Lindstrom, Appearing By Herself At ‘Debate,’ Expresses Support for Both Legal Abortion and Kavanaugh

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2018/08/13/lindstrom-appearing-by-herself-at-debate-expresses-support-for-both-legal-abortion-and-kavanaugh/

Beth Lindstrom supports legal abortion, but she would likely vote for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh even if he doesn’t answer questions about abortion law during his confirmation hearings scheduled for next month.

Jim Braude, the host of Greater Boston on WBGH-TV Channel 2, pressed Lindstrom on the topic Monday, noting that she supports abortion.

“You’re pro-choice,” Braude said.

“I support Roe vs. Wade, yes,” Lindstrom responded.

“… If he refused to answer, tell you what his position was on Roe v. Wade, would you still vote for him?” Braude asked.

“I do not have a litmus test for any issue, because I think it’s detrimental to our justice system,” Lindstrom said.

Lindstrom was the only candidate to appear on the program, which was designed to be a debate among the three GOP candidates running for U.S. Senate in the primary next month.

Braude said that businessman John Kingston refused on Friday to appear, and that state Representative Geoff Diehl (R-Whitman) had said from the beginning that he would only show up if all three candidates attended.

Lindstrom, who served a secretary of consumer affairs during the administration of Governor Mitt Romney, didn’t mention Kingston directly, but she hit Diehl as a “career politician” and criticized him for accepting an increase in his legislative office budget from $7,200 to $15,000.

Asked about Trump and race, Lindstrom criticized Trump for his reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last summer.

“I have distanced myself from the president last year when I first announced to run. As soon as I made my announcement, I disclaimed his comments on Charlottesville,” Lindstrom said.

But she said she plans to vote for Trump in 2020.

“If he’s the nominee he would get my vote, based on the economy,” Lindstrom said.

Braude argued that the Trump tax cuts “tilt toward the rich” and are adding to the federal government’s deficit.

Lindstrom said she supports the tax cuts, and she noted that Samuel Adams co-founder Jim Koch recently praised the corporate tax cut from 35 to 21 percent for making his Boston-brewed beer competitive in a global market.

“Government doesn’t create jobs. People do. And you have to have an environment so that those jobs can be created,” Lindstrom said.

Braude said the working class is getting only “trickle-down benefits” from the tax cuts.

“If they are trickle-down and they’re getting benefits that help them, then why is that a problem?” Lindstrom said.

The primary is Tuesday, September 4.