The Media Villagers are all upset that Secretary of State Katie Hobbs declined to debate the QAnon Queen Big Lie election denier “Krazy Kari” Lake in a Citizens Clean Elections debate on Arizona Horizon – PBS, moderated by Ted Simons. Seriously?
Did they not see what a miserable job “Mr. Congeniality,” Ted Simons, did moderating the Republican primary debate for governor? It was an embarrassing clusterfuck. He shoud never be allowed to moderate another debate IMHO.
“Krazy Kari” Lake ran over Ted so often she left her footprints all over his face. Of course “Krazy Kari” Lake wants another opportunity to abuse “Mr. Congeniality,” Ted Simons, and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, and to make a mockery of the Citizens Clean Elections debate process. Why wouldn’t this “mean girl” (Trump in a dress), since Ted let her get away with her abusiveness the last time?
Just out of curiosity, what were the Nielsen ratings for this debate? I’m guessing more people saw it on social media video after it had been widely criticized in the media, kind of like people slowing down to look at a car wreck. Otherwise, no one but partisan supporters of the candidates were watching this so-called debate. It did not serve to inform or to sway the views of any voters. At best, it only provided confirmation bias for partisan supporters of the candidates.
Show of hands: How many of you have ever decided whom to vote for based upon a Citizens Clean Elections debate on Arizona Horizon – PBS, moderated by Ted Simons? Anyone? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I suppose the first question I should have asked is how many of you even watch the Citizens Clean Elections debates on Arizona Horizon – PBS? We watch, so you don’t have to.
Remember Jan Brewer’s 16 second brain fart during her debate with Terry Goddard? That was a classic. It didn’t result in Gov. Terry Goddard, did it? GQP tribalism gave us four more years of one of the worst governors in Arizona’s history. Partisans don’t care. Republicans woud vote for the devil – and they have! – as long as there is an “(R)” behind the name on the ballot. How else does one explain congressman Paul Gosar?
Update to: The Chamber of Commerce Gubernatorial Forum Is A Waste Of Money. Let’s Have A Real Candidate Debate: “As I pointed out above, the Chamber of Commerce Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Forum is useless. THIS is what Laurie Roberts is clutching her pearls over?”
Here is the useless Chamber of Commerce Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Forum (below) that, as far as I have been able to find with a Google search, did not merit any reporting by the so-called “paper of record” whining about no CCEC debate for governor. The Republic did send a photographer, however. Gubernatorial forum hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. Maybe USA Today should not have fired so many reporters at The Republic, there might have been someone left to report on this Chamber of Commerce Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Forum.
Thanks for posting the AZ Chamber of Commerce’s Gubernatorial debate/forum, held on Sept.7. Looks like Lake will appear alone on the Oct. 12 at the CCEC debate on Arizona PBS Horizon.
It is as a forum not a debate. Stop the spin!
John, you should re-read what Carolyn actually wrote.
Maybe you could try giving someone like me a reason to vote for laKe and help her get votes and spend less time trying to find gotcha’ moments which serve no useful purpose but do make you look thirsty.
Take your time, think it through this time.
As always, donate in Honor of Arizona Rep John Kavanagh at RaicesTexasDotOrg.
RAICES provides free or low cost legal help to immigrants.
Yes, I do spend a lot of time tagging this racist terrorist’s comments with suggestions to help people and no I don’t wear a cape but I get why you’d think that.
And another thing!!!! :-)
It’s amazing that John “RaicesTexasDotOrg” Kavanagh is so self un-aware that he forgets all the times he’s been caught here, lying and spinning.
It’s a lot!
I really have nothing more to add, I just really, really enjoy helping raise funding for RaicesTexas.
Hooray!
RAICES provides free or low cost legal services to immigrants.
On the other hand, if he was actually experiencing a spinning room, maybe from his extended age or perhaps from some medication, and he’s lying on the floor, dizzy, maybe injured…
Thoughts and prayers.
Nelson Morgan, an emeritus professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and co-director of Neighbors Forward AZ, in an op-ed at the Arizona Republic writes, “Katie Hobbs won’t debate Kari Lake. So what? It’s how they’ll govern that matters”, https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/09/13/katie-hobbs-wont-debate-so-what-how-shed-govern-matters/10359498002/
When there is a close campaign for a prominent office, there are often disputes about competitive events like debates.
We’re witnessing that now with the Arizona governor’s race, where Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has objected to the debate format with her challenger. The race is tight, and her choices could make a difference.
We should also note that there are number of other races where candidates have rejected a debate; for instance, Republican Nancy Barto has declined to debate Democrat Christine Marsh in Legislative District 4. But I digress.
There is campaigning, and there is governing. Two different things.
Candidates can make campaign mistakes
The candidates that we support sometimes make unforced errors. They make strategic or tactical choices that reflect badly on them. They may get bad advice from political consultants, or simply might not be very good at campaigning.
They might be less effective speakers than their opponent. They might emphasize the wrong issues, or the right ones at the wrong time. They might have made plans for a media splash on a night when an unrelated event takes public attention away.
These things matter, because, for better or worse, one cannot function in an elected office unless you are elected. Campaign choices make a big difference, and the public cannot be expected to follow issues as closely as political professionals.
And yet …
In the end, it is governing that really matters.
But we have a good idea of how they’d govern
Although we can never know for certain how someone will behave in office from their prior record, there are many clues. And we have been hearing the most important ones since the November 2020 election (but especially on and since Jan. 6, 2021).
Election deniers, as they are being called, appear to ignore reality. How can we expect them to govern effectively? Those with little experience in government can sometimes bring fresh ideas, but if what they bring to the table is a cultish devotion to an autocratic figure, we can probably predict that they won’t do the job that the citizens need.
It’s fine to kvetch at this or that campaign decision.
But in the end, we need to elect candidates who share our values: for instance, bodily autonomy, education for our children, and care for our climate, including our scarce water resources. Those are values held by a significant majority of Arizonans.
It’s what candidates will actually do once they’re in office that matters. And while we don’t know that for sure, we have a pretty good idea of some of the problems to expect if we elect reality deniers.
The choices should be clear. And that’s the bigger picture.
If Skari Lake debates an empty chair, who will win?
When Clint Eastwood debated the empty chair, the chair won. So I’m going with the chair.