Hutchison’s Debate Fear Justified but Inexcusable
My
under-qualified, moderate Republican opponent in the lieutenant
governor race, Sen. Mark Hutchison, has been traipsing all over the
state talking about the Constitution while running a campaign that mocks
the very principles of that document.
The
constitutional republic our Founders established relies on
representatives democratically elected by an informed citizenry. But
it’s difficult for voters to be fully informed when a candidate refuses
to face his opponent in real debates.
Sen.
Hutchison is falsely claiming that he’s already debated me five times.
And this is another example of why I say it’s a good thing he doesn’t
have to campaign with one hand on a Bible.
The
fact is the only real debate we’ve had to date was on Ralston Reports
over a month ago, where Sen. Hutchison lost that famous temper of his
and showed voters a side of him they surely won’t see in his television
or radio ads.
Considering how poorly Sen. Hutchison performed in that debate, I can understand why his handlers are keeping him under wraps.
But
while it might be a smart political move to keep Sen. Hutchison from
appearing on the political battlefield with me, one-on-one/face-to-face,
it does an extreme disservice to voters who deserve to hear an open and
frank discussion of our experience, our ideas and our philosophical
differences.
So here’s what I’m willing to do…
To make it safer, I’ll allow Sen. Hutchison’s campaign manager, Mike Slanker, to moderate any additional debates.
In
fact, not only will I allow Mr. Slanker to ask the questions, I’ll
allow him to tell Sen. Hutchison how he should answer the questions
before Sen. Hutchison actually answers!
And if the two of them combined get stumped, I’ll even let them call a “lifeline.”
In
other words, I’m not asking the Hutchison campaign to do anything
differently from what they’ve been doing for the last nine months.
So what do you say, Mr. Slanker? Will you let the senator come out and play if I let you hold his hand?
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