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Kerrey Campaigns in Falls City

By Matthew Leaf

07/30/2012

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Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey made a campaign stop in Falls City on Saturday, as he campaigns to regain his former seat. Kerrey, a Democrat, is running against Republican Deb Fischer, a former State Senator from Valentine, to replace Ben Nelson, who is not seeking another term.
Kerrey cites as the “dominant” reason he decided to seek the Senate seat his concern for the fiscal health of the country if we don’t get on a path toward a balanced budget. (play audio :31)
Kerrey says the country was on a path towards a balanced budget when he retired from the Senate in 2001 – and he credited former President George H. W. Bush with setting the country on the path towards a balanced budget in 1990.
Kerrey says he’ll propose specific ideas to address what he calls a “long-term deficit” in Social Security. (play audio :33)
He also says he’ll propose specific reforms he’d make to the Medicare and Medicaid programs over the next couple weeks. Kerrey says he’d be able to reach across party lines to enact reforms. (play audio :27)
Kerrey says he’d contact former Senate colleagues he worked with in the past, as well as other Senators like Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn. There are also changes Kerrey says he’d make in the way the Senate is organized. (play audio :25)
Kerrey also said he supports the Affordable Care Act, which was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, though there are modifications he’d make to the law.
We’ll hear more of Bob Kerrey’s views on the healthcare law tomorrow.