Goode, Perriello clash in second debate of campaign

DANVILLE — U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. and challenger Tom Perriello clashed Wednesday evening in the second debate of the campaign, quarrelling about economic development, congressional earmarks and oil drilling.

Goode, a Republican from Rocky Mount and a 12-year incumbent, told a crowd of several hundred that he has a long record of steering federal dollars to the 5th District to invest in infrastructure, create jobs and promote emerging alternative energy projects. His earmarks, he said, have benefited the University of Virginia Medical Center, the National Ground Intelligence Center and numerous other entities.

“If I’m re-elected, I’m going to make sure that Southside gets a fair slice of the pie,” Goode promised.

Democrat Perriello, a national security consultant and faith-based initiative founder from Ivy, said that he would do more to benefit Southside and Central Virginia than Goode, as he would be a member of the majority party in Congress. He pointed out that Roll Call, a nonpartisan newspaper, ranked Goode as only the 60th most effective congressman of the 66 members on the House Appropriations Committee.

“We need someone who gets an A+ in terms of effectiveness, not just getting a passing grade,” Perriello said.

The two rivals spoke at Danville’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in a debate co-sponsored by the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and the Danville Register & Bee.

In his opening remarks, Goode said that he was “100 percent pro-life” while Perriello is “pro-abortion.” He also criticized Perriello for supporting Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, whom he said was not trustworthy when it comes to protecting America.

“It scares me that Barack Obama could be in charge of our national security policy,” said Goode, who was one of a small handful of GOP congressmen who had not endorsed Republican nominee John McCain prior to the Republican National Convention. He now supports McCain, he said.

Perriello responded that he is a proud backer of Obama. Obama, he said, is part of a new generation of politicians who are interested in achieving results by working across party lines, rather than scoring cynical political points.

“What I see now is a new kind of politics that is not about left and right, but about right and wrong,” Perriello said.

If elected, Perriello said, his No. 1 goal would be to boost job opportunities in the district, which stretches from Charlottesville down to Southside communities such as Danville and Martinsville.

“Jobs will be my first priority,” he said. “I will work a double shift every day to make sure I’m doing everything I can be doing.”

When asked about their views on the nation’s energy challenges, the candidates outlined markedly different views.

Goode supports domestic drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in the nation’s outer continental shelf. He said he backs the “American Energy Act” which would permit more domestic energy exploration, offer tax incentives for energy-efficient vehicles and businesses, and extend tax credits for alternative energy production.

“We need American all the way,” Goode said. “We don’t need to be getting our oil from countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Venezuela.”

Goode added that if his fellow congressmen had listened to him about domestic drilling seven or eight years ago, the nation might not have found itself in its energy predicament.

Perriello said it is “ridiculous” for Goode to suggest that his leadership might have averted the current high oil prices.

For his part, Perriello said the federal government needs to take a kitchen-sink approach to energy policy, supporting off-shore drilling, nuclear power, biofuel research and conservation. The recent drop in gas prices, he said, was brought about because the dollar has started to gain strength and because demand for oil dropped as Americans started driving less.

Perriello said it was misleading of Goode to portray domestic drilling as a cure-all to high gas prices and the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

“I’m not going to stand here and tell people that [drilling] is going to solve the problem because it’s not,” he said.

Goode pointed out that Perriello is opposed to drilling in Alaska.

“If you have a no-drill policy in [the Artic National Wildlife Refuge] like Perriello and Barack Obama want, we’re going to be even further behind.”

Goode is in the top 3 percent of congressmen for his personal stock holdings in oil companies, Perriello said. Goode, he said, has voted against higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.

“Right now, the car companies can make more money buying politicians than by building me a better truck,” he said.

Goode shot back that Perriello has oil stocks too, adding that he, Goode, is not wealthy like Democrats such as former Gov. Mark R. Warner, who is running for U.S. Senate. Goode held up Warner’s financial disclosure form, which he said showed Warner’s personal bank account has between $500,000 and $1 million.

“He’s got more money in his checking account than I’ve had for anything,” he said.

Regarding national security, Goode said that he supports building a fence along the border with Mexico. It would, he said, keep out illegal immigrants and terrorists. He added that he supports the U.S. military’s surge tactic in Iraq.

Perriello said he was astounded that Goode, who voted to authorize the Iraq war, would list building a fence as his national security priority. Perriello said he believes that the nation’s energy crisis is its No. 1 national security, economic and environmental challenge. He said he wants to position the 5th District at the forefront of the emerging “green economy” to turn the challenge into an opportunity for job growth and economic development.