Congressional candidates debate from left to right (California)

San Ramon Express News ^ | October 28, 2009 | Dave Roberts

[KingofZion]

The five candidates seeking to represent the 10th Congressional District break down into a group of three on the left and two on the right as revealed in a forum at Saint Mary's College on Monday night.

Ranging from political left to right are: self-described socialist Mary McIlroy from El Cerrito of the Peace and Freedom Party; Jeremy Cloward from Pleasant Hill of the Green Party; liberal Democrat John Garamendi from Walnut Grove; conservative Republican David Harmer, a San Ramon resident; and libertarian Jerry Denham from Walnut Creek, representing the American Independent Party.

State Lt. Gov. Garamendi is the presumed front-runner in Tuesday's election to replace Ellen Tauscher, who resigned in June to take a job in the U.S. State Department. The career politician has the best name recognition from his three decades in state politics and is running in a district in which Democrats outnumber Republicans 47 percent to 29 percent.

Although both McIlroy and Cloward said they are running because neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have addressed the problems facing the country, both were in agreement with Garamendi on just about every issue discussed during the one-and-a-half hour forum.

Garamendi joined with McIlroy and Cloward in supporting the proposed government-run health care plan now making its way through Congress.

*** Garamendi also agreed with the Green and Peace and Freedom Party candidates that the U.S. should end the war in Afghanistan.

*** The one moment of levity in the serious discussion occurred with Denham's response to the question of what was the most difficult decision of his life.

"To get married," he said without elaboration as the several hundred people in attendance laughed. The moderator joked that she hoped his wife wasn't in the audience.

[KingofZion]

I like the acknowledgement that there is basically no difference anymore between liberal democrats, greens, peace & freedom candidates.

Sadly this district is only slightly better than my last one (Pelosi)

[TBP]

Not a lot of dfference between real Republicans (i.e., actual conservatives) and the AIP either, but the AIP doesn’t have space for RINOs, whereas the GOP seems to love them.