send to a friend | print | comment
Onorato wants to debate Corbett… 14 times
Why do something once when you can do it 14 times?
Democrat Dan Onorato on Monday called for that many debates with Republican gubernatorial rival Tom Corbett, with at least two debates in each Pennsylvania media market. Onorato made the challenge in a letter to Corbett and during a conference call with reporters during which he voiced confidence that his experience reforming government as Allegheny County Executive makes his pitch a stronger one against Corbett, the state Attorney General.
“We’re going to talk about reform, the economy and the environment,” Onorato said. “I’m not going to concede one inch to Tom on these issues. I’ll put my reform record and my ideas against his any day of the week.”
His challenge came as Democrats are eager to see Onorato and Corbett face off in public, believing that Onorato’s wonkish knowledge of policy will make for a winning public image against Corbett.
Onorato also used the conference call as one more chance to tout his home county’s economic rivitalization, promising to bring similar stability to the entire state. He also took the opportunity to knock Corbett a bit, saying “there’s a big difference between prosecuting a legal issue and reforming government.”
“We’ve got to change the entire culture of Harrisburg on these issues,” Onorato said. “This race is all about jobs and balancing budgets. I’ve effectively eliminated excess spending. I’ve merged jobs and kept taxes down in the second largest county in the state. If Tom wants to debate how to reform government, bring it on, because my record is stronger than anybody’s.”
Other topics Onorato said are ripe for debate include drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. “We’ve got one chance to get drilling right,” Onorato said, “and I’m convinced we can do it right.”
Corbett campaign spokesman Kevin Harley had a mixed response.
“We will certainly have debates,” Harley said. “However, we will determine the number and locations of those debates through adult negotiations between the two campaigns, not through media stunts by our opponent like the one we witnessed today.”
Click here to see Onorato’s letter to Corbett.
June 21, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Tags: Dan Onorato, Tom Corbett
Leave a Reply
pa2012.com blogs
Red in a Sea of Blue
Purple in Pennsylvania
The Latest from @pa2012 news
More UpdatesStay connected with pa2012.com:
advertisement
advertisement
advertisement
Reality
Jun 21st, 2010
Corbett should just say yes. Jeez. What’s the big deal? He did a ton of them in the primary.
1994 Again
Jun 21st, 2010
Yawn. Nobody tunes into campaign debates anymore. Typical and tired tactic by the campaign that’s usually behind in the polls.
kyle
Jun 21st, 2010
Doesn’t matter if anybody tunes in. Debates are a great place to get your opponent to say something stupid infront of cameras and reporters, something Tom Corbett is very good at.
bill healy
Jun 21st, 2010
Corbett can detail everything the GOP has to offer in one half-hour debate,what could he add in 13 more. He should just hunker down in his media proof shelter and hope for the best.
Mike Veith
Jun 22nd, 2010
please vote for Dan dan the tax man to get him out of Allegheny County
matt from UD
Jun 22nd, 2010
Why do debates? Because PA has issues that need solutions that might not fit on a bumper sticker. Tom missed most of the Primary Debates, I guess he felt voters did not need to know his answers, and maybe he feels they still don’t. Its funny how an Attorney General who holds a press conference every other day has such trouble appearing in front of a camera for a debate.
Josh B.
Jun 22nd, 2010
Reality: Corbett did NOT “do a ton of them” in the primary. He attended forums where he could use his cue cards and prepared talking points but refused every opportunity for an actual one-on-one unscripted debate with Sam Rohrer. Corbett is an unqualified poser who has no grasp of the issues and no solutions to PA’s problems other than what he is told by the special interests who finance his campaign. He would be chewed up and spit out in a REAL debate.
Johnny Potatoe
Jun 22nd, 2010
14 recorded debates between these snooze-kings could be marketed as replacements for sleeping pills. We’re talking trillions, not billions of greenbackies.