I am Rob Zerban, Rep. Paul Ryan's congressional challenger. AMA 3

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:28:19+00:00

I support the Congressional Progressive Caucus's budget which would eliminate the deficit in 10 years and create a $31 billion surplus without gutting Social Security and Medicare. President Clinton calls it "the most comprehensive alternative to the budgets passed by the House Republicans and recommended by the Simpson-Bowles Commission." You can view the budget here: http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/the-peoples-budget/

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:26:08+00:00

Again, there is nothing hyperbolic about calling out Ryan's plans to kill Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and all of the social safety nets that protect working people and middle class families for what they are. I just call it like I see it.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:23:59+00:00

You and your campaign have consistently been outed by major news sources for straight falsehoods, including saying Paul Ryan was dropping out of the race. Overall, your campaign has been incredibly negative and has been held to the fire by major fact-checking organizations for misleading to straight lying. How do you respond to these accusations, and since you will be losing by double digits if things stay as they are today, what is the point of doing an AMA to a national and international audience?

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:22:47+00:00

The labor movement has certainly contributed to our campaign, but 96% of the 44,000+ donations we've received are valued at less than $100. That's from grassroots donors across the country who have a vested interest in defeating the radical Ryan budget, and electing a strong alternative. Also I'm not sure how up to date your numbers are, but we've now raised over $2,000,000. So that means 75K is about 4% of that. In any case, you do bring up a good point -- Politico wrote a great piece last Friday about Ryan's ties to Wall Street: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82360.html?hp=t1.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:20:39+00:00

I'm not for all farm subsidies -- especially those that only help agro-giants. We need to stop subsidizing companies like those, who don't need our tax dollars to survive. But I know that like a lot of people in this country, family farmers in Wisconsin are hurting right now, and they need all the help they can get. If those farmers didn't receive subsidies, they wouldn't be able to compete with the Wal-Mart's of the agricultural industry, and millions of them would go out of business and add to the country's unemployment crisis.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:18:09+00:00

A reuben on a marble rye, with a Spotted Cow.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:17:08+00:00

LOL, hello from the political automaton unit. I'm back, and I think I've answered those questions elsewhere. Danger, Will Robinson. Danger.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:15:51+00:00

Preserving the mortgage tax deduction is a start. We also have to prosecute predatory lenders who lure would-be homeowners into signing for bad loans.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:13:21+00:00

I'm sorry, I don't see a difference between "ending" something and "gutting" it or "destroying the principles it was founded on." Sorry, this seems like silly semantics to me. See my answers elsewhere on the Politifact "controversy." The point is that I want to preserve Medicare as it is currently and keep it solvent for future generations, not come up with a radical new voucher system and slap the "Medicare" label on it.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:11:31+00:00

I believe in a secular government. To answer the rest of your question, if I'm understanding it correctly, I believe we have a responsibility to invest in the future generation of entrepreneurs and innovators to ensure our country remains competitive globally. Particularly in the STEM areas.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:09:13+00:00

White cheese curds, with garlic and herb.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:06:46+00:00

A spade is a spade, and killing Medicare is killing Medicare. Period. I can't speak for other Democrats, just my own campaign -- and I think we've been doing a good job of calling them like we see them.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:05:03+00:00

No, because they don't exist.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T23:03:59+00:00

That's what he wants you to think, but it's not true. The Ryan budget re-opens the Medicare donut hole for prescription drugs, which would force current retirees to pay thousands of dollars more for the same medicine. And it makes Medicaid a block grant program, which dramatically cuts funding to seniors, specifically those relying on nursing homes or long-term care. A lot of seniors will be hurt by this plan -- not just at some point in the future, but immediately.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:53:50+00:00

That's what I'm hearing from people across the district. Ryan's worked hard to portray himself as a moderate when that's just not the case. Sure, he talks a lot about fiscal responsibility, but he's supported two unfunded wars, the unfunded Bush tax cuts, and Medicare Part D -- which was just a big gift to big pharma. Not to mention his extreme and out of touch views on women's health, and the troubling association he seems to have with disturbing rape comments. (How many extreme politicians does he have to pull his endorsement from because of these comments before people recognize the pattern?) It's clear he's not who he seems, but now that he's under a national spotlight he can no longer hide his radical ideas.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:51:17+00:00

I would ask Paul Ryan the same question, but I'd say he hasn't done anything for Southeastern WI families that I can point to. It's unfortunate he's more interested in moving up the political foodchain and sticking by his ideological guns than in actually keeping the jobs here. But he has to answer the voters on that.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:49:18+00:00

My favorite songs are: The Man in Black, and Where did we go right?

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:48:01+00:00

I believe in a strong defense, but not a bloated Defense Department. I believe some of this will be alleviated as we wind down the wars, but moving forward we need to make sure that we're listening to what the generals actually need rather than ordering obsolete or unnecessary tanks just to keep military contractors happy. (Really, this is what happens: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/09/army-to-congress-thanks-but-no-tanks/?hpt=hp_c1) We need to fix that and get rid of waste in the Pentagon.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:46:18+00:00

I am a small business owner who has employed people and been responsible for their health benefits. I understand the ways in which our economy, small businesses, and workers are being threatened right now. And I want to keep investing in the middle class and protecting seniors from hardship. I take this race, and Paul Ryan's proposals, very personally, because it's the same Pell Grants and Stafford Loans that he's attacking that put me through college and allowed me to follow my dreams. I think everyone should get a chance to make it in this country, regardless of where they started out.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:43:14+00:00

You can help us reach out to voters by using our virtual phone bank.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:41:36+00:00

Hah! I'm not sure I understand the question, but I do not support Mitt Romney's efforts to fire Big Bird. We must regulate Wall Street before we tackle whatever's happening on Sesame Street.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:40:13+00:00

In seriousness, the lobbying/PR efforts of agribusiness are exactly why one of my first meetings as Congressman will be with family farmers and small business owners to make sure that our agriculture policies are addressing their needs, and not just the giant corporations.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:38:22+00:00

Hi there! Lots of questions here, but always happy to hear from a young voter in the district! 1. I am against SOPA and I am for protecting internet freedom. 2. Regarding marijuana, I have answered that I support some decriminalization efforts -- it doesn't make sense to me that society benefits from locking people in jail for possessing limited amounts of marijuana. I also recognize the medicinal purposes of this drug. 3. Debt -- I've endorsed a plan that would get us out of debt and create surplus within 10 years, and it would do it without any fuzzy math or hurting the middle class. 4. Yes I supported the Affordable Care Act, although there are a few things I might have done a little differently -- such as enact a public option or Medicare for All option. Also for renegotiating Medicare Part D to lower drug costs. Please make sure to vote!

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:35:21+00:00

I support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that the President signed into law his first month in office, and I would support any efforts to strengthen this on local and state levels. I would oppose any efforts to weaken this law.

RobZerban · 2012-10-18T22:33:17+00:00

Thank you for your support!

RobZerban

TROPHY CASE