Harmer opposes ‘ObamaCare’

The Republican candidate who is hoping to unseat incumbent Democrat Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, reminded those who gathered at Chez Shari in the Manteca Municipal Golf Course about the rising trend of voters using absentee ballots in recent elections. The official start of Vote-by-Mail in a little more than two weeks makes it even more important to work hard at the polls, said Harmer who was the last featured speaker in the candidates’ night organized by the San Joaquin County Republican Party founded by Mantecan Frank Aquila who is the group’s current president.

The married businessman who is an attorney by profession and the father of four young children – two boys and two girls – admitted that his opponent has “a lot more money than we do” in the campaign.

Given that disparity, “Can I win?” he asked.

“It depends on you,” he told his party supporters and answering his own question.

“It’s going to be very, very close. All the polls show (the race between him and McNerney) is way too close for comfort,” he said.

But, he added with optimism, victory “is in our hands. Let’s rise to the challenge.”

His roughly 15-minute peripatetic speech was highlighted by the political differences in the issues that he and his opponent champion and support. Cases in point, he opposes what he calls the $938 billion government takeover of health care, the so-called “ObamaCare”, the trillion-dollar “stimulus” government spending bill, the new “cap and trade” energy tax, and the $700 billion corporate bailout, all of which McNerney supports and voted for in congress.

When he answered yes to a question from a member of the audience if he supports Arizona’s anti-immigration law, the audience vigorously applauded.

Another comment that drew an appreciative applause in the room was his admission about how he would like to spray-paint over road-construction signs that announce the projects as an example of where taxpayers’ money are being used.

“This is funded by my kid who is not even old enough to vote yet!” he said over his discussion about what he described as “this explosion of spending” by the government.

“There is no such thing as an unpaid debt,” he added, saying, the debt will be paid by the next generation. By the time his youngest child, who is nine years old, goes to college, the debt that each American will be responsible for at the rate the government is spending money will be “well over $80,000,” he explained.

Other speakers during the evening of Republican candidates were congressional candidate for Stanislaus and Merced counties, Mike Berryhill; Manteca council candidate Richard Behling and Manteca mayor hopeful Carlon Perry, and Ripon council candidate Carolyn Jensen.

The speaker who opened the evening program was not a candidate but someone who switched from being a diehard Democrat for many years to being a Republican, Georgianna Reichelt of Manteca.

The only incident that marred the otherwise peaceful gathering occurred when self-described local journalist Joe DeAngelis took his handheld camcorder up front where Harmer was speaking and was asked by a campaign volunteer to move to the back of the room. DeAngelis loudly protested while he was escorted to a place behind the audience. An oblivious Harmer continued speaking while the incident played out behind him. He patiently waited for the incident to die down once he took notice of it then continued speaking as though nothing happened.
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