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Coble, challenger Turner debate at Forum
ARCHDALE – Congressman Howard Coble, R-6th, and Democrat challenger Sam Turner of Salisbury, discussed a wide range of issues, including health care, term limits and the economy, during a candidates forum hosted by the Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce Thursday night.
The two differed on some issues, but shook hands after their 12-minute debate at Archdale United Methodist Church.
On the topic of term limits for members of Congress, Coble said he is favor of them, but believes that constituents should determine how long a politician should serve. Coble is in his 13th term and is the longest-serving current member of the North Carolina congressional delegation.
“I think the constituents need to show you the gate that leads to the road out of town,” Coble said. “If they agree with you, they will re-elect you. If it comes up again, I would probably vote for it again because I promised I would.”
Turner said he supports term limits, claiming politicians who serve multiple terms tend to be polarized with their viewpoints and mainly vote along the party line. He said if politicians have term limits, they would be independent on their votes.
“I think that once individuals get into Washington, D.C., they tend to become part of the system in Washington, D.C., and they lose sight of their constituents back home,” said Turner, who dubs himself as an independent Democrat
Turner and Coble fielded a question concerning whether they support off-shore drilling, including off the coast of North Carolina, and other energy sources.
Turner said the United States should get off its addiction to oil and explore alternative energy sources. He said the federal government needs to provide research dollars for solar and other energy sources.
Coble agreed with Turner on his view of the United States’ addiction to oil.
“Sam, you used the appropriate word when you used the word addiction because we are addicted to foreign oil,” Coble said. “We ought to be drilling in (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). I voted to do that time and again ... I’m in favor of off-shore drilling provided the states that are involved concur.”
Coble said stimulus dollars could have been spent in “far better and more prudent ways than it was.” Turner said the stimulus money stopped the economic downfall from getting worse, but said it is not going to help the United States completely get out of its hole.
“Our situation is a result of 30 years of an unregulated Wall Street and free trade out of control,” Turner said.
Turner said he doesn’t think health-care reform legislation went far enough because it didn’t address the cost issue. He said he favors a single-payer health system like Canada.
Coble said the No. 1 issue is not health care. He said the top priority, according to his constituents, is jobs because that issue is directly connected to unemployment. Coble said the health-care legislation needs to be thoroughly examined and possibly repealed.
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Sam Turner files for 6th District
Salisbury Post
Wednesday, March , 10, 2010 12:00 AM
Gregory S. "Sam" Turner, a United Airlines Pilot living in Salisbury, will be a Democrat lying in wait during the primary season.
Turner is the lone Democrat who has filed for the 6th District House seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, a Republican. Turner will face the Republican emerging from the May 4 GOP primary in the Nov. 2 general election. Coble faces challenges from five other Republicans. The 6th District takes in Alamance, Randolph and Moore counties and significant parts of Rowan, Davidson and Guilford counties.
Turner is new to politics and used to be a Republican.
"I've come to believe the only chance for solutions is the Democratic Party," he said. "The Democratic Party is the party of the worker, and supporting the American worker is the patriotic thing to do." Turner said he's running for Congress out of frustration. "We have a leadership, budget and trade deficit," he said. "We have very serious issues that need to be dealt with such as off-shoring jobs, reigning in Wall Street and lobbying reform."
Turner, 48, lives on Wake Drive in Salisbury. He earned a degree in operations engineering at N.C. State University in 1984 and a master's degree in international business from Webster University in 1996.
He describes himself as a nationalist and sees Republicans as belonging to "the party of the multi-nationalist corporate and Wall Street elite. "These corporations have no allegiance to the American public," Turner says. "We have to address the failures of free trade, Wall Street and Congress."
Turner says Coble is a prime example of the lack of leadership in Congress.
"Howard still calls textiles, furniture and tobacco 'traditional bread-and-butter industries' of our district," Turner said. "Those industries have laid off 72 percent, 43 percent and 38 percent of their employees between 1990-2006. He has no idea his unabashed support of free trade has caused this destruction. We have to attack the trade deficit by becoming more aggressive with other countries over trade."
Turner also calls for reigning in Wall Street by bringing back regulations previously repealed by Congress.
"People don't realize, but the financial industry has been bailed out eight times since 1980," he said. "He added that Wall Street has managed "to privatize their profits and socialize their risk." Wall Street also has spent $5.1 billion on campaign contributions and lobbying over the past decade, which comes out to about $1 million per congressman, Turner added.
He is a former member of the Cooleemee Historic Association board and a former member of the River Park task force in Cooleemee. He belongs to Cooleemee VFW Post 1119. Turner is married to the former Joan O'Connell. He has three daughters.
The GOP candidates in the May 4 primary include Coble, James Taylor of Pinehurst, Jeff Phillips of Greensboro, Jon Mangin of Stokesdale, Cathy Brewer Hinson of High Point and Billy Yow of Greensboro.
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