Published: August 29, 2008 05:43 pm      

Fourth Congressional candidates have first — and last — debate

DANVILLE — Voters in Indiana’s Fourth Congressional District who wanted to see a debate between incumbent Steve Buyer and his challenger, Nels Ackerson, are likely out of luck.

Buyer said during Thursday’s debate, hosted by Hendricks County Farm Bureau at the 4-H Fairgrounds and Conference Complex, that this one, the first between the two, would also be the last.

“This will be the only debate because Mr. Ackerson had agreed to rules, which he then violated,” the congressman said in his opening statements.

Ackerson waited until his closing statement to address that comment, saying he didn’t know what rules Buyer was talking about. He did apologize, though, for the sake of fulfilling his call for having a debate in all 12 counties of the fourth district.

“I think persons in every county — concerned about every issue — deserve the same respect that was given to this group tonight,” Ackerson said.

That didn’t seem to sway Buyer, who never clarified what rules were supposedly broken. He seemed to especially bristle at Ackerson calling into question his commitment to his constituents, like regarding his chairmanship of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee (the most “bitterly partisan, dysfunctional committee in the United States Congress, in either House or Senate”), his missing more votes than any other Indiana congressman, and breaking his pledge to only serve six years when he’s been in congress 16.

“We need to fix the culture of congress,” Ackerson said, accusing Buyer of becoming a Washington insider.

Buyer fired back, referring to Ackerson as the “gentleman from Maryland” who only recently returned to his home state and registered to vote here just a year ago.

“I welcome you back to Indiana from having served decades in Washington, D.C.,” he said, referring to Ackerson’s service as chief counsel on the Subcommittee on the Constitution in the Senate.

Buyer added that he’s proud of his congressional voting record, despite having to deal with recent family and health issues. Those include him tearing ligaments in a skiing accident, but most notably being with his family as his wife’s sister died of terminal illness, something Buyer said many Hoosiers knew about.

“You wouldn’t have known that,” he said to Ackerson. “You’ve been in Washington for a long time. So I will make a personal appeal for you to just stop it.”

He went on: “I’ve been quiet about it, and he’s been having his fun out there in the public domain. Every time my wife reads it in the papers she gets extremely upset. I made the right judgment (in being by my family’s side).

“You did great until the last 45 seconds,” Buyer told Ackerson. “That’s when you decided to jump and become a mean-spirited partisan.”

Buyer added he’ll release a statement clarifying these issues in the coming days. At one point he asked Ackerson to step off stage and apologize to his wife for his comments.

Per debate rules, Ackerson wasn’t given a chance to respond, as his closing statement was before Buyer’s. He did sum up his position in his opening statement.

“Our government in Washington has failed us,” he said, citing the economy, energy policy, veterans’ care, health care costs, and the national debt. “Most of all, we must change the culture of Congress, where partisanship has replaced principle and political power and perks are more important than results on real problems.”

If elected, he said, he would be what he called a Blue Dog Democrat — one who balances the budget by implementing a pay-as-you go philosophy and reaching across party lines.

Buyer said he’ll continue to fight for the values and virtues he inherited from those before him.

“Those values I fight for every day are ageless,” he said.

He also said he’s proud of his party affiliation.

“If you watch CSPAN and see us fighting, you know what, that’s exactly the way the Framers wanted it,” Buyer said. “It’s about the open exchange of ideas that make this country better.”

wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com