Given the mad scramble by Orange County congressional candidates this year to fundraise for the hit mail bonanza they’re unleashing on each other, there wasn’t room for any meaningful public debates.
In all, Republican Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min have raised nearly $10 million in direct contributions alone for the coming blitz.
As I wrote in my column, while I understand the effectiveness of the technique in getting politicians elected, the local community loses out on an important opportunity for a public conversation on the state of things.
A lack of debates and discussion produces less capable elected officials.
Given our public penchant for talking democracy as a society, I always imagined elections prompting a local version of parliamentary question-and-answer time with the Prime Minister.
But our campaign finance system produces very guarded candidates.
Despite the challenges, we got both Baugh and Min to agree through handlers to engage.
The result was an interesting conversation on national and local issues playing out in Orange County.
The National Budget
Anyone who is serious about the national budget has to acknowledge that discretionary spending is a tiny percentage of the overall budget, says Min.
Defense is a huge portion, he notes, along with entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.
Republicans grandstand and campaign on budget cuts, he says, but where they really deliver is on tax cuts.
“What we have done over my lifetime,” said Min, “we’ve had three major tax policies by Republican presidents that go to the top one percent.”
Trump was the worst, Min said.
“We’re hollowing out America to pay for those tax cuts.”
Min says the best way to cut the deficit is to let the Trump era tax cuts expire, something he argues that would be a huge source of tax relief for OC families in terms of mortgage and local tax deductions that were changed under Trump.
Baugh says spending under the last four years of a Democratic presidential administration has spiked, calling out a national debt of $35 trillion – something he argues is fuelling inflation and driving down economic growth.
“So much is going to fund government and pay down debt,” Baugh said, that it’s negatively impacting entrepreneurs.
“We have to quit doing more harm,” Baugh said, criticizing the Inflation Reduction Act as a “corporate giveaway” on things like solar energy.
“We have people getting rich on this,” Baugh said, calling the legislation “corporate welfare.”
Baugh said he is against earmarking projects in legislative bills – where local communities get infrastructure building by members of Congress cutting political deals.
Baugh says given the national debt, he’ll have a high bar for any new spending, asking:
“Is it a prudent expense given the level of debt?”
Baugh said taxpayers should expect lawmakers to figure out tough math.
“We can fix these problems, and solve them,” he said, adding “the American people don’t expect us to solve things overnight but they do expect progress.”
Gun Control
Min says he’s a strong advocate for tighter gun regulations.
“We need to expand background checks at the federal level,” he told me.
He also wants to see an assault weapons ban reinstated and more stringent gun storage laws, saying “guns are the number one killer of kids in the country.”
To Min, the stats are clear.
“Anyone who wants to do mass damage can do so easily,” when it comes to high capacity weapons.
Baugh seems on the opposite end of Min’s thinking.
He takes issues with the rising tide of gun laws on the books.
“I’m not sure passing new gun laws do anything to fix the problem,” Baugh said, referring to gun violence.
“We need to focus on enforcement mechanisms, red flag laws, criminals with mental issues or people who are careless about the use of guns,” he said. “People who have made threats … they should be followed up on and investigated.”
In many cases, Baugh notes, that key issues went unflagged when it comes to mass killers.
“We have failed to follow up on those red flags,” he said.
Women’s Reproductive Healthcare
“What’s happening right now is horrific,” said Min referring to a host of state laws enacted across the U.S. in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision changing existing federal law on abortion.
Min calls the decision “political” and fears new laws will affect doctors working in certain areas, with a resulting spike in mortality rates.
“An avoidable outcome,” Min said, “because of this war on contraception, reproductive health care.”
“I would vote a codification of Roe v Wade,” added Min.
These decisions, in addition with corruption allegations against several Supreme Court justices, makes Min say it’s time for Supreme Court reform.
Min accused Baugh of supporting a federal ban on abortion, something Baugh said is false.
“Bottom line is the right to reproductive care is enshrined in our constitution and I don’t think the federal government should step in,” Baugh told me.
“One size fits all doesn’t work,” said Baugh, noting he prefers to let states decide the issue.
“Let the states sort it out,” Baugh said, adding “I wouldn’t let the federal government step in and change that. I don’t believe the federal government should step in and set the standard.”
Engaging Closed Regimes
Neither Min nor Baugh would consider themselves experts on foreign policy, but answered questions on one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century.
How do free states deal with closed regimes?
Engagement or isolation?
“It depends on the context of the particular regime,” Min told me.
“We always want to extend an open hand,” he said, adding “but not to regimes proven unworthy.”
For example, Min – whose parents are South Korean immigrants – notes that he “changed my mind on Iran,” highlighting that he once supported the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with the regime but no longer does.
“At this point, I don’t support efforts to negotiate with that regime,” he said.
I asked Min a bit about why the California State Senate keeps welcoming Cuba’s repressive regime –- allowing them a one-way dialogue with legislative leaders during the Senate’s international relations visitors program.
California State Senators have welcomed that regime multiple times in recent years.
Without any kind of critical questioning on issues like human rights.
Min said he didn’t stand with the Cuban delegation or take photos with them, like others did.
He put the invitation on legislative leaders and said he didn’t get involved.
Min says he’s no foreign policy expert and described Cuba as a “blind spot” in his expertise, noting that it was news to him they are systemic human rights violators.
But once made aware, he noted “If they violate human rights, we have to take a hard line.”
While Baugh said he supports engagement of different leadership styles and approaches to government, regimes like Cuba should be isolated, treated differently.
He called the welcome offered to Cuban representatives by the California State Senate, “appalling.”
“When you’re dealing with a regime like China, with so many human rights violations,” Baugh said, “engaging in nefarious behavior … like fentanyl production … .intellectual theft …you need to take different actions.”
“We live in a world community, and need to make sure we have diplomatic ties, and channels of communications,” Baugh said. “It’s not black and white.”
But Americans should always engage based on American values, he added.
Trade relations and tariffs should be closely tied to values, Baugh noted when it comes to foreign policy.
“I would cut off all trade with Iran,” Baugh told me, citing their terrorism ties and abuses of women and political minorities.
“The regime of Iran doesn’t reflect our values.”
Gaza and Israel
Min said he stood strongly with Israel on the ongoing war in Gaza calling the attacks by Hamas last October “brutal.”
Yet he also questions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I have concerns about how the war is being prosecuted,” he said.
Baugh said he is solidly pro-Israel.
“Israel should do what they need to do to make sure there is peace,” Baugh said.
“Once Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran declared their intent to wipe Israel off the face of the earth,” Baugh added, “I’m not going to second guess what Israel has to do to survive.”
Baugh added that Israel’s survival and that of the United States are linked.
“They are the little Satan … we are the big Satan,” Baugh said referring to official Iranian characterizations of both Israel and the United States.
“We need to protect Israel and not let terrorism take root,” Baugh said.
Regarding the suffering on the streets of Gaza resulting from Israeli military engagement of the area, Baugh said “you have to have compassion … you can’t ignore people who are hurting… what else do you expect Israel to do?
“You have to have a conversation.”
Ukraine
On the war in Ukraine, Min was clear in total support of current U.S. policy, declaring “We need to stand strong with our allies.”
“We have an obligation to stand with Ukraine,” Min said. “They have been invaded by a hostile power,” adding that Russia is creating a direct threat to the stability of Europe.
Min noted concerns about spending of U.S. aid by Ukrainian officials, adding, “there’s a time for accountability,” but for the time being, “we want to make sure Ukraine can stand.”
Baugh also was supportive of aid to Ukraine, but voiced concerns about tracking spending.
“Putin is a bad guy,” Baugh said, adding that U.S. policy should keep him contained.
But his support for Ukraine didn’t seem as bedrock as for Israel.
Baugh said he would have fought in any U.S. aid package for more accountability measures on how funds are being spent – especially in light of the national debt situation.
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