ATLANTA -- Trailing badly in the polls, Democrat Michael Coles came out swinging at Republican U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell over health care and military spending Sunday during their first televised debate. Rather than introduce himself, Coles used his opening statement to accuse Coverdell of ignoring Georgians who want the right to sue HMOs for denying them needed medical treatment. "This is one issue his campaign is saying to be no big deal, and that is wrong, senator," said Coles, the millionaire founder of the Great American Cookie Company. "You should be about helping Georgia families, not attacking them." Coverdell, who says non-judicial review panels would solve health care disputes more efficiently, accused Coles of supporting government-controlled health care along with President Clinton and Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy. "Mr. Coles has chosen the Clinton-Kennedy team -- more taxes, more government, more government health care," Coverdell said. Also debating was Libertarian Bert Loftman, an Atlanta neurosurgeon who said eliminating the federal income tax in favor of a national sales tax would cure problems ranging from health care to saving Social Security. "The both of them seem exactly the same to me, and their policies," Loftman said when asked which of his opponents he would support if he were not running. Asked whether he was concerned about recent cuts in military spending, Coles blamed Coverdell for supporting $17 billion in cuts in veterans' health benefits during his six years in office. Coverdell blamed the White House for reductions in defense spending, saying President Clinton has left the country with a "hollow army, ill prepared to fight against terrorism." Coles, however, pointed out that Coverdell voted in favor of the very spending bills he was criticizing. Coverdell said the measures contained transportation funding that was vital to Georgia. |
