This time, Bass faced little opposition when he spoke to approximately a dozen students on Wednesday evening at a discussion hosted by the College Republicans. Hoping to defeat Democratic challenger Ann McLane Kuster '78 to win back the seat he once held, he spoke about his views on issues ranging from the national deficit to renewable energy.
He warned students that as the federal government continues to spend at current rates on Social Security and welfare, "you guys are going to be like indentured servants to pay for the benefits of older people and the American people who are less fortunate than you are."
Following his 2006 defeat, Bass left politics to become a consultant for renewable energy companies. He talked to students on Wednesday about the need to address climate change by creating a national standard for alternative energy use.
Bass criticized the Democrats' efforts to pass "cap-and-trade" legislation, calling the bill a "horrible monster that wound up collapsing on its own weight."
"A little bipartisanship might go a long way in this area," Bass said.
A self-described libertarian, Bass highlighted his conservative views on federal spending and mapped out his plan to establish a standing committee within Congress focused on saving money and reducing spending. He expressed strong discontent with the health care bill passed by the Democratically-controlled Congress earlier this year.
"I don't want to see health care run by the national government," Bass said.
Although he said he agrees with many of the fiscal principles laid out in the Republican Party's recent "Pledge to America" agenda, Bass said he felt less strongly about many of its social aspects. Although he said he personally believes that marriage is a private concern, he emphasized that controversies over gay marriage should be settled by individual states, not the federal government.
Adrian Ferrari '14, a student who attended the discussion, said he was impressed by Bass's fiscal policies but was discouraged by his position on gay marriage. Ferrari said he hoped that talking to Bass would have an effect on the candidate's view of the issue.
"I came today because this is a local election, and it's my responsibility to know who the candidates are," Ferrari said. "Actually, he is not the typical Republican that I thought he was going to be. And so, I am glad I came."
Members of the College Republicans learned about the event Tuesday night, when the Grafton County Republican Committee informed them that Bass would be visiting Hanover on Wednesday.
"We weren't going for a high turnout," College Republicans president J. Daniel Kim '11 said. "I was actually aiming for a lower turnout because I wanted people to ask questions and get engaged instead of being in a lecture environment."
Although Bass focused the majority of the discussion on politics, he also spent time talking about his experiences at Dartmouth. A government major, Bass ended his discussion with a piece of academic advice.
"If you study anything meaningful, take two courses: comparative government and comparative religion," he said. "If you combine the two, you'll have a good understanding of why people do the things they do."
