From the Journal Sentinel:
Madison -- While details of a third gubernatorial debate were released today, plans for another one were canceled.
Both Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green turned down attending an Oct. 11 debate at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It was the only debate Wisconsin Green candidate Nelson Eisman was invited to, and he was the sole candidate to accept the offer.
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3 comments:
Eisman was also invited to the League of Women Voters debate in Green Bay Sept. 28th, but neither Doyle nor Green would accept that invitation so it has been cancelled as well.
This is very disturbing and disappointing for many people in the Eau Claire area. It would have been an exciting local event. This rejection by the established party candidates is much more than a slap at the Green Party.(Which IMHO is inadvisable in itself as it looks immature and threatened.)
It also sends that ever-nauseating message to voters that red and blue candidates are completely unwilling to step out of their highly controlled environments, to take a chance at uttering some un-scripted remarks. Scary.
Now all we in the Eau Claire area have to look forward to are party-hosted baby-kissing events/schmooze-fests and nasty nasty TV ads. Fun.
Anyway, I think it was Tom Giffey's group that had the fortitude to invite the candidates to debate - so many cheers to them for their integrity and concern for the area.
I attended the Eau Claire debate four years ago, when all four ballot party candidates were included. It was a packed house and a very informative exchange. We in northern Wisconsin deserve the chance to see all the candidates in person.
Jody, however, underestimates the significance of the purposeful exclusion of the Greens' Nelson Eisman. It's not just a "slap at the Green Party" -- it's a slap at the democratic process. When the two major party candidates -- with the considerable support of a number of corporate heavyweights -- conspire to limit the range of discussion in this way, the public is being seriously shortchanged.
Doyle and Green aren't just afraid of being caught being spontaneous; nor are they worried about looking immature. What they're worried about is being exposed as collaborators in a duopolistic system that protects and rewards wealth and privilege.
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