Candidates stand off at senior center

“I’m not as down on America as Mr. Weed. I believe America was great, is great, and will be great!” Republican Congressman Virgil Goode said on Wednesday, August 9, to a large audience crammed into the Senior Center. Many of the approximately 300 spectators roared in support of his invective.
    The Fifth District representative’s remarks followed those of Al Weed—the Democratic challenger for his congressional seat—who led off the debate with a 15-minute harangue, accusing Goode of blindly following George Bush and linking him with contentious issues, such as support for the Iraq War and rising health care costs.
    Of his support for the war, Goode, who sponsored the debate, was defiant: “I’m not one of those that say we should roll the white flag up tomorrow and get out the next day.”
    But one topic in particular rankled Goode: his alleged illegal campaign contributions from MZM, Inc.—a faltering company that was awarded a large defense contract under his watch.
    “Let’s get to his assertion that MZM got $15 million—totally false,” Goode said. “He must be smoking something like what he’s named for,” he added jokingly, drawing a chorus of boos from the crowd.
    Weed also took on Goode’s strong stance against illegal immigrants: “I’m waiting for him to talk about amnesty for the illegal employers who hire the illegal immigrants,” Weed said, drawing applause from his supporters.
    Goode said the current Senate immigration bill is “worse than nothing,” describing it as a “glide path” for citizenship.
    “It’s a good start,” Weed countered, and proceeded to outline his strategy for dealing with illegal immigration, which included helping to develop the economies of Mexico and Central America, and raising minimum wage, “so employers can’t exploit American workers.”
    When asked whether he supported Goode’s legislative efforts to designate English as America’s official language, Weed replied that he thought it was foolish. “It’s already our official language,” he pointed out.
    Goode was equally adamant. “If we do not, we’re going to end up like Canada,” he said, elaborating that a failure to do so “would balkanize this country.”
    After two more related queries, an audience member objected. “No more immigration questions,” he yelled, and the topic finally shifted. For once, everyone seemed relieved.