RICHMOND -- U.S. Senatorial candidates Sen. Chuck Robb (D) and former Gov. George Allen (R) clashed over education and abortion issues Sunday night in the first televised debate of the campaign.
"Both of them were very effective," said Robert Holsworth, debate panel member and chairman of international and public affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, where the debate was held. "There are extraordinary stark contrasts between the two."
Robb challenged Allen's education plan, which calls for tax cuts for parents with school-aged children.
Allen said he believes his $1,000 per child tax credit, with a maximum of $2,000 per family, would give parents, rather than the federal government, the chance to decide for themselves how to improve their children's education. The extra money would give families the opportunity to buy educational materials such as computers or extra tutoring. "It comes down to 'Who do you trust?'" Allen said. "I trust parents and believe that they should be empowered."
But Robb attacked Allen's plan, claiming that the tax credit would only be applicable to the wealthy, depriving schools around the nation of funding. The amount of funds given back in the proposed tax credit "could buy a laptop computer for every public high school student in America for the next 10 years; we could renovate 60,000 schools that need renovating; we could hire 76,000 school safety officers for every school in America that doesn't currently have a safety officer and pay their salary for the next 10 years," Robb said. "And we would still have $15 billion left to pay down the debt."
Allen, in turn, criticized Robb's support of partial birth abortions, comparing the procedure to "infanticide."
Robb insisted that he vetoed the ban on partial birth abortions because it gave no stipulation for saving the life of the mother.
The government should not "tell doctors how to do a medical procedure," Robb said.
But Allen said even the American Medical Association had called partial birth abortions "akin to infanticide."
"The reality is that when the vote is called, [Robb] votes wrong and keeps partial birth abortion alive," Allen said.
Besides the main issues of education and abortion, the candidates also attacked each other on issues ranging from the environment to gay marriages.
Read More
Professors speak about leading productive dialogue on Israel-Hamas war
By Lexie Stadler | 9 hours agoThe event was hosted by the University’s Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging, which is designed to ensure that the University is welcoming to community members from all religions and cultures.
Honor Committee considers formal ban of AI detectors as evidence in trials
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayThe Committee also addressed balancing student perspectives with those of Committee representatives during panel discussions.
Pro-Palestinian protesters form encampment near University Chapel
By CD News Staff | YesterdayThe encampment overlapped with a separate “May Day” protest on the Lawn, which was hosted by student activist group U.Va. Dissenters and the U.Va. Apartheid Divest Coalition.
