By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@Salisburypost
Ty Cobb, a career military man who interviewed for the “Survivor” TV show, may have taken on his biggest challenge ever.
Cobb, 68, of Rockwell is the latest Rowan County Republican to attempt to unseat Democrat Mel Watt.
Over the past 16 years, Watt has been the last man left on the 12th District island. He is seeking a ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina’s 12th District.
Watt, the Charlotte attorney, has handily defeated other Rowan Republicans who have appeared on the ballot, Chad Mitchell and Ada Fisher. Mitchell, now vice chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, ran in 2000. Fisher ran in 2006. Watt also defeated a challenge from Ronnie Adcock, an Enochville Democrat, in 1998.
Cobb has spent months in an almost one-man campaign, traveling along the district which spreads along Interstate 85 from Charlotte to Greensboro. He raised less than $20,000, compared to more than $400,000 for Watt.
Cobb isn’t beating the conservative Republican drum like past Watt opponents. Cobb said he isn’t an ultra-conservative Republican and has never voted a straight party ticket.
Cobb and Watt have similar views on some key issues: changes proposed for the Hefner VA Medical Center and privatizing medical care for veterans.
Both want the emergency room and support services left at the VA Medical Center here.
“Leave it as it is. I agree with Mel on that,” Cobb said
Watt is pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs to reverse its position, pledging to do whatever is necessary to keep the emergency services in place.
Watt suspects the proposal coming at the end of the Bush Administration is part of an effort to privatize veterans’ care nationwide.
Watt and Cobb agree that privatizing isn’t the way to go.
“I’m not in favor of privatizing the care of veterans,” Cobb said, pointing to the military’s effort to farm out work.
For 20 years, he worked in U.S. Army weapons research and development, where projects were farmed out to private companies. “Privatizing everything made life miserable. The government is not saving that much money.”
Watt suspects the Bush administration may suddenly drop the plans for the changes for the VA Medical Center in an attempt to help Sen. Elizabeth Dole in her fight for re-election.
The economy is the dominant issue in the 12th District, as it is across the country.
People have lots of questions, concerns and worries.
Watt has been intimately involved in trying to deal with the mortgage crisis and all aspects of the financial meltdown.
“Every time we’ve taken a concrete step (to fix the situation), there’s some new piece of bad news. It’s kind of defeated what we’ve tried to do,” Watt said recently. “We never anticipated the bailout would be followed by a worldwide financial meltdown.”
Watt ticked off a series of steps Congress has taken over the past several months, including new regulations and taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the holders of millions of home mortgages.
“Our timing has not been good,” Watt said, adding he is hopeful as the bailout is implemented to ease credit, the markets will settle down and people’s confidence will return.
As Cobb has worked his way across the district, taking his campaign to supermarkets, he hears the misery and concern over the economy.
Cobb said this week he probably would have voted against the first bailout package but for the second package, which was approved.
Watt voted for both bailout packages.
“People are very, very nervous,” Cobb said. While he isn’t comfortable with the government buying stock in banks, he said he hopes it works. “I’m hoping that once they get on their feet, the government sells the stock and gets the hell out.”
Cobb also questions what Congress has been doing for the past several years, wondering why its members haven’t done things to prevent the financial mess.
His No. 1 issue is to get Congress to work and solve problems and quit bickering. Cobb believes he can use his military leadership skills to improve the process.
“Congress needs to work together as Americans to solve the problems. Everything was going crazy. They took a five-week vacation.”
He strongly objects to the $150 million in added pork, saying it was like “hush money” to get votes.
While John McCain rails against “earmarks” at every opportunity, Cobb thinks some earmarks or pork can be a good thing.
Outraged at the $400 million approved for the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska, Cobb would be delighted to get $400 million for a new Interstate 85 bridge over the Yadkin River. “That’s not bad pork.”
Growing up in Oklahoma, he won an appointment in 1958 to to West Point, graduated, got married and began a 21-year career in the Army, including two years in Vietnam, where he earned three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Like Salisbury native Sen. Dole, Cobb was a supporter of President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat.
He moved to Rowan County four years ago to be closer to his grandchildren. A daughter, Christy Ritchey, lives in the eastern part of the county.
Cobb supports developing a long-term solution to the nation’s energy crisis, including investing in alternate sources of energy such as nuclear, solar and wind. He also supports drilling in the National Arctic Wildlife Artic Refuge.
Cobb wants the U.S border secured. He believes we went to work in Iraq based on faulty intelligence and wants to see U.S troops home as conditions permit. But Cobb said he doesn’t see calling it a victory.
He doesn’t favor a national health-care program for adults but would consider efforts to provide health care for children.
Cobb calls Watt a nice guy but doesn’t think he’s an effective congressman.
Watt has only recently started campaigning, spending much of this time in Washington dealing with the economic issues.
He missed several forums and events across the district while Congress struggled. “I don’t fret about it. People know my first priority is to be up there, to be voting.”
Watt, who endorsed Obama during the primary, is optimistic that Obama will carry North Carolina.
Watt said voters ask the question, “What is in my own economic interest?”
“I can’t imagine that anyone thinks a continuation of what has happened in the last eight years is in their interest,” Watt said.
One of the safest districts for Democrats in the state, the 12th district has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every general election.
Watt sees Cobb as a different sort of candidate than he’s faced in the past ó far different than Ada Fisher, the former member of the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education with a flair for getting attention.
“Ada Fisher brought her own set of smoke and fire. Cobb is not that kind of personality,” Watt said.
For more on the candidates, visit their Web sites.