Click here for photos from the April 29th Senate candidates' forum held in Buffalo.

The Beller / Loughlin Debate

Staten Island, April 8, 2000 - Thanks to Frank Morano, host of the public-access cable show "Morano Vision", Jeff Beller and Thomas Loughlin were brought together for an hour to talk about their campaigns for the U.S. Senate and some of the issues with which they are most concerned.

After a brief discussion of the mechanics of the nomination process, they got right to the issues. Beller talked about how Loughlin and he were united with most IP candidates in a desire for basic changes to the political process. Jeff then focused on the main theme of his campaign: the economic benefits to the state of renewable energy sources, namely wind, sun, and biomass.

In response to a question from the host, Loughlin said Social Security needed only minor tweaking to survive almost indefinitely, by moving back the retirement age by six months every five years.

Frank's next question was about the proposed "FAIR" tax, a sort of 23-percent value-added or sales tax. Loughlin called it a phony because rebates are still based on income. He said the idea should be to get the government out of our business altogether. He suggested, instead, that clothing, food and shelter should simply be exempted.

Renewing his emphasis on energy issues, Beller talked about his recent trip to Cuba. He said Cuban officials told him that they were able to live through the U.S. boycott, but that what really hurt them was the loss of energy sources when the Soviet Union collapsed. His point was that the U.S. and N.Y. must become less dependent on the "extractive" fuel industries.

Loughlin said he was opposed to government-sponsored universal health care and supported the Reform Party platform on the issue. He said it was wrong for the government to cause medical schools to turn out fewer doctors in order to raise their salaries. He wants to get the government out. Throughout the interview he emphasized an return to Constitutional principles as the solution to many of our political problems.

Loughlin opposed China's entry to the World Trade Organization, and favored the U.S. pulling out. In one of their few areas of disagreement, Beller said the U.S. can't withdraw because it would cause the organization's collapse.

During the only exchange on party politics, the host asked if Jack Essenberg was still in charge, whereupon Beller corrected him to say that he believed Frank MacKay was now the legal Chair. Both candidates indicated they were running for public office and were not as concerned with internal party politics.

At the end of the show, when Morano asked about whether a third-party candidate would simply split the vote, Loughlin made an effective argument for not thinking that way and that the IP stood for fundamental political change.

Both candidates made a fairly decent impression and both spoke of the IP as an agent of change. There was not much disagreement between the two, but there was definitely a difference of emphasis and perspective, with Jeff Beller strongly focused on renewable energy sources as an untapped boon to the state's economy, with Tom Loughlin taking a broader perspective, though rooted in a return to Constitutional principles.

The taping was also covered by a representative of an upstate cable station traveling with Jeff Beller. It should be aired on Staten Island Community TV around the end of April and Frank Morano has offered to make copies available.

Gentile and Essenberg Also Interviewed

After taping the first show, Frank taped a second half-hour show featuring State Senator Vincent Gentile and former State Chair Jack Essenberg, in separate appearances.

Gentile, who was endorsed by the IP for his first run as an insurgent in 1996, acknowledged that the party had a lot of problems, but said that he hoped the party resolves them.

Essenberg said that he was still Chairman but acknowledged that his opponents do have a majority of the State Committee votes. He said there are factions in the party in it for power. Regarding the current court actions, he said he will appeal if he loses, and expects the same from his opponents. As to the Senate race, Essenberg said he will support whomever the State Committee endorses.

For more info: Tom Loughlin's web site | Jeff Beller's web site

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