Democrat roasts party

Alex Coolman

COSTA MESA -- The Democrat challenging Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

(R-Huntington Beach) is blasting away at his own party for its failure to

provide financial aid for his campaign.

“They’re not going to put one nickel down here” in Orange County, said

Ted Crisell, who’s been campaigning for more than a year. “They’ve

written this place off. I’m the only guy out there campaigning in this

county to have real races.”

At the end of June, the last date covered by campaign finance records,

Crisell had raised just a bit more than $11,000, compared to

Rohrabacher’s $200,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

In the ever-important “cash on hand” category, the incumbent still had

$62,000.

His challenger? Zero.

And, Crisell said he didn’t get any financial support out of a recent

trip to Washington, D.C.

“This whole election makes me puke,” he said angrily.

Lacking much money, Crisell is hoping that a series of debates in the

race for the 45th District this month with Rohrabacher will give the

challenger what the Democrats won’t: a chance to get some exposure for

his views on the issues.

“I don’t think people are aware of anything otherwise,” Crisell said.

“People are so fooled by Rohrabacher.”

In particular, Rohrabacher has a dismal environmental voting record,

Crisell said.

Rohrabacher, speaking from Washington, D.C., said he is confident of

the election’s outcome and assured that voters know what his positions

are. After all, they’re the same positions his constituency has loved for

years.

“People know where I’m coming from. People know where I stand,”

Rohrabacher said.

In the debates, Rohrabacher said he’ll stress his support for free

enterprise and low tax levels, which are principles he argues are

perfectly consistent with a sense of environmentalism.

“A lot of environmental organizations and people who claim to be

interested in the environment are really interested in government control

and are more interested in socialism than in a good environment,”

Rohrabacher said.

FYI

Debate Info

Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa

Oct. 25, 7:45 p.m., Coastline Community College, 12901 Euclid Ave.,

Garden Grove

Oct. 26, 7 p.m., Huntington Beach City Hall, 2000 Main St., Huntington

Beach