WDT scribe Jude Seymour asks the question in this blog post, "will the candidates ever debate ?"
The answer is no, why should they ?
As a veteran trial lawyer, Democrat Bill Owens would seem a natural, but he is thought to be in a position to win with 40% of the vote and his spiffy TV spots and fundraisers with Presidents past and present are a better strategy.
Republican Diedre Scozzafava is already well known and has years of legislative experience to hone her speaking skills. But she has been testy about queries about her record and may not want to face unscripted questions.
Conservative Doug Hoffman is running a good campaign masterminded by State Chair Michael Long. He is running on the conservative brand, not on his own charisma, so he is content to avoid debates.
There will continue to be "scheduling problems."
Then there is the fourth participant. The media.
While salivating over political ad revenue in slow times, the mandarins of local media openly say to me they don't want debates and they don't want to do anything on live television.
What ? That's what you do for a living, guys and gals. Remember when moderating a debate was high honor for the anchoring class and being chosen for the panel was like getting a press award for your four-part sweeps piece on teenage obesity ?
Like most people in Watertown, I have been comfortable with a city native named McHugh representing us in Congress. DeDe Scozzafava is well known and provides much of that same comfort level.
Now there is a real chance our next member of Congress comes from a place almost four hours drive from Public Square. That's why I am going to take the time to go to a Dem dinner on Sunday to at least meet Bill Owens. If he wins, our City needs to at least have made an outreach to him. The same is true of Mr. Hoffman, and I would hope there is a chance to meet him as well.
If the media can't get a live debate on the air, could they please publish the schedules of the candidates so interested citizens can take their own time to go meet them ?
Watertown Daily Times Local News, Sports, Features, and Community Information for Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County, and Lewis County in Northern New York
13 comments:
That's novel? Pay to go meet them... what a nice idea.
Cynical - you betcha'
Angry - yep.
But more frustrated than anything else... read this from Liz Benjamin:
Owens fooled the Dems?
I added the "fooled part." See comments at the NYDaily.
FYI - keep the heat on them... it's OUR duty and THEIR obligation to answer to us, "We, the Public," Isn't it?
Make the Candidates Speak Up
you had your chance to impress the committees. you should get a hobby before you self destruct.
"Republican Diedre Scozzafava is already well known and has years of legislative experience to hone her speaking skills. But she has been testy about queries about her record and may not want to face unscripted questions"
Do ya think? She has managed to put two businesses, each over 100 years old, in St. Lawrence county out of business (hulett's) and on the verge of bankruptcy (hacketts) while at the same time she and her brother owe thousands if not more in taxes and liens.
Her speaking skills have not been 'honed'. She was a mess at the Central Trades and Labor Council and her husband is the head of it!
Bill Owens will chew her up and spit her out.
3:37 - sorry to be so harsh, but since you opened that door, get "f**k off" -- there I feel better and I didn't self-destruct.
FYI: I did impress the committee but guess what?
They fell for Owens' slick line about "self-funding" and now they see that he is wealthy but whoring for money in Syracuse and NYC and DC ... and on-line.
What's next? With Pelosi in SF?
You should really stick to facts and stop hounding me.
So, Dede is the only one who wants to debate in the open and actually let the voters decide. Hmm, yet another reason why Owens and Hoffman are not getting my vote.
I'm voting Dede for Congress and I could care less what President Obama or former President Clinton think about this race.
the facts are that Owens is running a clean,positive campaign and the gov and others like him, DEM as you put it or not. I am hounding no one, I have responded to your broken-record speeches here. Since I only post about once a week, someone else must be hounding you. But I have a campaign to get to work on, so I won't be back before Nov 4.
Did you see Owens with the buckets on T.V.?I wonder if Aubertine was holding the camera saying action..
Then when he sets the buckets down, he says the rest is like box of choclates
Juston
Did you actually say that Owens is running a postive campaign? WHAT A CROCK THAT IS!!!
Do you not see the ads on the right side of this blog - most from the DEMOCRAT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE slamming our Assemblywoman?
Don't treat us like idiots, we understand that Owens can only win this thing by dividing the GOP with this Conservative hack and putting up slick DC advertising.
I reject all that bull...I know one person in this race and she lives less than an hour away from me. Dede get's my vote and I hope my neighbors aren't bought by this over-priced trial lawyer.
10:51 Get your facts straight for a change will you. Oh I forgot, sounds like you work on Dede's campaign!
Bill Owens is the only one running a positive campaign, telling us what he would do to create jobs and help the struggling dairy industry.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, Doug Hoffman and the Club for Growth are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars trashing Bill Owens.
And Dede?? Her commercial really gives us a reason to vote for her doesn't it "Hey, Just call me Dede." And you fell for that just because she lives less than an hour away from you. OMG. You are one discerning voter aren't you?
Good thing the majority of the people in NY 23 have their heads on straight and can see through Dede and the GOP crap that they are slinging. That's what you do when you have a really bad candidate - throw everything at your credible opponent and hope something will stick.
" Hey, just call her dead in the water!"
12:17 - now there's a positive Owens supporter. "Just call her dead in the water" - you stay classy.
The DCCC has spent a ton of money slamming Dede and letting Owens (A $750,000 a year trial lawyer) run slick ads playing on our sympathies for the dairy industry. Those were the first milk buckets I'm sure he's EVER lifted - he's a lawyer for God's sake.
Don't fall for it NNY - this is Rahm Emanuel and Nancy Pelosi buying your vote.
1:55 Maybe so, but it's no different than Dede, she or her husband have no clue, what's going on.
As Ronald Reagan once said:
"I did not leave my party, my party left me."
For the Republican party to put up DeDe Pelosi to replace John McHugh shows how clueless they are.
I will cross lines and vote for the candidate who represents my interests, Doug Hoffman.
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