the facts that were presented and not make them up as we go along. Let's move on to another question from Libby Quaid from the Associated Press this one for the Attorney General Jay Nixon. Mr. Nixon you've criticized Senator Bond for living a Washington lifestyle. In a recent debate you called that one who takes the money loves the insider game loves the trappings loves the travel loves to go to country after country after country loves to get pay raises while voting against the minimum wage and with the exception of the minimum wage. All of those things could be said of Democratic Congressman Bill Clay who's been in Washington three times as long as Senator Bond. Congressman Gephardt has been there twice as long if that is true of Senator Bond Why is it not also true of Mr. Clay or Mr. Gephardt from your own party. Thanks Livvy. You know I've never been one of those politicians did well. We're well behind closed doors in smoke filled rooms cutting deals. I never have really relied on making sure

that other politicians who did those backroom deals were the folks I was working with and that through my political careers caused me to have some real and significant differences of opinion. Whether it's with former speaker Bob Griffin former secretary of state during Ari or efforts against Bill Webster to clean up the second injury fund and get the money back from the Syrians. I bring to 12 years of public service an entire lifetime. A willingness to fight my battles in public and willing to stand up on the floor not try to work the backroom deals. And I think it is serve Missourians Well when I was in the state Senate fighting to straighten out insurance problems openly as attorney general fighting battle after battle openly and toughly. So I'm not going to Washington to adopt their values. I want to take Missouri's values to Washington so that we have plain speaking Missouri values fought for each and every day. I think we have a follow up question. If if if that is true of Senator John that he is in Washington he lead the Washington life style Why would that also not be true of Mr. Clay or Mr. Gephardt.

I'm not running against Mr. Quest or Mr. Gephardt but I tell you from the hustings out here looking to Washington. I mean I just each and every day we see them moaning about their problems it's about time they worry about our problems. I see the Washington insider game regardless of party being one that has pulled people farther and farther away from their respect and support of Washington. I want to take my misere of values up there I want to take it for two terms is all I'm going to live by the two term limit the fall and run to get Steins a two term pledge and walks away from it running for his third. Those are the kind of honest values I bring to the table. I can't speak for other politicians but I can speak for every Missourian feel free to jump in either other candidate Libby. You didn't get an answer to your question but we got again worse and more flat misstatements from Jay Nixon about my record. We can't spend the time here correcting all of it. But I do want to make one point that's very important. Travel overseas with which Mr. Nixon calls a junket. Is a

vital part one part of the job that I exercise as a United States senator because I travel overseas to meet with government officials to help sell those wonderful tactical aircraft that we build right here in St. Louis. McDonnell Douglas builds the finest F 15s f an eight teens t forty five Z and all those others that provide jobs for more than twenty thousand Missourians at McDonnell plus that many more in sub contractor jobs and by making those contacts I've helped McDonnell make billions of dollars of sales overseas that have kept those workers in their jobs that's why the president the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft McDonnell aircraft has written me thanking me for the ongoing efforts I'm making to sell aircraft to keep these people working keep the jobs here in St. Louis and provide a strong defense for ourselves and our allies. If Mr. Nixon doesn't understand that you have to work with other

governments to sell it. Then he doesn't deserve to have the job because you can't just sit back and expect the orders to come. Mr. Nixon I wonder if you could tell us what sorts of overseas trips you would make as a senator. Which ones you wouldn't would you not go to Saudi Arabia for example to talk about an airplane deal. I don't know which trips I would make overseas and which ones I wouldn't but I certainly wouldn't jet overseas to cut deals for the IMF to fund Russian businessmen to buy vodka and caviar while Missouri farmers couldn't even get a fair price for their product. I'm not here to say that we can't have senator's travel sometimes. But when you're heading to Malaysia and Australia in Austria and Switzerland across the country time after time across the oceans and around the world time after time it's easy to come home and say it's a good thing to do but I'm here to tell you that we have problems and we have challenges here in Missouri. We need a senator who will focus on his or his problems with a broad World Vision. I don't know which trips I'd take but the people in

Missouri would know about it beforehand and they'd all right afterwards what we covered and what we got done and people would never doubt it. Jay Nixon was on the job fighting for Missourians every day. I like to move on to the next question let me just say I know nothing is one of the countries specifically that he's attacked. We have been selling aircraft to Malaysia as a result of the efforts that I have made there and I think that you'll find the people at McDonald's know that we've helped with sales for the légion for Israel in other countries and I'm proud to have been there and hundreds of Boeing now. It's not McDonald's Bo it's McDonald's systems here in St. Louis we still call it those of us who are familiar with the business still refer to it is the McDonald's system. It is part of Boeing a very proud part of bully. OK let's move on to whatever your next question for Senator Bond will come from Patrick Allen Pat. Senator one of the complaints about inside the beltway versus outside is that those inside

play by one set of rules allowing different rules perhaps for those on the other side of the country. One of the ads that has been raised in this campaign addresses such a question suggesting that you have seen fit to employ a lawyer to sue a financial manager for negligence while opposing a plan that would allow enroll use in federally paid HMO has to sue for negligence the manager of their health care plans and suggested that that is somehow disingenuous How do you reconcile those. Well I want to appreciate the ad check that your paper did on that ad and said it was an improper link. Now Mr. Nixon has violated the clean campaign pledge by making a personal attack like that because if he doesn't know the difference between my filing a suit to take care of my own personal finances and his effort to give four hundred twenty nine million dollars of taxpayer money to tobacco companies or the

lawsuits that he would have against health insurance companies then he's in the wrong line of work. If I get sick I want a doctor not a lawyer. I filed suit along with the piskun Bill church the College of Pharmacy St. Louis Priory High School here in town Maryville university and many others to recover money that we've lost. There is nothing inconsistent in that and unfortunately Mr. Nixon say it one more time is totally misleading. We'll throw this open to discussion. So enter the ad is clear and straightforward and points out hypocrisy of your position. It's just like you have one set of rules for you and one set of rules for everybody else. Like folks go to their doctors to get healthcare you went to your broker to have him help you with your finances. The health care goes bad you say they can't sue even though there may be terrible and dramatic damages to individuals and lives forever. But when you said you were unfairly treated by your broker

you got on speed dial the nearest trial lawyer and headed off to the courthouse. The system we have here means that should be equal for all not two different sets of rules one for the Washington insiders one for the high and mighty and one for everyone else. And that's why it's important to be able to hold those health care plans accountable especially when your version of a patients bill of rights could challenge what's already been done here in the center of our state legislature who stood up courageously the HMO industry and made major steps forward for individuals rights. If your measure passed it could wipe out some of those rights. We don't need a senator taking away individual people's rights in Washington. We need a senator fighting for those rights. For the hypocrisy I'm talking about is that you feel what's good for you isn't something that everyone else you have a right to do. I think it's natural political discourse and I think it's proper. That was the Post Dispatch said it's totally improper link. There is no connection between the two. The people who

sued along with me included retiree's the city of Houston. These people lost money they sued to get it back. We want to make sure either our patients bill of rights that if you're denied coverage you get the health care you need get it won't deal wait and give your orphans or widows a cause of action for a trial lawyer you need to have health care. That's what our plan does. What if we could zero in because we're dealing with a couple of. Different issues here. One is your personal legal situation and how you interpret that and the health care and all the other go out of turn here a little bit. You could just continue on and I'll just throw this out as my own question if you can kind of simplify it for me. It's an extremely complicated issue it has been for quite some time regarding health care. What are we expecting to see from you as the senator in the six years and I would ask the same question as the other from the other two candidates in health care. What's going to be fixed. What's the heart of the matter here. The heart of the matter. People in Missouri are complaining because they can't get the health care they

want from their HMO or their insurance companies. We do a couple of things. Number one we improve access by moving up to 999 the full deductibility for health care for self-employed that's about a live champion against my own party. Even he says if you have a child in the program you can get direct access to a pediatrician. And if you can get information about possible treatments and if you are denied coverage you can get an immediate appeal to from a buy in for a binding decision that you must get the care. The difference between the two plans is that Mr. Nixon's plans sponsored by Mr. Kennedy Senator Kennedy provides fifty six new reasons for trial lawyers to sue. It has over 300 new mandates. If you were to go into a doctor with that plan in effect the doctor would have to spend 10 minutes filling out a sheet with aggregate utilization data more morbidity factors mortality factors and

all of that information on your healthcare would be sent to the physician in chief the secretary of HHS. Where were where do we stand on the Democratic side. That's to important question I'm glad of this opportunity to really set. The record. Differences. To find. People like. You. All right. For. My Bill Wright. Covers everything. Not. Just the pressure. You. Feel when. He thinks he's right. Great but only. By. Far. But. I've. Ended. Up. Not far. From.

Home with you but. Yes with. You for you know. What. You. Want. But. What's. Wrong. With. The way. Bond. The one where right when. You're around Thank you. For what. You are. On the way I would like to get in the middle of this OK with. The. Kind of go around. Yes I do want to see you on the Syrians have a real. Affordable option for health care. It's important to note that since the government got involved in providing health. Care. Costs have skyrocketed. Well actually as a percentage of costs. For Americans. Their out-of-pocket costs are good. I think the government would. Stay out. There. With much as possible. The free market.

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Thank. You. For your thoughts and for the center that. We've been going around. John.

Thank you. Again for. Coming or thing works for you for. He's been going down to. South Park. And saying he's the one that fought for years. He's the one who 12 years ago don't forget it was tough to stop this terrible terrible mistake. I'm the one who's been in the ring working with the group. Trying to get it done. Never for the sizes. I've never run. The other way. As kind of the bike. Will. Never use again. It's a political issue. I continue to try to bring people together to focus on providing a world class opportunity for. Every kid. We got. Some response when they start your record restriction unfortunately that's just not believable. I'm fighting to get education money sent directly back to say school. Leaders. Or. Make. Our. Block. Chance. Right. Present a positive program. To. Move forward in voluntary efforts to help children. Now what a lot of your

viewers don't know is that to get in here we had to cross the picket line at the end of their picketing Mr. Nixon because of his record on desegregation and the Kansas City Star. Not me the Kansas City Star said the financial difficulties of the schools in Kansas City are directly attributable to the failures of Mr. Nixon as attorney general. So what you're And they said and they said further that this is one of the reasons that Mr. Nixon's demagoguery shows that he is not entitled to hold this office. The NWT ACP is picketing Mr. Nixon because they don't believe that he is concerned about their education and they say that he lied to Mr. Nixon unfortunately continues to make up facts. You had a question you had was that a position on the issue center always is just a continuation of your refusal to actually face this issue in a straightforward fashion. So right you picketed by a lot of

people I get picketed by the anti-death penalty people I've been picketed by the the Freeman as attorney general. I'm in there making the fights. I'm not standing back making excuses for being unwilling to stand up and fight. You all know me and you know that through 12 years of public service I've been honest aggressive and open taking on some of the most difficult challenging problems that could possibly faces not dodging and backing and smoking in the Boys Room in Washington D.C. with folks and hiding from problems as we face a new millennium when U.S. senators want to get in there and fight. Not one it just picks and chooses the easy fights and stands behind others. But the US had a long and strong tradition of senators who were major players. We need to have another one. How do you know that it is I just sort of picked up on the major player. If you're excused. I guess the characterization of backroom deals. But isn't that sort of a player isn't someone who can make a deal. Or a compromise or sit down with the other side or sit down with his own side. Isn't that a player.

I mean I want to know the distinction between making a backroom deal and being a significant player in Washington. Players deliver for Missouri. Players would not come back and brag that they got 92 cents of every dollar we pay in road taxes. As a great deal after being out hustled by not only New York and even Kansas for road money the road problems we have here a player from Missouri wouldn't come back and look the people in the eye and say well I got a little bit more. Not nearly as much as our sister states. But I'm a great senior center. I can deliver players not only walk the walk and talk the talk but they deliver and they deliver and a fashion is open straightforward and appropriate. A player doesn't do what this senator did on the tobacco bill and say fart attaches amendments say is fart going to backroom meeting kind of backroom deal as a Department of Justice is now looking into investigating. And then say no to 5 billion dollars for Missouri's

kids and instead say a million dollars of tobacco independent expenditures players don't back away from their basic principles. I have a question Is this why would I care. There are several things I let me just say that there's so many inaccuracies in that state in that last shot that we can't straighten it all out here. I was very successful in getting Missouri a larger share I got a larger increase for the state of Missouri than other states and if you will talk to people who know something about how highway funding works you'll know that we were successful in getting highway funding as I was successful in getting the Family and Medical Leave getting hubs OHS to bring jobs to inner cities in areas of high unemployment and getting 100 percent deductibility for the health insurance for the self-employed. I have a long record of success. And Mr. Nixon either doesn't understand or is not willing to talk about the achievements that we have that they have made

they will move on to the next issue the next question this one will be for Senator Bond from Libby Quaid from the AP. Maybe we haven't heard much from the candidates on the environment during this campaign. And I want to ask you since we are in St. Louis there is a ballot question on November 3rd the page on it. Mention has been controversial for a number of years putting. Business and development interesting in the environment. Where do you two stand on the pain jagging extension. Again this is for Senator Boxer one minute let me say that I believe that environment should be talked about because I am proud of the fact that we have provided significantly more funds for cleaning up the drinking water cleaning up waste water. Ive increased funding in the subcommittee I chair above the president's recommendation. I have started a new plan to save the Missouri River plan which brought together the leaders of the American rivers the barge industry and the Farm Bureau. Now I have worked hard with

local officials to support Page Avenue and to provide funding for it. This is a decision that's made here and the decision will be binding if the if the voters do not block it then I will do everything I can to get the money to provide the new transportation facilities that are needed. Obviously we need transportation facilities. We know if you come across the Blanchard bridge as I have had rush hour you know how much we need additional highway space. Look for some perhaps some comments from MS Malaysia just a little bit of background for those of the viewers who are not from St. Louis Page Avenue would be an extension from one interstate into St. Charles County across the Missouri River a very heavily traveled area and a growing area as well Miss Marlay. Regarding Paige Avenue and the environment. Well certainly there are transportation difficulties here in St. Louis and as a commuter I see that as I drive around the city there are major construction

projects going on all the time that never seem to be completed. We need to look at what are the best ways to accommodate the needs of commuters without sacrificing the needs of the environment or without giving special breaks to big businesses. Attorney General Nixon you have a response or something to put into this. Certainly a position on sort of listen I'm glad to have the opportunity to talk about the environment and running against a fellow who has a zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters annually a member of the toxic 10 in the United States Senate against someone who when a group of folks involved defected talking about clean air and clean water came to see him. He called them green socialists and wackos and sent him on their way as we approach a new millennium environmental issues are vital issues such as protecting the Black River protecting the jewels of the Ozarks the jacks for eleven point exploratory lead mining. It's a

battle I've been fighting with no help from our senator. Now as far as page people are moving to St. Charles County they need to get there. I think it's important to have the plebiscite have the vote. Let's see what happens I agree that if the vote passes our work to make sure the funding is there to get those folks that need a bridge. So further discussion on this issue otherwise we'll move on. Go ahead. OK next question is for the Libertarian candidate to marmalade from Patrick Allen of The Post Dispatch to the late President Clinton's problems have given us new reason to try to explore the division between the personal life of politicians and their public life. The gentleman sharing the podium with you each accused the other at some point during his campaign of crossing that line would you help us place that line and share with us your views about President Clinton's. Possible. Count on. That. Question. My. Mother. My mother.

My mother. With. Her. Mom. Were. A. Little. Farther. Away. We. Go. With that. Oh. Oh. Oh.

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You. Ride. On what. Happened. Was. Campaign finance reform. Stop. By. The bank. I stood on the steps of the Capitol. Last spring. And signed my name with the 50 a supporter of McCain-Feingold campaign fund. It should have passed. From Senator. It will pass. We're moving forward with Dr. before. But with this special interest money with his big dollars. From incumbent Republican senators dollars. For. A. Negative. Right. Level. 3. Major there. Start this campaign.

Becomes important necessary to raise funds. I've worked for campaign finance reform all my life. I wish we didn't have to dial for dollars I wish we didn't have to raise a little money we have to. It's time for change in Washington. This race more than any in America defines that difference. I'll fight like a quick response from either of the candidates were very simply misdirection. You called. Her back or. Kill. Filed. Oh. I don't. Know. About the money. How about yourself that you solicited. Her back over. The money. By soliciting tobacco companies have you but you're not that I'm aware of and I know you took it for a long time and right before you sided with your position well let me say Are you saying that J maybe you maybe I really that that really got to think about this better than that. You got the real deal when you were in the room with tobacco lobbyist Mitch McConnell took gave back your thousand dollars from the tobacco company and the price you got was over a million

dollars in Missouri one over a thousand ads run by big tobacco here supporting your vote after you switched positions. OK I do you know which position I had let me let me have to pretend it isn't. Let me have to have a last minute or presenter soliciting the tobacco companies you want to change your issue. Last August August 97 you were soliciting tobacco companies you want. Change your answer. OK Senator I don't. Gentlemen we're done. Senator I'm going to take a little time off the end of your closing statement first closing statement one minute from the libertarian candidate Cameron left. I want to I think Missouri's voters for taking seriously this race and this opportunity to make a real change. Do you want opportunities and freedom as a libertarian I'm running to provide you a real choice that you deserve. Not more of the same empty words issues that go unaddressed. A government that is in your wallet and in your home. Libertarians when they are have been elected are often termed an independent

voice or even the conscience of the legislature. I want to be the cause. Conscience of the Senate. Where I see Americans rights being threatened such as the drug war which is really a war on people and a war on on our rights. I will stand up for Americans rights. I will also drastically reduce the tax burden and let America's families provide for themselves and their communities as best they can. Thank you thank you very much the next closing statement These were the order of which was picked at random and this will come from Attorney General Jay Nixon the Democratic candidate. I look forward to being a fire for Missouri families in the United States Senate. Was there a deserves and need a senator who will fix Social Security not give special tax breaks who will fight for a real patients bill of rights so that every individual has a choice in health care that they need and deserve. Not just the HMO bill of rights. My point. I fight for world class education in every classroom.

I have an Internet hookup so that say schools and good schools all across this country. I'll fight to make sure that the war on crime is fought all the way across this country. It is essential that we have a fighter in the United States Senate. My record of 12 years of leading is essential as we approach the new millennium. I look forward to working for you for many years to come. Thank you. Thank you in our final closing statement will come from the Republican candidate Senator Kit Bond Senator. They are very important issues in this campaign how we can improve our education by providing education dollars directly to the schools so that families and teachers can control them providing assistance to local law enforcement to keep schools safe and communities safe. Saving Social Security and Medicare as I've consistently voted to do so that our seniors will have that protection and protecting the whole health care which is a vitally important service that is now being challenged by. By him it's being fought by 20 attorneys general but not Missouri.

We're in the fight. We're going to win it and we want to keep a positive campaign. As my initial campaign ads work. Thank you Senator Bond libertarian candidate hammering away on the Democratic out of ha next and thanks for being here thanks my panelist with the Quaid and Patrick Allen. I'm Jim Kurtzer thanks for watching tonight.