Undoubtedly, George Allen will whine at least a bit tonight about how he SOOOOO badly wants a campaign on the issues, but how those nasty nasty "liberal media" reporters, those nasty nasty bloggers, and those nasty nasty Webb supporters just won't let him get off of "macaca" and the "n" word and deer heads and stuff like that. Poor, poor George Allen. He just can't have a debate on the issues...or CAN he?!?Turns out, back on June 19, the Webb campaign challenged George Allen to a series of debates on the issues:
Jim and Senator Allen should have a rigorous discussion on the issues that are most important to the people of Virginia. To that end we would like to setup a series of debates on issues that matter -¡ the need to reshape our national security policies, in Iraq and elsewhere; the breakdown of our society into three America-¦s as a result of the globalization of the economy; the impact of illegal immigration and what we should be doing about it, and the abuse of power by this Presidency as it relates to the proper role of the Congress.
Guess what? Yeah, you guessed it! Dick Wad(hams) and Company refused the offer of issue-oriented debates. Gee, do you think that might just have something to do with the fact that George Allen has a piss poor record on the issues, doesn't have any record of accomplishment in the "wounded sea slug" of a Senate, and doesn't have a clue when it comes to any number of subjects? Or, is George Allen simply afraid of Jim Webb? Either way, it's nobody else's fault but George Allen's that this campaign hasn't featured a series of debates on the issues.
By the way, my understanding is that Jim Webb has accepted as many as ten - count 'em, 10! - debates that George Allen has ducked. Instead, George Allen prefers to buy 2 minutes of TV time right before prime time so he can communicate with the people of Virginia off of a teleprompter, while avoiding an unscripted encounter with the dreaded Jim Webb, aka "George Allen's worst nightmare." I believe that's known as "cynical." I also believe it's known as "cowardice." Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys George Allen's display of cynical cowardice tonight. He's certainly paying a pretty penny for it! Ha.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
He wants to control spending???? How's that going for you George?
New suburbs could be new political battlegrounds
Democrats lost growing suburbs badly in the 2004 presidential election. Last year Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine broke tradition by carrying Loudoun and Prince William counties, outer suburbs of Washington, D.C. His campaign centered on transportation and education.
"Turns out, back on June 19, the Webb campaign challenged George Allen to a series of debates on the issues"
Which challenge Allen'd ducked.
On June 19, Webb was a nobody and Allen was somebody -- a Senator, a past Governor... Even if Allen was stupid enough to accept such a challenge, his handlers would have muzzled him. A debate would have been a difficult proposition for Allen (vide the two side-by-side meetings with Webb that he did have). Chances were that Webb would run *pretzels* around Allen when it came to intellect; not only does Allen not *write*; he doesn't seem to *read*, either.
And what would Allen have got in exchange for making an a-hole of himself in public? More name recognition *for Webb* (and don't tell me that getting name recognition wasn't a part of the reasoning behind Webb's offer to argue issues. As a Polish song goes: "*That* stupid, I am not. Stupid, maybe. But not *that*")...
Of course Allen'd refused to meet Webb in June! He'd have refused in September, too, if he could have got away with it, the poor schmuck.