AMERICANS don't need a political candidate to tell us that it's time for a change in Washington. We need only look to Washington to see it ourselves. A Congress bought and sold by the highest corporate bidders and most crooked lobbyists, and Republican leadership so corrupted by power that the protection of their majority supersedes their responsibilities to the American people. Five disastrous years of the most secretive, profligate and incompetent administration in recent memory has been aided and abetted by a Senate of rubber stamps.
Chief among those rubber stamps is our own incumbent U.S. Sen. George Allen, who has supported George W. Bush 97 percent of the time. That's 97 percent support for a mismanaged war that has taken nearly 3,000 American lives and cost over $300 billion. Ninety-seven percent support for a social agenda that elevates a narrow and fundamentalist ideology over life-saving medical research and scapegoats an entire constituency of American citizens to score cheap electoral victories. Ninety-seven percent support for cuts and freezes in Pell grants and increases in interest rates on student loans, just as the cost of college is skyrocketing out of reach for many of our peers.
Back in March, Allen told a crowd in Iowa that he was bored with the Senate. Hardly surprising when 97 percent of the time, his decisions are made for him by the White House. Virginians deserve a Senator who is committed to the job of representing our Commonwealth, to asking tough questions and casting thoughtful votes on the issues that matter to us, not just signing his name on the dotted line at the bottom of the Bush agenda. Jim Webb will be that Senator.
As a former Secretary of the Navy and assistant secretary of defense -- and most importantly, as a decorate veteran -- Jim Webb recognizes that war is not as simple as "with us or against us," and is committed to bringing a broader coalition, both internationally and at home, to solve the myriad mistakes in Iraq that are turning the U.S. occupation into a fatal quagmire. Having opposed the war from the outset, Webb knows its cost personally-- he would be the only member of the U.S. Senate with a son or daughter currently serving in Iraq.
Jim Webb also realizes that too many Virginians and Americans are being shut out of the American dream. He is committed to health care reform that privileges human needs over corporate profits, to enforcing our existing free trade laws and closing loopholes so that American jobs can have a fighting chance in globalized competition. And most importantly, by working to fully fund No Child Left Behind and to make college tuition tax deductible for middle class families, Jim Webb will help families lay the groundwork for a better future for their children.
Perhaps most essentially, Jim Webb recognizes that "business as usual" in Washington is failing Virginia and failing America. While debt and spending careen out of control, Allen has refused to support pay-as-you-go or balanced budget legislation -- in fact, The Virginian Pilot called Allen "part of a new breed of borrow-and-spend Republicans." Webb knows that just as individuals cannot recklessly spend without consequences, the federal government must take responsibility for spending rather than passing debt along to future generations. Further, Jim Webb recognizes the dire need for ethics reform in Congress and is committed to reducing money and influencing peddling in Washington.
Over the past few months, Virginia and the nation has had the opportunity to see the real character of Allen -- the slurs, the evasion of the issues, and the dirty attacks. Slash and burn, divisive politics are cheap and Virginia can do better. Allen's swagger is out of step with a Commonwealth of diverse and educated people. Webb represents the kind of experience, dedication, and honesty that we deserve, and that the United States Senate so desperately needs.
Katie Cristol is the president of the University Democrats.
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