Bill Luther deserves another term in Congress’ 6th District
Two years ago incumbent DFLer Bill Luther won the 6th District Congressional election over Republican political newcomer John Kline in what was a very close race.
This year’s 6th District election on Tuesday, Nov. 7 is a rerun of that 1998 race with Luther seeking a fourth-term in Congress and Kline striving to unseat him. There is also a third candidate on the ballot, Ralph Hubbard of the Constitution Party, but he is not expected to have an impact.
The 6th Congressional District, which includes Anoka, Dakota and Washington counties in a horseshoe shape to the north, east and south of the Twin Cities, is considered a swing district, although DFLers have held the seat since it was created in its present form following the 1980 census, except for the two years that Republican Rod Grams was the 6th District Congressman before his election to the U.S. Senate six years ago.
Demographics suggest Republicans have a slight edge in likely voters than Democrats, so it is independent voters that hold the key to this election. Gov. Jesse Ventura benefited greatly from that independent streak among 6th District voters two years ago.
Luther, in his first three elections, has been able to appeal to enough independent voters to prevail over his Republican opposition. But, Kline, as he did two years ago, will offer a strong challenge.
And, voters have plenty to choose from between the two candidates. Luther believes that the federal government has a strong role to play, while Kline wants to reduce the scope of federal government in favor of state and local controls.
An example of this divergence of opinion comes in education policy. Kline believes the federal government is snarling public education in mandates; he would rather see Washington send the money directly to school districts in block grants without strings attached.
For his part, Luther says the federal government needs to show the same leadership in dealing with education as it did during World War II and putting a man on the moon. He sees the federal government as a “partner” with state and local government to ensure class sizes are reduced and expectations remain high.
Luther and Kline also differ in how Congress should handle the budget surplus. Kline suggests cutting taxes - marriage penalty, inheritance tax, and reducing the capital gains tax - is the best approach, while Luther believes the surplus should go to paying down the national debt and targeted tax cuts. There are also differences on the Social Security issue - Luther favors the present system, while Kline embraces Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush’s transition to individual accounts proposal.
Campaign finance reform is another area of disagreement. Luther has worked on a bipartisan basis in Congress on a law for total and full disclosure of campaign contributions. Kline does not support the McCain-Feingold bill.
For voters, the clearcut differences between Kline and Luther on a myriad of issues should make their choice easier come Nov. 7.
Luther has many years of elected experience, first at the state Legislature and now in Congress. Kline has not held elective office, but he is not new to the Washington scene. The retired Marine Corps colonel was assigned to the White House in both the Carter and Reagan administrations as a military aide to carry the nuclear “football” with the codes needed in event of nuclear war.
In his six years in Congress, Luther has not always toed the party line. He has split with the House Democratic leaders on a number of fiscal issues. Indeed, non-partisan watchdog groups, like the Concord Coalition, the National Taxpayers Union and the Taxpayers for Commonsense, have recognized Luther as one of the most fiscally responsible members of Congress. He is not a stereotypical “tax and spend Democrat.”
Luther, too, has tried to avoid the polarizing partisanship that too often gets in the way of constructive decision-making in the U.S. House. He has shown the ability to work with members of Congress on both sites of the political aisle to get legislation passed that benefits the country and his constituents. A recent case is a bill Luther has co-authored to fix the Medicare disparity issues that hurt Minnesota seniors.
His strong push to eliminate Congressional bickering and gridlock speaks well for Luther. He has, for example, proposed a reform that brings biennial budgeting to Congress, not the current annual budget process, which has typically resulted in all sorts of gridlock and continuing resolutions to keep the government running come the end of the federal fiscal year, with one notable exception - the shutdown of the federal government a few years ago.
Luther has earned a position on the powerful House Commerce Committee, where his votes affect trade and many business and consumer issues. He has been criticized for some of his positions, which some, including Kline, have labeled as being anti-business.
Kline has strengths. His call for less federal regulations has appeal, so does his support of free trade, especially the NAFTA agreement and permanent trade relations with China. He articulates his position on these and other issues well. And his experience as a career military man would lend a welcome expertise and some reality to debates on the military budget and preparedness. However, his uncritical support for the “Star Wars” strategic defense initiative is troubling, especially because he did not apply the same cost benefit analysis credo he did to the Northstar Corridor commuter rail project.
For 6th District voters, the ultimate question when they go to the polls is: has Bill Luther been good for the 6th District? Based on his performance and service to the district, we believe Luther has served the district well and, on balance, is the best candidate to continue on and work on behalf of the district in Congress.
