Thursday, March 27, 2008

Debating debates



In the Pennsylvania 117th State Rep race incumbent freshman Karen Boback has said she is too busy to debate her Republican primary opponent James May. The League of Women Voters (LWV) offered some dates and Boback said she couldn't make it because the House was in session on those days and said she was too busy on every other day in the next month to face her opponent. The LWV President Jane Manganella offered to schedule the debate on any day that Boback could fit it in and I'm sure that May would agree to it. Boback suggested the League of Women Voters give candidates more notice about scheduling debates.

A TL editorial asks:


... it’s hard to imagine that Boback – a freshman legislator – couldn’t pull herself away early on one of those days to make the trip home from Harrisburg for an evening debate.
Somehow, U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama manage to crisscross the nation to campaign and discuss issues, yet the federal government continues to function in their absence.


Why not do it on a weekend? According to Boback's website she has only 2 weekend campaign events on the schedule. Saturday March 29th she is having dinner and Sunday April 6th you can join her for cocktails. I was hoping to make the latter event but missed the RSVP date.


So that leaves open 3/30, 4/5, and every other weekend after that.





I was looking at the invitation to Boback's dinner on her website and wondered if you can use the official logo of PA House of Represenatives on a campaign fundraiser invitation. I don't know if this allowed but I'm not an election lawyer. It probably is OK since the only campaign laws in PA deal with keeping third party's off the ballot and there are no contribution limits in PA but at least they have to disclose it.


If Boback and May can free up their schedules I would be happy to organize a debate on any weekend. We could get the fair and balanced Yonk to moderate and a few of our local excellent political reporters to ask some questions. Your Humble Narrator would of course decline to be part of the panel.



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

more notice?
if you're running for office you should EXPECT and ANTICIPATE debates!!!

Anonymous said...

How gutless.... where do i send James May a check??????????

I voted for "Dr." Boback last time, but Karen, I have a doctorate, Boback is lacking respect for her constituents and too devoid of intestinal fortitude to debate a challenger to her thrown then she should abdicate. Please rejoin the teacher's unions you represent.

Anonymous said...

send checks to May champaign headquaters Memorial Hwy. Dallas Pa 18612

Anonymous said...

Is this the same Karen Boback that got her "UPenn" Ph.D. on the weekends at Wilkes University?

Anonymous said...

...sounds to me like the same Boback. She's also the same Boback that messed up two grant applications for her own district. One for the volunteer fire department (she forgot to send it in, and they lost $15,000 as a result) and another for the sewage system (she sent the wrong application).