RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Senate candidates sharpened their criticism in their second televised debate Wednesday, sparring on the Wall Street bailout, health care and the financing of elections.
Democratic Senate candidate Elaine Marshall showed more aggressiveness in painting Republican Sen. Richard Burr as a tool of Washington special interests, saying after 16 years in Congress he was too close to Wall Street and lobbyists.
Marshall and Michael Beitler, the Libertarian candidate, went after Burr for his 2008 vote to bail out the Wall Street banks during the financial crisis.
"There was simply a giveaway of money and they paid outlandish bonuses," Marshall said. "Of course, he receives millions of dollars of contributions from Wall Street and folks who got the bonuses. That is one of the problems with Washington as usual."
Beitler called it "cronyism" and a perfect example of big business and big government.
But Burr said first bailout was needed to stabilize the financial markets. "I believe it has saved the global economy," he said.
In the candidates' first debate Monday, Burr was content to let Marshall's criticisms roll off his back. On Wednesday, he began counterpunching.
He went after Marshall on the health care overhaul, an issue that roiled the country for the past year.
"Secretary Marshall said when it was passed that this was a step in the right direction toward universal care or a single payer system," Burr said. "I don't believe that having the government more in control is the right direction. What I don't want is the Western European model of health care in this country."
But Marshall shot back: "I have never supported a single-payer plan. So Senator Burr is wrong on that statement."
Although the health care plan can be improved, Marshall said, for the first time people will not be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions, or charged more because of gender, or faced with lifetime insurance limits.
This was the second televised Senate debate of the fall campaign and the first one to include Beitler, who aimed some jabs at Burr. The debate was sponsored by NBC-17 and the N.C. League of Women Voters and included questions from voters. It was made available to TV stations around the state.
Beitler, a Greensboro business professor, said he was the only anti-establishment candidate who represented change.
"It is clear that I am the only fiscal conservative in the race," Beitler said. "Burr continues to vote with the fiscal liberals. It is clear that I am the only anti-war candidate in the race."
The debates are critical to Marshall, who has been trailing Burr by double-digit margins in the polls and has been badly outspent in television advertising. She's looking for some means to change the chemistry of the race.
At times, Beitler and Marshall ganged up on Burr. Afterwards, Burr said that as the front-runner he expected to be the target, but that he felt compelled to defend his record.
Marshall, the secretary of state, showed a new feistiness on Wednesday. She criticized Burr for voting for the bank bailout in 2008, but for recently voting against a bill to provide money to community banks for loans to small businesses.
"Senator Burr has turned his back on small businesses," Marshall said. "Small business is hurting and there is a reason why."
But Burr said what small business needs is a stable tax and regulatory environment. And he called the bill he opposed "another government takeover of community banks."
The candidates took on other issues, including:
INFLUENCE OF MONEY ON CAMPAIGNS. Burr and Marshall disagreed on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case, which gave corporations and labor unions new latitude in making political contributions. Burr said there were free speech constitutional questions involved. But Marshall said she was concerned about powerful interests being able to buy elections, and the increasing lack of transparency in who is bankrolling campaigns.
DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL. Marshall and Burr offered different opinions on repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays serving in the military. Marshall said gays should have the right to serve. Burr expressed more reservations, saying the country was now in the middle of a war and he wanted to see the results of a military survey before taking a position.
PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS. Marshall supported public financing, while Burr opposed it, saying there were too many loopholes in which millionaires could pour their own fortunes to pay for an election.
