McSweeney on TV: Running to Take on Cong. Melissa Bean
Jeff Berkowitz: Do you expect Cong. [Mark] Kirk [R- Highland Park] to support you?
Dave McSweeney [R- Barrington Hills, 8th CD Candidate]: When I win the nomination, absolutely.
Berkowitz: Before then, you think he [Kirk] is staying neutral?
McSweeney: I think he is gonna stay neutral.
***********************************************
This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features David McSweeney, who is running in the Republican Primary in the 8th Cong. District for the opportunity to take on first term Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Melissa Bean[D-Barrington, 8th CD].
See the end of this blog entry for a detailed suburban airing schedule and for more about the topics discussed on this week’s show with Dave McSweeney. This show will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on this coming Monday night [Memorial Day], May 30 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
McSweeney is the only declared Republican in the race at this time, having filed his statement of candidacy and having said he will officially announce around the end of June. A partial transcript of the show is included, below, and see here and here for partial transcripts of our previous show with candidate Dave McSweeney that aired in February of this year.
Congresswoman Bean beat 35 year Republican 8th CD incumbent Phil Crane last fall, 52-48, after losing to him 57-43 in 2002. McSweeney, himself, lost to Cong. Phil Crane in a Republican Primary in 1998 65-35, when Crane was telling people, as McSweeney reminds us, that Crane was about to become House Chairman of Ways and Means. Of course, that did not happen and the rest is history, as they say.
The 8th Congressional District appears to be "Republican," as President Bush beat John Kerry 56-44 in the 8th last fall. Yes, Senator Barack Obama won the 8th CD, but everybody knows that does not tell us much about the general R/D split for that area, or any other.
The 8th CD is composed of about 25% North West Cook County residents, 60% Lake County residents and 15% McHenry County residents, including all or portions of the following communities: Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Wauconda, Bartlett, Rolling Meadows, Streamwood, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Inverness, Grayslake, Gurnee, Round Lake, Roselle, Antioch, Lake Zurich, Lake Villa, Lake Barrington, Long Grove, Mundelein, McHenry, Woodstock and Zion, as well as other areas not listed, above.
**********************************************
Next week’s guest on the suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” is media personality and conservative icon Tom Roeser.
**********************************************
Embryonic stem cell research, Cong. Kirk and gun control:
Jeff Berkowitz: …Embryonic Stem Cell research, [Cong. Mark Kirk and Cong. Judy Biggert] have a hearing tomorrow on that—he [Kirk] supports that, [Cong.] Biggert [R-Hinsdale, 13th CD] supports that—he [Cong. Kirk] has legislation to try to override the President’s Executive Order that was intended to slow down embryonic stem cell research [or at least had the effect of narrowing the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could be used for federally subsidized research]. You and Mark differ on that issue, right?
Dave McSweeney: Yes, I support the President 100% [on that].
Berkowitz: Do you expect Cong. Kirk to support you?
McSweeney: When I win the nomination, absolutely.
Berkowitz: Before then, you think he is staying neutral?
McSweeney: I think he is gonna stay neutral.
Berkowitz: But you support him. You said you would endorse Kirk and he should be re-elected, right?
McSweeney: Absolutely. I think Mark Kirk fits the—
Berkowitz: Even though he is very moderate. Your views are quite different.
McSweeney: Mark Kirk is doing a great job on the War on Terror. He represents his district well and, in fact, he is doing such a good job that maybe even Melissa Bean, his constituent, will vote for him.
Berkowitz: On guns, you oppose gun control?
McSweeney: I do. I believe you can’t disarm the honest citizens, you should punish criminals.
********************************************
Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Federal spending, Freezes and deficits:
Dave McSweeney: Jeff, remember that the Democrats controlled Congress when Ronald Reagan was in office. He made an investment in a strong national defense—
Jeff Berkowitz: But, did he veto legislation. He could do that. Did he—
Dave McSweeney: Ronald Reagan stood up many times—
Berkowitz: Did he try to cut spending by vetoes?
Dave McSweeney: He sure did. He sure did. If congress had enacted the spending reductions that Ronald Reagan had proposed, we would have had a balanced budget by the time he left office.
**********************************
McSweeney: When he [President Reagan] left office in 1988, the deficits were coming down dramatically, as a percentage of GDP…he made an investment with congressional approval in a strong national defense and that was money well spent because it helped bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Berkowitz: Let’s go forward to the present President, George W. Bush. Has he reduced spending in the time he has been there?
McSweeney: Not as much as he should [have]. I am a big supporter of President Bush but—
Berkowitz: Now domestic spending has mushroomed considerably.
McSweeney: That’s correct. And I think, again, President Bush—
Berkowitz: Now, would you be a critic of that mushrooming of domestic spending under President Bush—
McSweeney: I would be a proponent of reducing the growth of federal spending. I have a specific program for doing that, Jeff, and let me tell you a little bit about it. We should freeze the total level of federal spending, excluding national defense, social security and homeland security. We can allow increases in some areas, but we should freeze the rest of that budget on an aggregate basis.
Berkowitz: Freeze means no increase in aggregate in spending on the rest of that budget.
McSweeney: On the rest of the budget…what that means is that you can allow increases in areas like, for example, breast cancer research by the National Institute of Health but you need to pay for it. So, how I want to pay for that is I favor a 10% cut in the operational and administrative budget of each federal department and agency, eliminating unnecessary programs like the National Endowment for the Arts …, the Legal Services Corporation and we need to reform entitlements. What that means is that programs such as Medicaid—we should block grant that back to the states from the Federal Government. Allow them to experiment, as they are in Florida and actually bring about change…my program would actually reduce the deficit in half over five years…
************************************************
Federalism, Legal Assistance, Lynn Cheney and the Arts:
Berkowitz: You want to cut out the National Endowment for the Arts?
McSweeney: Correct. Federal Government has no business in the—
Berkowitz: Lynn Cheney. Was she running that program for a while?
McSweeney: No, that was the National Humanities.
Berkowitz: So, you are going to keep National Humanities?
McSweeney: Yes, I think it is a valid program, but even that, I would cut back on.
Berkowitz: Even though Lynn was there? You are a fan of Lynn Cheney’s?
McSweeney: I am a fan of Lynn Cheney’s, but it doesn’t matter, I would—
Berkowitz: Now, the National Endowment for the Arts, you sure [you want to eliminate that]? A lot of low income individuals might have access to that for summer programs—a variety of programs that might help kids who otherwise wouldn’t get familiar with the arts. You understand that?
McSweeney: I am a big supporter of the arts. But, it should be privately funded and that’s the best way to fund the National Endowment for the Arts.
Berkowitz: The Legal Services Corporation. You want to cut that out?
McSweeney: Absolutely. It’s become the legal advocate program for special interests.
Berkowitz: But, if it were to help people on landlord tenant issues? A variety of criminal issues that may occur. A person may be wrongfully accused. Would they have access to legal services for that?
McSweeney: Sure, the state should pay for that, not the federal government. Again, this is the federal government involved in this.
Berkowitz: So, you are a states’ righter, so to speak.
McSweeney: I am a federalist.
Berkowitz: You want to cut spending where you can and push it from the federal side to the state side? Is that right?
McSweeney: No, I want to eliminate unnecessary spending and where the spending is more appropriate at the state level, then the state should pick that up and local government should pick it up if it is valid.
********************************
Dave McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills, 8th Cong. Dist. Candidate], recorded on May 15, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” this week [week of May 23] and as will be airing on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on Monday night, May 30 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21[CANTV]. See, conclusion of this blog entry, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*************************************************
Dave McSweeney debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Social Security Reform, Controlling the Federal Budget, tax cuts, jobs, the Reagan successes and failures, the Bush Foreign Policy regarding Iraq, Iran and North Korea, International Trade, abortion, guns, God, Embryonic Stem Cell research, Cong. Mark Kirk, gay rights legislation, judges and much, much more.
*******************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********
Dave McSweeney [R- Barrington Hills, 8th CD Candidate]: When I win the nomination, absolutely.
Berkowitz: Before then, you think he [Kirk] is staying neutral?
McSweeney: I think he is gonna stay neutral.
***********************************************
This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features David McSweeney, who is running in the Republican Primary in the 8th Cong. District for the opportunity to take on first term Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Melissa Bean[D-Barrington, 8th CD].
See the end of this blog entry for a detailed suburban airing schedule and for more about the topics discussed on this week’s show with Dave McSweeney. This show will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on this coming Monday night [Memorial Day], May 30 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
McSweeney is the only declared Republican in the race at this time, having filed his statement of candidacy and having said he will officially announce around the end of June. A partial transcript of the show is included, below, and see here and here for partial transcripts of our previous show with candidate Dave McSweeney that aired in February of this year.
Congresswoman Bean beat 35 year Republican 8th CD incumbent Phil Crane last fall, 52-48, after losing to him 57-43 in 2002. McSweeney, himself, lost to Cong. Phil Crane in a Republican Primary in 1998 65-35, when Crane was telling people, as McSweeney reminds us, that Crane was about to become House Chairman of Ways and Means. Of course, that did not happen and the rest is history, as they say.
The 8th Congressional District appears to be "Republican," as President Bush beat John Kerry 56-44 in the 8th last fall. Yes, Senator Barack Obama won the 8th CD, but everybody knows that does not tell us much about the general R/D split for that area, or any other.
The 8th CD is composed of about 25% North West Cook County residents, 60% Lake County residents and 15% McHenry County residents, including all or portions of the following communities: Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Wauconda, Bartlett, Rolling Meadows, Streamwood, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Inverness, Grayslake, Gurnee, Round Lake, Roselle, Antioch, Lake Zurich, Lake Villa, Lake Barrington, Long Grove, Mundelein, McHenry, Woodstock and Zion, as well as other areas not listed, above.
**********************************************
Next week’s guest on the suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” is media personality and conservative icon Tom Roeser.
**********************************************
Embryonic stem cell research, Cong. Kirk and gun control:
Jeff Berkowitz: …Embryonic Stem Cell research, [Cong. Mark Kirk and Cong. Judy Biggert] have a hearing tomorrow on that—he [Kirk] supports that, [Cong.] Biggert [R-Hinsdale, 13th CD] supports that—he [Cong. Kirk] has legislation to try to override the President’s Executive Order that was intended to slow down embryonic stem cell research [or at least had the effect of narrowing the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could be used for federally subsidized research]. You and Mark differ on that issue, right?
Dave McSweeney: Yes, I support the President 100% [on that].
Berkowitz: Do you expect Cong. Kirk to support you?
McSweeney: When I win the nomination, absolutely.
Berkowitz: Before then, you think he is staying neutral?
McSweeney: I think he is gonna stay neutral.
Berkowitz: But you support him. You said you would endorse Kirk and he should be re-elected, right?
McSweeney: Absolutely. I think Mark Kirk fits the—
Berkowitz: Even though he is very moderate. Your views are quite different.
McSweeney: Mark Kirk is doing a great job on the War on Terror. He represents his district well and, in fact, he is doing such a good job that maybe even Melissa Bean, his constituent, will vote for him.
Berkowitz: On guns, you oppose gun control?
McSweeney: I do. I believe you can’t disarm the honest citizens, you should punish criminals.
********************************************
Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Federal spending, Freezes and deficits:
Dave McSweeney: Jeff, remember that the Democrats controlled Congress when Ronald Reagan was in office. He made an investment in a strong national defense—
Jeff Berkowitz: But, did he veto legislation. He could do that. Did he—
Dave McSweeney: Ronald Reagan stood up many times—
Berkowitz: Did he try to cut spending by vetoes?
Dave McSweeney: He sure did. He sure did. If congress had enacted the spending reductions that Ronald Reagan had proposed, we would have had a balanced budget by the time he left office.
**********************************
McSweeney: When he [President Reagan] left office in 1988, the deficits were coming down dramatically, as a percentage of GDP…he made an investment with congressional approval in a strong national defense and that was money well spent because it helped bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Berkowitz: Let’s go forward to the present President, George W. Bush. Has he reduced spending in the time he has been there?
McSweeney: Not as much as he should [have]. I am a big supporter of President Bush but—
Berkowitz: Now domestic spending has mushroomed considerably.
McSweeney: That’s correct. And I think, again, President Bush—
Berkowitz: Now, would you be a critic of that mushrooming of domestic spending under President Bush—
McSweeney: I would be a proponent of reducing the growth of federal spending. I have a specific program for doing that, Jeff, and let me tell you a little bit about it. We should freeze the total level of federal spending, excluding national defense, social security and homeland security. We can allow increases in some areas, but we should freeze the rest of that budget on an aggregate basis.
Berkowitz: Freeze means no increase in aggregate in spending on the rest of that budget.
McSweeney: On the rest of the budget…what that means is that you can allow increases in areas like, for example, breast cancer research by the National Institute of Health but you need to pay for it. So, how I want to pay for that is I favor a 10% cut in the operational and administrative budget of each federal department and agency, eliminating unnecessary programs like the National Endowment for the Arts …, the Legal Services Corporation and we need to reform entitlements. What that means is that programs such as Medicaid—we should block grant that back to the states from the Federal Government. Allow them to experiment, as they are in Florida and actually bring about change…my program would actually reduce the deficit in half over five years…
************************************************
Federalism, Legal Assistance, Lynn Cheney and the Arts:
Berkowitz: You want to cut out the National Endowment for the Arts?
McSweeney: Correct. Federal Government has no business in the—
Berkowitz: Lynn Cheney. Was she running that program for a while?
McSweeney: No, that was the National Humanities.
Berkowitz: So, you are going to keep National Humanities?
McSweeney: Yes, I think it is a valid program, but even that, I would cut back on.
Berkowitz: Even though Lynn was there? You are a fan of Lynn Cheney’s?
McSweeney: I am a fan of Lynn Cheney’s, but it doesn’t matter, I would—
Berkowitz: Now, the National Endowment for the Arts, you sure [you want to eliminate that]? A lot of low income individuals might have access to that for summer programs—a variety of programs that might help kids who otherwise wouldn’t get familiar with the arts. You understand that?
McSweeney: I am a big supporter of the arts. But, it should be privately funded and that’s the best way to fund the National Endowment for the Arts.
Berkowitz: The Legal Services Corporation. You want to cut that out?
McSweeney: Absolutely. It’s become the legal advocate program for special interests.
Berkowitz: But, if it were to help people on landlord tenant issues? A variety of criminal issues that may occur. A person may be wrongfully accused. Would they have access to legal services for that?
McSweeney: Sure, the state should pay for that, not the federal government. Again, this is the federal government involved in this.
Berkowitz: So, you are a states’ righter, so to speak.
McSweeney: I am a federalist.
Berkowitz: You want to cut spending where you can and push it from the federal side to the state side? Is that right?
McSweeney: No, I want to eliminate unnecessary spending and where the spending is more appropriate at the state level, then the state should pick that up and local government should pick it up if it is valid.
********************************
Dave McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills, 8th Cong. Dist. Candidate], recorded on May 15, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” this week [week of May 23] and as will be airing on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on Monday night, May 30 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21[CANTV]. See, conclusion of this blog entry, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*************************************************
Dave McSweeney debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz Social Security Reform, Controlling the Federal Budget, tax cuts, jobs, the Reagan successes and failures, the Bush Foreign Policy regarding Iraq, Iran and North Korea, International Trade, abortion, guns, God, Embryonic Stem Cell research, Cong. Mark Kirk, gay rights legislation, judges and much, much more.
*******************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********
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