Lee and Pocan Offer Different Visions

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Two small businessmen with very different ideas on the nation’s debt and health care are running for Tammy Baldwin’s congressional seat. Chad Lee and Mark Pocan spoke at the downtown Madison Rotary Wednesday.

The 2nd Congressional District in south-central Wisconsin is overwhelmingly Democratic, but went Republican with the election of moderate Scott Klug in 1990. The Republican running this year is Chad Lee. He’s up against longtime state legislator Mark Pocan, a Democrat who touted his ability to work across party lines at a time Congressional approval is 10-percent, “The only way you’re going to get something done is to work with other people. I’ve had a reputation for that. I’ve got friendships on the other side of the aisle.”

Pocan supports the Affordable Care Act. Lee does not. The Republican says it fails to address cost concerns adequately and doesn’t provide portability, “We haven’t allowed people portability. We live in an age where people change jobs; they move. They’re living situation changes”

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As for the nation’s debt, Lee says he’s against higher taxes, “Instead of raising taxes, let’s get more people paying taxes, let’s get more people working, let’s get more people off unemployment.”

Democrat Pocan says a combination of spending cuts and tax revenue can bring down the debt, “We need to get tax fairness. We have to stop subsidies to oil companies that have record profits.”

The 2nd congressional seat is open because Tammy Baldwin is running for Senate. Republican Chad Lee ran against her in 2010, getting 38 percent of vote.