Fri 10 Oct 2008
CD-5 Debate: Schweikert vs. Mitchell
Posted by Sonoran Alliance under Campaigns & Elections[9] Comments
Friday, the East Valley Tribune hosted a debate between Congressman Harry Mitchell and conservative Republican challenger, David Schweikert.
Here is the link to the video of that debate courtesy of The East Valley Tribune.
David Schweikert has a clear command of the issues while Harry Mitchell tends to ramble on over superfluous details.
Your impressions?
October 11th, 2008 at 1:20 am
For those who might wonder, I honestly have no idea who dressed up in the chicken suit outside the event holding the “Mitchell is a chicken schmidt” sign.
Anyways… really not my style. It would have been more appropriate to dress up like a janitor: Harry got mopped up all over the floor.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:02 am
When Mr. Mitchell was in the state senate he consistently voted against bills to try to stop illegal immigration. It apears he is melding his message in this debate.
October 11th, 2008 at 8:41 am
This is what newspapers are supposed to do! To bad they only do this once every two years.
Debate performance doesn’t mean much — JD destroyed Mitchell in every debate two years ago. And very few people are going to see or read about this.
From the clip it looked like Mitchell wasn’t looking at Schweikert — he must be a racist…
October 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
As Azred5 said not many people will watch this so it really does not mean much.
Both seemed to be pretty comfortable, the questions seemed to be asked so Mitchell could talk about the bills he has passed which I thought was convenient for him…
All they really did was ask general questions and then let each side give a quick 2 minute answer from their stump speech.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Ron,
Maybe true but your party doesn’t even care about illegal immigration anymore. Did you watch the convention…not a word about it. Not much in McCains campaign…or many other GOP campaigns either.
Its kind of like the issue doesn’t exist for you all anymore.
October 12th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
The silence of the GOP-detractors is deafening.
Harry’s a nice enough guy, but David answered questions clearly and concisely. Harry spoke a lot of words without really saying much.
David gets the win.
October 13th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I am a life-long republican – north Scottsdale. It’s funny how two people can see the same debate and come away with completely different impressions. I walked away from the debate thinking it was a clear win for Rep. Mitchell. He was knowledgeable, spoke his mind, and was confident. He really does seem like the nice guy he is – interested in what happens to CD5 citizens, and the country as a whole. I confess, that I am voting for him this year because I trust him. He is not in this as a career politician – he just wants to get he job done in a way that sees a clear, safe future for America. So, you heard it first here – my FIRST vote for a Democrat is occurring this year!
October 13th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Capo…
You might just be the most uneducated voter I have ever read on this site… and that is saying something…
Mitchell is a career politician sucking the Gov’t teet his whole life… He began in 1970 as a Council Member in Tempe… then ran for Mayor in 1980 where he stayed until 1994. After losing in a Primary Battle to become the Superintendent of Public Instruction… Mr. (I’ve never worked in the Private Sector) Mitchell ran for the State Senate in 1996… until term limited out in 2004. Then to resurface again in 2006.
The best part of your lame rendition of facts is that Mitchell could give two shakes less about AZ and CD5. When he went to vote for the bailout part 1… he took both a yes and no card to the floor to see what Mama Pelosi wanted him to do… and then as justification for the supporting the bailout part deux… was that the bill contained Solar Credits… Seriously, WTF… Solar Credits… How does that solve the Financial Market crisis… enlighten me… please…
Lastly, if Mitchell really cared about Arizona and the U.S., he would not have violated House Ethics Rules, changing his vote after a verbal lashing by Hoyer and Mama Pelosi on the Ag Bill Vote that had already been closed… No… instead he let a House Ethics Investigation linger for a year at the cost of $500,000 to tell us what C-SPAN cameras had already proven… That he is a unethical as the Democratic Leadership he follows…
Best part is… that Ag Bill gave benefits to Illegal Aliens… Again, enlighten me… how is that looking out for Arizonans and those of us in CD 5…
You are either a moron or a Democrat Shill –claiming to be a Republican for Mitchell… Take your pick… Either way, you are a disgrace!
Capo di Tutti Capo – I think not… you’re more like Phillip Tattaglia… and we all know that Tattaglia was a pimp!
October 13th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Roger Maris:
You are a scholar and a gentleman. Never before have I witnessed such a profound fusion of command over the applicable issues with such piercing cultural wit. Your assessment of Capo appears to be prescient. I attended the debate and Harry Mitchell resembled the coarse career politician that you refer to. Mitchell seemed incapable of formulating a coherent direct statement. For example, Mitchell had a difficult time verbally expressing his vote on the bailout. After a series of contorted rhetorical machinations, Mitchell finally expressed his actual vote on the bailout. I am not sure if he could not remember his vote, or if he was having trouble recalling Pelosi’s instructions on how to respond to constituents’ questions about the vote. Overall, Mitchell portrayed himself as an ineffectual leader who was committed to a half-hearted response to a truly dramatic crisis. Mitchell supporters seemed to be more receptive to Schweikert’s analysis. It was truly remarkable to watch Schweikert capture the hearts and minds of all in attendance.