Sestak Accepts Debate as Calls for More Debates Continue

By SESTAK FOR SENATE

MEDIA, PA — Today, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Joe Sestak accepted another offer to participate in a debate with Senator Arlen Specter, while a major Pennsylvania newspaper again called for a series of debates for the benefit of the voters.

Joe has already agreed to participate in a forum hosted by WTXF in Philadelphia — provided it is one of a series of six statewide debates, one in each media market — so that voters throughout Pennsylvania have a chance to hear the candidates address the issues that are most important to them.

Today, Joe has accepted another offer to debate in Philadelphia — by CBS 3 — because any opportunity to augment the single one-hour debate that Senator Specter has agreed to would be a service to voters that is essential at a time when the people are demanding more honesty and transparency from their elected officials.

Despite Senator Specter’s excuse that he “traditionally” participates in one debate, history shows that is not the case. In 1976, he agreed to a series of six statewide debates in the Republican primary — one in each of the state’s media markets — just as the Sestak campaign has proposed. In 1980, Specter debated his opponent ten times.

The Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal makes the compelling case why these debates are especially important not only as a duty to the voters, but to our nominee’s ability to win in November:

“[W]hen the incumbent gained his current seat as a member of the other party, declining to debate candidates from the adopted party can become a liability.
…
Specter says people can judge him by his 30 years in office. But those 30 years were spent as a Republican. During that time, he voted with Republican presidents 85 percent of the time. He owes members of his new party the opportunity to see if his political conversion represents a change in philosophy or if it was merely a political calculation that he could not beat former U.S. Congressman Pat Toomey in a Republican primary.
…
Specter owes members of his new party the opportunity to hear how he differs from Sestak. He has an obligation to discuss his past support of Republican initiatives.

Unfortunately, Democratic Party leaders apparently have no desire to require Specter to explain himself. That’s shortsighted.

It may serve Specter’s interests, but does it serve the party’s?

A single debate is better than none at all. But if Specter slides through the primary only to lose the general election because rank-and-file Democrats are not certain Specter represents their interests, party leaders will have only themselves to blame.”

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/247968

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