Candidate Spotlight: Dan Lamb

10/16/2012 (Updated 10/17/2012 6:26:29 PM)

This week, Fox40's Candidate Spotlight begins with Democratic Candidate for the 22nd District, Dan Lamb.

He is challenging incumbent Republican Richard Hanna, who would be representing Binghamton. Due to redistricting he currently does not.

To hear what Dan Lamb has to say about issues such as partisanship in Congress, Obama-care, and the national debt, be sure to click on "view video"

JASON WEINSTEIN: WELCOME BACK TO OUR FOX40'S CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT. WE BEGIN WITH DAN LAMB, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR THE 22ND DISTRICT. HE IS CHALLENGING INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN RICHARD HANNA, WHO WOULD BE REPRESENTING BINGHAMTON WERE HE TO WIN NOVEMBER'S ELECTION. DUE TO REDISTRICTING HE CURRENTLY DOES NOT, BUT WE BRING IN DAN. DAN WILL BEGIN WITH ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE SPLITTING UP CONGRESS -- PARTISANSHIP. IT SEEMS TO HAVE KEPT CONGRESS FROM REACHING A DEAL ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT AFFECT PEOPLE IN THE AREA, SUCH AS THE FARM BILL AND THE DEAL ON THE DEFICIT, A LACK OF WHICH COULD TRIGGER OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS IN SPENDING CUTS BEGINNING NEXT YEAR -- SPECIFICALLY, IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE CONGRESS WORK BETTER?

DAN LAMB: Well look, when I get elected to Congress a number of people like me are going to get elected to Congress because we're gonna be sent to change the way Congress operates. It's clear now that this Congress does not function. That this Congress, in our history, has made it such in Congress today that things that we need, like a farm bill, can't get passed. You know, the farm bill has been re-authorized every year since 1949. This is the first Congress that has decided that it's gonna hold it back and not allow this important policy to be passed, and we need this because in New York -- especially upstate New York -- the farm bill is very important. We lost about 25% of our dairy farms in the last ten years.

JASON WEINSTEIN: WELL, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAS SPLIT CONGRESS AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY -- OBAMACARE. NOW, THE FATE OF OBAMACARE COULD REST WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. AS AN AID OF CONGRESSMAN MAURICE HINCHEY, YOU ARE TO HAVE IT PASSED. DO YOU SUPPORT THE CONTINUATION OF OBAMACARE, AND WHICH HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CONGRESS WORK ON?

DAN LAMB: The health care reform is the law of the land now. Repealing it is a political non-starter. It's just not going to happen. So we gotta stop wasting so much time in Congress and get on with the business of strengthening out health care system. We've made some important steps forward with the health care reform, where young people can stay on their parents' insurance until age 26. People with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied health care coverage. Being a woman is no longer considered a preexisting condition. I don't think anyone wants to go back to the battle days when these were the laws of the land, where insurance companies can prevent children with preexisting conditions from getting health care -- I don't think so.

JASON WEINSTEIN: WELL, WITH OBAMACARE OR ANY OTHER ISSUE, THERE, OF COURSE,  IS A PRICE TAG INVOLVED, AND THAT BRINGS UP THE ISSUE OF THE NATIONAL DEBT. WHAT ARE YOUR SOLUTIONS TO TACKLE THE NATIONAL DEBT?

DAN LAMB: We need a balanced approach to tackling the national debt. Certainly it's something we've got to deal with. We had a situation in the 1990s, where we actually balanced the federal budget and we were producing a surplus. We need to look at what worked in the 1990s and go back to some of those policies. What I will not support is cutting taxes for the wealthiest 1% like Richard Hanna has, and putting the burden of balancing the budget on the middle class and low-income people.

JASON WEINSTEIN: DAN LAMB, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR THE 22ND DISTRICT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.



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