From some reason WCVB either did not post last Sunday’s debate on its website or I was never able to find it, which was especially frustrating given that it’s their only televised debate.
However, the Bielat campaign recently posted it (in two parts) on YouTube.
After hearing Mr. Kennedy’s response to the question about the Massachusetts ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes, I’ve decided to withdraw my support for the candidate and have removed his lawn sign from the front of my home. Of the two candidates, I would prefer Mr. Kennedy win. But given his apparent failure to grasp the importance of that ballot initiative to countless sick and suffering people in his own district, I’ve changed my mind and decided to leave my ballot blank in this race.
Thanks for posting, Greg. I had been trying to find it as well. I thought it was odd that the debate basically disappeared the moment it ran. WCVB still only has a two minute snippet on their website and the Kennedy website has no mention of the debate or their candidates’s performance (someone please correct me if I missed it).
Sean is a serious man, which is what we need in Washington. I think the debate shows this.
Mr Striar — Throw out the lawn sign, but consider keeping the baby.
I have asked the two candidates to come on Veracity for a one hour debate and Bielat accepted and we are waiting to hear a definitive answer from the Kennedy campaign. Seeing how close the election is, I seriously doubt we’ll see an acceptance. We were aiming for October 18th. Oh well.
Funny how one campaign airs it, while the other is doing everything they can to hide it. I wonder if People felt if Bielat lost (I haven’t seen it, yet) it would be on the wcvb web site. Ahhhh, politics.
Tom: What leads you to conclude that Kenedy was “hiding” it?
After viewing the debate, I thought both did a nice job. I thought Sean came off a bit more authoratatively than JKIII.
I agree with Tom. They’re both impressive. Kennedy needs more life experience. His family fame doesn’t compensate for his lack of it. The Democrats are anxious not to give up Barney’s seat, and think a Kennedy is a shoo-in. The one thing I didn’t like about Kennedy was his initial comments about the system being stacked against the average person. That’s Elizabeth Warren and Obama, and it’s fake. Ask Mark Zuckerberg. But he never came back to it, thankfully.
The issue of life experience (or lack thereof) is shared by both candidates. Bielat’s references to JPK as a “kid” notwithstanding (they’re about five years apart in age and both in their 30s) – neither one has served a day in elected office. And being a member of Congress is hardly the time for learning on the job, especially now.
One could make an argument that SB’s corporate experience would be a better fit as a member of Congress than JPK’s time as a prosecutor, but there’s still a huge difference between being a business manager with hire/fire authority and a eye on a budgetary bottom line in private industry, and an elected office holder whose success is measured in constituent services and bringing home money for local projects. Meanwhile, JPK has a famous name, but he needs a more compelling reason to win than being a reliable party-line Democratic vote.
Plus, and this is admittedly an assumption on my part, I doubt either candidate is really prepared for the unrelenting drive to raise money that is a part of the daily life of every member of Congress. SB has got about $65k left at this point (though the FEC data is really old now) and hasn’t seen much national GOP $$$ support this time around. But it might be worse for JPK, esp. with his millions raised — being a Kennedy means he has to be able to raise obscene amounts of money for himself and the Democratic Party — and that demand would probably only grow if he won the job.