SAN DIEGO — This is the fourth and final installment in a series of question-and-answer matchups between congressional candidates in San Diego County. The interviews were conducted by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. In this installment, the JCRC questions Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis and her Republican opponent Nick Popaditch.
Rep. Susan Davis, Democratic incumbent, 53rd Congressional District
1. What has been your involvement with the Jewish community of San Diego?
I have been a member of Temple Emanu-El for many years and also am a member of Hadassah. I also work regularly with organizations in the Jewish community on local, national, and international issues. I have had active affiliation with many temples from 1972.
2. If you are elected this year, do you commit to being available to and regularly meeting with members of the San Diego Jewish community in your district and/or Washington offices in 2013 and 2014?
I will! I have done so throughout my many years in public service. My door is always open and will continue to be. I can’t do my job without hearing from the people who make up our communities and neighborhood.
3. San Diego is an incredibly diverse community religiously, racially, ethnically, etc; what are some ways that you as a local leader on a national stage can help bring these communities together?
Despite the diversity, which I believe gives America strength, we are all in this together. Through dialogue, cooperation and understanding we can work together to continue to build a better community.
4. What is your position on the separation of church and state?
I have been an active proponent of the separation of church and state. The issue was one of the motivating factors for why I got into public service because prayer in public schools was an issue when I ran for the San Diego Board of Education. To this day I continue to stress the importance of the separation of church by having weighed in on the issue of Mt. Soledad Cross being on government-owned land.
5. What is the role of government in relation to those in need, or in poverty, particularly children, in the United States?
It’s important to have a safety net for those who are struggling. This safety net has kept our poverty levels low in the past. While we have seen those poverty numbers go up recently, if it weren’t for these programs – Medicare, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicaid – we would be seeing an even higher number of people in poverty. At the same time we want to create an environment where people can climb up the economic ladder out of poverty. Strengthening Medicare and Social Security will ensure that more Americans stay out of poverty in the future.
6. What is the role of the federal government in relation to the healthcare system in the United States?
I see the role as one of ensuring access and consumer protection. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure consumers are being treated fairly by insurance companies, which is what the Affordable Care Act does by ending pre-existing condition discrimination. In the House, I carried legislation to allow women to use their OB/GYN as their primary care physician. The ACA included a provision so women would not have to make multiple doctors appointments if they wanted to see their OB/GYN. The federal government also has a role to encourage best practices to create affordability and best care. Finally, through Medicare and Medicaid we are able to provide for our nation’s most vulnerable.
7. What industries do you believe San Diego should work on attracting for the future? What specific efforts will you as a member of the United States Congress make to impact this issue?
San Diego is an innovation hub. We are a leader in the renewable energy industry with more than 37,000 jobs in the region. We need to encourage this trend. Let’s create community colleges as places were we can give people the skills to work in this budding industry. Our biotech and research facilities are doing amazing work on disease cures and preventions, while also hiring nearly 40,000 in the region. NIH funding from the federal government streams into the region creating jobs and helping our economy. We also need to continue to strengthen the synergy between the private sector, colleges and universities, and the government. In many ways, it is this strong cross-sector collaboration that has positioned San Diego to be an economic leader in several key fields.
8. What is your position on 1) the future of the Medicaid system and 2) turning Medicaid into a capped block grant program?
I would not support turning Medicaid into a block grant program. This change would gut the safety net for many of San Diego’s seniors and struggling families. The greatest problem to Medicaid is the increase in health care costs, which is not caused by Medicaid. We need to contain costs. We are seeing many hospitals and providers do this with the help of the Affordable Care Act without impacting care.
9. Mexico is a wonderful country, and its relationship with the US is strong and mutually beneficial with many positive implications for San Diego and the nation. It is also complex and there are local and national concerns in terms of the environment, immigration and drug related violence. What should the United States Congress do about these issues?
Mexico and the United States have a very special cultural and economic relationship. One of the most important factors is cross border commerce. I am leading an effort to complete improvements to the San Ysidro Point of Entry. Increasing the flow of commerce across our borders will help when it comes to the challenges we face. Mexico is already our second largest export partner and third largest import partner, but we know we can do even more to grow this relationship. There also needs to be comprehensive immigration reform that includes the processing of visas and dealing with undocumented immigrants humanely. The US and Mexico have been working together to end drug-related violence. It should be a partnership that continues.
10. What, if anything, do you believe is necessary to further strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel and promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, particularly the Palestinians?
I believe the relationship between Israel and the United States is rock solid. From a strategic perspective, the coordination between the American and Israeli military is better than ever. To strengthen this relationship, our government has spent billions to bolster Israel’s defensive capabilities, including a new missile defense system that is already saving lives. Of course, our relationship with Israel goes beyond military coordination. The United States and Israel share a dynamic cultural connection of entrepreneurism and innovation. That is why continued economic and academic integration, along with other cultural exchanges, will strengthen our relationship with Israel well into the future. This strong commitment to Israel runs across party lines, and the worst thing we can do is politicize our relationship with Israel.
When it comes to peace between Israel and her neighbors, the United States needs to remain engaged with all sides and be a strong proponent of peace. In Egypt and Jordan, this means working with the new Egyptian government to ensure they honor the terms of the Camp David Accords and continue to build a strong relationship with the Jordanian government and people. We must also work with the Israeli government and responsible parties in the Palestinian territories to work toward peace. The conditions for a breakthrough might not be there right now, but we cannot give up.
11. What steps should the United States take to promote US peace with the Arab world?
In Congress, I have been a strong proponent of “Smart Power,” or using all tools of national influence to protect Americans and decrease the likelihood of armed conflict around the world. When it comes to our relationship to the Arab world, we need a strong diplomatic presence, but we also need a strong public diplomacy effort that engages the people in a constructive manner and builds lasting relationships. Lastly, we should do everything we can to empower women across the Arab world. We know from experience that the stronger role women play in the political, social and economic areas of a nation, the more stable, democratic, and prosperous that country will be.
12. What do you believe the United States government should do about Iran?
A nuclear armed Iran is a grave threat to the national security and economic interests of the United States, Israel, and the world. While I do not believe we should take any option off the table when it comes to dealing with Iran, I believe we must continue to aggressively press the international community to take the Iranian threat seriously and increase diplomatic and economic pressure. The Obama Administration deserves credit for bringing Russia and China to our side when it comes to sanctions, but more needs to be done to persuade Iran to stop their production of nuclear material until an arrangement can be found that guarantees Iranian nuclear fuel will not be used for a nuclear weapon.
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Nick Popaditch, Republican challenger
1. What has been your involvement with the Jewish community of San Diego?
As a US Marine, I fought for the entire Nation, including the San Diego Jewish community. Furthermore, I fought alongside men and women from every religious background, working towards a common goal.
2. If you are elected this year, do you commit to being available to and regularly meeting with members of the San Diego Jewish community in your district and/or Washington offices in 2013 and 2014?
The most important duty of a Congressional Representative is to represent the will of the people who have entrusted him with that honor. This cannot be accomplished without accessibility and habitual meetings. If you didn’t meet with me, I would find you.
3. San Diego is an incredibly diverse community religiously, racially, ethnically, etc; what are some ways that you as a local leader on a national stage can help bring these communities together?
The first way is to ensure that all Americans are legislated under one set of civil rights that doesn’t favor or discriminate against any group. Secondly, we must recognize our community is economically tied to each other and division merely drags down the whole. I will provide leadership and legislative direction that demonstrates as the employee prospers, the business owner prospers and vice versa. Mutual prosperity always leads to good will.
4. What is your position on the separation of church and state?
I support the first Amendment directive that Congress shall make no law abridging the citizens’ free practice of their chosen religion. I see this as a one-way street. Congress has no business in the church’s affairs. Conversely, the church has every right to get into Congressional matters. I welcome the viewpoint of churches of all faiths. There are few better gauges of the will of the people.
5. What is the role of government in relation to those in need, or in poverty, particularly children, in the United States?
The most rewarding aspect of my career as a US Marine was the opportunity to defend the weak and oppressed. That is the exceptional nature of this great Nation. It is the essence of what we do, both domestically and internationally. Americans help those in need, especially the children. Furthermore, it is important that our government maintains a helping hand for our neighbors who have temporarily fallen short. It is equally important that the government sets economic policy that allows vigorous private sector growth so those same individuals can pull themselves out of poverty. More policy specific, the safety net cannot be reduced without first fixing the unemployment problem in our nation and our community.
6. What is the role of the federal government in relation to the healthcare system in the United States?
The federal government should seek to strengthen the care provided by our healthcare system and seek to reduce costs for citizens. The current Affordable Care Act does neither. It reduces care, increases costs, and additionally adds to the national debt. Furthermore, the federal government has made a promise to its citizens in MEDICARE. Citizens have paid into this system over a lifetime. If elected, I will oppose any cuts to MEDICARE.
7. What industries do you believe San Diego should work on attracting for the future? What specific efforts will you as a member of the United States Congress make to impact this issue?
I believe in a bottom-up approach for economic growth in San Diego. My mission as a Congressman will be to get more dollars flowing into San Diego and allow the private sector to decide which industries are best suited for growth here. Tijuana has approximately twice the population of San Diego. More effective and expeditious border crossing technology can open up a tremendous market for San Diego goods. I will oppose the proposed cuts to our military as these directly affect San Diego as lost revenue from military paychecks that buy homes, cars, groceries, etc. If elected, I will support the expansion of all domestic energy sources. More energy is cheaper energy. That reduces operating costs as well as family heating/cooling/gas bills. That results in more commerce conducted here in San Diego. Finally, I believe it is every citizen’s right to make his or her own economic choices, even bad ones. I will oppose any federal regulation that prohibits a citizen from making his or her own economic choices. That sort of regulation creates non-competitive monopolies that hurt our local families.
8. What is your position on 1) the future of the Medicaid system and 2) turning Medicaid into a capped block grant program?
The rising health care costs brought about by the Affordable Care Act will jeopardize he future of MEDICAID, as it will be unsustainable due to cost. There are two better solutions than a capped block grant program. The first is to reduce the number of people in the MEDICAID system and utilizing it as the safety net it was intended to be. This is accomplished by the economic solutions offered in question #7. The second method is to enact federal legislation that reduces healthcare costs. Tort reform and the freedom of citizens to shop for health insurance across state lines are cost reducing measures that are still needed.
9. Mexico is a wonderful country, and its relationship with the US is strong and mutually beneficial with many positive implications for San Diego and the nation. It is also complex and there are local and national concerns in terms of the environment, immigration and drug related violence. What should the United States Congress do about these issues?
It is critical that Congress recognize the globally linked economy and the economic power of NAFTA. The United States could be energy independent of the Middle East within 10 years. All of our oil demand can be met with American, Mexican, and Canadian oil. Furthermore, San Diego County could experience an economic explosion with the development of a legal, efficient border crossing. Beyond economics, there is a human rights crisis in Mexico due to the drug trade. It is bad foreign policy to send troops half way around the world to secure freedom while our brothers and sisters south of our border are murdered within miles of our homes. The drug trade must be addressed from a foreign policy perspective. Finally, immigration can be enhanced through domestic economic growth that produces more jobs and subsequently more immigration quotas.
10. What, if anything, do you believe is necessary to further strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel and promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, particularly the Palestinians?
The United States must speak with a clear voice to our allies, such as Israel. Irresponsible election time rhetoric and party politics that send mixed messages to our allies damages our Nation’s credibility as well as results in loss of lives. Division in our ranks encourages enemies of Israel and our Nation.
11. What steps should the United States take to promote US peace with the Arab world?
End our dependence on Middle East oil (via Keystone Pipeline, Gulf Coast drilling, and hydraulic fracturing) so we can negotiate from a position of strength. The United States is the market for all their goods. Make them seek our friendship, not the other way around.
12. What do you believe the United States government should do about Iran?
Negotiating from a position of weakness has only encouraged the Iranian government. Furthermore, their open defiance has damaged our credibility in the region. Subsequently a nuclear Iran appears to be an almost inevitability. We must recognize the strong possibility of an Israeli pre-emptive military, potentially nuclear strike against Iran. Ignoring this problem for so long has only upped the potential loss of innocent life in this situation. The United States can seek to mitigate this with open support of Israeli defensive options, increased economic sanction, and aggressive backing of regime change forces if the opportunity presents itself again.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County