Congressional candidates Joe Kennedy III and Sean Bielat have agreed to three debates, although Bielat says he wanted more. Here’s the schedule…
Sunday, September 30 – 11 AM
“On the Record” with Janet Wu and Ed Harding
Televised debate
Channel 5 WCVBWednesday, October 10 – 4 PM
MassINC and Commonwealth Magazine
“American Dream” debate
Advanced Manufacturing Center at UMass Dartmouth
Fall River, MAMonday, October 15 – 7:30 PM
League of Women Voters
Candidate’s Night
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
I think the headline should be revised, as it is Joe Kennedy III that has agreed to only three debates. I believe Sean Bielat has agreed to more than ten debates.
The issue is not only the number of debates, but the quality of each. One taped appearance on a Sunday morning and another appearance on a weekday afternoon. The third is billed as a “candidates” night, so there is no telling how many other debates will be held that evening.
In 2010, Barney Frank, even though he was a thirty-year incumbent, debated close to 10 times with Bielat. Rep. Frank clearly respected the voters of Newton and the rest of the Fourth Congressional District.
We deserve more debates and more opportunities to see the two candidates together so we know what our choice is in November.
2010 was a midterm election. This year, we have 3 debates scheduled for this seat, 3 for the Senate seat, and 3 (or is it 4?) for the Main Event – all within a six week time period. Enough already. With all this going on, there’s no way voters are going to watch more than 3 debates for anything but the Presidential race.
Bielet’s and Kennedy’s time is better spent out on the campaign trail connecting with voters.
Jane,
The point isn’t whether people will watch all 10 debates, the point is to do 10 debates so that people who can’t view the first 3 can have other options to view a debate.
@Anil – I guess it depends on what your definition of the word “agreed” is. 😉 “Consent to” or “agree with each other”?
I do agree with your point about quality. If I’m remembering correctly, On the Record is the show where they give the pop quizzes. Which are fun, admittedly.
Jane — In all fairness, this is a very diverse (odd) district. Folks should have opportunity to ask questions specific to their town or region.
More debates = inclusiveness for voters.
it’s an even more diverse state and country. Voters need a reasonable number of opportunities to hear from candidates, but beyond a certain point, the whole process devolves into petty personal attacks and sound bites. Think back to the debates during the Republican primaries. Having so many debates was a disservice to the candidates, whose messages were often misinterpreted, and to the electorate who did not hear substantive discussions on foreign policy in particular.
I’m perfectly happy to have 3 presidential/state/congressional debates. In this day and age, I can access any debate I miss in real time.
I’m not sure these can reasonably be called debates. Kennedy will not do anything live but insists on taped interviews. Does this mean perceived blunders will be edited out? And who gets last say in the matter of edits?
I’m sure Kennedy wants to move beyond the perception that he is running on more than his last name but hiding behind taped interviews does little to alleviate that perception.
I agree with Jane. I found last night’s debate between Brown and Warren very mean spirited. I can make my decision with just the facts with all of the poor info (due to candidate ‘marketing’) makes it really tough to weed through it all!