Interview with CD4's Democratic Challenger George Fearing

Sea-Tac, WA

Fourth District Congressional challenger George Fearing (D-Pasco) was in town to address the Carpenter's Union Northwest convention today, and the Politicker was able to sit down with him afterward for a brief interview.

Read the transcript below.

PolitickerWA: Why are you running ?

Fearing: Government is broke and the current congressman in the 4th CD is a poster child for the government being broke. He simply follows what the leaders of his party, which at this point is George Bush, tell him to do. He's listed on Crew's list as most corrupt members of congress

PolitickerWA: Are there any specific policies that he espouses that you disagree with?

Fearing: Continuation of the Iraq war, which leads us to huge budget deficits and makes us less secure. We're wasting resources on that war; resources that can be used in capturing Osama bin Laden and strengthen our security other ways. The military experts tell us that we're spreading our resources thin in other areas because we're focusing on Iraq.

I do not support the free trade agreements which our current congressman has supported or voted for. They weaken our economy, they weaken our agricultural growers they weaken our manufacturers. I wouldn't trade with a country that does not have similar labors laws, both minimum wage and safety laws, and environmental laws that we have.

PolitickerWA: That's across the board on minimum wage and safety laws?

Fearing: Right, yes. I believe we have a significant problem with global warming. Our current Congressman does not think global warming exists. You cannot solve a problem if you do not think it exists. I want to have the balanced budgets we had in the 90s. We can do that by ending the tax breaks that were given in 2001 and 2003 to the wealthy and the corporations. We can also balance the budgets by ending the Iraq War. I want to have full public financing of campaigns, and until we have full public financing of campaigns we're not going to solve many of our problems because the large corporations influence, if not control, public policy because of the donations they give to campaigns.

PolitickerWA: How has your fundraising been going?

Fearing: It has been better [than expected]. We had a goal of 50k by the end of last year and we raised 60k which I was very happy with because its difficult to raise the money in the off year and its difficult to raise the money when you're not the incumbent. We have a goal to raise 100k by the end of March and we're well on our way to doing that.

PolitickerWA: Have donors been pretty receptive to your candidacy, are there any particular places within your district, any specific types of people or industries?

Fearing: That's a good question, I can't identify any particular area of the district where it has better than others. At this point it is mainly Democrats within the 4th CD, although there have been a number of Republicans who have donated, indicating they are ready for a change in our district.

PolitickerWA: Have you been involved in politics or run for office before?

Fearing: I have. I've run for state legislature. I've been active in the Franklin County, Benton County and Legislative District 16 Democrat organizations for years.

PolitickerWA: What would you consider are your signature issues, or what are you an expert on?

Fearing: The signature issue for the campaign is that we need change and we need hope and the electorate this year more than any other year is wanting change and seeing hope. We see that in both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton the excitement for a change. I realize change is a broad issue. It encompasses a lot. More narrowly than that I think the main issue in the campaign this year will be the economy. In my mind our signature issue will be the economy, get the economy back on track. The economy is not doing well because of the huge budget deficits. The economy is not doing well because of these trade agreements that we have that does not allow our manufacturers that does not allow our growers to effectively compete on the world market. So I wish to end the tax breaks we were given and I wish to reform the free trade agreements that we have, either end them or require other nations to trade with us fairly, to get a sense of treating their workers properly, treating the environment properly.

PolitickerWA: So is the environment a key issue for you?

Fearing: Yes, especially regarding global warming. We need to take steps no for global warming and my district, Central Washington, the 4th, has high tech areas, has cheap electricity that can be used for new technology to reduce global warming and create high tech high paying jobs in that reward.

PolitickerWA: Which cities are on the verge of really booming?

Fearing: Richland area, Hanford area, one. Yakima, which has a lot of manufacturing plants, two. And Quincy which has a lot of high tech jobs coming in from Microsoft and yahoo! that has a lot of jobs coming in for the cheap electricity, three.

PolitickerWA: What is your stance on dams, do you support removing any of them?

Fearing: I do not support removal of the dams. They are needed not only for electricity but for providing water to our growers.

PolitickerWA: What first got you involved in politics?

Fearing: Watergate. When I was 15 years old and I watched the Senate Watergate hearings during the summer I was shocked at how the Nixon admin was running the government. It offended me and got me interested in politics and wanting to clean things up and I have been interested in politics ever since.

PolitickerWA: What cities do you think you can win this time that Hastings has won in the past?

Fearing: Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Yakima, the Tri-Cities.

PolitickerWA: I guess that sums it up. I heard a rumor that you like nachos, is that true?

Fearing: [laughing] You must go to drinking liberally!

PolitickerWA: I read a blog post about it.

Fearing: Well, I'm a vegetarian and so my menu is limited. And the one place where we go to in Richland that's about the only thing on the menu. I do like nachos but it's not a big thing for me.