LAKE PLACID — District 20 congressional hopeful Chris Gibson toured area hospitals and the Trudeau Institute before hosting an evening meet-and-greet here on Tuesday.
A political newcomer, the Republican from Kinderhook retired from the U.S. Army in February after 24 years and seven deployments, including four tours in Iraq, three served after Sept. 11, 2001.
His last command led the 82nd Airborne Division 2nd Brigade combat team on a humanitarian mission to Haiti following the earthquake in January.
A decorated soldier, Gibson also holds a master's in public administration and a doctorate in philosophy in government from Cornell University, and he has taught American politics at West Point.
He is challenging Congressman Scott Murphy, a Democrat from Glens Falls who won in a special election last year, as the sole GOP candidate.
ECONOMY KEY ISSUE
From an analytical perspective, Gibson sees both political division in Washington and the lagging economy derived from one central, key issue.
"The defining issue in this election is how to revitalize the private-sector economy because so much is related to that," Gibson said, suggesting consumer confidence will return, and deficit and debt will turn the corner when small businesses are freed of three impediments — taxation, regulation and the high cost of health care.
Gibson observes two approaches to economic recovery as near polar opposites.
"The president launched an initiative today for infrastructure and that tells us, even after 20 months or so of putting stimulus programs in place, there's a recognition we're still moving in the wrong direction," he said.
Gibson cited a recent uptick in national unemployment to a rate of 9.6 percent and anemic economic growth haunted by the specter of double-dip recession as signs the Recovery Act's efforts are not working.
Part of the reason the stimulus program has failed, he said, is the weight of state debt.
"Most of the stimulus money spent ended up going to the public sector and in large measure went to address the symptoms of recession, not the problem," he said.
SMALL BUSINESSES
Instead, small business has become over-taxed, more mired in regulation and strapped by debilitating heath-care costs, Gibson said.
"Because we're moving in the wrong direction in these, small-business owners are being squeezed. We should be focused on removing these impediments as opposed to adding stimulus."
Gibson appeared strategic in his thinking about how to improve the economic context in which small business operates and supports the idea instead of targeted tax and regulatory relief.
"In traveling around the district, I listen carefully to small-business owners," he said. "They are going to create 70 percent of new jobs in the U.S."
Gibson does not see this as a good time to repeal the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income earners.
"This is not the time to raise taxes at any level," Gibson said. "When you shrink capital that slows the economy."
AFGHANISTAN
The retired Army colonel said he agreed with President Barack Obama's position to end military activities in Iraq.
And he believes the United States ought to take a similar stand in Afghanistan by training leaders there to perfect counterinsurgency.
"You don't ever want to start a war you don't close successfully," he said.
But he sees al-Qaida as the real enemy.
"We need to complete the mission in Afghanistan in order to focus on al-Qaida, and we should make it our priority. We do not need to invade, take over and rebuild nations to defeat al-Qaida, and we should work in concert with nations around the world to defeat them."
MURPHY RESPONDS
Contacted late Tuesday, Murphy said it is very clear to him the key issue in this election is the economy.
"And how do we get the economy working again? And how do we get people back to work? I think I've got the right experience to do that," he said, citing 1,000 jobs created in his business enterprise in recent years.
"There are two sides to it. In some cases we have to get government out of the way. At the same time, we need to help our businesses with more favorable tax and other policies, like the Small Business Association. In this term, we've made it so SBA was able to double the number of loans they're making, a big help for small business."
Murphy said some aspects of stimulus worked toward economic recovery.
"The money that allowed SBA to double its loans was part of the Stimulus Act. A lot of the money was allocated to states and the state government in Albany, and I'm as disgusted as everyone else seeing what's gone on in Albany."
Murphy said he believes Washington should direct policy to encourage small businesses to stay in America by closing a tax loophole for companies that ship jobs overseas.
"My opponent disagrees, but that is absolutely the kind of thing we need to fix. We need to change the tax code so that we encourage businesses to invest here."
Murphy supports military drawdown in Iraq but sees Afghanistan as a point of origin for terrorism.
"Al-Qaida attacked us from Afghanistan, so we are in Afghanistan to make sure they can't do that again."
E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com
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