MISHAWAKA -- Barely a week earlier, an estimated 4,000 people packed Mishawaka High School’s east gymnasium to witness democracy in action when Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton visited.

On Saturday night a grand total of six people showed up to the school’s auditorium to see democracy in action as two 2nd District Republican candidates for U.S. Congress debated each other.

Even with the low turnout candidates Tony Zirkle and Joe Roush took the night seriously and easily chewed up the 90 minutes allotted for the debate.

With no moderator the two candidates managed to cordially yield the floor to each other during the debate, which actually eased into a series of speeches.

“The reason I’m running for Congress is because I’m tired of being controlled by rich people,” Roush said. “The common man has no voice anymore.”

Zirkle said he wants to return “power to the people,” and even develop special circumstances for Congress to overturn Supreme Court decisions.

With no moderator, the two candidates got stuck for more than an hour discussing Iraq and foreign policy.

Zirkle would like to carefully begin withdrawing troops from Iraq in what he calls, “Operation Slinky.”

It calls for a systematic withdrawal by territory.

Roush said he believes that America’s presence in the Middle East is illegal and it needs to get out of there now.

“We need to get out of there and let Iraq take care of its own problems,” Roush said. “The biggest problem in the Middle East is the fact that we’re there.”

Later both candidates agreed that America must find alternative energy sources and reduce its credit card debt.

Zirkle took his traditional tough stance against the pornography industry.

“Our preamble to the Constitution states that we will promote the general welfare,” Zirkle said. “Right now the welfare of our nation is in crisis.”

The aim of Zirkle’s campaign is targeted toward his primary opponents, he said. It’s against what he calls the porn dragon.

“We need to address the social issues,” Zirkle said, “that are destroying our economy from within.”

A third Republican candidate, Luke Puckett, did not attend Saturday’s debate. Puckett has the backing of the St. Joseph County Republican Party for the nomination.

Kyle Bailey, a spokesman for Puckett’s campaign, told the Tribune that Puckett doesn’t want to legitimize Zirkle’s candidacy by debating him.

Zirkle said Saturday that he was disappointed that Puckett did not participate in the debate.

Indiana’s primary election is May 6.