2nd District Congressional Debate – Live Blog
By JR Hoeft | Saturday, October 9th, 2010 | PoliticsWe’re live at a recorded debate to be aired later locally on WHRO. This event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters and is taking place at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center. See the live blog:
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JR Hoeft
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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22 Responses to "2nd District Congressional Debate – Live Blog"
whro just lost my support
J.R.,
Thanks for the Cliff Notes version of the debate. Since I am currently in Texas, this is the only version I got an opportunity to be exposed to.
One thing I found interesting was Rigell’s response to how he would reduce the deficit was, quoting from you:
“Stop TARP that has not been spent – reverse.”
Seems to me the Dodd-Frank bill already did that. Is Rigell unaware of this?
Even though the financial reform act capped TARP at $475 billion, there’s still $305 billion still outstanding. This could be used to pay back the deficit. This would be far better than the Democrat’s or the Obama’s option of purchasing another failing company or paying off his union buddies.
If Fannie and Freddie were held accountable, the taxpayer would actually make money but the Obama Administration decided that they would give F&F $148 billion. Leave it to Obama to screw up another program.
More to the point, the recent announcment that AIG will pay back its TARP funding, and that GM will sell shares and do the same, means that the chances are quite positive that TARP will not only be paid back but at a profit. Further, every credible economist says that the Stimulus was essential as well. While we have not yet seen the jobs recovery we need, the private sector is creating new jobs; it is the loss of public sector jobs that is now weighing down the economic recovery. Thanks Governor McDonnell for the 15,600 job loss you caused in state and local government.
With immigration (not including illegal) and new people entering the work force, this jobs number is not sustainable. The growth rate of GDP from 2nd to 3rd quarter was 2.4%.
On another note, ObamaCare alone requires an optimistic CBO assumption that our economy would grow at a 3% with no recessions over the next decade. After being out of this recession for a year, wow I am so impressed with this progress that the Democrats have made.
Didn’t Ed Whitaker and GM already pay their loan in full? Five years ahead of schedule. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSNPFVLIWjI
Democrats and Obama’s worst enemy–YouTube.
Stimulus work? Please…
Mike, if you have to rely on government hiring to have a “recovery,” you have no recovery.
How much in taxes do we have to pay to hire these government workers? The math doesn’t work for you…eventually, you run out of money to pay these people.
Well of course Brain, I didn’t say that, but clearly, the layoffs from state and local government around the country has deepened the effect of recession as those funds are not circulating around the local economy. The private sector is in recovery, creating jobs nationwide, which leads credence to the fact that both TARP and the Stimulus worked. Of course, that recovery simply does not fit the republican talking points, which must insist on total failure, even though TARP was their program. Regretfully, we have come to a point in our politics where the republicans must create failure or the perception of such to get elected. Regretfully, they have done an outstanding job on both counts.
Consistency http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4APKDtpsf60
James,
Bwahahahahahahahaha HAhahahahaha
Atb,
Doug
Videos that show 2-3 seconds of a full statement ALWAYS prove a point. Shocked there isn’t any of the trackers videos in that.
You aren’t helping Kenny by reposting those kind of videos, I don’t understand why you guys aren’t getting that.
Kenny may be a good and honorable man, it’s all I hear about him. I don’t know, I only met him on a few occasions.
But to get your guy over as a good and honorable man, by posting videos that show the absolute dog shit of politics it an awful tactic.
Mike, I don’t paint TARP in the same light as I do the “stimulus.” The stimulus didn’t do anything but add to the debt to balance state budgets. It avoided cuts, and that’s it. It didn’t stimulate a darn thing.
Long time no post, been working too much on school stuff, however;
That video is accurate. I was at the debate and Rigell did in fact say he would not vote to repeal health care. He said defunding it would be the better option. I do have to agree with Scott on this one though, we can’t repeal it so long as Obama is in office. Why do you think he told Kenny repealing it wouldn’t work? He also said he doesn’t like to use the word “Obamacare” but he uses it on twitter all the time.
I agree that it shows Rigell is duplicative on this issue, however I don’t think it is flip flopping because I’m sure Rigell WOULD vote to repeal Obamacare, he just doesn’t think it would be the best use of his time.
Oh, and John Jackson,
You can’t use “unspent” TARP money to reduce the deficit. The “unspent” money does not exist, we borrowed all of TARP from the Federal Reserve and any unspent money was just never borrowed. Unless of course you suggest borrowing the money to pay down the deficit.
I think Rigell is consistent; he would vote to repeal Obamacare, but he has said that until we have a new President the best way to “stop” it is to defund it.
Even if we control both houses of Congress, we won’t have anything near a veto proof majority, so a repeal bill will die on the President’s desk. Rigell would vote for its repeal, but he also has thought tactically how to stop it before we can win back the White House in 2012.
J.R. From what you provided from your blog, the debated sounded about as interesting as watching paint dry. Everybody is a fiscal conservative and against taxes until it comes to bringing home the bacon. I found some of the personal comments by all three about all three a bit snarky and childish. Oh well, from what you provided, of the three I’d have to say Rigell seems to have come off the best.
Well Brian, I agree that the stimulus is more difficult to measure than the TARP, but it was as critical to recovery as TARP. Of course, it is more difficult to measure the effect of what did not happen, yet we see in Virginia a small indication of the effect. McDonnell cut $4 B, and among other things, we lost 15,600 jobs, which was minimized by the fact that many schoold districts still have the use of stimulus funds. Heck, as a political tactic, the republicans and their international corporate money have been masterful at shifting the blame from them to the Obama administration. For that, they get an A+, but even you Brian need to live in the world they will create, and since our memory of that is alive and well, you ought to be scared.
The only thing that scares me is people like you who think government isn’t spending enough.
Craig, Scotty was swinging at a Nancy piñata, got a few good hits in and missed Glenn.. several people seemed to notice Rigell talking around the questions and doing the gop equivalent of “Bush lied, people died” by regurgitating his same ole lines.. replaying his canned Pelosi card ad nauseum. The man of subtle virtues, a gay bashing church, hard working values, 9th largest Obama donor in his zipcode, bought favors from leaders of state & recipient of clunker cash is facepainting Glenn as a partisan dem koolaid drinker which his record does not seem to support 100%. What is Scooty gonna do now, accuse the NRA, USCC and NFIB of selling out to Pelosi? When you draw Scotts motives into question before the dem base, it backfires by painting their description of an intolerant idealogical right wing target, Scotty, who has promised to vote lockstep with Boehner/ Cantor. And that is not Scotty is it?
The dems have an easy target with the upgraded beta version of Scott 2.0. My concern for the past 9 months was that what the dems would unleash would be what we are witnessing them unleash right now.. targeted literature exposing Scottys conservative sins not the least of which include $1K to Obama. The vagop establishment could not have given dems a better gift than their Scotty.. it keeps on giving. Yep, the dems may have found the G spot this time and they’re gonna rub rub rub it in till they’re satisfied.
The debate was between Scott, Glenn and Kenny and the questions were from the league of women voters. Pelosi was not in the room but Scott could not see how moronic his answers and rebuttals were at times or how they will play in the minds of WHRO viewers. Where were the handlers?
How can a handler stop a citizen from grasping the hypocrisy of taking the benefits of a government program, describing in great detail how the program benefitted his business, his employees, his customers, and the community in which we all live, and they have the audacity to say he would not have voted for the program?
Sir Brian, you may not paint TARP and the Stimulus in the same light but it’s clear many have no clue and it seems that Donald Luzzatto lacks the ability to fact check or feels it’s OK if “Your Views” are sacrosanct. Do we want basic oversight of the Pilot’s opinion pages? (Wrong on the Stimulus by Barbara Scott – Norfolk)
Barbara slams TARP while praising the stimulus/Obama, when in fact she got the TARP and stimulus mixed up.
Reminds me of one of the early “debates” in which I jumped out of my seat when Kenny Golden did the same thing and no one said anything.
Stimulus I
TARP
Stimulus II
Is it really that hard? Stimulus II has a current price tag of $787 billion (it’s going to cost much more!) that supposedly created 1.3 million jobs (you betcha). Now those employed are happy, but as a tax payer, I’m not. Only Nye and the Dems could call $600K per job a success! The success is virtually every fustrated Democrat pet project was not only addressed… it was funded in this bill created behind closed doors without a smidgen of Republican input. Party of NO? We were not even invited!
As of today TARP is on track to be paid back and will likely make the treasury billions, but according to Barbara Scott (thanks, Don) this is because of Obama and will help pay off the stimulus. GO STIMULUS!
If you’re sitting out there thinking you don’t really need to vote for Scott, then you have been drinking the koolaid and I suggest you consider becoming a Greek citizen.
@Mike
You talk about handlers explaining the benefits of a government program from how it benefits of a government program. What might that be? Roads? We know how satisfied you are with that. Obama’s been explaining that for over two years and no one is buying it.
While government operates on 60% of every dollar collected, they put previsions on Health Insurance Companies to operate on 15%. Meanwhile, Obama made $5.5 million and he’s talking about the evil rich man—and I’m sure he paid the Bush taxes. Should he not have been paying the correct tax rates seeing that it’s patriotic to pay taxes? Talk about hypocrisy.
Obama NOW WANTS ANOTHER $80 billion to fix infrastructure…wasn’t that what $275B went to during the first stimulus bill.
@Chris
There’s still $148 billion sitting in Fannie and Freddie, along with another $157B elsewhere that could be used to pay down the debt (I meant debt, not deficit). Obama wants to write off F&F debt. Our deficit is outrageous because these Democrats are spending like crazy!
Mike just a couple months ago the Democrats including Obama were claiming GM had paid back all of the money.
It’s funny to me that Rep. Nye keeps going on about his independence when he votes with Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership 84% of the time. And that vote on health care he keeps trumpeting? He didn’t take a position until Pelosi had enough votes to pass it. This is hardly a coincidence. A vote for Nye=a vote for Pelosi. The only way to set this country back on the right track is by sending people to Congress, like Rigell, with hands-on experience in creating private sector jobs. Kenny Golden is a nice guy and no one is trying to disrespect his military service. But he is consistently polling around 5% and has no realistic chance of victory. It’s time to send a proven job-creator to Congress. Vote Rigell November 2!
Philip, hows that punchbowl ever going to runeth over when you keep slurping that red stuff. Consistently polling around 5% in GOP push polls paid for by the car dealer and designed to marginalize the guy with an order of magnitude more experience. What about Dem polls hmm?
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