10/13/08 What the Candidates Say About Ag

What the Candidates Say About Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The Farm Foundation last week help a forum designed to help inform the general public about what the two Presidential candidates have to say about agriculture, food and rural policy. While the candidates themselves did not attend, representatives from each camp took part. Former Ag Secretary, John Block represented John McCain while former Assistant Secretary of Ag, Jim Webster stood for the Obama campaign. I will let the presenters speak for themselves with their opening statements. Jim Webster for Barak Obama. WEBSTER: Barak Obama has paid more attention to farm and rural issues in the past 2 years than any Presidential candidate in my memory. He has a consistent, strong record of support for agriculture in rural America through his career in the Illinois Legislature and in the United States Senate and throughout this campaign for a strong safety net for conservation, research, nutrition, rural development. And his campaign has demonstrated that commitment. This campaign in the rural areas is the best organized, best staffed and most vigorous of any that I have ever been associated with before 1980 or covered as a journalist since then. It's demonstrated too by the surprisingly large number of endorsements that Senator Obama has received from Democrats and Republicans throughout rural America. Now John Block for John McCain. BLOCK: Let me just say that I do know John McCain. I knew him as a loyal soldier supporting Ronald Reagan. I've known him over the years as  as he says, it's true; as a maverick he'd take on Republicans and take positions sometimes that I didn't like but he's always straight forward. And he does talk straight and he knows what he believes and no one has more integrity than John McCain. When we look at issues; let's look at taxes first. I know and I realize Senator Obama is talking about a tax cut for 95% of the people in the country and I guess the other 5% are going to make all the shortfall up. I just can't buy this nonsense. I will tell you something, he has never seen a tax bill that he didn't vote for. We will continue tomorrow. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.