Mary Bono Mack deserves the chance to seek her eighth term

The Desert Sun Editorial Board • June 3, 2010

Mary Bono Mack deserves the chance to seek her eighth term in Congress.

The Palm Springs Republican has represented the area since 1998 when she won the seat in a special election following the death of her husband, Sonny Bono.

She faces the tea party conservative Clayton Thibodeau of Hemet on Tuesday’s ballot. We’re impressed with Thibodeau’s passion for the U.S. Constitution, but find many of his ideas unrealistic. Also, using his campaign contributions to pay his rent is an apparent violation of federal election laws.

Bono Mack would face Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, a Democrat, and Bill Lussenheide, an American Independent Party candidate from Menifee.

The main rap against Bono Mack is that she votes the Republican Party line, which is true. According to Congressional Quarterly, she has voted with the GOP 89 percent of the time. Her moderate conservative approach reflects the majority of the 45th Congressional District.

However, her most courageous and controversial vote was on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. She was one of only seven Republicans to support the bill.

The bill gets blistering criticism from the right for its “cap and trade” provisions that would allow pollution allowances for industries while capping emissions. We share those concerns, but support the goals of the bill to reduce reliance of oil and promote alternative forms of power generation such as solar, wind and geothermal — three of the greatest assets in the Coachella Valley.

Bono Mack deserves praise for bucking the party line on this one.

Bono Mack lists her legislative accomplishments:

* A bill that established the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Mountains Monument near Palm Springs.
* Legislation to compensate the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians for land lost in 1908. The agreement settled the longest-ever ongoing litigation in the 9th Circuit Court of California.
* Legislation that calls for country-of-origin labeling for fresh fruits and vegetables.

We also have been impressed with her criticism of the way the Department of Health and Human Services has ignored transgressions in the Torres-Martinez tribe in the administration of its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, support for restoring the Salton Sea and helping to secure funding for the new tower at the Palm Springs International Airport.

The Desert Sun looks forward to the campaign between Bono Mack and Pougnet. We encourage her to participate in debates and pit her conservative credentials against his more liberal viewpoints.