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The May 11 debate between Congressman Ed Royce and his challengers Democrat Jay Chen and independent D’Marie Mulattieri was a huge success, and we finally have video of it. Fullerton’s great and fabled jazz cafe Steamers was nearly full (on a weekday morning) and the crowd listened in rapt attention to politicians who actually answered every question thoughtfully and thoroughly rather than spewing rehearsed talking points, most opining that more such debates should take place for other local races.
The questions were given by an ideologically diverse panel of Democrat (and state senate candidate) Greg Diamond, Republican (and Fullerton council candidate) Greg Sebourn, Green intellectual Andre Dardashti, and myself.
One small little glitch was that Ed Royce didn’t actually show up, although invited. We kind of thought he might not, since, as I mentioned last month, Timid Ed has never lowered himself to debate his challengers in the nearly two decades he’s been in office. (In stark contrast to his fearless colleagues Dana Rohrabacher and Loretta Sanchez.)
One silver lining to this: It allowed us to discuss, without embarrassing him, his chickenhawk record of always voting for wars while having mysteriously avoided five years of Vietnam himself, his large culpability for 2008’s financial crisis as an insatiable deregulator on the Financial Services Committee, and his unconscionable remarks to a crowd of Isalmophobes in Yorba Linda last year that “Multi-culturalism is paralyzing this nation.”
Perhaps Ed was intimidated by Jay Chen’s patriotic service in the Naval Reserves, or maybe by D’Marie’s leadership in Occupy Orange County, the premiere pushback to his piratical financial depredations. But we did just fine without him, thanks. As will the County soon, Insha’Allah.
Oh, before I forget, as promised: These videos may not be used, reproduced, downloaded or edited in part or in whole without the written consent of the “Friends of D’Marie” campaign committee ID C00520049.
Royce-Off part one:
Introductions,
Bradley Manning hero or traitor,
States Rights vs the Feds (e.g. AZ SB 1070, CA medical pot)
Royce-Off part two:
Climate Change,
What’s “fiscally conservative?”,
Prison-Industrial Complex & Privatization
Royce-Off part three:
Gun Rights,
Multi-culturalism,
Health Care Reform
Royce-Off part four:
Minimum Wage,
How to Improve the Economy,
Ed’s “Status of Women” conference,
President Obama,
The War on Drugs,
Immigration
[Here, the discussion on unions accidentally got cut out. Part of it is at the beginning of part six. Sorry, not my fault!]
This really is good stuff. Should we invite Royce to send in his responses to the questions, as soon as the staff finishes writing them?
My two favorite questions (that I asked) are still not up. About twenty minutes was cut out from near the end, on the disc I got. I should have it all up in a couple days.
Great stuff, guys – everybody in Royce’s district should check this out. What a wimp he is, to not be able to face these two. When one of them wins in June, we’ve got to chase him down with a chicken costume like Van Tran did to Loretta in 2010, until he gives in and debates. And you four should moderate it!