Here in California's 46th we had two opportunities yesterday to hear our candidates discuss the issues facing our country. For those of you who don't know, our district is the home of Dana "Let the Prisoners Pick The Fruit" Rohrabacher. He is being challenged by
Jim Brandt, a businessman and veteran.
Rohrabacher is presumed to be a shoe-in, but no wonder - there's been no coverage of the discussions anywhere. If it weren't for the blogs, including ones by atdnext and opendna, you wouldn't be reading anything about it. I won't cover all the details because they both have done a great job.
So where is the press in checking the facts?
A question on homeland security noted that Long Beach port security funding had increased from $259 million a year in 2001 to $1.6 billion a year in 2005. Rohrabacher spent 4 minutes ignoring the incorrect figures all together; Brandt had to point out that the $1.6 billion is for all ports and that Long Beach gets a paltry $24 million - half of what we got in 2001.
In defending his stance on global warming, Rohrabacher noted that on his website, "thousands and thousands" of scientists know full well that global warming is natural and not man-made. How hard is it for someone to check and debunk the Petition Project he apparently referred to?
Even with budget issues, Rohrabacher was allowed to get away with the barely-true but misleading claim that Bush's tax cuts save a family of 4 making less than $50,000/year almost $2000. Worse, he implied that Democrats will raise taxes that much for that family.
And where is the press in asking the tough questions? Here are some I would have liked to have heard:
What is your position on the effectiveness and necessity of torture?
What is your view on privacy rights as they relate to warrantless wiretapping?
Throughout the debate, Rohrabacher took every opportunity to play to his constituents' fears of illegal immigrants "changing our way of life" and of terrorists coming to Southern California. Brandt did not deny the issues but noted that complex problems require considered solutions.
Jim Brandt's closing comments nicely captured what we should have been hearing throughout the debate: We need federal leadership - and a representive for us in Washington, not an insider representing Washington to us. He has business experience and military experience and has been working a regular job since 1981. That matters because he understands the issues real people face first-hand - like how to pay for healthcare and the how to find educated employees with competitive skills. Rohrabacher has been in office 18 years and hasn't been able to get things done. If he can't get the support of Republicans at a time when they control the White House and both chambers of congress, how is he going to get things done if the Democrats take over?
What a bloody shame that the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Orange County Register don't consider this news. An incumbent congressman is allowed to make misleading claims to constituents and they can't even be bothered to write an article on the debates the next day.