Farmer accuses Bond of negative campaigning

Democratic Senate candidate Nancy Farmer accused GOP Sen. Kit Bond of smearing her on the airwaves during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau on Thursday.

She said Bond is airing a radio commercial that smacks of negative campaigning. Bond's campaign has said it's not a smear, but a spirited discussion of the issues. The ad is running in rural areas including Cape Girardeau, mid-Missouri, Joplin and Springfield.

The senator's ad hits Farmer on issues ranging from abortion to military funding and gay marriage.

Farmer said the ad wrongly claims that she opposed Boeing's F-15 fighter jet program. "My only opposition was to outsourcing jobs," she said.

Farmer said it's a distraction for Bond to raise the gay marriage issue when Missourians have already decided the issue. Missourians earlier this month voted to include a gay marriage ban in the state's constitution. Bond's ad says Farmer "supports same-sex marriage."

Congress shouldn't get involved in the issue, Farmer responded Thursday. "It is clearly a state's rights issue," she said following a brief rally with about two dozen supporters at Capaha Park's Freedom Corner.

Bond has accused Farmer of supporting one of the largest tax increases in the state's history. Farmer said Missouri government had no choice but to raise taxes to support public education. "We were under a court order to fully fund the school foundation formula," she said.

Farmer spoke against the backdrop of Freedom Corner on Broadway with its small replica of the Statue of Liberty as some supporters held Farmer signs over their heads as shade from the afternoon sun.

She proposed a plan to better support members of the National Guard and Reserve and their families. She called it the first major policy proposal of her campaign.

She said her "Protecting Our Protectors" plan would provide greater access to health care, better benefits and improved services for soldiers and their families.

Farmer proposed: The federal government provides reservists and Guard members permanent access to the military health-care system. Farmer said 20 percent of Guard members and reservists don't have health insurance.

A 100 percent tax credit of up to $12,000 for businesses that pay reservists the difference in salary between the military pay and their civilian salary. Many Guardsmen and reservists take pay cuts when they are called to active duty. Updating and modernizing the military payroll system so Guardsmen and Reserve troops get their paychecks on time.

Requiring all colleges to carry over tuition balances and waive penalties and fees for soldiers returning to school after their service. Doubling the child tax credit for active duty troops. Farmer said when reservists are activated their spouses become single parents.

Extending the Family Medical Leave Act for soldiers' families.

"Simply put," she said, "the federal government can and must do better."

Farmer's comments came on the same day that six former top officials of the Missouri Army National Guard endorsed Bond, saying he was a strong advocate of federal funding for the Guard.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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