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During Wednesday's debate in Clear Lake though, the argument even got down to the format of the debate and who should answer a question about if Tom DeLay was to lame for runaway spending in Congress.
Sekula Gibbs has just finished yet another attack on Olson for spending "20 years in Washington, D.C." and saying he was part of the problem of Congress spending too much and being out of touch with the local district.
"If we get back to those basic principles of economic conservancy and social conservancy, we will win. That's what the American people want to hear from us. They don't want to see more earmarks they don't want to see bureaucrats run the show they don't want to see wasteful spending and I would suggest to you my opponent has been there for the last 20 odd years he has been part of the problem," Sekula Gibbs attacked.
The moderator took advantage of that attack and asked a pointed question: "I am just going to make it the question, how much does Tom DeLay to blame, how much is he to blame for that?"
Of course, DeLay is the former office holder in CD-22 and was one of the most effective members of Congress of using earmarks to get key highway projects for the district, especially the work on U.S. 59 through Fort Bend County.
The question never got answered because neither candidate seemed to agree with how the format of the debate was going.


Debate confusion

Olson interrupted and wanted to rebut what Sekula Gibbs has just attacked him about and Sekula Gibbs didn't touch the DeLay question with a 10-foot poll. There was plenty of back and forth over the format with the capacity crowd busting into laughter a few times at the spectacle.
When everything settled down, Olson went on with his rebut and the DeLay question wasn't answered.