I had only seen "real" debates on television in the past, so it was very interesting and exciting to have the opportunity to witness the debate for myself.
The County Commissioners' Assembly Room in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
The 7th District of North Carolina has the unique opportunity to gain GOP representation in Congress this year. The primary to elect the Republican nominee will be held on May 8, 2012.
The debate last night was between three Republican candidates who are all running for the opportunity to be the nominee to go up against the unopposed democratic incumbent, Mike McIntyre. McIntyre is the democratic incumbent for this position, who has been the representative in Congress for the 7th District of North Carolina since 1997.
The Republican candidates are: Randy Crow, Ilario Pantano, and David Rouzer. All three candidates did a great job of presenting themselves and their platforms.
Candidates (From Left to Right -- Pantano, Crow, & Rouzer) During the Debate
Here are a few observations I made about this debate that I found particularly impressive:
1.) Surprisingly, the candidates actually addressed the questions that were being asked. Most politicians (I have noticed), whether in debates, press conferences, or any other public settings, tend to get questions, and then fail to address what is being asked. They tend to just say what they want to say, regardless of the question.
2.) At the end of the debate, each candidate had the opportunity to ask any of the other candidates one question. This was very intriguing to me. I was much more interested in the questions that each candidate had for the others, more so than their answers. It was nice to see candidates actually lay out reasonable questions, instead of simply attacking the opposing candidates with harsh and exaggerated statements.
3.) Meet & Greet after the debate. After the 1 hour and 30 minute-long debate, there was about a 1-hour "meet and greet" in which the candidates talked to their constituents. The candidates were all very nice, and none of them seemed like they were too busy to talk to their supporters (and non-supporters). All of them were gracious of the constituents who took time to be there.
4.) Each candidate had strong beliefs, which they stuck to throughout the debate. I liked the different perspectives that each of the candidates had on the issues. I admired the values that each of them held, though they were not so similar that I got bored listening to what they had to say individually.
5.) Not too much back-and-forth conflict between candidates. While watching some of the Republican Presidential Debates, there were many times when the candidates just went back and forth, attacking one another. Although there was a bit of this between Pantano and Rouzer in this debate, there was not nearly as much as I had originally expected. It was nice to see candidates focus more on the important issues rather than the negative attributes of their opponents.
Here is a quick summary of where the candidates' stand on a few of the issues:
Ilario Pantano (Combat Veteran)
- Advocates to have Congressional term limits & citizen politicians; against "career politicians."
- Believes we need to buckle down on illegal immigration. It is not okay that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens. Veterans should not have the highest unemployment rate in the country.
- For the Paul Ryan Budget, which will balance the budget by 2040
- Supports a Fair Tax to get the National Debt under control
- Believes in keeping marriage a sacred sacrament between a man & a woman.
David Rouzer (Currently State Senator)
- Believes Washington needs extreme budget cutting & Flax Tax Rate (10%)
- Thinks we should drill domestic as much domestic oil as possible, since we have the technology to do so
- Has previously worked under Jesse Helms
- Wants good morals and values to be brought back to Washington.
David Crow (Former Oil Businessman)
- Funding his own campaign, does not believe citizens should fund political campaigns
- Advocates for more clean water in the the region of Southeastern North Carolina
- Anti-spending; says he will save whenever he can in Washington, and "would not spend a dime if he didn't have to"
- Wants to drill for more oil and natural gas
- Against big corporations and monopolies; we need to increase support for small businesses
- Believes that if we stop our dependence on foreign oil, gasoline should currently be as low as $1.00 per gallon.
The summary above were just a few of the many issues that were mentioned in the debate last night.
If you are registered to vote in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson, or Sampson County, Please Go out & Vote in this important election on Tuesday, May 8th.
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