GOP Senate candidates spar in first face-to-face debate

LA Times ^ | 5/7/10 | Maeve Reston

[NormsRevenge]

The three major Republican candidates for U.S. Senate jousted Thursday over which would be the most effective steward of conservative principles, covering territory from Afghanistan to gun rights in their first face-to-face debate of the primary season.

Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore repeatedly questioned the conservative credentials of former Rep. Tom Campbell and sought to cast Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, as inconsistent on issues such as immigration and the Wall Street bailout. ..

Minutes into the debate DeVore lobbed his opening attack on Campbell's record on taxes, faulting him for supporting temporary tax increases last year — including a 32-cents-a-gallon, one-year hike in the gas tax — to help the state recover from the fiscal crisis.

"I don't believe there's a tax increase in recent history that he hasn't supported," DeVore said during the debate, held at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. "I think that leaves something to be desired when it comes to conservative principles."

Fiorina soon piled on, calling both her opponents "career politicians," and criticizing Campbell for refusing to sign a pledge to oppose higher taxes. Campbell defended his record — noting that the National Taxpayers Union Foundation twice named him the most frugal member of Congress when he served more than a decade ago.

Campbell said he objected to her insistence that he sign the pledge put forth by the Americans for Tax Reform, a national group.

"The problem with the pledge is you don't know what the future is going to be. Take a look at my record, you will not find that I increased taxes on the American people in the income tax area, or any other area, for the budget purposes in all the years I was in Congress," he said.

[NormsRevenge]

re: Americans for Tax Reform - fwiw - a Grover Norquist org.

This debate will be shown Sunday. It's not like it was important enough for the state to get an early peak at their options.

as to conservative principles being more important now than ever along with the fervor of the Tea Party movement, apparently polls don't agree. The best candidate is last as usual. A complicit media and a neutered state Gop has made sure of that.

[CounterCounterCulture]

This debate will be shown Sunday.

Sunday morning on Mothers Day.

For only the hardcore political activists with recording capabilities. No need for the masses to be informed. :-/

[CounterCounterCulture]

Chuck DeVore: Campbell said Americans on No-Fly List shouldn’t be able to buy guns. I said, unless felons, they should. In reply, Campbell stammered that he couldn’t believe it. I responded, “It’s called the Second Amendment. I don’t want some bureaucrat or intelligence officer making that decision to deny rights.”

[NormsRevenge]

No need for the masses to be informed. :-/

—

It won’t matter anyway if some of the ‘conservatives’ here are an indicator.

as to a complicit media..

Agenda
Agenda
Agenda

Electing conservatives here is not pragmatic anyway, yaknow. ;-)

See ya at the primary. :-}

[CounterCounterCulture]

Sneak peak of the debate:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7428068

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks!

[ansel12]

>””Campbell was the first to answer a question about whether individuals on the no-fly list should be permitted to purchase a gun. He said they should not, but both Fiorina and DeVore disagreed.

“Oh my goodness,” Campbell said after the other two candidates answered.

“That’s why Tom Campbell has kind of a poor rating from the National Rifle Assn., right there,” Fiorina interjected.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Campbell said. “Wait until you’re off the no-fly list then exercise your 2nd Amendment rights. That is not an infringement on anyone’s 2nd Amendment rights, and it seems somewhat unusual to take that position, except perhaps in a Republican primary.”

Fiorina said she knew people who had been on the no-fly list and that the list has been “way too large.”<