By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com
HARRISBURG — Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak on Monday issued a call for six debates against his opponent, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, before the May 18 primary.
Each of Pennsylvania’s six media markets would host the debate under Sestak’s plan, with the first scheduled in Harrisburg.
The southeast congressman, who spoke with reporters in the Patriot-News building in downtown, said “if there was ever a time” for voters to asses each candidate in an open, accessible way, it’s now.
“I think this is a moment of time when people should get a cut of our jib,” Sestak said.
The call for debates is a common strategy for underdog candidates hoping to earn free media coverage. If the favorite refuses to debate, the underdog can criticize he or she for refusing to debate issues in public.
Specter’s campaign responded to Sestak by indicating it would agree to only one debate.
“Senator Specter has traditionally participated in one statewide televised debate during his primary campaign,” said Chris Nicholas, Specter campaign manager. “We are hopeful that can be arranged again this year. The Senator has also participated in candidate forums and joint appearances across the state.”
Sestak appeared to anticipate Specter’s refusal to participate in his debate plan.
“It would be a disservice to the American people if he didn’t agree,” the congressman told reporters after being asked if he expected Specter would.
“I don’t think public servants should shy away from this.”
Specter remains the firm favorite against Sestak, with an advantage in fundraising and heavy edge in establishment Democratic support. The congressman’s challenge remains raising his name recognition, a fact he acknowledged to reporters again Monday morning.
The Senate candidate is on a month-long “Kitchen Call” tour in January, an event that has seen him visit a variety of cities across Pennsylvania much as he did last year when he visited all 67 counties in three weeks.
Loading ...
Sestak may have trouble gaining any traction with this given his own record on debates…
The Delaware County Daily Times (delcotimes.com), Serving Delaware County, PA
Sestak’s debate stance is far from high-minded
Monday, October 27, 2008
By Jim Knapp, Campaign Manager, Craig Williams for Congress Upper Darby
To the Times:
It seems the Democrats doth defend too much. In two letters in the span of four days, Democratic party insiders have put their names to letters to the editor praising U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7 of Edgmont, for agreeing to a single congressional debate, just six days before the election.
I am assuming by pre-emptive defenses of Sestak’s close-minded approach to debates that the Democrats must think he is vulnerable on this issue – as well he should be. The content of the letters are all the more interesting when you consider that one was authored by a Democratic committeeman and the other by a former Democrat candidate for Congress.
To be clear, I am the campaign manager for Craig Williams, the Republican candidate for the 7th Congressional District, and won’t try to mask my affiliation with the campaign. Here are the facts:
The Williams campaign made several attempts to contact the Sestak campaign beginning in June of this year. We offered multiple town hall meetings and three formal debates.
After dodging our debate challenge for the entire summer, we were finally able to schedule a meeting with a representative from the Sestak campaign in September, but only after the Daily Times reporter Alex Rose called to ask why we had not set any debates.
The Sestak campaign came to our debate meetings with one, and only one, offer for the debate we now have set for Oct. 29 — thanks in great part to the League of Women Voters.
Any suggestion that Sestak or his campaign staff were accommodating or interested in an open dialogue on the issues is flatly absurd. But don’t take my word for it, ask Fox 29 News, NBC 10 Live at Issue, the Phoenixville Regional Chamber of Commerce, Neumann College, Delaware County Community College, the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology or any of the other organizations that requested to host debates or candidate forums that were ignored or rejected by the Sestak Campaign.
Voters should ask themselves why Joe Sestak is so intent on hiding from his record.
Let’s also remember that Sestak was granted not one, but two debates in the last election, and he made quite the stink about that. I guess he changed his mind about the need for public discourse on the issues in the face of actually having to stand for something and defend his liberal voting record.
See if you think Joe Sestak’s dictated terms for a single, two-hour debate are the magnanimous gesture his supporters make it out to be: One debate, six days before the election at Swarthmore College from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on a Wednesday morning when the vast majority of local residents are working or caring for their families. It’s a far cry from an open and ongoing dialogue on the issues that the voters deserve.
6 debates, wow, thats a marked change from 2008 for Joe. That said, Specter will likely trounce him. Sestaks candidacy comes of as very negative to me.
Pingback: Wednesday morning headlines - Early Returns - post-gazette.com