GOP Senate hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a town hall Tuesday at the Woman’s Club of Warren. Most of the event was dedicated to taking questions from those in attendance. Photo by Josh Cotton

WARREN, Pa. — “I think we’ve been very patient as conservatives and Republicans. It’s time for us to boldly stand up and say exactly what we mean.”

That was the heart of the message that GOP Senate hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz brought to a campaign event at the Woman’s Club of Warren on Tuesday afternoon.

Oz hit on a host of issues during the 45 minute event but spent considerable time discussing COVID-19, energy issues and the need to empower local decision makers.

He was critical of “middle-level, non-elected” individuals, specifically identifying Dr. Anthony Fauci, who made COVID-19 mitigation rules. “We don’t have any ability to alter them,” he said. “People we didn’t know became the king or the emperor” that were in a position to “tell us what kind of authoritarian overreach makes sense.”

“I believe it should be done at the local level,” he added. “That’s why I challenged Dr. Fauci to a debate. … We have many resources. We didn’t do well. Someone’s got to be blamed for failure because we did fail.”

Shifting to energy, Oz argued that “we have rules made that don’t make sense” and said fossil fuel production should be a national security issue. He said state and federal governments should issue permits with more timeliness and said the national security designation would be a way to block environmental concerns raised in litigation.

“The Keystone Pipeline should never have closed,” he said, suggesting the U.S. could comply with the Paris Accord if natural gas was allowed to thrive.

“Why is Washington getting it wrong? Because they don’t share our values,” Oz asserted. “(They) don’t really respect what you really believe in. When you’re in Warren, Pa., looking around the country, you’re not alone. There are many, many other groups that feel just like you do.

“We’re preventing and hindering our values from making decisions in Washington.”

He touted legislative opportunities on pro-life issues and Second Amendment issues.

“These are issues that come up periodically,” he said. “Those values need to be reflected.”

He came out in opposition to recreational marijuana legalization. “There is no way we’re going to have recreational marijuana,” he said, suggesting it will leave young people feeling like they need a joint to get through life. “I want there to be a reason you’re taking marijuana.”

Oz touched on other issues like education, arguing that teachers are “teaching our kids things that are untrue” such as Critical Race Theory and gender issues.

From a foreign policy perspective, he said the nation’s energy regulations are part of why the “russians are running through the Ukraine” and suggested Putin’s action could embolden China to strike at a place like Taiwan.

Unsurprisingly, he was critical of President Joe Biden.

“We’ve got a guy who is not aware of the ramifications of his actions until it’s too late,” he said.

Oz spoke briefly and then spent most of the town hall-style time taking questions. “We need our mojo back,” he said, when asked what his greatest priority would be. “We have a state desperately short of workers” and “bucolic areas for tourism. We need to remind people why we’re a top five state. Not all states are suffering.

“I actually think we need people locally to start owning these issues and pushing back on it because throwing money at it doesn’t work.”

He said it’s his job to ensure the federal government doesn’t stifle that kind of initiative.

“We have to stand up and be counted,” he said.