On the campaign trail for U.S. Senate, Rep. Sherrod Brown stopped in Athens last night to speak on issues concerning both students and residents alike.
Brown, who has been a U.S. Congressman since 1992, decided to run for U.S. Senate this year to gain a bigger voice in national government.
The Senate is a much louder microphone and a much bigger platform than where I'm at now
Brown said.
Brown's visit to Athens followed the town-hall format, allowing those in attendance to ask Brown questions following a short introductory speech. During this speech, Brown emphasized progressive actions of the Democratic Party of the past and present while criticizing the regressive policies of the Republican Party.
Brown attributed the creation of Medicare, the safety of drinking water, clean air, food safety, social security and establishment of a minimum wage to the Democratic Party. The Republican Party, Brown said, was against these measures at their time of inception because of ties to large industries. Those ties, he said, continue today.
Catering to his audience of mainly students, Brown also addressed the issue of student loans. In the past, Brown said, student aid programs doled out 70 percent of its grants to students, with the other 30 percent loaned to students. Now, he said, the roles are flip-flopped with 70 percent in loans and 30 percent in grants. Brown said he wants this to change, and he wants to keep tuition within the means of middle class students.
Brown also spoke about the government's responsibility to keep drug prices down, the fiscal folly of the recent tax cuts and the war in Iraq and the recent wiretapping scandal. Brown said he found it odd that many of the people who are not advocates of big government think it is fine for the government to obtain a wiretap without any sort of warrant.
You can snoop just as effectively under the law Brown said.
Several members of the audience said they would have a tough choice to make in the Democratic primary between Brown and his primary opponent, Paul Hackett.
Unlike previous campaigns, Brown said, the democratic candidates are both treating their campaign as if they are running not for the party's nomination but against incumbent Mike DeWine, R-Ohio.
Many in attendance last night were undecided before attending Brown's meeting, such as freshman political science major Stefan Barber. Barber said he still has not made a decision as to who to vote for but liked the message Brown delivered.
I like the way he said that Democrats have to take a stand he said.
Athens resident Kathleen Galt attended both Hackett's speech in Athens on Saturday and Brown's last night. Going in, she said, she was undecided as to whom to vote for in the primary and still is. But for now, Galt said, she is leaning more towards Brown.
I think they're both wonderful candidates
Galt said.
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U.S. Congressman Sherrod Brown, D-Lorain, speaks and answers questions in Bentley Hall yesterday while on his campaign trail for the Senate. He is set to face Paul Hackett in the Democratic primary to decide who will face incumbent Mike DeWine.
