2 debates later, only flaws stand out

LAND O' LAKES - Two debates later, both Republicans chasing that House of Representatives dream are still standing.

This modest evaluation may be the best that can be said for either Sheriff Richard Nugent or Everyman Jason Sager, whose unlikely rivalry conjures less Lincoln vs. Douglas or Dempsey vs. Tunney than Phineas vs. Ferb - one fiery, inspirational and startling, the other plodding, predictable and safe.

Two hours sharing two Pasco County stages over the course of six days revealed primarily this: Come the Aug. 24 primary, District 5 GOP voters will select between a pair of deeply flawed candidates, the Pasco series - in the interest of full disclosure, moderated by your humble correspondent - having certified what everyone, including the candidates' most ardent supporters, already suspected.

Nugent, in his third term as Hernando County's top cop, is the establishment guy, a technician with demonstrated organizational and executive skills. His even-keel personality suggests moderation and prudence, and while these qualities are valued in any law enforcement official, they may work against him in this year when politics burn white-hot.

Sager sparks like a downed power line. He is eagerness personified, the spirit of this once-in-a-generation election season made flesh. His focus and opposition to compromise remind some admirers of Patrick Henry at the Virginia Convention and others of an overzealous preacher at a summer revival.

Hyperpatriot's mixed blessing

But his biography is a mixed blessing. In speeches, he describes his nine-year journey from bewilderment as witness to the 9/11 attacks to a hyperpatriot keen to overturn a century of policies - "progressivism," he sneers - that dropped America's guard in the first place.

Alas, his employment record is spotty and hard to pin down. Worse, he's been out of work for the better part of two years. Sager's spin on the matter is admirable: Who better to appreciate the plight of the district's substantial number of long-term unemployed than one of their own?

As for his personal solutions - using unemployment benefits (which he calls none of Washington's business) and, this summer, campaign contributions to support his new job as a full-time candidate - GOP voters will render a judgment on whether office-seeking constitutes a proper profession for a husband and father of a preschooler.

These are unfortunate drawbacks, because as Sager demonstrated - especially in the first Pasco debate June 15, sponsored by the Pasco County Republican Executive Committee - his passion for a founders-centric interpretation of the Constitution energizes Republicans and a surging majority of independents recoiling from Washington's runaway excesses.

For all his good-guy competence, Nugent does not inspire enthusiasm. Confidence, perhaps. And a quiet certainty. But despite a marked improvement in terms of poise and command of facts from the first debate to the second, his ideological core remains evasive.

Peacemaker won't satisfy all

A peacemaker eager to forge coalitions across the aisle, Nugent almost certainly would disappoint District 5 Republicans hoping their representative would swell the ranks of staunch conservatives such as Mike Pence and Michele Bachmann.

Sager would wrangle publicly with Barney Frank and Henry Waxman; delivering after-hours speeches to an empty House chamber, he'd become a C-SPAN and YouTube star. Nugent would quietly seek common ground with Democratic Blue Dogs, or moderates - assuming any survive November.

Now, the overarching questions.

Regarding Sager, pragmatic Republican voters must ask: Can he win the general election? District 5 tilts GOP, and the Democratic candidate - Land O' Lakes resident Jim Piccillo - is a rookie candidate, all positive indicators. But it's fair to wonder whether Sager's conservative evangelism might prove too bracing. By comparison, Nugent would be a lock.

Still, Nugent drags a mighty weight. He came into the race through blatant skullduggery, and it doesn't wash to heap exclusive accountability onto incumbent Ginny Brown-Waite. Voters have every right to be alarmed that, right out of the box, Nugent was willing to accept personal benefit and political advantage from the egregious activities of an elected official.

Two flawed candidates. One fascinating race.