Civil First CD 1 debate

The four candidates for the first District Democratic U.S. House nomination differed only in minor ways on major issues at the televised forum held Tuesday evening at the Providence Performing Arts Center and televised on Channel 12. It was a joust that featured more rhetoric than rancor.
All four candidates proved themselves to be in the mainstream of Democratic Party ideals. All supported the health care overhaul, repealing aspects of the George Bush tax cuts on the wealthy and directing federal stimulus money to infrastructure projects. None favored raising the social security age and all expressed skepticism about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Just by being on the same stage as perceived front-runner Dacid Cicilline, the other candidates, Bill Lynch, Anthony Gemma and David Segal, did themselves well. Lynch was the most poised and had the best-crafted answers. Gemma looked nervous and had problems speaking in themes at times. The only candidate who is against legal abortion, Gemma was tripped up by Channel 12′s Tim White when asked about his $1,000 contribution to Republican Don Carcieri’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
Segal also had first debate jitters but came across as forthright and knowing where he stands on issues. Unlike Cicilline, who split hairs ion the Afgan war issue. Segal said he would only support money to bring the troops home. Cicilline railed against the war but under questioning from White acknowledged that he would not vote to cut off funds for U.S. troops in that country.
Lynch, the former Democratic state chairman, was asked if he was too partisan to work effectively in Congress. He had a fairly good answer — when he was state chairman Republicans George Bush controlled the White House and Carcieri held sway at the State House. So Lynch had to keep up partisan pressure on them and represent the Democratic Party.
Cicilline ducked the question about his brother’s riole in a City Hall tax scandal and the drug busts in the Providence police department. The mayor has a solid grasp of facts but tends to speak in slogans and political consultant message-speak, which can make him appear programmed and less than authentic. He must have better answers to shots at his tenure as Providence mayor.
Segal knows what he believes and doesn’t sugar coat his liberalism. At 30 the youngest candidate, he believes that defense workers can be retrained for jobs in the Green economy. He doesn’t bob and weave. Gemma needs more practice in these forums; he once again misstated how many Rhode Island voters are registered as unaffiliated and tended to veer into abstraction on his plans to involve citizens in giving advice to Congress.
This is just round one. With 9 weeks to go this race has just gotten underway. Most voters don’t focus on these events until August 1, so the final rush to the September 14 primary with be frenetic.