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Last night’s sharpest exchange

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* The 12th Congressional District debate last night got heated at times. But this was one of the sharper exchanges between Democrat Bill Enyart and Republican Jason Plummer. I know it’s late in the day, and it’s Friday, but it’s a must-watch…

* Roundup…

* Enyart and Plummer blast each other in 12th Congressional debate

* Plummer and Enyart set acrimonious tone in second debate

* Tempers start to show

* Congressional Candidates Debate in Marion

* VIDEO: Full debate

* VIDEO: After the Debate - Jason Plummer

* VIDEO: After the Debate - Bill Enyart

* VIDEO: After the Debate - Paula Bradshaw

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:02 pm

Comments

Enyart ate poor Jason for dinner. ‘Nuff said.

Comment by unreliable sources Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:10 pm
Enyart is a lot more impressive that I realized. It’s funny that Enyart points out that Plummer keeps trying to run against Obama and Pelosi, but Jason can’t deviate from his canned response.

The whole I couldn’t have inherited anything line was too funny. What did you build Jason?

Comment by LilLebowskiUrbanAchiever Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:18 pm
Wow, I’m a Republican and I generally like Plummer but man…he would do well do not attend any more debates. Not that I disagree with any of his policy points. It is his delivery. He doesn’t carry the room like a Congressman should. I mean, he is a smart goodlooking kid but that higher pitched voice and lack of gravitas is not helping the cause.

Comment by Reality Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:35 pm
Wow. Jason looked bad. And I consider Jason a friend.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:45 pm
Watch the full debate. Enyart has trouble answering the questions. The democtatic crowd was very rude and disrespectable to the debate as a whole..

Comment by ironman Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 4:59 pm
A youngster running his second campaign against a practiced trial lawyer. I would have expected a more thorough drubbing. He’s come a long way since the WTTW experience.

There is ample reason to run against Obama and Pelosi, as they will be the ones calling the shots, and Enyart will certainly vote party 95% of the time, just as Jason will for the Rs.

Going after respective party policies is 100% kosher, and the burden of proof of defining yourself as more independent is on the candidate.

Keeping rates the same and cutting deductions is a perfectly reasonable policy, and Jason could have defended the point better.

The Dem partisans in the crowd where typical. Rude, obnoxious, and uncouth.

Comment by Bruno Behrend Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 5:56 pm
The idea of Plummer in Congress weighing in in such things as national security, energy policy, trade issues and our economy is troubing. Just a complete lack of depth there…

Comment by Oh, please... Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 7:06 pm
Fantastic Response to Jason Plummer. He has my vote!!!

Comment by thunder Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 7:25 pm
Enyart looked like a cranky old man next to the towering young and inexperienced sounding Plummer. Youth has its advantages, and Plummer has them.

If you hate young men that use their father’s money to get into political office, then you probably hate a whole lot of people because Illinois is the land of Daleys, Giannouliases, Jacksons, Stevensons, Lipinskis, and a lady whose father is Speaker of the General Assembly. Wealth and nepotism has its place in Illinois and always will. Mr. Plummer’s fault is not being a rich kid with the Democratic Party, according to the rude crowd yelling at the candidates.

I’m no Jason fan, but Mr. Enyart came off looking like a know it all bully I wouldn’t have a beer with. Instead of insulting Jason, he needed to have done a Durbin and treated Mr. Plummer like a little boy with wet pants trying to pedal his tricycle to DC. By behaving like a partisan jackass, Enyart made Plummer look better than he should have looked.

Really, sometimes lawyers don’t know when to shut up, do they?

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 8:48 pm
Enyart accuses him of trying to run against Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi…and then proceeds to blame George Bush for all of our problems.

And for the last time, just because someone was born into a successful family doesn’t mean they don’t work extremely hard, and it doesn’t mean they can’t also be successful. Anyone employed by Bob Plummer is an extremely hard worker. Anyone mentored in business by Bob Plummer for 30 years is likely to be very successful.

Comment by East Sider Friday, Sep 21, 12 @ 11:16 pm
Suprisingly, since Enyart has been running only a few months and this Congressional seat has been in Plummer’s sites for awhile, Enyart shows a considerably greater grasp of the issues. Sort of makes Plummer look lazy, in a way.

Comment by RFK fan Saturday, Sep 22, 12 @ 7:41 am
Plummer came across as Congressional in this debate. He knew the district and issues and showed it. All Enyart did was try to attack him. Enyart keeps making fun of Plummer’s rank in the military. I’m not in the military but I can’t imagine that insulting anyones service plays well with the rank and file. Don’t know why he feels the need to do that.

Comment by Snark Encouraged Saturday, Sep 22, 12 @ 1:23 pm
I did as ironman suggested. his comment is accurate. I was surprised how poorly prepared Enyart was on actual issues. Who is Paula Bradshaw? Was she doodling or something while she was talking?

Comment by Sideliner Sunday, Sep 23, 12 @ 12:25 am