Last night, there was a debate in Orangevale put on by the Sunrise Area Republicans. This group is reported to be deeply tied to Ose as Ose called Citrus Heights home before and during at least part of his stay in Congress.

This club’s express policy is to not endorse in contested primaries and was (incorrectly) characterized as a Moderate group by my sources.

Ose Admission: “I knew Farm subsidies were wrong…so I stopped.”

You’d think by now, Doug Ose would stop debating Sen. Tom McClintock. Each time the two candidates square off in candidate forums, Doug Ose walks away a loser. This time, Ose may have made two big mistakes. Moderator Jim Pelley gave all four Republican candidates for Congress questions from the audience that covered the gamut of issues raised in this election cycle.

Ted Terbolizard and Suzanne Jones made it clear they were not rolling over for the Ose-McClintock debates. Terbo is always entertaining and in some respects is a better public speaker than any of the candidates.

Tom McClintock loosened the audience up considerably stating, “I will not respond to Character attacks, I’ve come to talk about issues”.

Early in the Debate, Ose admitted that he took farm subsidies while serving as a member of Congress and sitting on the House Agriculture Committee. In 2004, just before Ose left office, the farm subsidy issue was a brewing scandal for Ose. The Sacramento Bee covered the story at the time, but seems to have contracted a case of amnesia as it relates to Ose and Farm Subsidies. (Maybe all the beating up on Doolittle and the desire to see anyone but a Conservative in the 4th CD is at play here)

The farm subsidy issue is important as Ose continues to obsessively criticize Tom McClintock for receiving per diem. Ose took more than $600,000 in subsidies, that we know of. In a past post, I asked more questions about how much Ose and his family benefited. After the debate, Ose was confronted by Fox 40 news reporter, Michelle Liu, about the subsidies. Ose admitted, ”I knew it was wrong, so I stopped.”

I wish John Doolittle got the same treatment! I knew it was wrong so I stopped? I wish President Bush got let off the hook over the 24 year old DUI in 2000.

What about all the money paid not to grow rice!? What about the people rioting in 3rd world countries for food?What about the $604,000 (that we know of)?

Is Doug going to give the money back? This is an issue I am sure we will hear more about in the days to come. – Meantime, where are those Tax Returns?, the Ticker continues to mark the time…

Near the end of the debate, Ose criticized Club for Growth and its’ founder Stephen Moore. “You don’t know about this group,” said Ose. “Stephen Moore has stated that senior citizens as the most greedy class of Americans.”

Isn’t that special – Tim Macy from Gun Owners of America is a racist and now Stephen Moore hates senior citizens. I wonder if Ose is going to call Mike Spence of the CRA a psycho or something next. Usually when one person has an issue with several others – it suggests that the one person might be the issue.

The Club for Growth is a national network of thousands of Americans, from all walks of life, who believe that prosperity and opportunity come through economic freedom.

Club for Growth Policy Goals:

Making the Bush tax cuts permanent
Death tax repeal
Cutting and limiting government spending
Social Security reform with personal retirement accounts
Expanding free trade
Legal reform to end abusive lawsuits
Replacing the current tax code
School choice
Regulatory reform and deregulation

At the Debate – Tom McClintock got raucous applause when he proclaimed Education to be a local matter, going so far as to suggest the abolition of the Department of Education. Ose, by contrast is part of the establishment that kept feeding it money while our students continue to fail.

The Club for America recently launched a radio advertising campaign against Ose, throwing what is believed to be several hundred thousand dollars in an independent expenditure on behalf of McClintock. With Ose’s comments, aimed at Stephen Moore, one has to wonder if that guaranteed another round of media buys against Mr. Ose.

It certainly suggests that Ose is feeling the heat of the response to his $2 Million worth of character attacks.

Will Ose stop debating McClintock? The next round is tonight in Downieville.