2nd District GOP hopefuls differ on trade, term limits

CEDAR RAPIDS – Four candidates for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House in Iowa's 2nd District sounded similar conservative themes in a radio debate June 3, but before the hour was over found time to disagree on term limits and trade.

Despite nasty exchanges in recent days, the candidates – Rob Gettemy and Christopher Reed, both of Marion, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Steve Rathje of Cedar Rapids – were civil as they promised to support the 2nd Amendment, lower taxes and reduced spending while opposing ObamaCare and cap-and-trade during the Bob Bruce Radio Experience on WMT 600 AM.

It's time for term limits, Reed said, because “The era of the career politician has to end.”

Rathje said term limits would require a constitutional amendment, “so I took it upon myself to self-impose term limits.” He promised to serve no more than four terms in he wins the June 8 primary election and goes on to defeat Mount Vernon Democrat Rep. Dave Loebsack.

Gettemy also would support term limits, but said the problem goes deeper because voters have “outsourced” decision-making to Washington.

“We need to go back to the principles of our founders where we have personal responsibility and part of that is electing officials,” Gettemy said.

Only Miller-Meeks disagreed with the premise. Rather than end corruption and make Congress more responsive to voters, she said term limits would give unelected bureaucrats even more power than they wield today.

“Those bureaucrats are never held accountable,” Miller-Meeks said. “They're not voted in and they can't be voted out.”

On trade, the candidates supported “fair and free” trade. However, Rathje said tariffs may be necessary because some nations, notably China, manipulate their currency to maintain favorable exchange rates.

“I believe in free trade,” he said, “but at same time we have to impose a fair and balanced tariff on those things coming in to this country that are stealing jobs.”

That would kill Iowa agriculture exports, the others said.

“Without free trade we reduce our standard of living,” Gettemy said. “We need to open up markets. When we start violating (free trade) then we open the door for everyone else to violate it.”

Miller-Meeks said Iowans and Americans can compete on a level playing field. Trade, she said, pays a “peace dividend” because trade partners are less like to go to war with one other.