2nd District hopefuls spar during final debate

Posted 10/29/2008 07:30:00 AM

Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley wants voters to believe only he has the ability to clearly articulate vision and argue policy on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

His Democratic opponent, Harry Teague, wants voters to believe he’s just like them and, because of that, is the only candidate who can bring an outsider’s perspective to Washington and help change a broken political system.

The candidates’ respective views of the race collided Tuesday in their final showdown before Election Day. The debate in Mesquite was the least controlled of all forums and debates in which the candidates have participated, and they directly engaged each other at several points during the event.

For Teague, there’s been quite a shift from the primary, when he tried to divert attention from the reality that he’s not the most articulate candidate to ever run for Congress. At Tuesday’s forum, he embraced the fact that he never finished high school or attended college because, at age 17, his parents fell ill and he had to begin working in the oilfields in eastern New Mexico to support his family.

“I’m not really a trained politician, and I’m not an extravagant orator,” Teague said in portraying himself as a regular citizen running against a lobbyist and lawyer who can’t understand that Washington is broken.

“Our Congress doesn’t need another smooth talker or speech giver,” Teague said.

Tinsley, seeking to capitalize on his own ability to articulate his views, cited endorsements he’s won from the Las Cruces Sun-News and Roswell Daily Record. He highlighted the Sun-News’ assertion that Teague “has not articulated a clear vision for our district or for how he would address the pressing issues facing our nation.”

Tinsley, the newspaper said, “better understands Congress and is better prepared for the steep learning curve ahead.”

“It’s about having a vision for American and our district going forward,” Tinsley said at Tuesday’s forum. He later added that the district needs “a congressman who can understand some of the core issues that we face… somebody that can articulate that position in front of 434 members of Congress.”

Though there were enthusiastic supporters of both candidates among the group of about 60 people in attendance at the debate, southern Doña Ana County is Democratic country, and the crowd was largely friendly to Teague.

That was most apparent when the candidates directly engaged each other in a discussion about their own educations.

“You’ve talked down to me about my education this entire election. … That’s hurtful,” Tinsley said, apparently referring to Teague’s attack on the fact that he is a trained lawyer.

Teague countered by pointing out “the time that you tried to tell the people that I wouldn’t be able to talk to the other members of Congress.” That’s when Teague spoke about the fact that he never finished high school or attended college because he had to work. A man in the audience interrupted to shout, “You’re one of us!”

The loud cheering and applause of most in attendance filled the fire station.

Tinsley ended the debate by praising Teague, saying he respects “all he’s done in building his companies and taking care of his employees,” but telling those in attendance that the race is about “who can best represent you in an effective manner.”

“I’m on your team,” Tinsley said.

Teague closed the debate by thanking Tinsley for participating.

“This is what we need. We need a spirited debate about what’s going on,” Teague said. “… Our country is in trouble and our system is broken, and we need somebody who understands that.”