Saturday, Oct. 28, 2000 | 3:45 a.m.
On a number of issues, Democrat Ed Bernstein outdistances Republican John Ensign, both of whom are vying to become Nevada's next U.S. senator in the wake of Richard Bryan's decision to forgo another term. Bernstein favors a prescription drug plan for seniors that is superior to Ensign's. Bernstein also supports using part of the budget surplus to aid Social Security, while Ensign believes in privatizing this vital safety net. On a patient's bill of rights, Bernstein supports legislation that would offer more protections.
When it comes to a woman's right to choose whether she continues her pregnancy to term, again there are clear differences. Ensign, who usually says he wants less government interference in our lives, contradictorily wants the government involved in one of the most private matters imaginable, demanding that women carry their pregnancies to term except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is in danger. For that matter, Ensign has said Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Bernstein, meanwhile, is a strong supporter of a woman's right to choose, believing that it is a personal matter. The fact is that the government has no right to step into this privacy zone, which was the reasoning that underpinned the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Ensign understands how unpopular his views are on this subject, avoiding the issue when he can. One Ensign television ad disingenuously tried to make it sound as if he was pro-choice.
And on the federal issue that is of top concern to Nevadans, Bernstein is preferable since the Republicans in Congress have made it their partisan mission to send nuclear waste to Nevada. Ensign says he would be more effective since he could lobby his fellow Republicans. But these Republicans aren't going to change their minds; Nevada's hope for fairness resides with Democrats who have stood by Nevada.
Ensign has undergone a campaign makeover in which he has tried to soften his far-right views on many matters. Bernstein may not be a polished candidate in the way that Ensign is, but you know where he stands on the issues. The Sun endorses Bernstein.
Meanwhile, in Nevada's two House races, both Democrat Shelley Berkley and Republican Jim Gibbons are seeking re-election. Berkley has been a standout freshman legislator. She's steadfast in her convictions, such as the need for campaign finance reform, a patient's bill of rights and prescription drug coverage for seniors. Berkley also isn't afraid to butt heads with the GOP House leadership. Her Republican opponent, Jon Porter, has suggested that Berkley is ineffective because she so frequently is at odds with leaders such as House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Instead of embracing Hastert, as Porter has done, we find it admirable that she's willing to stand up to the man who has been trying so hard to get nuclear waste buried in Nevada. The Sun endorses Berkley.
Jim Gibbons has been an effective advocate on behalf of his district, a sizable portion of which comes from rural Nevada. But he also has done well on issues that benefit Southern Nevada, such as helping pass legislation that will allow for a new airport in the region, which should help our tourist-based economy. Gibbons has been a solid legislator and merits re-election.
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