U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) and Republican challenger David McSweeney disagreed Monday over whether to scrap the congressional page program amid a scandal involving a Florida congressman.
McSweeney said Congress should dissolve the page program following the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who had been sending sexually explicit e-mails to underage male pages.
“As sad a commentary as it is, with what’s going on in Washington, D.C., I think we should shut down the program,” McSweeney said during an appearance with Bean before the Tribune editorial board. “There were problems in the ’70s and ’80s with the program. … It hasn’t worked unfortunately.”
Bean blamed Republican leadership for failing to act appropriately when House staffers learned at least a year ago that Foley had been sending “over-friendly” messages to a youth from Louisiana.
“There’s no reason we can’t have better oversight … and we need leadership that will not tolerate at any level a lack of oversight and protection for children,” Bean said.
Monday’s joint appearance was the fifth face-to-face meeting between Bean and McSweeney in the northwest suburban 8th Congressional District race, one of the most expensive contests in the national battle for control of Congress. Democrats hope to hold on to the Republican-leaning district that Bean, a Barrington businesswoman, won in an upset two years ago.
During Monday’s meeting, Bean and McSweeney also clashed on the war in Iraq, national security, immigration, Social Security reform and embryonic stem cell research.
But it was the issue of abortion rights that evoked the most passionate exchange between McSweeney and Bean, who accused her challenger of moderating his conservative views in an attempt to take away votes from her.
Citing the “Public Affairs” cable television program that airs in the 8th District, Bean said McSweeney had said he would support anti-abortion legislation without an exemption to protect the life of the mother.
In the last few months, however, Bean said that McSweeney had moderated his view by telling voters he would not support such a bill.
“I don’t think I ever want to hear the word `flip-flop’ from this man again,” Bean said, referring to McSweeney’s assertions that the incumbent lawmaker has changed her view on various positions since she took office.
McSweeney said Bean had taken his remarks on the cable program out of context, an assertion that the program’s host, Jeff Berkowitz, agreed with Monday.
“What I said is I would always favor the exception for the life of the mother, and ideally for rape and incest,” McSweeney said later Monday. “My record is very clear on that issue.”
Bean and McSweeney, a former investment banker from Barrington Hills, had not met jointly since their last debate on Sept. 9. No additional meetings are scheduled.
Bean, citing her work schedule, declined an invitation to appear Sunday at a Lake County League of Women Voters forum in Grayslake attended by McSweeney and third-party candidate Bill Scheurer.
League spokeswoman Mary Matthews said, “It’s disappointing because we would like to be able to educate the voters and let them know everyone’s point of view so they themselves would know how to vote.”
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skuczka@tribune.com
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