Posted on 06/26/2002 11:44:07 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
The debates: Granholm agreed to five; she should stick to that
Nary an election season passes without the customary public squabble over candidate debates.
And so this year, we find Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and former Gov. James Blanchard tussling over the number of debates they will agree to in advance of the Aug. 6 Democratic gubernatorial primary. In this debate over the debate, Blanchard has the upper hand.
Several weeks ago, Blanchard issued a challenge to hold five debates. Granholm quickly agreed.
Now, she says that two debates are enough.
Blanchard's camp correctly notes that the attorney general appears to be going back on her word. If Granholm said yes to five debates, there should be five debates.
For their part, Republican candidates Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus and state Sen. John Schwarz have agreed to three debates.
Of course, many voters pay scant attention to feuding over debates at the gubernatorial level, or even the presidential level.
But with the outcome of this debate feud in doubt, there is a chance the debates will unravel - and that the three Democratic opponents (U.S. Rep. David Bonior being the other) won't appear on the same stage before the primary.
What a shame if that happens.
Granholm is the frontrunner in the Democratic race. As frontrunners normally do, she wants to limit face-to-face confrontations with her opponents.
The big losers are the voters.
Soon, Michigan citizens will be bombarded by TV ads for gubernatorial candidates. What voters won't see much of are unfiltered, unscripted glimpses of the candidates - glimpses that live debates can reveal.
Voters seek more than 30-second sound bites. They want a sense of a candidate's mettle; a passion and comprehension about what being governor means.
That's what a debate can help decide. The more the better.
Five debates, Attorney General Granholm. That's what you agreed to.
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