| Seventh District size means variety of concerns,
issues
Incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson plans to rewrite the Freedom to Farm
policy should Democrats be re-elected to the U.S. House and the Democrat
is sent back to Washington to represent Minnesota's Seventh District for a
sixth term.
Meanwhile, Republican challenger Glen Menze, a Starbuck, Minn., farmer,
said he wants promises for export enhancement in the policy to be kept.
Both are facing the challenge of campaigning in a district that covers
the sprawl of St. Cloud and the farm fields of the Red River Valley. While
Menze is spending his days on the road, trying to improve his name
recognition, Peterson is waiting for Congress to adjourn so he can
campaign full time.
When he talks farm policy, Menze tells voters Congress needs to meet
the pledges it made in Freedom to Farm.
In the current campaign, Peterson said that despite national attention
to prescription drugs and Medicare, he hasn't heard the issues raised by
voters in his district.
"We literally don't hear about that at all out here," he
said.
Should Democrats take back a majority in Congress, Peterson said a new
farm bill would be at the top of the agenda.
"If we take control of the House on Nov. 8 we will rewrite Freedom
to Farm," he said.
Even if the Democrats fail to retake the House, Peterson said he will
have influence. As a member of the so-called "Blue Dog"
Democrats -- mainly rural conservative members of the party -- he is in a
position to influence legislation in exchange for helping Republicans on
close votes.
Peterson said talk of improving trade isn't going to benefit farmers
that much. He also dismissed the North American Free Trade Agreement and
other such trade agreements as not serving American interests.
"We've let these other countries have the ammunition to
outmaneuver us," he said.
Trade issues have been left out of the current presidential debates,
Peterson said, with only Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan talking about them.
He blamed it on the influence of soft money from pro-trade interests in
campaigns.
"All this soft money that is flowing into these campaigns has a
lot to do with why both parties keep on this free-trade religion,"
Peterson said.
Menze also offered a view on campaign financing. As a challenger, he
said he understands how difficult it is to unseat a well-financed
incumbent.
"The more I see how the campaigns are financed and how much money
is involved, the more I like the state (Legislative) financing," he
said. |