Journal & Topics Media Group

Schakowsky, Sangari Clash Over Social Security, Trump

By TOM ROBB Journal Political Editor

A screenshot of League of Women Voters of Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, and Elk Grove Village’s Facebook page, Zoom and webcast of the 9th Congressional District candidate forum Saturday, Sept. 26.

Two candidates, longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) and GOP challenger Sargis Sangari running to represent the 9th Congressional District, squared off in a new type of virtual candidate forum on Zoom and Facebook.

The forum was hosted Saturday by the League of Women Voters of Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, and Elk Grove Village, whose umbrella organization, founded 100 years ago, has been hosting candidates forums for decades.

Debate questions were emailed or called into League of Women Voters officials who sent them onto Prospect High School senior Felix Garkisch of Arlington Heights, who moderated the forum.

Schakowsky’s opening statement laid out a multitude of crises raging across the country, from the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis of racial justice, to 15 million Americans unemployed, causing an economic disaster. “People cannot pay their rent, their mortgage, health care, or put food on their tables,” she said. She placed the blame squarely on Republicans and President Donald Trump saying, “If you look for normal leadership, (dealing with crises) you won’t find it.” 

Schakowsky said this is an election of a lifetime in which voters must, “decide what kind of country we want to be.”

In Sangari’s opening remarks, he touted his 20-year military career including six years leading combat operations overseas. As a person of color and an immigrant, he said he hopes to leave something better to the next generation. He said his priorities include addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, economic prosperity, and bringing “peace and tranquility back to our streets.” Sangari warned of the dangers of devolving into tribalism, saying elected officials must work together.

The two clashed on the issue of funding Social Security. Sangari said Social Security needs congressional oversight and said the fund should be, “an as all for seniors because our seniors are the ones who rely on it and anyone else who is sucking money out of Social Security, that doesn’t fall into that category, you have to justify why we’re giving money to them, and it cannot be on these socialist programs… which have nothing to do with protecting our seniors.”

That brought a sharp rebuke from Schakowsky who said Social Security is an insurance program for all Americans. “I had two grandchildren who lost their mother, so they had some funds that helped them further their education. People with disabilities rely on Social Security and certainly on Medicare.”

Toward the end of the debate, the issue of reaching across the aisle was raised and another clash ensued. Schakowsky said after 11 terms in Congress, the level of difficulty under Trump and the GOP to get things passed is at an all-time new low.

Sangari took Schakowsky to task for her statements about President Trump. “Republicans wear red, Democrats wear blue, these are two vehicles to get into Congress, that’s all it is… If you want to fix the things for America you can’t go in there and constantly punch the other party in the face… Look at what I’ve said, I haven’t attacked the current candidate that the Democrats have put in (Joe Biden for president) because one day I may have to work with him.”

On a question about how to fund government programs amid a falling gross domestic product, Sangari said the U.S. has to bring back manufacturing: “Economic prosperity really resets everything.” Referencing China, he said the U.S. is “in (an economic) war with foreign powers.”

“We’re not going to be able to improve our economy unless we get this COVID-19 under control,” Schakowsky said. She discussed the HEROES Act, which would provide money to people in need rather than “having the economy just fall down around them.” She said, “The more we spend now the less we will have to spend in budgets later on.”

On a question about the need to wear masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19, Schakowsky said, “Science says it’s the right thing to do,” and took President Trump to task for not encouraging people to wear them and “modeling all the wrong things.” She said if people would all wear masks the number of cases would decline.

Sangari said both, “If masks work, you should use them,” but that recent studies say the virus is mutating beyond those protections. Sangari did not reference what new study on COVID-19 mutations he was referencing. 

“Americans are adults. Do what you have to do as an adult. I don’t need the government telling me what to do. Let me know what’s going on and I’ll do my best to ensure I keep everybody safe as much as possible,” Sangari said.

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