By Stephen George
Conway campaigns at U of L
Jack Conway, the Democratic challenger for the 3rd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, discussed key issues in his campaign with students at an open forum Friday at the Red Barn.
Conway, who is running against two-time Republican incumbent Rep. Anne Northup in one of the closest and hottest national races of the year, spoke on a number of issues, including social security, the environment, the current economic recession, prescription drug benefits for seniors, and education with the crowd of about 70 students, who were invited to ask questions of the 33-year-old challenger.
A moderate Democrat, Conway stressed that education in Kentucky is a top priority in his campaign. “If we’re going to change this community for the better over the next 25 or 50 years,” he said, “we’re going to have to focus on education. I challenge you today to be the leaders of that new thinking and the leaders of a new city.”
He then proposed a hypothetical situation based on statistics of graduation rates in Kentucky. Effectively, of twenty ninth-graders in Kentucky, fourteen will graduate from high school, eight or nine will pursue postsecondary education, and only three will receive some kind of postsecondary degree. Currently, 44% of Kentucky’s population is functionally illiterate.
While Conway did express a desire to increase teachers’ salaries at public schools, he focused primarily on postsecondary education. “You need a member of Congress who is a champion for the best rates you can get on student loans,” he said. “I think we need to champion student loans, federal assistance, grants for students to go to college. I think we need to create a society where any student who wants to go to school can afford it.”
Conway also praised U of L for its positive research and academic progression over the past several years, and said he plans to continue that progression. “We have to make U of L an even better university,” he said. “U of L has to become a magnet. We have to continue to build research excellence, teaching excellence, and all aspects of U of L. We have to invest in this institution because it’s going to be a driver.”
One of the polarizing issues between Conway and Northup thus far has been the environment. Northup’s environmental record in Congress has been “abysmal,” according to Conway. Northup has been considered part of the “Dirty Dozen,” a term for the twelve congresspeople with the worst environmental voting records. “You deserve better,” he said. “The environment is a big issue, but you have to make it relevant to people’s daily lives.
“It means an entire lifestyle agenda that’s going to be critical if Louisville is going to become the type of city we want it to be over the next 25 to 50 years,” Conway said. “That’s what it means to me.”
Although the third district race has again become venomous, Conway said he is enjoying the experience and the opportunity to vie for a seat in the U.S. House.
“It’s a slice of the American dream,” Conway said of campaigning. “I’m in it because if your heart’s in the right place, if you sit down and get to work, you can make a fundamental difference in your community over the course of a generation or two. And we need fundamental change here.”
The change Conway spoke of is from the current representation of Northup, whose party-line congressional voting behavior has many third district liberals disgruntled, to a more moderate and balanced pattern. Conway has said that he favors President Bush’s “War on Terrorism” and would have voted “yes” on HJ Res 114, which authorizes the president to use military force in Iraq.
So why vote for Jack Conway, especially considering the pork Northup has been able to bring to the third district?
“I’ll never demagogue you,” he said. “I’ll never tell you something just because I think it’s what you want to hear. I will always try to explain myself.”
“I think if you want change, if you want something better, if you think it’s high time that young professionals and students got involved in building the type of community that they want for tomorrow, then I need your vote. If you want better educational systems, if you want a better environment, you should vote for me.” Conway said his campaign will be accepting volunteers up until Election Day. Visit www.conwayforcongress.com for details and contact information.
