Don't Let Vitter Veto the Debates

Today, I joined with five of the other candidates in this year's Senate race in sending a letter to debate organizers asking that they not cancel their planned debates simply because David Vitter claims to be too busy to face the voters.

Everyone knows why Vitter is refusing to participate in truly open debates. He is arrogant and he is afraid. Like many professional politicians, he wants to rest on his incumbency rather than being challenged by regular people who might ask him difficult questions. Instead of trying to answer those questions, he only wants to campaign in settings where he can be surrounded by his flatterers.

Our request that the debate organizers open the debates to more than just two candidates is far from unreasonable, particularly considering that the alternative seems to be canceling the debates altogether.

In over half the states in which U.S. Senate or gubernatorial debates are being held this year, at least one minor party or independent candidate has been included in at least one such debate (or soon will, if the debate has not yet happened). These states include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Debate organizers in some of those states have also encountered incumbents who refused to participate. In those states, though, the reclusive incumbents have not been able to stop the debates. For example, after the Republican governor of Texas refused to debate his Democratic opponent, debate organizers simply invited the Libertarian and Green nominees and now plan to go forward with a 3-candidate debate on October 19.

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Here is the text of the letter described above:

Dear debate organizers,

As candidates for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by David Vitter, we are writing to urge you to continue with your planned debate even if Senator Vitter will not participate. Senator Vitter is free to choose whether or not to show up to answer the people of Louisiana’s questions, but we are discouraged by the notion that you would cancel the debate simply because David Vitter will not attend.

We believe the people of Louisiana deserve to hear where all candidates stand on the important issues facing our country and our state. Just as voters have the responsibility to learn as much as they can about candidates for office, candidates have an obligation to provide voters with the facts they need to make an informed choices and the media has a civic obligation to provide a forum for the honest and fair exchange of information.

You should not deny the people of Louisiana a chance to hear from the candidates for U.S. Senate. You have proposed a live, televised debate with unscreened questions and choosing not to proceed simply because David Vitter will not show up effectively gives the Senator the power to deny voters the right to hear candidates debate.

We all agree that the people of Louisiana deserve a Senator who is willing to address their concerns and answer their questions honestly. Despite David Vitter’s apparent unwillingness to do so, the debates must go on.

Sincerely,

Milton Gordon
318-449-4957

Randall T. Hayes
225-287-2868
randhayes@gmail.com

Rep. Charlie Melancon
Contact: Jeff Giertz, 225-924-7676
Jeff@charliemelancon.com

William McShan
337-352-9964
bjmcshan3@msn.com

Mike Spears
337-296-8926
mike@mikespears.com

Ernest Wooton
504-392-7404
wootonussenate@bellsouth.net

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