Candidates square off in debates

Let the games begin.
With about three weeks left until the September 13 special election for scandal-ridden, ex-Congressmember Anthony Wiener’s seat in the ninth congressional district, candidates Bob Turner and David Weprin have put their elections efforts into high gear.
In the packed basement of a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills the evening of August 22, the aspiring congress members spoke to a crowd of feisty and restive supporters and onlookers, spewing rhetoric on their vastly divergent views of how to control the country’s spending and how to spur job creation – among the many issues discussed that night.
The frenetic room of about 400 that attended the forum heckled the candidates – yelling “Hypocrite! Hypocrite!” in response to one of Weprin’s statements. Turner wasn’t spared either and elicited his fair share of boos and outcries from the audience.
Weprin, a state assemblymember, and Turner, a retired television executive, staunchly disagreed on how to manage the federal budget. While Turner suggested cutting federal spending by 35 percent, Weprin retorted with his proposal to raise taxes on the millionaires and billionaires.
Turner suggested large cuts to the federal agriculture, education departments and Environmental Protection Agency.
“You can’t cut, cut, cut and maintain the quality of life we have now,” Weprin said in response to Turner’s proposals.
Regarding the jobs issue, Weprin supported the creation of a national jobs bill to create more opportunities here in the states, while Turner said the country needs to invest in energy options like hydraulic fracturing and off-shore drilling.
The political jabbering continued throughout the 90-minute forum on issues that ranged from immigration to health care – policies that mainly affect the constituents of the ninth congressional district, but nothing specific to Queens.
The candidates continued the polemical spectacle, attacking each other’s backgrounds and agendas. Weprin continued to criticize Turner’s draconian cuts to the federal government, while Turner accused Weprin of being a career politician.
“Mr. Weprin is tainted by a long career in politics,” he said. “This is something wrong with the system. And he’s part of the system. This is why he has to go.”
The audience had their own impressions of how the candidates performed during the forum. Some Weprin supporters noted that he was the superior candidate during the exchange and were completely turned off by Turner’s agenda.
“Turner is a very scary guy like the rest of the Tea Party,” said Martha Livingston, a professor at The College at Old Westbury who resides in the area. “This simple-minded notion that government has no function is very, very frightening at a time when people are suffering and need government to step in and make their lives better.”