Sheridan Presents His Platform at LECC "Debate" Despite Calvert No-Show

Press Release

Tim Sheridan, candidate for the 42nd Congressional District, stood alone on a stage at the Lake Elsinore Woman's Club Friday evening. He had been scheduled to debate his opponent, 20-year incumbent Congressman Ken Calvert, but Mr. Calvert refused. Nevertheless, the Lake Elsinore Citizen's Committee offered Mr. Sheridan an opportunity to answer questions about his candidacy and to rebut five assertions that the Committee determined Mr. Calvert likely would have argued had he shown up to debate.

First the Committee determined that Mr. Calvert would have argued that he should be reelected to help stop President Obama. In response, Mr. Sheridan said that Congress is broken and that we needed legislators who would be willing to work together -- regardless of party. He added that Congress has been struggling to get any legislation passed because of the unwillingness of representatives from both parties to reach across the aisle to find compromises that would serve the interests of our nation. Mr. Sheridan said that, when he is elected to office, he will do everything he can to work with any of his fellow legislators- irrespective of party.

Second, the Committee said that Mr. Calvert would have argued that those in California's 42nd District should vote for him because we know what we are getting while Tim Sheridan is an unknown entity. Mr. Sheridan answered that a close look at Mr. Calvert's record demonstrated that it was not a good one. He called into question Mr. Calvert's actions in the last ten years in which he personally bought property, secured earmarks in Congress to improve the surrounding area, and then sold his property for a large profit. Mr. Sheridan also mentioned that Mr. Calvert had spent $30,000 of his campaign money on so-called "campaign events" in the Napa Valley and more than $4,000 on cigars over the last four years. Sheridan reported that, for the four years between 2006 and 2009, Mr. Calvert also had made the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's (CREW) listing of the most corrupt members of Congress.[1]

When asked why a fiscally conservative voter should vote for him, Mr. Sheridan replied that Democrats have become more fiscally aware. He cited the concept of PayGo, a law that forces Congress to offset new spending with cuts to existing programs before appropriating money to new programs. He noted that PayGo was signed into law in 2010 by President Obama after the Democratic Congress passed the bill based on a concept that was used from 1990-2002. Mr. Sheridan promised that, when he goes to Washington, he will not vote for any military program that is not advocated for by our military and that he will oppose all attempts to close down the government as Congress did in October 2013. That shutdown, according to Mr. Sheridan, resulted in a waste of about $24 billion.[2]

Mr. Sheridan also emphasized that, when he is elected, he will have a significant presence in California's 42nd District so that everyone, no matter what party affiliation, can offer suggestions and criticisms of his work in Congress. He also said that constituent services would be his main focus, noting that he would try to open two offices in the District and that he would hire experts in each important area of constituent concerns, including veterans' affairs and Social Security, so that he can best serve the people who live in the district.

The Committee also talked about the immigration issue, noting that Mr. Calvert has pledged to pass a bill to fix our broken immigration system. But Mr. Sheridan pointed out that a bipartisan immigration bill has already passed the Senate (by a vote of 68 to 32)[3] but has never come up for a vote in the House of Representatives. The bill was supported by Democrats and Republicans, including Senators John McCain, Marco Rubio, Jeff Flake, and Lindsey Graham. That bill would have included funding for an additional 20,000 border patrol agents, a fence along the remaining 700 miles of the Mexican border and set aside billions of dollars for high-tech surveillance equipment. Mr. Sheridan pointed out that Mr. Calvert's failure to push House leadership to vote on the Senate bill demonstrated a significant failure to lead.

Mr. Sheridan also noted that at least two other members of Congress from Southern California had attained Chairmanships of important committees while Mr. Calvert had not in 22 years. Mr. Sheridan feels that this shows that Mr. Calvert is not respected by his colleagues in Congress.

In closing, Mr. Sheridan said, "We can do better. Give me two years to see what I can do."

The general election will be on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. The last day to register to vote in that election will be October 20, 2014. You can register online at: http://registertovote.ca.gov/.

The 42nd Congressional District runs along the I-15 corridor roughly from Corona southeast to Temecula, and northeast along the I-215 and CA-79 corridors to Beaumont. It also includes the communities of Eastvale, Norco, Lake Elsinore,

[1] http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/blog/c/ken-calvert

[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/10/18/how-much-did-the-shutdown-cost-the-economy/

[3] http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/immigration-bill-2013-senate-passes-93530_Page2.html#ixzz3FtE0Egzm

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