“Senator Stabenow, doesn’t the LG Chem boondoggle contradict your claim that green subsidies bring jobs to America? And wouldn’t voting for the Keystone pipeline have brought many more jobs?”
As the Obama-Stabenow stimulus implodes, that might make for an interesting debate question. If there were a debate.
But Michigan’s junior senator – and avowed defender of the planet – has refused any debates with her challenger, former Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra. From Massachusetts to West Virginia to Florida, Senate, House, and gubernatorial candidates are embracing debates this fall. But Stabenow is running from them. Instead, she has used her war chest of Big Labor-fed campaign dollars to launch a massive ad assault attacking her opponent as granny’s worst enemy.
Like President Obama, the Democrat’s air war has built for the incumbent a solid lead. Now imagine if you were Mitt Romney and were denied debates. Game. Set. Match.
After Romney’s debate-fed insurgence, Stabenow suddenly closed down debate negotiations.
Her campaign defends its strategy, claiming it had accepted two public debates – at the Detroit Economic Club and at Grand Valley State. But she refused to televise the DAC debate – and only allowed in public broadcasting for the college venue.
Again, imagine Mitt Romney agreeing to those conditions.
In a press conference October 11, Hoekstra said, “it doesn’t do a whole lot of good (to debate) if no one can see it.” Fair enough. “It’s clear she doesn’t want to debate,” he added at a town hall this weekend. “She doesn’t want to defend her record. Anybody can call me up today and say, ‘Will you go here, will you debate her at the Detroit Econ Club or Grand Valley?’ The answer is yes. Her answer is, ‘I’m sorry. I’m busy.’”
Michigan deserves answers for the waste of green stimulus dollars, the gutting of Delphi pensions in the auto bailout and why Stabenow did not intervene – as well as questions about Hoekstra’s long career in public service. By ignoring the debate, Stabenow is ignoring Michigan.
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