The Al Melvin debate bamboozle continues

by David Safier

First Al Melvin said he wouldn't have any extra debates with Cheryl Cage. The one Clean Elections debate, which won't happen until we're in the General, is all he can fit in, he said. He's too busy knocking on doors.

Then he said in his recent email newsletter (SENATOR AL MELVIN’S JULY 2010 UPDATE!!!) he's participating in "a number of debates with Ms. Cage":

DEBATES: One of the ways we are educating the voters is by
participating in a number of debates with Ms. Cage, and those public
appearances and comparisons will be very helpful.

Yes, Al "one" is a number, but "a number of debates" means more than one. You've said you're only going to participate in that one debate — and no, a forum is not a debate — which means your statement is, to be kind, misleading.

Now this. Melvin has a Photo Gallery on his campaign website. Lots of photos are old, but the three of the photos on the first two rows with specific dates on them give the impression that they're about recent events.

The announcement of the August 27 appearance on the John C. Scott show (top left), I believe, refers to this coming August 27. The August 30 appearance on Emil Franzi's talk show (top right), I'm fairly certain, will be this August 30, and the comment about Franzi endorsing Melvin in the Explorer is referring today's edition of the Explorer, which means the caption is brand new.

And then comes the photo whose caption I circled in red. The caption says,

Al debating his opponent at the SaddleBrooke Republican Club on July 9 . . .

The problem is, that photo and the event must be years old. Melvin didn't debate Cage last week, or any time this election cycle. But by using the term "opponent" without a name and "July 9" without a year, he's implying he debated her last week, seemingly making good on his promise to hold "a number of debates with Ms. Cage."

Melvin likes to talk about how honest he is, how he was a Boy Scout and in the Merchant Marines and all that. He should understand that "honest" doesn't simply mean not telling a bold faced lie. It means having honor and integrity, and that means not purposely misrepresenting the facts.

It's OK not to want to debate your opponent, even though it looks a bit cowardly. Incumbents usually don't like debating challengers. But Melvin needs to be honest about it.

A THOUGHT: Since that debate from yesteryear was at the SaddleBrooke Republican Club, it was probably against one of his Republican opponents — either Toni Hellon in 2006 or Pete Hershberger in 2008. Which makes me wonder: if Melvin was willing to participate in an extra debate during previous election cycles, doesn't that make it look like he's ducking Cage in 2010? What is he afraid of, I wonder?