Yesterday evening Senator Tom McClintock and former congressman Doug Ose engaged in another major debate before the June 3rd primary election. William Jessup University hosted a first-class event, complete with a live radio broadcast on local radio talk show station KTKZ. All of the candidates for the 4th CD were invited to attend the event, including Republicans Ted Terbolizard and Suzanne Jones and Democrat Charlie Brown, although only Ose and McClintock participated in the debate. WJU’s Public Policy department put together the debate, with the Chair Sosamma Samuel-Burnett moderating.  In addition to several students asking great questions of the candidates, three local reporters provided most of the questioning: Dana Howard of ABC News 10, Peter Hecht of the Sacramento Bee, and Deric Rothe of the Auburn Journal.

Although this debate covered many of the same topics as the last major debate, there were some new approaches to issues. Starting with their opening statements, each candidate attempted to frame the debate; McClintock once again described this race as a battle between the conservative and liberal wings of the Republican Party, while Ose touted his numerous endorsements from local officials. The first question from Dana Howard expressed the sentiment of many voters: the TV commercials from both camps seem light on substance. McClintock responded that his opponent seems intent on character and integrity assassination instead of focusing on the substantive conservative issues that most voters in the 4th CD care about.

One of the major topics of the night was immigration. McClintock proudly announced his recent endorsement from Congressman Tom Tancredo, considered a national leader on the immigration issue. In a devastating blow, McClintock provided a quote from Tancredo about Ose’s immigration votes in Congress: “I was there when liberal congressman Doug Ose twice voted to give amnesty to illegal aliens. He never joined our Immigration Reform Caucus and was never a reliable vote on border control, sanctuary cities or federal requirements for a secure ID.” In addition, Ose voted against J.D. Hayworth’s bill that would have ended social security benefits for illegal immigrants. With illegal immigration such a hot topic in congressional races, these are not the type of quotes Ose wants voters to read or hear. McClintock received loud applause when he responded to a question about President Bush’s “path to citizenship” amnesty bill. He strongly pronounced that the only path to citizenship he supports is the legal one: getting in line and following our current immigration laws.

One question covered the congressional bailout of Bear Stearns and the credit crisis: McClintock opposes it, while Ose favors government intervention in the market. Another topic was water treatment and transportation issues in the region: McClintock lambasted the federal government for placing so many restrictions on local communities that they cannot make local decisions about water and transportation; Ose named several transportation projects he wants to complete. In response to a question about Ose’s leadership in the Main Street Partnership, Ose explained that with the Democrats now in charge, Republicans must “put a team together” that can fight off the majority party. McClintock used the question as an opportunity to point out that the Main Street Partnership is dedicated to defeating conservatives, thus the financial backing of liberal businessman George Soros.

From the conservative standpoint, the most interesting fireworks came when Ose claimed that he has all the key local elected officials endorsements while McClintock has the endorsements of “DC and Virginia” organizations. He then attacked McClintock for receiving the endorsement of the Club for Growth by quoting its president, Pat Toomey, as saying “seniors are the greediest special interest group.” A large portion of the audience was senior citizens and the attack was an obvious pandering tactic. However, publicly attacking Pat Toomey and the Club for Growth is not a smart move. The Club for Growth already has TV and radio ads airing in the district and this type of public assault by Ose will only strengthen their resolve to defeat him.

Admonished at the beginning of the debate to refrain from vocalizing their opinions, the audience mostly applauded at the end of each candidate’s response. However, their displeasure with Ose could not be contained when he repeatedly brought up his campaign theme of attacking McClintock for his residence and legislative per diem. After bringing up these tired attacks for the fifth time in the debate, the audience loudly booed. 

As a member of the audience, I can also report that the audience was very displeased with Ose’s condescending and rude attitude towards McClintock. Ose repeatedly treated McClintock as though he were a greenhorn, incapable of understanding politics or governance. It was insulting to not only Senator McClintock, but the audience who obviously respect one of California’s finest statesmen. I was told by a friend listening to the radio that it was obvious the audience didn’t like Ose’s attacks or his attitude.  As a Tom McClintock supporter, I firmly believe that the senator is the best representative for the 4th CD and his performance in these debates has only strengthened my support. The candidates will meet at least once more in public debate, but with just three weeks to go, it’s a fight to the finish for both campaigns.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.