UPDATED 9/11 with full video:
See below for a press release from the Dr. Cameron Webb for Congress (VA05) campaign, as well as video of the last 8 1/2 minutes of the debate, during which Good said stupid/nasty thing (e.g., that it’s supposedly *bad* to elect a doctor – lol!) after stupid/nasty thing (e.g., referencing the Biden-Harris “regime”; ranting about how Webb supposedly “would vote in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff, AOC”…gee, how did he come up with THOSE names?!? dog whistle much?) and during which Dr. Webb showed why he is the *infinitely* better choice for VA05 voters!
Dr. Cameron Webb Highlighting Kitchen-Table Agenda in Senior Statesmen Forum while Bob Good Deflects
Charlottesville, VA — Dr. Cameron Webb, Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, is currently in the middle of the first debate of the general election. Throughout the Senior Statesmen Forum, Dr. Webb has been discussing critical issues like the accessibility and affordability of healthcare, investing in rural broadband, improving education and job training programs, and more. Unfortunately, his opponent, Bob Good, continues to try and deflect and distract from his own out-of-touch policy positions with baseless attacks on Dr. Webb. The voters will see through it because the record on the issues that matter most is abundantly clear:
Leadership vs. Partisanship:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Dr. Cameron Webb worked in both the Obama and Trump White Houses, advancing policy on reducing the cost of prescription drugs, expanding job training, and more. He was even recently praised by a current Trump White House official—Ja’Ron Smith, a Deputy Assistant to the President—as “awesome” and “very talented.”
Dr. Cameron Webb believes in reaching across the aisle and rising above partisanship, and that’s how he has campaigned since he announced his campaign last August. He’s made recent appearances on the conservative platforms Bearing Drift and the John Fredericks Show.
- Bob Good’s Record:
Bob Good thinks that there is “not a lot of room for compromise in Washington” and he repeatedly criticized outgoing Congressman Denver Riggleman for supporting too many bipartisan bills. Bob Good also missed 10% of his Board meetings over 4 years in office as Campbell County Supervisor.
Healthcare:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Access to Healthcare: Dr. Webb supports creating a public option to ensure all Americans have access to healthcare, while also maintaining private insurance and the role of the free market in creating choice and competition. He also supports investing in rural health and fighting to lower costs so location and finances are not barriers to access. Dr. Webb has been consistent with these positions throughout the campaign; here are just a few examples: Charlottesville Tomorrow Questionnaire, CBS 19 Profile, Roanoke Times Article, ABC 13 Feature, Washington Post Article.
Affordability of Healthcare: Dr. Cameron Webb fought in both the Obama and Trump White Houses to make healthcare more affordable, including by standing up to big pharma on the price of prescription drugs. He also supports eliminating surprise medical billing and lowering costs for mental health services and long-term care.
Addressing COVID-19: Dr. Cameron Webb has been on the frontlines of fighting COVID-19 as a physician treating COVID patients at UVA, but also as a leader in raising awareness about the virus. Since mid-March, he has held weekly COVID updates to answer questions from folks around the district, a roundtable with local leaders, two kids town halls to address questions/concerns for children, and more. Beyond addressing the medical crisis, Dr. Webb supports efforts by the federal government to help families and small businesses during these challenging economic times.
- Bob Good’s Record:
Access to Healthcare: Bob Good supports repealing the Affordable Care Act without replacing it. He pledged that he would “fully repeal ObamaCare” and told the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives that he would “support de-funding Obamacare” and “not replacing it.” Fully repealing the Affordable Care Act would remove protections for those with pre-existing conditions, including 3.6 million Virginians and more than 300,000 in the Fifth District. Now that COVID-19 could be treated as a declinable pre-existing condition too, Bob Good’s plan would put up to 122,000 more Virginians at risk of losing coverage over a pre-existing condition.
Affordability of Healthcare: Bob Good has actively worked to raise prices in healthcare. As a Campbell County Supervisor, Good voted to raise ambulance fees by 26% — giving Campbell County the highest ambulance rates in the region, in part to fund a pay raise for Campbell County politicians. Two years later, when Virginians were struggling to pay the ambulance fees, Good pushed a plan to seize the property and drain the bank accounts of people with unpaid ambulance bills. Lastly, Bob Good stands in the way of progress when it comes to lowering prescription drug costs – Bob Good pushed and voted for a plan to give half a million dollars in taxpayer-funded giveaways to Abbott Laboratories, a company that has exploited a legal loophole to flood Virginia towns with opioids while avoiding legal liability and has paid over half a billion in penalties for overcharging Medicare for lifesaving drugs.
Addressing COVID-19: Bob Good has called coronavirus a “manufactured crisis” and social distancing measures “silly.” Good says he would have “not have voted for” the bipartisan coronavirus emergency relief bills that President Donald Trump signed into law. These bills provided 84.4% of adults with $1,200 stimulus checks, provided PPE to frontline workers, saved 1.5 million jobs, and provided $12 billion in aid to 111,000 Virginia small businesses. Good has even said that he opposed guaranteeing workers paid sick leave during the pandemic – a move that would force workers to choose between their paycheck and their health and that risked worsening the spread of coronavirus.
Economic Opportunity:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Dr. Cameron Webb believes we can and must invest in our economy to ensure every Virginian has opportunities for success. Currently far too many folks in VA-05 have been left behind by the economy—whether due to lack of rural broadband, underfunded schools, or other causes. Dr. Webb worked to address these challenges by furthering investment in education and job training programs at the White House and he wants to continue and expand on those efforts as a Representative of VA-05.
Dr. Webb has also been a vocal leader about the importance of supporting small businesses and workers during the economic downturn as a result of COVID-19 and he supports efforts by the federal government to do so.
- Bob Good’s Record:
Bob Good continues to support the 2017 tax bill that gave 83% of its benefits to the wealthiest one percent of Americans and $1.5T to the world’s largest corporations while raising taxes on the middle class over time. This plan included $43 billion in tax breaks to the biggest pharma companies and rewarded companies that moved jobs overseas. This tax plan hit the middle class in VA-05 particularly hard by capping the tax deduction on property taxes below the average amount residents of the district deducted.
Bob Good is on the side of big pharma. Good pushed and voted for a plan to give half a million dollars in taxpayer-funded giveaways to Abbott Laboratories, a company that has exploited a legal loophole to flood Virginia towns with opioids while avoiding legal liability and has paid over half a billion in penalties for overcharging Medicare for lifesaving drugs.
Bob Good was an executive at CitiFinancial, where he worked from 1988 to 2005. CitiFinancial paid hundreds of millions in penalties for its predatory lending practices during Bob Good’s tenure. Subprime mortgage lenders like Bob Good were “the biggest culprit” behind the Great Recession. These predatory mortgages and the financial crisis caused 163,000 Virginians to lose their homes. In Congress, Good has said he would oppose the rule that prevented banks from selling your private information without your consent.
Education:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Dr. Cameron Webb’s strong support for education can be traced to his upbringing, watching his mom who spent her entire career as a public school special education teacher. At the White House, Dr. Webb worked to increase investment in education and job training programs and he will continue those efforts as a Member of Congress.
Throughout the campaign, Dr. Webb has met with leaders in education, advocating with them for investment in education to ensure opportunities for success for students all across VA-05. Dr. Webb has also been on the frontlines of addressing the impact COVID-19 has on schools, especially inequity in access to rural broadband and remote learning. He has led multiple town halls to discuss school reopenings.
- Bob Good’s Record:
As Campbell County Supervisor, Bob Good repeatedly attempted to permanently close schools, including the High School with the largest Black population in the County. In 2016, Good pushed and cast the deciding vote for a budget that cut $542,000 from Campbell County Schools – causing the schools to lose out on another $362,000 in state matching funds and blocking a planned pay raise for teachers while giving a half a million dollars in taxpayer-funded giveaways to Abbott Laboratories.
Bob Good supports abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, which would eliminate federal student aid including Pell Grants for over 9,000 students from VA-05 and cut support for rural school districts.
Criminal Justice & Police Reform:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Dr. Cameron Webb, whose father spent two decades working at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has a deep appreciation and support for law enforcement, which he has emphasized throughout the campaign. Dr. Webb has consistently expressed his desire to work and support law enforcement, which is why he’s been endorsed by law enforcement leaders including: former sheriffs Ryant Washington, Buddy Maxey, and Steve Hutcherson and current sheriff Chan Bryant.
While Dr. Webb supports efforts to reform policing and the criminal justice system, he advocates for working with law enforcement to do so, including by further resources for so police aren’t burdened by needs that are better suited for mental health professionals, social workers, addiction specialists, etc. He also supports raising police salaries, investing in community policing, and more. As these policies make clear, as have Dr. Webb’s consistent statements throughout the campaign, he does not support defunding the police.
- Bob Good’s Record:
Bob Good is the only candidate in this race who has actually defunded the police. In 2016, Good cast the deciding vote for a budget that slashed funding for the police, leaving his County’s Sheriff’s department underfunded and understaffed and putting public safety at risk. Under Good’s budget, Campbell County police officers were some of the worst paid in the region, with salaries as low as $34,000 a year. Bob Good has even proposed banning police unions, which would reduce pay and benefits for police officers.
Social Security:
- Dr. Cameron Webb’s Record:
Dr. Cameron Webb is a steadfast supporter of Social Security and Medicare, programs essential to protecting America’s seniors.
- Bob Good’s Record:
On Social Security, Good has called to “raise the retirement age,” “slow the annual percentage of growth in benefits,” and “means test the benefits.”
These proposals would cut benefits, reduce the number of people who get Social Security payments, keep Americans working longer, raise taxes, and put the 185,751 VA-05 residents who rely on Social Security at risk.
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