Keller @ Large: Ebola Threat Becoming Key Issue On Campaign Trail
BOSTON (CBS) – The government's response to the Ebola outbreak has become a political issue.
In politics, they often talk about an October surprise, a late-breaking news event that ends up having an unexpected impact on the campaign. And with the election just three weeks away, the Ebola threat and the government's handling of it have jumped to the front of the national and local debate.
"The first thing to do is contain and isolate," said Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy.
"I'm praying the CDC is a lot more competent than the VA, the IRS and some of the other federal agencies," Republican congressional candidate Richard Tisei said.
Kennedy and Tisei are two voices in a national chorus echoing new polling that shows nine in ten Americans want the president to impose stricter screening of travelers from Ebola-stricken nations.
"Quarantining people before they come into the country, banning flights from those countries into the United States, I think all of those things make sense," Tisei said.
In a written statement to WBZ, Tisei's Democratic opponent, Seth Moulton, said "we cannot simply isolate ourselves" and echoed the partisan attack of a web ad from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
"So far I think people are approaching this with the appropriate care," Martha Coakley, Democratic candidate for Mass. Governor said sidestepping the issue.
But in last night's Virginia Senate debate, there was partisan agreement between incumbent Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Ed Gillespie that the public's skepticism is warranted.
In a statement late today, Massachusetts Republican Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker urged cooperation with any new flight restrictions the feds might call for, and denounced the democratic criticism of budget cuts as "unacceptable" politicization.
With so much at stake, you can count on hearing much more about the Ebola threat for the rest of this campaign season.
Full statement from Tim Buckley, Charlie Baker's campaign spokesman:
"Public safety is one of Charlie's highest priorities. He knows that the key to our emergency preparedness lies in engaging Massachusetts' world class health care resources. Charlie would demand the federal government communicate openly and consistently with the state and would cooperate with any federal recommendations regarding flight restrictions. He also feels recent attempts to politicize this very serious situation are unacceptable."
Full statment from Seth Moulton's campaign:
"We live in a global community. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and the identification of at least one case in the United States, underscores the need for sound science and sufficient support for our health agencies as we attempt to address global health crises in an interconnected world. We cannot let partisanship and gridlock prevent our agencies from doing their jobs, and we cannot simply isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. We must act quickly to tackle the spread of this disease and prevent any future occurrences in the United States:
1. Finally confirm a Surgeon General to coordinate American response to Ebola at home and abroad.
2. Restore all funding to the CDC and NIH cut as a result of the Sequester.
3. Augment USAID's $100 million commitment to fight Ebola abroad by deploying not only US troops but American medical professionals directly to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
While our focus must be on tackling the virus in the short-term, we must make the investments now to prevent future outbreaks and diminish the chances they can ever reach pandemic levels. We cannot allow partisan budget fights to threaten lives at home and around the globe."
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