Kimble Wins Debate vs. Fagen

[In a poll done shortly after the 9/4 debate between Congressman Jack Kimble and notorious businessman Daniel Fagen, results showed 54% of registered voters believed that Congressman Kimble either mostly won or kind of won the debate.]

ROGER HAWKE: Good evening from the Heritage Valley Ice Arena. I'm Roger Hawk of "Rancho Podrido This Week" on Cable Channel 19. Welcome to the first of two debate between Republican Congressman Jack Kimble and Oak Hill resident and Democratic nominee Dan Fagen.

The Kiwanis Club is the sponsor of this event and tonight's discussion will cover a wide range of topics, including domestic and foreign policy matters.

It will be divided roughly into three-minute segments. Each candidate will have 90 seconds to respond to a direct question and then his opponent will receive an additional minute for rebuttal and follow-up. The order has been determined by a coin toss.

The specific subjects and questions were chosen by me and have not been shared or cleared with anyone on the campaigns or on the commission. The audience here in the hall has promised to remain very polite, no cheers, applause, no untoward outbursts, except right at this minute now, as we welcome Congressman Kimble and Dan Fagen

(APPLAUSE)

FAGEN: Nice to meet you.

KIMBLE: It's a pleasure. Your suit is shiny.

FAGEN: Thank you

KIMBLE: Can I touch your suit?

HAWKE: Gentlemen, thank you for coming.

As we have determined by a coin toss, the first question will go to Dan Fagen with a 60-second follow-up from Congressman Kimble.

The economy is the most pressing issue for many California voters. Whether we're still in a recession or a so called jobless recovery, the status quo is not working for the working people of this state. How will you address the economy when elected?

KIMBLE: Let me begin by saying it's great to be here Roger and I love that tie.

I do take issue with the way you singled out the working people of California in your question. Many of my closest friends and family members are independently wealthy. They are suffering too as their investments decrease in value.

You know in 1980, Ronald Reagan invented an economic theory called supply side economics and he showed during his presidency that the best way to improve the economy was to put the hard working men and women of this country to work and the best way to do that is to cut the taxes on the rich.

You see in supply side or trickle down economics, when you allow the wealthy to keep more of their money and they use that money to tip very well--much higher than 15%. In that way, the prosperity that is given to the top income earners trickles down to the masses. That's what this country is built on. I not only favor extending the Bush tax cuts, I am in favor of doubling them. I believe we can afford to pay for them if we begin a program to fine those who choose not to do their fair share--the unemployed.

HAWKE: Thank you, Congressman. I apologize if my use of the term "working people" offended anybody.

Mister Fagen?

FAGEN: Thank you, Roger. And I thank the Kiwanis, also. I appreciate this privilege of being able to be here and speak with the 54th District and I have to say how am I losing to this guy?

The reason that this economy is suffering is because the middle class is an endangered species. CEOs and the wealthy of this country have been overcompensated for at least the past 10 years. It's the rest of us who are feeling the pinch. Only 7% of private employees are in labor unions and benefits keep getting cut. America has for generations been the land of opportunity where people could rise beyond their station. That's gone.

The first thing I want from Washington is an extension of unemployment benefits. There are no jobs out there, we're not fooling anybody. The second thing I want is a second targeted stimulus package like the first one we had before we started negotiating with Republicans who voted against it anyway after we made concessions. Will this increase the debt. Yes it will, but you do not cut your way out of a recession. Leaving our children a legacy of debt is tragic, but leaving them with a feudalistic corporate economy without a middle class is unconscionable.

HAWKE: Mister Fagen how, as congressman, would you work to shrink this gap of polarization which has sprung up in Washington, which you both have spoken about here tonight?

FAGEN: Well, I hate to say it, but that gap isn't going away anytime soon. Extremes and redistricting have eliminated your Lincoln Chaffey Republicans and your Sam Nunn Democrats.

I can tell you that the Republicans have made it their mission for the past two years to say no to the Democrats on everything from health care for 9/11 responders to helping small business. If they win again, they'll be emboldened and the congress will shut down for two years as we await the 2012 election. Our country can't afford this.

As your Congressman, I will work with anybody regardless of party to help the citizens of this great district, but I won't compromise our values just so I can say we got 2 Republican votes.

HAWKE: Congressman Kimble.

KIMBLE: I love corn dogs. Sometimes I'll deep them in sweet mustard, but I also really like them plain. I'm sure many of you were at the Heritage Valley Corn Dog Festival a few weeks back.

I think the corn dog is the most Republican food. You take something good like a hot dog. You make it better by deep frying it. Then you put it on a stick so you can eat it while you're walking around or working. That's why corn dogs sell so well in Republican places like here or Texas.

Now Democrats are more like funnel cake. You just plop it on a plate and toss some sugar on it. You might want some funnel cake after you have another corn dog, but wouldn't you really just have another corn dog?

HAWKE: You have another 30 seconds Congressman. Did you wish to expand on your answer?

KIMBLE: No. Well other than to say, I could really go for a corn dog.

HAWKE: How have your experiences before entering public service helped you to understand the people of the district you represent.

KIMBLE: I'm glad you asked that. As a businessman, I learned how to make the hard decisions and how to earn a full day's pay by doing a full day's work. I did a lot of things in business that were important and essential to making money and profit in a professional type manner and in doing so the value to taxpayers and employees of our company was maximized further more.

My opponent doesn't know what it's like to be a businessman behind blue ties. I know that their dreams are not as empty as their conscious seems to be.

FAGEN: If I may Roger, Baba O'Republican seems to be quoting Who lyrics now. The truth is that the only job he ever had was working for his dad. Unfortunately, when he finally struck out on his own in his 40s, he wound up as our responsibility as tax payers.

My experiences as a teacher as well as a life source pilot on weekends let me look at our educational and health care systems first hand. My work in the peace corps in Uganda taught me a lot about the crises in Africa. All my life has been about service to people and that's why despite coming from a humble background myself, the Daniel and Margaret Fagen Foundation, which I named after my beloved parents has donated over 4.5 million dollars to charity in the past year.

HAWKE: Mr. Fagen, you have the chance to make the first closing statement.

FAGEN: Thank you Roger. As you know, my wife and I operate several shelters for battered women. When you are on the front lines of personal crises it isn't always pretty. Sometimes these women go back to an abusive relationship no matter how much you try and stop them and no matter how much they think they're ready to move on.

I admit that these last two years in Washington haven't been everything I hoped they'd be, but America you were in an abusive relationship when the Republicans were in charge and they took your money, they took your self-respect, and in some cases they took your children in unnecessary war overseas. It might be tempting to be disillusioned and say a pox on both your houses, but I can tell you that if you let people like Congressman Kimble represent you for the next two years, it won't get better. It will get worse. Send me to Washington to serve you and I promise I'll spend my time trying to fix things and not trying to win political points.

HAWKE: Congressman Kimble, your closing remarks.

KIMBLE: Life is one big political primary for God. Let's pray that we all get the nomination. I wish we had more time to go over the issues tonight. We haven't even talked about whether President Obama is a Muslim or not.

I know there are a lot of senior citizens watching this debate so let me just say that Obama's agenda is terrifying. Not only will your medical decisions be made by death panels whose main interest will be in harvesting your organs, but Obama is working with Nancy Pelosi right now to pass a law making it illegal for grandchildren to visit their grandparents.

My opponent is great at fancy speechifying, but I know that the voters of the 54th District are far too sophisticated to fall for his lies and half truths. Together, we can take back America to a better time when people weren't so uppity and music wasn't so loud. Thank you.

HAWKE: That ends tonight's debate. We want to thank the folks here at the Heritage Valley Ice Arena, and the Kiwanis

Thank you, Congressman Kimble and Mister Fagen. Good night, everybody.