Web posted
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Betts brings campaign to Ark City
By DAVID A. SEATON
Traveler Staff Writer
daseaton@arkcity.net
State Senator Donald Betts campaigned in downtown Arkansas City Monday and promised to be back in late October for the candidates forum.
The Democrat is hoping to unseat Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, in the fourth Congressional District. He stopped into businesses and held a town hall meeting at Graves Drug Store with about 15 people.
It was the third trip to Cowley County for the Wichita legislator. Betts said he has gone to 35 cities in the district, including small hamlets such as Howard, Eureka and Atlanta.
He attended the Atlanta Labor Day festival.
"They told me I stuck out like a sore thumb, but at least you are here," said Betts, a 30-year-old African-American who represents an urban area of Wichita.
Betts likely faces an uphill battle against Tiahrt, a seven-term incumbent who sits on the appropriations committee. But Betts says he feels good about the reaction he is getting from voters.
Education, health care and the economy are his top three concerns. All are tied together, he said.
"Economic development starts at the school-house door," he said.
The planned Wall Street bailout dominating headlines this week is a reminder that government deregulation, which Tiahrt subscribes to, has backfired, Betts argued.
"The trickle down effect has trickled out," he said.
Betts, though, does supports the plan underway by the Bush administration for taxpayers to spend $700 billion to shore up lending institutions and stabilize the economy.
"I think the bailout is necessary with strict guidelines," he said. "This cannot happen again."
Betts lashed out at Tiahrt for not responding to requests to hold candidate debates. A Betts supporter protested outside Tiahrt's office in Wichita recently in a chicken suit, he said.
A response from Tiahrt could not be gathered by press time Tuesday. See tomorrow's Traveler for the congressman's comments.
Tiahrt campaigned on term limits in 1994 but broke his promise by staying in D.C. too long, Betts said.
"People are tired of false promises," he said. "They want somebody who is going to be up front with them."
Tiahrt should not get any credit for the Air Force overturning its decision to give a $40 billion tanker deal to Northop Grumman instead of Boeing, Betts said.
Tiarht and other lawmakers fought the deal and an audit found that Boeing was not given a fair enough opportunity for the contract. This gives Boeing another shot at getting the contract, which could means jobs in Wichita.
Betts said Tiahrt took campaign money from Northop Grumman. Records show Tiahrt got $3,000 in 2008 and $8,000 in 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
"They should have not gone asleep at the wheel in the first place," Betts said of Kansas lawmakers regarding the tanker contract. "Where they when this decision was made?"
Betts said he has raised about $200,000, which leaves him little money for media advertising and puts him well behind the nearly $1.26 million reported by Tiahrt in July.
Betts says this means he is not connected to special interests. "I will only be accountable to the people of Kansas," he said.
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