Bono Mack, Pougnet exchange jabs in Congressional debate

Rep. Mary Bono Mack and Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet used their debate Thursday — the 45th Congressional District’s first in eight years — as a showdown to attack each others’ records.

For voters, the debate, co-sponsored by The Desert Sun and KPSP Local 2, revealed clear policy distinctions between the two local politicians on hot-button issues such as the economy, immigration, same-sex marriage, and the war in Afghanistan.

The event also provided a rare glimpse into their respective styles and personalities.

Both candidates looked to score points, but Bono Mack was more aggressive — taking sharper digs at Pougnet that bordered on personal.

The only thing “green” about Pougnet is that he’s “green with envy,” she said, a reference to his environmental platform.

Bono Mack criticized Pougnet as out-of-touch with the public, naive on foreign policy, and in lock-step with the Obama Administration “big-government” economic policies, as she put it.

Pougnet landed his own shots, however, characterizing Bono Mack as a 12-year Congresswoman with a light record of accomplishments other than supporting former President George W. Bush’s policies, and someone who’s rarely in her own district.

Pougnet further criticized Bono Mack’s assertions that she’s a fiscal conservative, pointing to profligate budget spending under the Bush Administration.

“Has she found religion?” Pougnet quipped.

What impact the debate will have on the Nov. 2 election isn’t clear, particularly since it was held in the summer when many valley snowbirds still out of town.

Despite being oceans apart on policy, both candidates focused strongly on jobs and the economy.

At times both candidates dodged the question. When asked about the recent court ruling overturning Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California, Bono Mack maintained it’s a state issue — even though the ruling is moving through the federal courts.

Bono Mack declined, as she has in the past, to offer her opinion on the controversial issue.

Pougnet, who is married to a man and raising two children, said he supported the recent ruling and quickly changed the subject, saying the gay community is primarily concerned about jobs.