The setting was an apt one for this first debate between Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman at such a dire time for our economy: a vast, abandoned space, formerly Dick’s Sporting Goods, in the Westfield Promenade Mall in Woodland Hills, closed like so many businesses.
But on Thursday night it was packed with about 300 people, many more than expected, and it was a lively night.
Because of congressional redistricting, these two longtime Valley Democrats now are both competing for the same seat in the 30th District. Sponsored by the Woodland Hills/Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, this was the first public face-off in a campaign that is expected to be extremely costly for both men.
Also participating in the debate were two Republicans in the running, author and businessman Mark Reed.
It was a dynamic and often contentious debate, with Sherman and Berman repeatedly assailing each other, as Reed and tried, and often succeeded, in scoring points with the crowd.
In opening statements, Berman quickly surveyed his considerable accomplishments in Congress.
Sherman attacked him almost immediately for his support of the Iraq War resolution, which Berman said he signed based on “erroneous information” that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Talking as if on the floor of the House, Sherman then went after Berman for his support of 2008's federal bank bailout program, known as TARP.
“My friend Howard talks about leadership,” he said. “It’s important that you lead in the right direction. I was a leader in an effort to stop the $700 billion bank bailout.” The crowd cheered. He added: “I’ve been a leader in stopping trade deals that send our jobs overseas.”
Sherman then described his campaign against Super PACs, displaying a big poster of his anti Super-PAC pledge, which he repeatedly raised and asked Berman to sign.
Berman,, declined.
Shelley and Reed repeatedly returned to Republican themes of less government, especially in regard to taxation. Shelley’s chief proposal was to replace our current tax code with a 5 percent flat tax, which she said would transform America.
“Think about it,” she said. “If we turn the U.S. into the greatest tax haven in the world, businesses from around the world will come here and hire people, and new businesses would start up. What would any of you do tomorrow if you knew you could keep 95 percent of everything you [make]? I think it’s time we stopped asking the government what it needs, and start telling the government what it can have.”
Shelley expressed doubt about the accuracy of recent reports of decreasing unemployment, as did Reed, who enumerated what he felt were the requirements for addressing joblessness.
“Real job growth will start when the government gets out of our way,” Reed said. “Real job growth will take place when Congress gets serious about the debt, gets serious about stopping the spending and borrowing, and the Federal Reserve stops printing money and devaluating our dollar.” The crowd responded with much applause, but their support waned quickly when he suggested that government benefits encouraged people not to work.
When Reed and Shelley both expressed their beliefs that less governmental regulation would be good for California, Berman reminded everyone that clean-air regulations have resulted in a better Los Angeles.
“Thirty years ago,” he said, “the smog was so thick in the Valley that you couldn’t see the mountains. It’s not that way anymore. Have you noticed how clear and beautiful these days have been? That is the direct result of regulations we put into place decades ago.”
Both Berman and Sherman had a big contingent of support present, and each scored many points so that a victor could not be easily declared. Sherman received his most fervent response from the crowd when he spoke of the need to transform U.S. trade policies.
“If we’re gonna have jobs, we’ve got to change our trade policy,” he said to much applause and cheering. “We have an $800 billion trade deficit. That’s why we have to get away from NAFTA, and MFN [Most Favored Nation status] for China, and the South Korea Free Trade deal, and demand a system of balanced and fair trade. People ask over and over, ‘Where are the jobs?’ They’re in China.”
Limited time left no opportunity for the audience to ask questions, resulting in several interruptions by audience members attempting to be heard. Kwazi Nkruman, an activist with Occupy the Hood and Occupy L.A., repeatedly yelled out: “Occupy homes. Stop foreclosures.” He was asked by security to leave, which he did.
After the debate, audience members expressed mixed reactions. In a longtime Democratic district, it was not surprising that for most, the choice appeared to come down to Berman or Sherman, both of whom have the loyalty of their constituents.
Terry Walcek, 87, who attended with her 91-year-old husband, summed up the sentiment of many in the crowd by saying, “I like Berman and Sherman. They’re both good men. I think it’s terrible that we have to lose one of them.”
You can read other accounts of the debate here:
L.A. Times: Berman, Sherman meet in first forum of hot congressional race
L.A. Weekly: In Debate, Brad Sherman Attacks Howard Berman on Iraq War, Trade and Super PACs
There were people who wished they could ask questions from the floor but here is the bottom line. We never would have had the chance to hear the candidates answer the wide variety of questions had the questions come from the floor. After all this was not a public event but a chamber of commerce function. The questions came from members of the Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber of Commerce as well as my colleagues with the United Chambers of Commerce and represented the concerns of our members. I was surprised at the number of people who attended the Town Hall. I had expected maybe 200 but was impressed when the room filled with more than 400 individuals. Undoubtedly many were partisans as was reflected by the final tally from the straw poll. None the less I believe the candidates acquitted themselves nicely and a good time was had by all. A very special thanks to the Los Angeles Police Department, Westfield's who sponsored the event, Ruth's Cris Steak House for providing parking, the Corner Bakery for the refreshments and the Tarzana Neighborhood Council for the use of their sound system. Finally, a very special thank you to the staff of the Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber without whom the event would not have been a success.
SO will you now tell us how your chamber got to put on this function? Sherman in 2010 refused all invitations from Reed's camp for debates. The League of Conservation voters and another liberal leaning group hosted their only debates. That's Sherman's history. No one can deny he has been apprehensive about unsafe debates. Any why you didn't take questions from the audience... well Sherman doesn't work that way. They have to be written down and screened. You let Sherman have a platform for his stunts. I think that's what this event was all about.
You did not ask however who wrote this question: "Was the US sacrifice in Iraq, 4,500 US service men and women killed, tens of thousands wounded and almost a Trillion dollars spent, worth it in your opinion?" Did Fox News write that one Paul? No the Joe Gerrymandered asked me to ask that question on the Patch, January 2nd. Look it up. If you took the time to review m columns you would see that the Patch sadly generated few if any questions. Sorry your theory and Torjan2002 have been popped.
There was no time to sort through the questions, many of which were covered during the debate. If you think you can do a better job put on your own debate. As for me I'm done for this week. For all of you who showed us we thank you for taking the time to learn where the candidates stand and hope you will vote accordingly.
I also understood that you would have welcomed questions from the audience but time-limits imposed by the venue made that impossible. You chose not to have a break, which was a good idea. After the debate, I am sorry I didn't have the opportunity to ask you any questions. I spent that time interviewing members of the audience, including a few who attempted to interrupt the proceedings. I felt you handled those who attempted to hijack the event quite well, and I felt it was fair debate, an informative one, and certainly lively and engaging. You balanced the concerns of all the candidates and those in attendance fairly and deftly and did a fine job moderating what was a debate of unique dynamics. I hope my reporting didn't suggest otherwise. And I hope in the future I'll have a chance to speak to you directly.
You have yet to address that question. WHY do you keep avoiding this question?
The answer to why they asked us is simple. The Sherman folks came to us because we are the big dog in the west valley. We have an extremely active government affairs committee and we advocate for or in oppose to a number of pieces of legislation ever year. But Trojan2002, why don't you call the folks at the Sherman campaign to ask them why they asked us to put on the first fact-to-face debate of the election season. They can answer your lingering questions.
I knew Sherman made the approach. And you're not the first organization they asked. AND you are not the big dog in the west valley. I can think of a handful of other organization that have real clout and credibility. Sean, Sherman's camp won't answer directly to anyone. They are vindictive assheads who know nothing about constituent services. They have been campaigning for 10 years. And like Zine, they favor anyone who kisses their ass. Something your organization did by hosting this event at his behest and by blackballing Berman at your fall fest by not letting him speak. Sherman barely covers Woodland Hills, they both represent Tarzana. I wonder why even Waxman wasn't invited when he is your current congressman... is it because he and Berman are close? Go back and read my comments from the start. I asked you off the bat about how you got this. And the answer is now clear- Sherman's camp came to you because Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Sherman.
Please keep it going.
he is the reason why your stocks went down, why a weak health care bill was passed, why weak financial overhaul bill was passed, why there is a deep level of partisan brinkmanship. The congress of 2007-2008 was much more effective than 2009-2010 because the Dems knew clearly what the WH would and would not do. Obama is an absent leader. He gives guidelines like he is a cablenews host. I also think you need a good mix of Republicans and Democrats in office to get the best laws. The country isn't 50/50 dems/repubs, they each have less than that. But we don't have a good mix because of the president, not because of congress.
House aides are allowed to do political or campaign work, but “only outside congressional space, without the use of any House resources and on their own time,” the House Ethics Manual says. That's from a NYT Dec 2 2011 article. Did Matt Dabaneh call to set up the debate? Matt is Sherman's district director, earning $128,000 for that position. But he is also getting paid by the Sheman campaign to be a "consultant". At least John Alford was dropped from they payroll as a staffer on 8/1. Going back several years, other Sherman staffers got paid simultaneously from the campaign. So Sean, will you tell us who called you? It shouldn't have been any of the staffers because that would be violation. It doesn't matter if it was on their own time, the rule is OUTSIDE the congressional space. So now will you tell us the truth when you answer this question? does your organization still want to endorse a circus clown with dubious campaign/staff work? Why is Matt working on a congressional campaign? Why was John Alford up until 8/1? The answer is clear now though... the reason why his office is so bad at constituent services is because they run it as auxiliary campaign office.
I will however, categorically deny that I have ever endorsed a circus clown. These and the other offices up for election in 2012 are critical for the future of California and the nation. We will be determining our country's future health and security. The people we elect will make laws that either frees us to be all we can be or force us to move to another state to achieve our dreams. This election is about who can inspire 99 weekers to give up waiting for the perfect job and get back to work. Right now we don't have the leadership we need to get us going again. That is why the Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber hosted the Town Hall and why we will continue to do so in the future.
Momlee....you need to go and educate yourself regarding the facts. California is creating jobs faster than any other state in the union right now. Plus, we are one of the largest economies of the WORLD!! 7th if I'm not mistaken. We were looking 700,000 jobs A MONTH when Bush was leaving office in 2007. Unemployment #'s are going DOWN