|
The
Beacon Journal
Brown,
Mandel focus on attacking
each other
By Dave Scott
October 20, 2012
COLUMBUS:
Thursday night’s debate
between U.S. Senate candidates Sherrod Brown and Josh Mandel offered a
chance
to hear the candidates repeat their stump speeches. And also the chance
to hear
the candidates repeatedly call each other a liar.
Mandel,
Ohio’s treasurer, hammered
away at Brown for permitting “Wall Street bailouts” and contributing to
Obama’s
attempts to revive the economy.
“Sherrod
Brown has had his chance,”
Mandel said at the debate in Columbus sponsored by Ohio’s eight largest
newspapers including the Akron Beacon Journal and a Columbus TV
station. “He’s
been there for 20 years.”
Brown
responded saying he worked
with Democrats and Republicans to form the bailouts because the country
was
losing “400,000 jobs a month.”
And
Brown said his policies have
been good business.
“There’s
a new steel mill in
Youngstown, Ohio, because we enforced trade laws,” the Democrat said.
Mandel
countered by listing his
endorsements from business-oriented groups and complained that Brown’s
voting
record consistently ran counter to groups like the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce.
Brown
responded with criticism of
Mandel’s record of attending the state’s committee that oversees
investments
while attending trips to raise money for the Senate race.
Mandel
fought back by directly
calling Brown a liar for misrepresenting his record.
Brown
returned citing Mandel’s
record of being labeled a “Pants on Fire Liar” by Politifact.
Mandel
then accused Brown of
concentrating on the attack rather than answering a question about
working for
bipartisan agreements. He went on to endorse term limits and a proposal
not to
pay legislators if they don’t meet budget goals.
Asked
about trade laws designed to
protect Ohio Jobs, Brown said the government must work harder to
prevent China
and other countries from cheating.
“Trade
rules have not worked for
America,” he said.
Mandel
called that “Washington
speak” and slammed his opponent for being responsible for the nation’s
budget
deficit.
Brown
blamed much of the deficit on
the Afghanistan and Iraq war, which came at a time of tax cuts.
When
Brown was told he had run out
of time for that question, Mandel added “calm down, Senator” drawing
boos from
the crowd that had been instructed to remain silent.
After
a brief discussion of health
care reform in which Brown said he was proud to help pass it, Mandel
goaded the
senator by calling him agitated and said he was excited “because the
people of
Ohio disagree with you.”
After
a discussion of the
possibility of closing Ohio’s military bases, Brown said he appreciated
hearing
a more calm discussion of issues rather than “name calling.”
The
next question focused on
same-sex marriage and Mandel said he wants to represent all Ohioans.
Brown
then asked, “why should we
believe Josh Mandel?” He went on to call Mandel “way out there” on
social
issues.
Mandel
came back saying Brown’s
attack was typical of a Washington politician.
Read
the rest of the article at the Beacon
Journal
|
