Jones V. Lawler CBS Debate: New Venue; Same old vitriol

October 24, 2024

By Barrett Seaman–

Wednesday night’s second televised debate between Republican incumbent Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger (and former incumbent) Mondaire Jones on CBS’ local affiliate Channel 2 was in many ways a repeat of their contentious meeting on News12 the week before.

Alleged facts and refutations were in the air, along with repeated accusations that one or the other was lying. There were several long episodes in which the two contestants talked over each other while hosts Marcia Kramer and Maurice Dubois struggled in vain to rein them in. For those who followed the campaign, this was a film they had seen before, but the exchange already clarified their key campaign positions on the issues.

Lawler repeatedly described Jones as someone who wanted to escape his radical left-wing past by portraying himself as a moderate for the sake of this election. Relying largely on statements made by Jones in 2020 or earlier, Lawler cited Jones’ previous support for cutting funding for law enforcement, cashless bail in New York and allowing “cop killers” to vote out of prison. “If it talks like a socialist, votes like a socialist; Guys, it’s a socialist,” Lawler once said, repeatedly linking Jones to “failed Biden/Harris policies” and ultra-liberal colleagues like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and The Squad.

Jones’ counter-accusation was that Lawler is “lying just like his mentor Donald Trump.” He’s doing it to stay in power so he can vote for Donald Trump’s dangerous “Project 2025″ agenda next January… There’s no problem which he claims he is trying to solve, that he is not in any way responsible for helping to shape the first place.” As bipartisan and moderate as Lawler is, Jones warned, in the end he will become Trump and his Henchman in Congress, Speaker Mike Johnson, supports.

The Republican candidate’s relationship with Trump was the topic that made Lawler sound most defensive. Jones was right when he pointed out that Lawler couldn’t seem to bring himself to say the names of Trump or his running mate, JD Vance, out loud. His admission that “Joe Biden won the 2020 election” and that January 6 was “wrong” came across as less than a strong condemnation of Trump’s anti-democratic tendencies. Echoing Lawler’s “walk like a duck” analogy, Jones said, “If it talks like a fascist and supports a fascist for president in the third presidential election, then it’s a mini-fascist.”

Jones seemed weakest in his explanation of previous liberal positions. While Lawler immediately apologized for his college impersonation of Michael Jackson in blackface, Jones seemed unwilling to admit that he once held more liberal positions that he has since rejected. Aside from linking his opponent to the Trump-dictated rejection of the Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill, he failed to present a nuanced position on immigration reform, while Lawler managed to make concrete recommendations, such as calling for immigration within 60 months days to decide on asylum applications.

Regarding reproductive rights, Lawler accused Jone of supporting abortion up to the point of birth, while he himself maintained that he accepts the current New York State law legalizing abortion, adding that he never would vote for a nationwide ban.

They plunged headlong into the treacherous maelstrom of the Middle East, Israeli security and the war in Gaza, with the two parties’ bitter accusations and interruptions almost drowning out each party’s attempts to articulate policy. In a district with one of the highest percentages of Jewish voters in the country, everyone sought to express their solidarity with the Jewish state.

Lawler argued that no negotiated settlement would be possible unless Arab nations collectively recognized Israel’s right to exist. Jones argued that the goal should be a two-state solution and that negotiations would resolve the question of whether a land swap would involve the sacrifice of some or all West Bank settlements.

Lawler hit back, accusing Jones of advocating a return to pre-1967 borders, which would require Israel to return significant portions of its property to surrounding Arab countries. When Jones said that this issue should be subject to negotiation and therefore not subject to a preliminary ruling, Lawler responded with his most forceful response of the evening: “You just said that you are a staunch supporter of Israel, and yet you are demanding something.” negotiated agreement and land exchange. Are you crazy?”

In a race in which both sides claim to represent the politically moderate middle, the two evidences that are now widely known to observers repeated themselves. Jones says he was partly responsible for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill enacted during his time in Congress, while Lawler claimed a variety of legislative contributions.

“I passed ten bills through the House, five of which were signed by President Biden,” Lawler claimed. They passed a bill to rename a post office. Give me a break, dude!” He reiterated that he was ranked the fourth most bipartisan member of Congress, while Jones was 381^st. Jons replies: “No one is in danger of believing that you took part in a productive congress. In fact, it was the least productive Congress since the Civil War.”

The two will attend another live event together on November 1 at the New City Jewish Center^st. However, aside from perhaps a few details about their respective policy recommendations for the Middle East, it is hard to imagine what could be said that would change voters’ minds.

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