Senate Debate Showdown in Eugene: Merkley v. Novick

There was a big debate in Eugene between the US Democratic Party Primary candidates. Here is a link to the Eugene Register Guard article and an excerpt.

Merkley took shots at Novick for once publicly praising Ralph Nader, for “taking the Republican bait” and accepting the notion that Social Security’s solvency was at risk, and for being MIA as an opponent of the U.S.-led Iraq invasion “” a point Novick rebuffed by saying he was marching in protests from the start.

Novick lashed Merkley for voting in the Oregon House for a 2003 resolution acknowledging the “courage of President George W. Bush” as well as the valor of U.S. troops. Novick also chided Merkley because his campaign last month said that before he took a position on lifting a ban on loaded guns in national parks, the candidate would want todiscuss it with other Democrats.

Here is The Oregonian article and blurb:

Merkley said he voted for the resolution because he recalled the way troops were treated during the Vietnam War in the 1970s.

“We made a horrendous mistake blaming our soldiers,” Merkley said. He called Novick “missing in action” on the issue of troop support.

I was not missing in action,” Novick shot back. “I was marching in anti-war rallies.”

If those in the audience were put off by the tone, they didn’t show it. They laughed and applauded with gusto a number of times.