18TH DISTRICT :' ~pace 'on tne SpOl

(Continued from page 1)

APphoto -:~
u.s. Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, right, 3
listens during a Rural Community::
Forum in Zanesville on Aug. 31. It has :;
been a challenging month for all~,
Democratic lawmakers returning ;ie'
from a congressional recess, and espe-
cially for one Ohioan who has been::.:
tangling with his ' conservative district ":..:
that turned Democratic only ' after ..
scandal felled a six-term Republican. ,"
: Much of the criticism has come frol)1 Republicans, who hoped
~pace was a different kind of Democrat.
,::; "He needs to be out and coming to discussion groups like we've
:'!J.ad so he can let the constituency know he's working for them and not
just following the party line," said Russ McGibney, the owner of Sips
coffee house in Republican Knox County, the northwest comer of
',Space's district. Space was invited to the August "Up for Discussion"
gathering at Sips to discuss public affairs, but did not attend.
; Space has tried to distance himself from party orthodoxy by
'emphasizing his accomplishments OR the House Energy and
J~ommerce Committee: slowing a health care bill down so he could
;!alk. to his constituents, exempting more small businesses from hav-
;ing to provide coverage, and making sure a public option doesn't
have an advantage over private insurers.
: President Obama and liberal Democrats' believe a strong public
~option will force private insurers to compete and lower rates. They
wanted to get the bill through before industry could build opposition.
, Space has been criticized for not holding town hall meetings, and
his potential 2010 GOP opponent, Jeanette Moll, held one of her
,own. Space said ~elephone town halls, which he used before voters
'}tarted confronting lawmakers over health care, enable him to reach
'more people.
: : The 18th District winds from the middle of this swing state
~prough several southeastern counties in Appalachia. It is relatively
lJ,oor and overwhelmingly white, and 11 percent of its residents have
~a; college degree; -.
-.:'
'\, ~ The rate of uninsured adults ages 18 to 64 ranges from about 13
~rcent in Licking County to 33 percent in Harrison County.
:> Space won in 2006 with 62 percent of the vote, ' after six-term
Republican Bob Ney pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection '
:~ith the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandaL .
," Space tries ' to position himself as far from Pelosi as he would
-'George w. ~ush.
:~ , "I've been fighting ... to instill a sense of moderation in the
'process," Space said to 7,800 people on a telephone town hall on Aug.
:E -,}, 7. "I know there are a lot of Republicans who agree with me on that,
~d I know there are a lot of Blue Dog Democrats, such as myself,
who feel that this thing should be done in a moderate fashion."
' ~ : Some don't see much of a distinction between Space and Pelosi.
': Robert Vandall, a Republican who lives in Space's home county
of Tuscarawas, said the lawmaker didn'tbehave like a conservative
Democrat ,w hen be voted'for capping carbon emissions. , _
, ,."Hemay like to think he is," Vandall said, but "if yo.u lookathis

on-:
:actionsand his ,votes they have nothing to do with conservatism."

Space ':> Many Democrats, how~ver, believe Space is far from iiberal.
: "I've never seen him do anything that I would consider to be even
-vaguely radical," said Lind,a Michaels, who hosted a private event at
;her Knox County home for Space to discuss health care. "It's a hard
·fuing for Zack because it's an extremely conservative area."

the spot ~
:: ' Marco Adornetto, who owns a restaurant in Zanesville, railed
. ~gainst Congress for trying to tackle too many issues at once. But he
has sympathy for Space, whom he knows personally. .
<:: "You know" that's a thankless job," Adornetto said. "You're
_ ~~amned if you do, and damned if you don't."

Democrat tangles with

district over health care :
: MOUNT VERNON (AP) - It has been a chal:
lenging month , for all Democratic lawmakers:
retunring from a congr~ssional recess,"' and espe~.
cially for one OhiQan who has been taniling witlt:
a conservative, New Jersey-sized district that
turned Democratic only after scandal felled a six!:
term Republican. ~ ~:
, The health care debate has made life in Ohio's'
18th Congressional
District t!ven more One of 52 fiscally
stressful for second- ,. conservative "Blue
term Rep. Zack Space, Dog" Democrats,
who has a daunting Space has been
checklist of delicate
balances to ' maintain
struggling to convince ,
and people to keep his district of his '
happy. moderate work:
One of 52 fiscally slowing a health care
conservative "Blue ,bill down so he could
Dog" Democrats, Space talk to constituents,
has been struggling to
convince his district of
exempting more small
his moderate work on businesses from
health care. Ht) has tried having to provide
to maintain a healthy coverage~nd making
distance from House sure a public option
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, doesn't have an
while not alienating his
, party. The 2010 election advantage over
season is rapidly private insurers.
approaching, and
Republicans - who .
sent RepuQlican National Committee Chamnan
Michael Steele to campaign against Space in his dis-
trict on Thursday - smell vulnerability.
"Recess is a misnomer," Space said in an inter--
view. "It's been pretty stressful. :
"I'm getting beat up on both sides right now.:
I'm having 'a hard time figuring out who's more;'
angry with me - the far right or the far left?" :
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