an open seat leads to a contentious
battle in Michigan's 11th district
Republican Lena Epstein and Democrat
Haley Stephens are here together
Attorney General candidates Tom Leonard
and Dana Nestle make their cases to
voters and what to watch for as the
Returns come in on Tuesday night today
it's Sunday November for 2018 and this
is a special hour-long edition of
flashpoint all right welcome to
flashpoint and down the stretch they
come it has been a wild midterm campaign
and the countdown finally hits zero on
Tuesday it has been fiercely angry and
bitter it has been shockingly expensive
you're gonna notice that on Wednesday
when your television suddenly returns to
selling you soap and pizza instead of
health care and immigration reform but
the stakes do indeed feel enormous as
we've been debating some very
fundamental ideas about what America is
all about
we're coming to you this morning for a
full 60 minutes and it's going to be a
very full hour we're going to spend time
with both the major major party
candidates for attorney general
Republican Tom Leonard and Democrat Dana
Nestle we've had so many lawsuits lately
filed by attorneys general against the
federal government it's putting that job
in a new light and these two have
different ways of looking at the role of
the AG but up first today the two
candidates vying to represent Michigan's
11th district in Congress Dave Trott
stepping down after two terms in the
House open seat and the fight to occupy
it has been energetic like the bishops
lot can race in the 8th district this
one being closely followed all over the
country and this morning Republican Lena
Epstein and Democrat Hayley Stephens are
both here they're only face to face
appearance of the campaign they're up
first on flashpoint
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well the intense fight to represent the
11th district started in the primary
full slate of candidates from both major
parties and the survivors who emerged
are with me here this morning very happy
to have the Democrat Haley Stephens here
and Republican Lena Epstein I'm
delighted that you both agreed to be
here because this is the only joint
appearance for either view of the
campaign so I'm really grateful that you
accepted our invitation I want to start
with this and that is why you want to be
a part of what we're watching unfold in
America right now you've both spent
obscene amounts of money during this
campaign cycle and this bitterness that
we see all over the country
we see people mailing pipe bombs in the
mail we watched gunfire in a synagogue
why do you want to be a part of the
American conversation on politics right
now right there with you sure the
citizens of Michigan's 11th district are
looking for someone who's created a job
somebody who comes from the private
sector to serve the citizens of
Michigan's 11th district are looking for
someone like me who has signed the front
side of a paycheck and understands what
government regulation actually does to
businesses and the families that they
employ I feel called to serve as a
business owner and a business leader in
southeast Michigan with deep ties and I
think now more than ever more private
sector individuals like myself need to
serve and it'll be an honor to do so
Stevens why do you want to do this well
Washington is broken and it hasn't been
working for our region for much too long
I'm running as a proven public policy
maker I've managed taxpayer money
focused on outcomes right for our region
here and I think we need to get back in
the business of getting things done
pragmatic problem-solving and and
standing up for the people of Michigan's
11th district we have a beautiful
district from Canton up to Auburn County
strangely drawn as it is yes
gerrymandered as it is we've got an
incredible economy great public schools
and I'm running to be an advocate for
that I want to start with a topic that I
think is perfect for where we are in our
political conversation right now that
the president gave us this week and
that's on the idea of birthright
citizenship should being born in America
be enough to make you a citizen the
president wants to wipe that out should
he be able to do that the president made
the right decision
deferring the ultimate decision to the
United States Supreme Court that being
said when it comes to birth rates
inclination though well we need to have
a very honest and open conversation as a
community and as a country about what's
best for individuals that were born here
that didn't have any choice where they
were going to be born for individuals
that are here legally legal immigrants I
would certainly support their children
being citizens of the United States of
America when it comes to citizen
individuals who are here illegally I
would not be able to support their
offspring having automatic citizenship
but ultimately President Trump made the
right decision in deferring this
decision to the United States Supreme
Court
hey there students how do you feel good
I disagree with that action I don't
think that's the right choice and I
don't think the president has a right to
do the act look there's a lot of
dysfunction in Washington as it pertains
to our immigration system and and we
know we need to get back in the business
of getting things done we obviously want
to keep our borders safe and secure and
we also want to ensure that those who
are playing by the rules paying their
taxes that they have a path to
citizenship the president seems to
suggest that Democrats just want open
borders would you describe that as your
immigration position you want open
borders that's not my my position at all
I think that we need to have safe and
secure borders I think we can utilize
new technologies and continue to enhance
personnel I think we need to certainly
provide a path to citizenship for those
who are playing by the rules and paying
their taxes but we we don't do that
through open borders if I may interject
my opponent has has campaigned on the
promise to curb immigration and customs
enforcement and to me as a mom who has a
young child who will go to school soon I
think it's very serious a thought of
anybody being able to come into this
country from any other nation and and I
think it's very important for the voters
of viewers that are watching today to
know that a vote for Lena Epstein is a
vote for safe and secure borders
particularly at the United states-mexico
border immigrants and in particular
illegal immigrants actually tend to
commit crimes at a far lesser rate than
American citizens this is whipped too a
lot of people into a froth of thinking
that immigrants are dangerous people is
that fair I think at the end of the day
instead of labeling somebody good or bad
we have to we have to be very honest
about what's happening at the us-mexico
border
nobody knows Isis
the president of subscribe certainly and
right now people and illicit drugs
illicit firearms human beings are being
trafficked between the two nations and
until we have a very serious
conversation in this country about how
we're going to protect the border for
future generations we're not going to
get anywhere you want to follow them
I've never said that we need to repeal
the Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Agency that's absolutely ridiculous I've
worked in a federal agency before that
Republicans said that we should repeal
we need efficiency we need common sense
and frankly the president's had two
years to work on this with a Republican
majority and not much has happened you
we've talked to already a little bit
about the President and midterm
elections are often seen as framed as a
referendum on the presidency can you
characterize for me how you feel but
Java Donald Trump has done so far with
particular emphasis on what it's meant
for Michigan absolutely look we
recognize the president's been pretty
good at identifying some of the problems
but the reality is was we're the
solutions we have an increasing deficit
we have exorbitant student loan debt we
pulled out of the Paris climate Accord
and for Michigan here we've had a little
bit of instability created in our
automotive industry I didn't work as
chief of staff on President Obama's US
auto rescue that saved GM and Chrysler
and 200,000 Michigan jobs just to see it
get taken back on Friday we learned that
we've got the lowest unemployment rate
in almost 50 years lowest ever among
Hispanic Americans does any of that
register with you I mean aren't there
some things that are happening that are
really good in the economy absolutely
10 years ago you know the country was
starting to write us off the map they
were singing in Detroit song swan song
our region we've bounced back you look
at places like Wixom that are here in
michigan's 11th district the home of the
shuttered Ford Lincoln plant that's now
home to you know growing industrial
businesses that's something to be
excited about that's what I want a
champion I'm a woman in manufacturing
that's why I'm running for Congress we
you were rather famously the co-chair of
Donald Trump's campaign in Michigan
characterized for me not just how you
feel he's done overall as a president
but for Michigan the the tariffs and the
trade war have are costing our
automakers at least that what they're
for telling us a billion
probably so I come from the automotive
business and over the last 15 years I
have created hundreds of jobs for my
opponent to be taking credit for saving
two hundred thousand jobs is is very
unfortunate and and and just certainly
not true but at the end of the day that
your question is how is the president
doing and how is it affecting southeast
Michigan the citizens of Michigan's 11th
district and I've met with thousands of
people over this campaign are feeling
incredibly optimistic about their
economic prospects for them and their
family men and women are optimistic not
just about their conditions economically
now but they see two and four and ten
years out that that the future is bright
for them and their professional
prospects individuals in Michigan's 11th
district are also really optimistic
about the country being safe for future
generations so when you ask me to give
basically a scorecard for how the
administration is doing I am very very
pleased with their performance to date
the role that you played in the in the
auto bailout has been a source of
contention for both of you during the
campaign you want to address the role
you feel you play the only person you're
lying about my resume is is Lena you you
can either believe everyone who was
there my boss Vice President Biden the
President himself or you can believe my
opponent I was the chief of staff on
President Obama's us Auto rescue GM and
Chrysler were staring liquidation in the
face we saved those companies we saved
200,000 Michigan jobs we stood up for
this region and everything we represent
and that's exactly why I'm running for
Congress so the US Treasury Department
does indicate that my opponent was not
only not the chief of staff but she was
a special assistant and I think in these
very very important times in this
important election cycle that we have a
responsibility to the voter to to
articulate exactly what our experiences
to date if my opponent was a special
assistant which the documentation and
several people inside of the US auto
force did indicate she owes an apology
to the voter but at the end of the day
I'm campaigning on the fact that I have
created hundreds of jobs overseeing a
family business and that is what I'm
appealing to with the voters I'll never
apologize for working on behalf of the
US auto rescue and Lena I thought you
might bring that up and this is why I
have a letter from my boss Steve Rattner
verifying my role as the chief of staff
on the US auto rescue I'd be happy to
can you continue talking about how we
stood up for Michigan and our economy
and that's exactly what I'm gonna do
from time I love for us to move on to
another topic if we could I don't want
to debate resumes as much as I'd like to
before we get to a commercial break here
I'd like you both to weigh in on the the
trade war and the tariffs that the auto
makers are telling us is costing them
quite a bit of money the agricultural
world is very concerned about it too is
this the right way forward to the
president tells us trade wars are easy
to win the issue of trade is is critical
for the region it's critical for
southeast Michigan that has been so
dependent on automotive and
manufacturing
generally I don't like tariffs and at
the same time we have been operating in
a global environment that has
compromised American sovereignty and it
has compromised the American
manufacturing industry and has also
compromised the families and American
workers that are employed by those
businesses I have met in the last few
months with many automotive and
manufacturing people in this country
that have recognized that China is not
playing by the same set of rules in the
end it is my firm belief that President
Trump is using the tariffs as a
negotiating tactic and your thoughts on
this before we get to a break going back
to my time in the Obama administration
I've long been concerned about China
their strong arming their illegal
dumping the currency manipulation we we
need to get tough on China what we don't
need to be doing is doing it alone the
president's taking a unilateral approach
he's instigating a tariff war by Twitter
our automotive industry needs
consistency stability a government that
they can trust and I'll tell you I'm
having the same conversations with
suppliers that I had 78 years ago their
profit margins are tight their costs are
going through the roof they're getting
concerned about layoffs I gotta get to a
break but when I come back I'm gonna let
you both respond to ads that have been
running against you this is flashpoint
special hour-long edition on
before
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