More debate ducking

The plague of debate-ducking incumbents is reaching epidemic proportions. The latest contestants in the I Won't Talk To My Constituents If My Opponent Is There sweepstakes are Joe Crabb and Mike McCaul. Here's a press release from Diane Trautman.

Dr. Diane Trautman [Wednesday] said she is still waiting for her opponent to agree to participate in a candidate forum scheduled for Thursday in Kingwood.

“I understand that it might be hard for my opponent to explain his support for private-school vouchers and soaring college tuition rates, but it’s disappointing that he doesn’t respect voters enough to at least try to defend his positions,” Dr. Trautman said.

Dr. Trautman said she is looking forward to Thursday’s candidate forum sponsored by two local chapters of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional honorary society of women educators. The event is slated for 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 19, in the Humble ISD Instructional Support Center just off Lake Houston Parkway in Kingwood.

“When it comes to the challenges facing our communities, we deserve a representative in Austin who is willing to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” Dr. Trautman said.

Now I admit, that's a crowd that's likely to favor Trautman. But, to put it delicately, so what? Has Crabb never had to face a non-sycophantic room before? He's a big boy, and he's been around the block a few times. If he can't handle a few pointed questions, what's he doing in Austin? The floor of the Lege is surely tougher than this.

And from Ted Ankrum:

The Republican incumbent in US Congressional District Ten, Michael McCaul, has no space available in his schedule for a League of Women Voters-Austin debate, causing the debate to be cancelled. The debate was to be held on Monday, October 23, on the first day of early voting, and was in the planning stage for the past two weeks. "If I had McCaul's voting record and the policies of the current administration and House leadership to defend, I wouldn't want a debate either", said Ted Ankrum, the Democratic Party Candidate.

Ankrum, with a distinguished military record and years of engineering experience in energy, environmental protection, as a Diplomat, and as assistant to the head of NASA in Washington, is eager to have the voters see the differences between him and Mr. McCaul and let them decide in November.

"An unbiased debate such as those sponsored by the League of Women Voters is the kind of forum that allows voters to get to know the candidates and their positions. It's too bad that Mr McCaul has chosen to hide. Does he think the kitchen is too hot?", Ankrum asked.

McCaul doesn't even have the tough-crowd dodge that Crabb might claim, and he never had to campaign for a general election last time. This would be the first opportunity that most voters would ever have to see him speak, and it's in a nice, neutral environment. What's the problem?

I understand the politics behind debate ducking, but it's still a cowardly thing for any candidate to do. How hard is it to engage in debates and the like during the real campaign season? Note how many actual incumbents turned up at this recent candidates' forum that Hal attended. The people who were there and got to see and hear them are the better for it. Kudos to them all, and boo to Crabb and McCaul for forgetting that real democracy requires real participation.

And finally, what's a post about debate ducking without a few words about John Carter, the undisputed champion of such avoidance? If there's a Hall of Fame for this sort of thing, he's a first-ballot inductee, no doubt about it.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 19, 2006 to Election 2006 | TrackBack