Merkley, Smith clash over rural issues, public safety, Wyden's support

MEDFORD - Oregon's U.S. Senate candidates battled for rural policy superiority in a debate Monday night in Medford.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) had to start the night playing defense, after a poll released Monday afternoon showed that challenger Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) had increased his lead over the incumbent senator to 46 to 41 percent. Smith, who is Oregon's only federal official from east of the Cascades, argued that he had a better grip on rural policy than Merkley and he warned rural Oregonians that the state House Speaker would not be a voice for them in Washington, D.C.

"Jeff was born in Myrtle Creek, and it did not take him long to forget where he came from and become Portland liberal. Now, Jeff has challenged me to visit every rural county once a year," Smith said, referring to Merkley's pledge to hold 36 public forums across the state if he is elected to the Senate. "As a rural Oregonian, I can tell you that rural Oregon doesn't need a visitor once a year, it needs a voice and a vote every day. I have always been that for rural Oregon, and I always will be."

Smith went on to accuse Merkley of standing against the federal county timber payments that rural Oregon recently secured. The county payments were tacked on to the recent $700 billion financial bailout package. Merkley had come out strongly against the legislation.

"What we are trying to do is unlock credit markets because that unlocks farm loans and student loans," Smith said. "And, that bill included county payments. How he could vote no on that and turn his back away from rural Oregon I could never understand."

Merkley was quick to defend his position, saying he opposed the bailout plan, not the county payments. He praised Oregon's senior senator, Ron Wyden (D-Portland) for his work on the plan, and chastised Smith for being unable to move enough Republican support for getting the county payments passed sooner.

"I'm starting to understand why Ron Wyden endorsed me," Merkley said to Smith. "He led the effort to get the county payments passed, and he wrote the bill that was inserted into the bailout. He got that into the bailout bill with a master legislative stroke. The leadership that you showed when the Republicans were in charge was to never take a pen to a bill. Then Ron Wyden gets in majority, and he fights for timber payments."

Wyden, who was the subject of both Merkley and Smith campaign ads last week, was front and center in this debate as candidates battled over who would be a better partner for the senior senator. Smith maintained that in order for Oregon to be best served, the Beaver State would need a member from each political party in the Senate.

"Twelve years ago you entrusted me with a seat in the U.S. Senate," Smith said. "You did that because I promised you I would be an independent voice for Oregon. I would work for solutions. I have done that every day with Senator Wyden. We don't vote the same 100 percent of time, but we work together 100 percent of time."

The candidates also sparred on issues ranging from rural health care, to sub-prime mortgage lending, to the Iraq war. When public safety was addressed, Smith lashed out at Merkley for what he believed was a shoddy record on crime.

"When I look at Jeff Merkley's record on crime, frankly, I'm appalled," Smith said. "Jeff Merkley was one of 13 representatives to oppose extending statute of limitations on sex crimes. He was one of seven to oppose life sentences for serial rapists. He was one of 15 to oppose longer sentences for violent crimes. And he was the only member of state legislature to vote against making abuse of an infant a felony."

But Merkley angrily accused Smith of misrepresenting his record.

"Shame on you Gordon Smith for portraying those lies," Merkley said. "I have voted to increase the statute of limitations. That bill you're talking about had a defect, and the legislature went back and fixed it. That's how the bill got done. You know this and you're ripping it out of context for the pure purpose of getting reelected."

The Senate campaign has been called one of the most negative in the country, mostly because of the large amount of television advertising. During the debate, both candidates expressed regret over the content of the ads. Similar to a situation during Thursday's debate in Portland, Smith again offered to take down his negative ads if Merkley would. Merkley again countered that he did not have any negative ads up and would consider sitting down with outside sources funding the negative advertising if Smith would do the same. There was no solution to the issue.

This was the last time the two will appear in a public debate before Election Day.

Voter registration ends Tuesday, and ballots will be mailed out to Oregonians on Friday.

Watch a rebroadcast of the debate on KOBI's website.