On October 29, the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives 4^th district debated: Rep. Jim Himes (D), Dr. Michael Goldstein (R), and Benjamin Wesley (I).

In opening remarks, Mr. Himes wasted no time citing his Republican opponent’s MAGA bona fides, saying “democracy doesn’t work without decency and civility.” He noted that Dr. Goldstein had boasted online that it was “well worth the wait” in line to attend the “amazing rally” at Madison Square Garden where speakers called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage, the Democratic presidential candidate was called a prostitute, and there were watermelon jokes about a Black man.”

Dr. Goldstein, reading his opening statement, said the “Biden-Harris-Himes team” had produced a “government-induced energy crisis, which combined with reckless spending has led to the worst inflation in decades, open borders to criminals, terrorists, slave traders, drug smugglers, and economic immigrants who are coming for benefits at the expense of taxpayers.”

Independent Party candidate Benjamin Wesley, a manufacturing engineer in an instrumentation factory, opened with a description of his family roots. He said the United States “is sort of lacking in truthfulness, empathy, and wisdom,” and suggested that American arms should no longer be supplied to Israel, Ukraine, or Taiwan. He said he believes “we are closer to nuclear war than any time in our history.”

In the one-hour debate, six questions were posed to the candidates.

Carbon-neutral electricity

Asked whether he supports a goal of achieving carbon-neutral electricity by 2040, Rep. Himes said he wasn’t “hung up” on the year, but that the transition is necessary and would create jobs. He said the United States already leads in battery, wind, and solar power. “This is something we can win,” said Mr. Himes. “Why should we let China, Japan, and Germany lead on technology?”

Dr. Goldstein said China produces more carbon than the U.S. and contended that “we can’t be carbon neutral.” He said America needs a mix of fossil fuel and nuclear energy, and that “we need to massively produce oil and gas.”

Mr. Wesley agreed with Dr. Goldstein, asked Rep. Himes why there is an energy crisis, and wondered if the United States blew up the Nord Stream pipeline. “Are we ecoterrorists?”

Mr. Himes rebutted that no, the U.S. did not blow up Nord Stream, and yes, the country needs to invest in nuclear energy and build facilities more quickly.

Tax cut expiration

Asked about whether to extend the $3.1 trillion tax cut enacted in 2017, which is set to expire next year, Dr. Goldstein said it should be renewed. He said keeping corporate taxes low helps businesses, spurs economic growth, and eventually puts money in people’s pockets.

Mr. Wesley said “this isn’t my field of expertise,” and accused Mr. Himes of “cowardice” for not stopping an embargo on arms shipments to Israel.

Mr. Himes said “we’re not cutting off Israel” and that the 2017 tax legislation “blew a $2 trillion hole” in the economy. He said 83 percent of the benefit went to the top one percent and that “the wealthy should pay their fair share.” He asked whether those in favor of an extension would be willing to cut defense, Medicare, or Medicaid to fill the hole.

Dr. Goldstein said “taxing the rich” will never work, because they always know ways to find loopholes.

The Middle East

Asked how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be addressed, Mr. Wesley said the U.S. should stop sending weapons to Israel and demand a ceasefire.

Mr. Himes noted that Mr. Wesley has not said anything about “the gleeful murder” of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas on October 7, 2023. “Israel has a right to defend itself,” he said, but “how Israel defends itself is very important.” He said he hasn’t missed an opportunity to tell Israeli officials to conduct the war in a way that preserves innocent lives, and that he has “put forward a vision of Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully together.”

Dr. Goldstein said he “agrees mainly” with Mr. Himes, and accused Mr. Wesley of advocating for “the extermination of Israelis.”

Reproductive rights

Rep. Himes said he would push in Congress to pass a national right “for women everywhere to make the most personal decision a woman can ever make.” He said, “no right is more intimate,” and that it was too important to leave to states to decide. The concept of “states rights,” he said, was once used to “justify slavery.”

Dr. Goldstein said the Supreme Court has ruled that abortion is “not a constitutional right” and Congress can’t do anything about it, so “each state should vote.” He said abortion is “a simple procedure,” and that a woman denied care at the risk of her life because physicians feared arrest should sue the doctors. “The health of a mother is a fundamental right,” he said.

Mr. Wesley said he agrees with Mr. Himes that Roe v. Wade should be codified, but said Mr. Himes had supported sending long range missiles to Ukraine, which risks nuclear war that would “abort every person on Earth.”

Rep. Himes said Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the authority to codify Roe v. Wade and that Dr. Goldstein “worships the Supreme Court,” which once ruled in favor of slavery and Japanese internment.

Immigration

Dr. Goldstein said “terrorists, gangs, and drug smugglers are flooding in” to the United States, that no country has open borders, and that huge sums were being spent “to fund illegals for healthcare.”

Mr. Wesley agreed, and said he “would probably vote for” legislation to strengthen the borders.

Rep. Himes said he had criticized the Biden administration for its immigration policies. He said the government should “crack down on employers who hire” undocumented immigrants and work to improve conditions in countries they come from. He said a compromise drawn up earlier this year in Congress would have worked, but it was scuttled by the Republican presidential nominee who “wanted to run on this problem, not solve it.”

Affordable housing

Asked if the federal government has a role to play in building affordable housing, Mr. Wesley said, “I would like to think so.”

Mr. Himes said, “there should be.” He pointed to Connecticut cities, including Stamford and Darien, that are “doing it right.” He said obstacles include “tough zoning regulations” and regulations on the construction industry.

Dr. Goldstein said the government should build affordable housing, much as it did at the end of World War II, when it “got land and built slab houses without basements on flat land.”

Mr. Wesley complained that Mr. Himes never answered his question about sending weapons to Ukraine.

In closing

In his closing remarks, Mr. Wesley reiterated his view that “we are close to nuclear war,” and that in the Middle East it is time to “stand up and say enough is enough.”

Dr. Goldstein said “the choice in this country is whether we are going to follow the Harris-Himes role of transitioning our country from a constitutional republic … and a free enterprise economy and a government that works for people to a socialist economy.” He said, “I think that our democracy is at risk.”

To that last part, Rep. Himes replied, “I’m stunned that the MAGA Republican candidate would say democracy is at risk because of Himes-Harris.” He said the risk is from the “abnegation and disdain for the truth and our Constitution” by the Republican presidential ticket and Dr. Goldstein.