Lance Armstrong, left, and Sen. Sam Brownback, proposing to end cancer deaths in 10 years. AP photo by Charlie Neibergall
by Rick Pearson
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Republican presidential contender Sam Brownback today pledged a goal of ending cancer deaths in 10 years while rival Mike Huckabee used a health care forum to suggest that federal food stamp participants get more buying power for healthy foods and less for junk food.
Huckabee and Brownback, each vying among religious conservatives in Iowa to establish themselves as top tier contenders, also said universal health care proposals offered by Democrats would not be as effective to helping the nation as improving the affordability and expanding the coverage of private health insurance.
The two were the only GOP contenders to show up for the second day of a forum on cancer sponsored by cyclist Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation, following by a day appearances by Democrats that included leading contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards.
While 3,000 people attended the Monday event, fewer than 1,000 people attended the forum today, organizers said. "It's unfortunate the other candidates weren't here so you could hear there position and decide," Armstrong told the audience.
Brownback, a Kansas senator who has heavily courted Iowa voters, said ending cancer was "an American-sized goal" that could restore the public's confidence and unify a government paralyzed by partisan fights over more mundane issues.
"What better way for the federal government to show they are working for the American people than to take on the objective of ending deaths by cancer in 10 years and us working together -- Republicans and Democrats -- to fund, to finance, to change the laws and get this done?" asked Brownback, who was treated for melanoma in 1995.
Brownback said he did not know how much such an effort would cost, but said it could involve as much as tripling the current $5 billion in federal funding devoted to cancer research. He said setting the objective of ending cancer would drive federal funding toward the goal.
But in the forum, carried on MSNBC and co-hosted by Armstrong and talk-show host Chris Matthews, Brownback could not identify any specific cuts in existing government programs to help finance his goal. Instead, the Kansas senator said he would form a panel to review federal programs similar to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, known as BRAC, to propose up or down cuts for Congress to consider.
"I've never even heard of the BRAC process," Armstrong said.
Brownback said he supported stem-cell research, but not work involving embryonic stem cells which he said was a way "to say there are some boundaries out there." He dismissed criticism by Clinton, a New York senator a day before, that the Bush administration was using its conservative ideology to muzzle science.
"I'm going to aggressively fund science," Brownback said. "I believe in science. I don't think there's a conflict between faith and reason and if there is, you should check your faith or check your reason."
At an earlier debate among the GOP contenders, Brownback was among the candidates who raised his hand when asked which of them did not believe in evolution. Brownback has said he believes in the science of changes over time within a species but rejects a materialistic evolution theory that does not involve a guiding intelligence.
Huckabee said he lost his father to cancer and his wife was treated for a spinal tumor in 1975. He has become something of a health guru among the presidential contenders, having dropped 110 pounds after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2003.
Huckabee, whose second place finish behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Iowa's GOP straw poll earlier this month helped catapult his campaign, contended the nation's insurance and health-care programs are "upside down" by failing to recognize the value of preventive medicine and healthy lifestyles.
"For the people who are on food stamps, why don't we leverage the purchases of food stamps so that if your dollar of food stamps is used for fresh fruit or vegetable or some type of produce or healthy food, that dollar could be worth $1.25?" Huckabee said. "If you wanted to use your food stamp on junk food...make it worth only 75 cents. Create the incentive so people are willing to try the fruits and vegetables."
Huckabee dismissed a question of whether tradeoffs must be made between funding the war against terrorism and health care.
"If we fight off every enemy out there under the banner of Al Qaeda and we don't fight the enemies we have here at home, then it won't matter how it would be won with Al Qaeda because we're not going to have another generation healthy enough, well enough, strong enough to fight the wars in our future," he said.
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Comments
The question has been raised as to why someone like Huckabee, a Baptist minister, has not secured the Christain conservative vote. I wonder too. My guess its that its more about winning than losing for some, and any Republican is perceived as better than any Democrat, so they are only looking at the most "electable" candidates. Sigh.
I can say that I am impressed by the fact that he seems to true to his faith in his actions, yet doesn't ram it down people's throats. He's a guy you can respect because he seems to respect you, whether you agree with him or not. That in itself is refreshing.
Posted by: kb | August 28, 2007 2:53 PM
I don't know why this is surprising news. The Republican Party believes a)if you can't afford health care you deserve to suffer and b) Inheritance taxes should be forever eliminated for 1/100th of 1% of the richest families in America.
Posted by: jethro | August 28, 2007 3:00 PM
I agree with you kb. Huckabee seems like a solid guy. I'm not prone to vote for republicans but he would be much better than Hillary.
That said they will probably nominate Romney and the dems will nominate Hillary and I will vote for a third party canidate.
Posted by: nisleib | August 28, 2007 3:18 PM
Can't believe anyone could seriously be talking about Mike 'I don't believe in evolution' Huckabee as President of the United States.
Posted by: jj | August 28, 2007 4:40 PM
It's not such a wonder that the GOP canditates don't show up for something like this. Compassion is not the first thing that comes to mind with republican leaders. Fact is that cancer is epidemic, in the US more than 1,500 people a day die from this disease. Most anyone knows someone who died from this disease, on short notice, in his immediate surroundings...
At a very small cost we could institute preventive national screening for some of the most pervasive ones like colon, cervic, and prostate. BUT since it even remotely smells like socialized medicine the Compassionate Republicans don't show up. What they forget is that their own are just as liable to get this dreaded disease as these damned Democratic candidates that did show up...
Lance Armstrong, 7 times Tour de France winner and cancer survivor, is willing to put his time, and well known name in to this laudable initiative but the candidates don't dare show up...
More the pity since the total cost of this, on a nation wide basis, would be less that .5% of the cost of the Irak war..
Go figure!
Posted by: BD | August 28, 2007 5:17 PM
Alt Cap;
',,,whoaa!!! that tickles!!'
Looks like Senator Sam 'Brokeback' is doing a reach-around on Lance!!
Is 'Sam I Am' next to tumble out of the closet? Stay tuned.
Posted by: C.Morris | August 28, 2007 5:21 PM
As a cancer survivor, it is troublesome to me to see presidential candidates and media politicizing this terrible scourge.
At least on this issue, get together, put
politics aside, and vow to do whatever is necessary to cooperate with one another to support research and treatment for cancer victims and support for their families who need encouragement, not political grandstanding. And if you can't do that, just shut up!
Posted by: Baker | August 28, 2007 5:42 PM
Shorter Lance Armstrong: Anybody stupid enough to disbelieve in evolution is stupid enough to believe I didn't cheat.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | August 28, 2007 6:28 PM
"MARTHA STEWART WENT TO JAIL THINKING SHE DID SOMETHING WRONG" PROMOTING A CURE FOR CANCER AND THEN SKIMMING THE TOP WHEN BAD NEWS ARRIVED. WAS IT BAD NEWS OR WAS IT JUST ANOTHER WAY TO STOP A WOMAN FROM GETTING TO THE FOREFRONT. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD. SHE IS NO ENRON.
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT TO THINK THAT BIOGEN HAD THE CURE TO CANCER. I DID. JUST THINK FOR A MINUTE. IF SHE DID MEANING BIOGEN WOULD HAVE ENDED A LOT OF CAREERS. A LOT.
I THINK IT MAY BE JUST STUPID, BUT BIOGEN DID, AND THEY WERE GOING TO RELEASE IT. HER PARTNER TOOK A 5 YEAR PRISON TERM AND 430 MILLION WITH HIM NOT TO ALLOW THE CURE TO COME TO LIGHT. IT WAS AT THE LAST MINUTE ALL OF SUDDEN SHE WAS A CRIMINAL AND FDA REFUSED TO RELEASE THE FINDINGS. I SAY HER COMPANY AND DR. SARVO FOUND THAT CURE AND THE WHITE HOUSE MACHINE SHUT HER UP.
IT MAY SOUND STUPID BUT I HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL AND I SAY I AM RIGHT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MARTHA?
Posted by: Roger Morris | August 28, 2007 7:11 PM
Roger, why did you get a crystal one?
Posted by: whatnow | August 28, 2007 8:40 PM
WHAT? only two Repulicans showed up?!?!
I'm SHOCKED.....not.
Posted by: John E | August 28, 2007 10:48 PM
Roger
That crystal is NOT a crystal ball, it's a rock, and you obviously need to stop smoking it.
Posted by: What? | August 29, 2007 12:36 PM
Looks like Brownback has his hand in Lance's pocket - and not necessarily in his coat pocket.
Somewhere Sen. Craig is hyperventilating.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | August 29, 2007 3:38 PM
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When a tumour appears in any part of the body, you must go to your doctor because this is not normal. Besides, there are osme other symptoms such as: anaemia, lack of appetite, constant pain in osme parts of the body, etc.
Nowadays, there are many things producing cancer and every one of us needs to take care of anything: foods, drinks, home articles, clean products, etc.
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Posted by: Camilo | November 8, 2007 11:55 AM
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Posted by: hector | December 14, 2007 1:23 PM