Okay, let the games begin. A war of words has erupted between the camps of the great debaters Congressman Christopher Shays and his Democratic opponent Jim Himes.
Himes’ boys say Shays doesn’t want to debate. Shays’ camp says Himes is full of crap.
“It’s no surprise Chris Shays is hiding from Jim Himes,” said Dana Houle, campaign manager for Himes, even though Shays crashed a Himes’ press conference last month in Bridgeport about the Congress Street Bridge, serving only to elevate Himes, and turn a page four story into a page one article. “Chris Shays is the guy who parroted George Bush’s claim that ‘the fundamentals of our economy are strong.’ Jim Himes understands our economy and understands the challenges facing us in Iraq and Afghanistan, on education, on healthcare. Chris Shays is out of his depth in serious discussions about the economy and his time in Washington has left him out of touch with the concerns of Connecticut families.”
Bravo Dana for your mock horror. Okay, now the response from Shays’ Campaign Manager Michael Sohn.
“Christopher believes debates are a fundamental part of the political process. Historically, he has participated in a large number of debates in election years and this year is no different. We are working directly with these organizations to set up debates, and it’s hard to understand why the Himes campaign would publish misleading information to the contrary. This claim is ridiculous. Christopher’s challenger and the new campaign manager he brought in from Washington should be spending time preparing to debate the issues voters care about.”
What you’re seeing is classic issue concoction. Let’s announce the other guy doesn’t want to debate irrespective of its validity. Maybe some of the knuckleheads in the media (like me) will bite on it.
Here’s what’s going on. The Shays camp is saying yes to organizations that want to host debates rather than talking directly to the Himes campaign about which ones to do.
Shays, historically, has been much too accommodating about debates. He does too many and it almost cost him two years ago in one of his dozen or so debates with Diane Farrell when he said what occurred at Abu Ghraib wasn’t torture. He was forced to back pedal. Campaigns are a battle of attrition. The more you debate, the more frazzled you become and prone to say something stupid. I would pick four or five debates and say sayonara.
But, just in case you want to know which debate requests Shays has agreed to do, here’s the list his campaign supplied. Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Fairfield County, League of Women Voters (Coastal Towns), League of Women Voters (Inland Towns), Fairfield University, World Affairs Forum, American Civil Liberties Union, Temple Israel, Westport, AARP.
Let’s see if both candidates show up. Hey, maybe I can broker a deal in all of this. Nah.
Okay, OIB readers!
Who is the Master Debater???
(It had to be said…)
Booty:
(wink and a grin) GOTTA HAND IT TO YA… .
OIB bloggers are interested in serious talk about pertinent issues. It had to be said.
Which one fishes with Master Bait!
The National Agenda:
BOO-HISS to all those so-called sword-waving, risk-taking hedge funders who passed on a chance to assist a trophy-style company like AIG with a short-term bridge loan. I’m considering writing a book called “Pin-Striped Pukeheads”. Remember, these bailouts are being orchestrated under the conservative Bush Administration and represent selective socialism at worst!
On a local level:
Maybe Summer Wind should charter a fishing boat; grab a rod, bait a hook and then tell us about the “one that got away”. OIB bloggers love fish stories!
Shays and his debate team know how snippy Christopher can get when it gets too hot.
He’s going to take a page out of the McCain/Palin playbook with a duck and cover strategy of avoiding any criticism of his relationship with Bush. Shays is a fumbler, mumbler and bumbler.
Every two years Shays has convinced us to turn the other cheek. We have and ended up getting bit in the neck.
Shays It Ain’t So, Chris!
Solid as Barack; What a play on words? Have you watched any of the liberal TV reports recently or read any of the mainstream media articles? They go out of their way to try and connect Bush & McCain. Avoid the connection? Did you see his interview on the TV show View where those 4 liberal shrews led by Barbra Walters tried to make the connection? If McCain was trying to avoid his ties to Bush why would he go on a known liberal show?
BTW what’s with the teleprompter now on display at all Obama speeches. Is he starting to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease?
Wondering
Didn’t you find it interesting that during the RNC all the main speakers talked about Abe Lincoln, Teddy R and Ronnie R. The Republicans can try to run, but they can’t hide from their Bush legacy.
If we kick Chris Shays to the curb.
Could that be a Booty Call?
Larry Craig is a bait and swish!
I don’t see McCain & Palin hiding. McCain has worked both sides of the aisle. I think the one that is hiding in plain site is Obama. He lays the blame for every ill on Bush. We have had a democratically controlled congress for 2 plus years and they have managed to get a popularity rating lower than Bush.
What is your feeling on Obama’s plan to increase taxes on small businesses when at the present time they are the backbone of the economy?
There is no doubt that Bush is part of the problem but so is the democratically controlled congress.
BTW the Dems in Washington just passed a sham offshore drilling plan that would allow offshore drilling 50 miles off our shores. Well guess what most of the offshore oil is within the 10-mile limit. So another BS attempt by congress as it relates to our oil problem.
“Both sides of the aisle,” McCain works both sides of an issue! John McCain wants a 9-11 type of investigation into Wall St. That sounds like something Finch would say. If you don’t have an answer, have a commission!
And the Republicans believe that small business is the backbone of the economy, why are we bailing out the big boys on Wall St.? Blah, blah, blah.
Typical Shays no debates, wow. Shays and McCain will get their butts kicked in November in Bridgeport. Don’t be surprised if we have a 50k or over turnout in Bridgeport because registration numbers are going through the roof and many people are going to vote in Bridgeport and I can tell you if that happens Shays won’t win no matter what the turnout is in the Republican area. The reason the most a Republican will get in Bpt is 10k or less and Shays will not get 10k this should be a win of over 30k for Himes in Bpt if turnout hits 50k.
With all the crying going down on Wall Street, maybe we should change its name to Bawl Street. The Fat Cats are all crying over their spilt milk. Speaking of Cats! I really miss all those crazy cats who used to have their scratching posts on this blog.
“Memories!”
Since my lap band surgery I’m down 30 lbs. All my talk about cats has given me a longing for a corned beef and pastrami combo from Katz’s Deli. With the price of gas, and the collapse of the market, I guess it’s a can of tuna for me.
Lennie
How ’bout a pol pod debate with a panel of OIB posters and moderated by you.
Debates are a waste of time; no one gives a damn. Candidates running for state office here in Bridgeport drag the old “lower taxes” banners from the closet every election cycle. The Congress Street bridge has been a nonstarter for too long. It would be nice to have it repaired and put back in operation. It is one of the biggest eyesores downtown, much uglier than 333 State Street. And that building is butt-ugly, for sure. It would also provide a transit artery between downtown and the East Side, which would spread some money around and improve the bottom line for merchants downtown in both areas.
All anyone ever does is talk about it.
My good friend, The Bridgeport Kid, is right. With the Congress St. bridge closed, Bridgeport suffers from Arterial Sclerosis.
And what about Pleasure Beach? That is a potential goldmine. If city officials would just put their egos back in their holsters, that place could be fixed up really snappy. The tax revenues would go a long way toward weaning Bridgeport from the state tax hooter. Unfortunately, representatives from the city and the state have difficulty agreeing on much of anything. How long did it take to open the transportation center walkway, the walkway that connects the bus terminal and the railroad station? The biggest disagreement was over administration, i.e., responsibility for maintaining the freakin’ thing.
FOR A LONG TIME, people have had difficulty accepting me as a Democrat with Capitalist tendancies. They thought I was a hypocrite. But not now. Now that the free-market Bush Administration has been forced to intervene in corporate affairs, my detractors understand that democracy and business are compatible. Treasury Secretary Paulson – the former chairman of Goldman Sachs – has become the unofficial spokesman for Bailout Nation. AIG forced The Fed to extend a $75 billion line of credit. This time, Uncle Sam gets 80% ownership of AIG until the bill gets paid. The company is effectively nationalized. We own it. Welcome to the new world.
Conclusion: Economics trumps politics seven days a week and I’m prepared to use mankind’s most accurate measuring device to prove it.