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Rainville, Shepard square off on issues By Louis Porter | Vermont Press Bureau | September 8, 2006
MONTPELIER - This Tuesday Republicans will decide whether Martha Rainville or Mark Shepard has a better chance of beating Democrat Peter Welch in the race for the soon-to-be vacant U.S. House seat. Shepard, a state senator from Bennington County, has the reputation of being more conservative than Rainville, the first woman in the country to lead a state National Guard. That belief comes, in part, from the fact that two of the issues they most clearly disagree on are whether abortion should be legal and the state's landmark civil union law, both of which Shepard opposes. "I don't think it is a good law," he said of the civil union measure. "Why have those benefits connected to whether someone sleeps together or not? Why connect it to a sexual relationship?" "I think there is consensus that abortion ends a human life," Shepard added. Rainville, meanwhile, supports the civil union law in Vermont and the legality of abortion. Also, unlike Shepard, Rainville opposes the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would exclude gay relationships from being defined as marriage. Both Shepard and Rainville have been active in their churches, something that is frequently a topic of political discussion in other states but less frequently in Vermont. "My faith certainly impacts me; it is one reason I don't lie to people," said Shepard, a member of North Pownal Congregational Church. If someone's religious beliefs are sincere and important to them it can legitimately be part of their politics, he said. Rainville, who was formerly the organist at Holy Angels Church in St. Albans, said that religion is one of those topics in politics that can make a race more about personality than policy. "I think it is important to all of us at different levels, but Vermonters seem to stay focused on the issues," she said. "Sometimes when there is too much focus on the personal it can take away from that." Shepard has argued for a solution to many of the problems facing the country based on free market economics, rather than government. For instance, Shepard has suggested creating tax-free building zones in New Orleans as an effective way to help rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "Family security, national security and a clean environment all require a free economy, in which people are motivated to maximize their creative talents and to be industrious," Shepard said on his campaign Web site. Rainville, on the other hand, has argued that the government should play a role in rebuilding after natural disasters like Katrina, in spite of some of the problems in that effort. Some political observers expect primary turnout in this year without a presidential election to be slim, in part because of disenfranchisement over political scandals in Washington. However, it is not clear if that will benefit Shepard as conservative Republicans come to the polls, or Rainville as party leaders' support of her carries more weight. "Regardless of turnout, the level of enthusiasm for Gen. Rainville will carry the day," James Barnett, chairman of the state GOP, said. "It all depends on who turns out," Shepard said. The state party recently put out a brochure advertising Republicans like Gov. James Douglas, Martha Rainville, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, Auditor Randy Brock and Secretary of State candidate Cheryl Moomey as "Vermont's Reform Team." Rainville's picture and platform led the brochure, much to the consternation of Shepard and his supporters. Barnett said it is important to develop a brochure even before the primary because of the relatively short time between that election and the general election in November. "This is a very competitive race against Peter Welch," he said. "It's important we not delay in building the organization that will be necessary to compete effectively." Neither Shepard nor Rainville believe the country should pull its troops out of the Iraq war. When asked if the war was worth its cost in dollars and lives, Shepard said it was too early to say. "I don't think you can answer that when you are in the middle of it," he said. If elected to Congress one of his first goals is to travel to Iraq, Shepard added. "I think it is important to have your feet on the ground there," he said. Rainville recently said the war in Iraq is important to the country's security. "We also in Iraq have faced al-Qaida, we have faced terrorists, we have focused their attention on that part of the world," she said. "A stable Iraq is critical to our national security and to that of Europe and the Middle East." Both Rainville and Shepard also believe one of the best ways to deal with the cost of health insurance is to allow Vermonters to buy health insurance outside the state. Vermont has outlawed the sale inside the state's borders of health insurance that limits through price or other means the access of older or sicker individuals. That was done, in large part, because of the fear that the elderly or infirm would be left without coverage. But that change should be undone, Rainville and Shepard said, because it can drive up the cost of insurance for younger, healthier citizens. "If we are able to buy health care outside the state of Vermont it becomes a lot more competitive," Rainville said recently. Shepard agreed. "Many Vermonters now buy their insurance out of state. They just move there to get it," he said. Shepard said Rainville hasn't made her positions on many issues clear, a charge Democrats have also leveled at the former adjutant general. "I still don't know where she stands on most issues. I haven't a clue," Shepard said. Rainville said this week that allegation is unfair and part of a push towards reducing positions to their simplest components. "There is certainly pressure to oversimplify and have black-and-white positions," she said. Global warming is one area where her opponents have challenged Rainville, saying her stance on the issue has not been clear. She has not changed her position, but it has been misunderstood and misreported, Rainville said. "We have to do all we can to end … the greenhouse gas emissions" caused by humans, Rainville said. But she does not support the Kyoto Protocol among industrialized nations that the United States has refused to join because it does not address such pollution from India and China, she said. Shepard said earlier this summer he is not convinced that human activity is responsible for global warming. ... return to news page
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"... many politicians talk the talk about doing something tangible about new jobs and it doesn't go much further. Sen. Shepard walked the walk." Bennington Banner State Senator Endorsement Editorial, October 29, 2004
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