U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, and Republican challenger Oshkosh businessman Ron Johnson held their second debate in four days as the Nov. 2 election draws closer.
As in Friday's debate, the two candidates focused on the economy, healthcare and foreign policy.
Johnson was quick to attack Feingold on his vote for the health-care reform bill.
""We didn't need a 2,600-page bill passed overnight,"" Johnson said, calling the bill ""designed for government takeover.""
""The insurance companies will get their fair chunk of that back, you bet,"" Feingold quipped back.
Johnson once again brought up bringing his business background to Washington and criticized Feingold's involvement in the stimulus bill.
""Three days before he cast that deciding vote, he issued a press release saying it would create 2.4 million jobs in the first year and 9 million jobs after three years,"" Johnson said. ""Obviously that hasn't come true.""
Feingold defended the stimulus bill, saying, ""95 percent of the working class families in this country got a tax cut in this bill.""
However, the issue of tax cuts proved to be a contentious one for the two candidates.
""The last thing we should be doing is increasing taxes on anybody,"" said Johnson, who is in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts.
""Those tax cuts that are just for the very wealthy, we can't afford it,"" Feingold responded. ""95 percent of the small businesses in the country would not experience a tax increase.""
Although Johnson attempted to paint himself as the practical choice for business, Feingold exhibited his knowledge of foreign affairs, an area to which Johnson said he would defer to the president.
""Ron, for five years I've been on the intelligence committee,"" Feingold said. ""People in the military, people in the intelligence community consider me the person who has worked the hardest to understand the threat of Al Qaeda in places like Africa. So the notion that you discuss that as weakening America, I'll tell you something, Ron, that's just dead wrong. ""
