Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Clashes get tense in debate
Clooney, Davis, Slider attack and defend
By Patrick Crowley
Enquirer staff writer
LEXINGTON - Monday night's 4th Congressional District debate erupted into a clash of personalities and a battle over policy differences as Democrat Nick Clooney and Republican Geoff Davis sparred on live statewide television.
The tension of what appears to be a very tight race was evident.
With just two weeks before Election Day the candidates staunchly defended their stated positions on the issues while aggressively going on the attack.
Clooney used one of his first statements in the hour-long KET public television debate to challenge Davis to denounce a national Republican Party ad that refers to him as "Looney Clooney."
"When I was very young that was the height of our humor and wit," Clooney said. "Then of course we went to the fourth grade."
At first Davis did not respond to Clooney's challenge, but later he said that he wished the phrase "Looney Clooney" had not been used in the ad.
But Davis said Clooney's campaign and national Democrats have not lived up to Clooney's original pledge to run a campaign based on civility.
"I was excited about the chance of a spirited discussion about the issues," Davis said. "However, it turned out to be something different.
"Instead of being a loud voice of civility your campaign has engaged in vicious personal attacks on me and my family, calling me a liar, impugning my integrity ... and attacking my family for not living in Kentucky" for a long amount of time, he said. "That's shameful."
Also appearing was independent candidate Michael Slider, an Oldham County teacher. Slider largely stayed above the fray, though he said that if he were not in the race he would not vote for either candidate.
"Voters need an alternative," Slider said. "I do believe too much corporate special interest money has infiltrated our system. It's not that the guys running for office are evil ... it's just that there is a conflict of interest" in accepting corporate campaign contributions.
Davis used the debate to open a new front of attacks on Clooney. His campaign has put up an Internet Web site called ClooneyRecord.com. Some of Clooney's' columns written over the past 15 years are posted on the site, said Davis campaign manager Justin Brasell.
Republicans have used snippets of those columns to attack Clooney on abortion, gun ownership and other issues.
Clooney said during the debate he opposes abortion and favors no new laws regulating firearms. He also said portions of his columns are being used out of context in Republican ads.
The candidates also differed on policy.
On Iraq, Davis said it would be a mistake to set a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. Clooney said there needs to be a plan for the withdrawal. Slider wants the troops home within a year.
There were also differences over raising the federal minimum wage. Clooney and Slider said it should be increased while Davis said he would consider supporting the increase but is concerned about the cost on small-business owners.
Davis continued his support of tax cuts for top wage earners along with cuts for the middle class. Clooney said he supports tax cuts on only middle- and lower-income Americans.
During their closing statements Davis and Slider gave their typical campaign speeches, but Clooney took a more personal approach.
Monday's debate was actually scheduled for a week earlier, but it was postponed so Clooney and his family could deal with the death of Clooney's son-in-law. He thanked his opponents and KET for agreeing to the change and talked about the difficulty of running a political campaign while dealing with the loss of a family member.
Clooney, Davis and Slider are running for the U.S. House seat held by Boone County Democrat Ken Lucas, who is retiring at the end of the year after three terms.
The candidates have one more debate, scheduled for Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in Regents Hall at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.
The debate is sponsored by Legacy, a young professional group, and will not include Slider. Organizers have not invited him to participate.
What do you think?
Who won Monday night's 4th District congressional debate between Democrat Nick Clooney, Republican Geoff Davis and independent candidate Michael Slider? E-mail us at 
